MORE 2010 MONTHLY BIKE PHOTOS

Here's some more, July through December. Please enjoy!

July - Chinook Pass on the east side of Mount Rainier. A frozen Tipsoo Lake is in the foreground.

August - Vern Latta (Mary's hubby) and the chirpy Tammy Bennett climb the last couple miles to Artist Point at the end of the Mount Baker Highway.

August (again) - Me (again) on the last section of the 17-mile, 5,000-foot climb to Hurricane Ridge on the Olympic Peninsula.

September - Tom Meloy and Mark Clausen bomb down from Artist Point on our superfun Everson-to-Artist Point-and-back Hundred-miler.

 Sept. (again) - Titanium Cancellara at the finish of the Capitol Forest 50-mile Mountain Bike Race. Because of a mechanical, he ran about seven miles of it and rode the last 10-plus miles with this wheel strapped to his pack.

October - Steve Hindman descending Atomic Dog on a day in which some of us rode every single trail on Galbraith Mountain.

November - Near the top of Galby's Towers during a snowy Thanksgiving Day ride.

December - View of the San Juan Islands from Galby's Wonderland Trail.



STUPID FUN STORY HITS THURSDAY'S SEATTLE TIMES

Here I am a couple weeks ago during our attempt to ride All of Galbraith in a Day taking a break to enjoy a cup of coffee, made for moi by Steve Hindman. I share this because Thursday's Seattle Times has photos and a little mention of our excursion in my story on Stupid Fun, dubious adventures put together just for the heck of it. Read it here.

The main focus of the story was last month's Battle of the Bikes race from Wenatchee to Ellensburg--any route you want to take, any kind of bike you want to ride. I definitely want to race it next year.

Below are a few more pics from our long, fun Galbraith in a Day ride.

Cathy Crouch, Steve H. and Steve Vanderstaaay in front of Mount Baker.

Admittedly, we missed Scorpion and Evolution, but only because they were closed for the day.



We'd ben out on the trails for seven-plus hours by this point and I think we were all a little punch drunk by now. 



ALL OF GALBRAITH MOUNTAIN IN ONE DAY (ISH)

Saturday, on a crisp fall day with nary a cloud in all the Northwest, a group of us attempted to do the incredibly stupid: ride all of Galbraith Mountain's trails in a single day. That's like 72 or 78 or, as it felt like, 70 million. The intrepid riders were Cathy Crouch (above, ripping it up on Atomic Dog, or Atomic Dong, one of the two), Steve Hindman (the mastermind behind our evil plan), Steve Vanderstaay, and myself.

Above, is our list of trails and the order in which we'd attack them--Steve H. did an incredible job putting it together. He and Cathy made it the whole way--yay, hurray and huzzah!--riding the last couple hours aided by lights and finishing at 7:45 p.m. under starlight. (We'd gotten underway at 7:30 a.m.) I made it midway through the third column before failing sunlight and lack of lights forced me to abandon. (What looks like a fourth column is actually just notes, not trail names, so I made it pretty far.) Steve Vanderstaay, who knew he'd only be riding as long as his knee would allow, rode with us for about the first six hours. (Great job!)

Below, is the map of what I rode as recorded by my Garmin Edge 500--kooky, huh? In all, I pedaled 35.6 miles of trails with 6,129 feet of elevation gain. Certainly, the most Galbraith I've ever ridden in a day. Basically, I missed the Three Bears-Goldilocks area, a slice of Cabin-2 1/2, to Crazy 8's-Kung Fu, and down to the Bobs. Everything else I rode, including several lower down--Kaya, Bunny Trails, Banjoland, Mole Trap (?)--that I'd never been on before. (So, in my mountain bike career, such as it is, I can honestly say that I've ridden every trail on Galbraith.)

 

Below, it's about noon, and we're getting back at it after lunch and coffee just below the Towers. (I'm serious, coffee! Steve H. brought a stove, water, and Via. How's that for attention to detail?) Stunning views of Lake Whatcom, downtown B'ham and the Sound, as well as Mount Baker. 

Photo credit: Cathy Crouch

Below, our stuff. Lots of stuff. A ride like this requires lots of extra stuff which we stashed in the woods. Looks like a yard sale. 

Below, Steve H. who descends at free-fall speed, is just a blur on Atomic Dong, or Dog, or something. 

Incredible day!