ChezCheese:)
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Kitsap Co, WA
Yesterday we went to check out the newly reopened Spruce Railroad Trail which runs along the north side of Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. This is part of the Olympic Discovery Trail. We set out and it was sunny though cold (had ice in the bed of the pickup truck). It got more and more overcast as we passed Port Angeles, and we started seeing snow on the ground, though it was not precipitating at the time. We had to go via hwy 112 and Joyce, because the East Beach Road is still closed from the summer. There was quite a bit of snow and ice at the trailhead parking lot. Rather like a slurpee or a granita. My husband gave his Vado a spin in the parking lot and a bit up the trail, but came back and said it was probably not wise.
But since we'd driven all the way out there, we thought maybe approaching from the far side (the west end of the lake, at Fairholm) would net us some riding because the trail has more tree coverage, so less snow. So we backtracked and drove along the lake and the gorgeous forest and parked at Fairholm. There was a bit of slush on the road, but not too bad. We joined the trail itself at Ovington.
Let me tell you, they have done a bang-up job of building this section of the Olympic Discovery Trail. Although they did remove some trees on the lake side which lightened up the vistas of the lake (we remarked, "They've USA Todayed it), they have built a really superb railway bike trail. Flat, smooth, with a tunnel and bridges. They also pretty much spoiled our secret fishing spot, but there are very few fish in the lake and you can't keep them anyway.
We hadn't ebiked in such cold weather before, and did not realize there was snow out here. So we didn't have on suitable footwear for the temperature, and though we had gloves, they were not adequate. So our fingertips and toes were pretty dddanged cccold. Also my eyeballs. We didn't go all the way through, so we didn't make it to the Devil's Punchbowl, but we will come back of course, since Lake Crescent is one of our favorite places.
But still it was a great way to spend Christmas Eve, pandemic or no.
But since we'd driven all the way out there, we thought maybe approaching from the far side (the west end of the lake, at Fairholm) would net us some riding because the trail has more tree coverage, so less snow. So we backtracked and drove along the lake and the gorgeous forest and parked at Fairholm. There was a bit of slush on the road, but not too bad. We joined the trail itself at Ovington.
Let me tell you, they have done a bang-up job of building this section of the Olympic Discovery Trail. Although they did remove some trees on the lake side which lightened up the vistas of the lake (we remarked, "They've USA Todayed it), they have built a really superb railway bike trail. Flat, smooth, with a tunnel and bridges. They also pretty much spoiled our secret fishing spot, but there are very few fish in the lake and you can't keep them anyway.
We hadn't ebiked in such cold weather before, and did not realize there was snow out here. So we didn't have on suitable footwear for the temperature, and though we had gloves, they were not adequate. So our fingertips and toes were pretty dddanged cccold. Also my eyeballs. We didn't go all the way through, so we didn't make it to the Devil's Punchbowl, but we will come back of course, since Lake Crescent is one of our favorite places.
But still it was a great way to spend Christmas Eve, pandemic or no.
