Olympic Discovery Trail

Today was an absolutly beautiful day in the NW! So I decided today would be a great day to ride the bicycle on the Olympic Discovery Trail. This trail system currently is paved from Blynn(SE of Sequim) to Port Angeles. The plan for the future is to extend it both east and west so that it runs 150 miles from Port Townsend to Forks. There is a few miles in Port Townsend already. I started from Carrie Blake Park on the east side of Sequim and rode to the tip of Ediz Hook. Well, to the gate of Coast Guard station. The Strait of Juan de Fuca was flat calm and it was so clear enough to make out the shorlines and snow covered hills in British Columbia.

This trail system is pretty much all paved, although kind of rough. The last four miles from Deer Creek to Downtown PA was about half paved, the other half gravel. I selected the ex-commuter bike to ride, it has slightly fatter tires than the road bikes. Also more rolling resistance! The trail is "multiple use", so there were lots of walkers, walkers with strollers, walkers walking dogs, bicycles, bicycles pulling trailers and walking dogs at the same time, and horses. That is why I am not a big fan of bicycle trails.

I started at about 0950 and returned to the truck at 1415. Not too bad of time. I was pretty tired, I have not been putting on the miles that I should. Many of my friends have ridden this trail and I really need to talk to them about it. They always led me to believe that it was flat since most of it is old railroad right of way. The truth is that there were many hills. Most were short steep hills into and out of gullies where there was probably high bridges that are no longer there. There was one long climb from the shoreline to Deer Park. I don't mind hills, but I find it interesting that friends take their little kids on this. This trail may work for me in the future when I take a bicycle tour in that direction again. Last time I toured the Penisula, the only part that existed was the railroad bridge over the Dungeness River and about two mile beyond. The rest of the way was done on the roads.

Tomorrow is suppose to be another wonderful day. I have the appraiser coming by at 0930. After he done doing his thing, I may take off on the motorcycle and ride, maybe to Port Townsend. Suppose to start raining again on Wednesday.

The view of Port Angeles and the Olympic Mountains behind from the end of Ediz Hook.

For a few miles close to Port Angeles, the trail runs right along the water.

The trail goes on the old railroad bridge over the Dungeness River.

The map of the trail from Sequim heading west. The green/yellow track is the Olympic Discovery Trail that I rode.

The map of the trail from Port Angeles and east.

Trip Odometer: 51.49 miles (this time they are Statute miles, not Nautical miles)

Side note: As I was riding out of the Carrie Blake Park, I saw a bunch of guys standing around a pond in the park. They were racing RC Sailboats. I did not recognize the class(they had "omegas" on the sails, but did not resemble minature Solings), but when I first arrived there were six boats racing and a few minutes later, another half dozen or so showed up. The ones that were racing were really getting into it. Seems like it could be a lot of fun, and a lot cheaper than racing a J35!