Visiting twice-Seattle, ride-planning & to meet?

[shootingstar]

After we thought about this....I will be in Seattle twice ...with my bike.

Since am short on vacation day benefits and would like to be in Seattle more than a few hrs....we're taking a slightly shorter bike route from Vancouver.

So 2 questions:

1. Any thoughts on a good cycling route from Marysville to Bothell that doesn't involve 521 state highway?

My partner has cycled several roundtrips himself between Seattle and Vancouver and feels that piece is kinda not so great. He knows the rest of the route from Bothell into downtown Seattle where we're staying.
We are taking the ferry from Saanich, Vancouver Island to Anacortes. (which means cycling from home at 4:30 am to catch ferry in Vancouver area..We've done this wierd stuff several times before.)

2. If there are any TE members to meet up to ride for abit and eat.

In Seattle, we would be around on Aug. 30 Sat. late afternoon onward and Sun. Aug. 31.


OR to meet up on Sat. Sept. 5. My 2nd visit to Seattle to pick up my bike. Crazy, eh?

Note: I'm leaving my bike with my partner at the hotel on Labour Day and returning to Vancouver for work. He's sticking around to attend the annual Pro-walk, pro-bike conference that whole week. Hey, rather than spend money just to ship my bike back to Vancouver since I have no time to cycle back...

[mimitabby]

I can meet you for the first weekend, but not the second, we'll be out of town.

[shootingstar]

Great, and I wanna see more of your art too, mimi.

And of course, I will be checking out stuff at REI...there is a reason why our hotel is not far ...

[boy in a kilt]

Marysville to Bothell:

SR528 east out of Marysville to SR 9. SR 9 south through Snohomish to Woodinville. Continue south into woodinville on Woodinville Snohomish Road to Woodinville-Duvall Road/175th street. Follow this road across the train tracks and turn right onto Woodinville Drive (you can hop on the Sam River trail in this area too if you are so inclined).

Turn right at next light (it's a mile or two down the road), go across the bridge and up the slight hill. You are in downtown bothell.

SR-9 is a rural road, but has a pretty wide shoulder. If you get tired of the rural, hang a left at any of the following: Cathcart way, SR524/Maltby Road or 228th (big hill) and go left on SR527. That'll take you into downtown Bothell also.

[shootingstar]

Thx, for the detailed instructions, kilt.

Even after visiting Seattle several times, most of the other times without use of bike, I still don't have much sense where the scenic rides in Seattle are. Done the Burkman-Gilman trail a few years ago.

Of course just like any other tourist, know and seen Pike Market area each time...and the shoreline down there. Since I've been to the Bike Expo twice before, we barely had much time to see a whole lot on a weekend...course during time of year when weather isn't optimum.

So indulge me, folks: Where are the scenic rides within Seattle and on its edges?

What would you tell/show a Vancouverite?

[mimitabby]

looks like you've done my favorite scenic Seattle ride.
for more scenery, I guess you'd have to lose the city and ride east or north. You'd have to go quite a ways south to find more scenery; (like Mount Rainier!)
The Mercer Island loop is fun and pretty, and if you ride around Lake Washington, parts of it is really pretty (and parts are annoying city rides)

[mimitabby]

My husband suggests you ride the Centennial Trail.
from Marysville it's not difficult to get onto the Centennial
Trail which will take you into snohomish.
If you want to go that way, my husband would be happy to give you a really beautiful itinerary from Snohomish into Bothell.

and yes, you can see some more of my art!

[boy in a kilt]

The ride along the water from about Discovery park up to Everett is pretty nice, although I would highly recommend you come with a map and small gears.

[shootingstar]

Am grateful for these suggestions, otherwise non-Seattlers waste precious time ...wandering and exploring under time constraints.

We will have to try the Centennial Trail ..unloaded with gear. I did find the map ...

and Interurban Trail will use part of it to get into towards Bothell.
We're staying at a hotel in downtown Seattle, not far from REI. I have happy memories of spending over $300.00 US on one of our trips.

As a comment, we did do a separate, "scenic" trip from Port Angeles to Sequim (last year or 2 yrs. ago..I'm losing my head here) on that newly paved trail through the woods (sorry I need a map to refresh my memory)..which strangely we found the pavement too sluggish for faster bike tire movement. Using the old highway parallel returning to Port Angeles was a dream-relief. Better views too!

If a trail is paved, the quality of asphalt makes a noticeable diff. when one is cycling with loaded panniers on long distance.

[NbyNW]

I hope you enjoy riding in the Seattle area!

Let me know about any meetup plans, my schedule is pretty flexible at this time.

[shootingstar]

I hope you enjoy riding in the Seattle area!

Let me know about any meetup plans, my schedule is pretty flexible at this time.

Will pm you. Mimi plans to show me more of her art...it's a semi-private viewing at this time... Somehow the cycling mobile gallery isn't an efficient idea at this time.

[salsabike]

Would be happy to join in a dinner that first weekend--we too will be gone the second weekend.

[shootingstar]

Looks like it can be mimi's place..if group gets bigger..mimi please specify the limit. Otherwise we might tromp all over the garden or somethin'? I'll be staying at a hotel not far from Space Needle.

Hope mimi has gifty ideas that are arty also.

And if it's dinner at her place, it should be potluck so we get to know each others fav foods. I'll have to think about what food we can drag across through customs/border crossing.. Too bad sea asparagus, is perishable.. Does Washington coast have this?

Presumably I can be there ..after 5:00 pm on Sat. Aug. 30 (another jam session after Bruno's the weekend before...)

But if not, I'm happy to meet up downtown...but wouldn't know the fav places. I will need to eat supper....beyond nachos that day.

[mimitabby]

I'm thinking more than 8 people would be a big crowd at my house. What do you mean gifty ideas?

So PM me if you want to come to my house Saturday evening August 30th, I'll let you know! We're going to meet by bike downtown and show Shootingstar and Mr Shooting Star how to get to my place.

[shootingstar]

sorry to sound nutso...in the midst of this foodie-dinner get-together....

But has that ferocious Rottweiler dog been caught? The one that was running around and bit someone ferociously in the north end of Seattle??

I know, I know.... it's me. The woman who sits beside me at work, her sister lives in same town as LBTC in interior British Columbia. Several weeks ago, her sister's neighbour spotted a cougar...not far. So neighbour leaped over fence..