Ride up to Sunrise Visitor Center

[Susan126]

Anybody interested in doing a ride with the Seattle Bicycle Club on Saturday, August 28th? They are riding up to Sunrise Visitor Center in two weeks. Here is a link to the ride with more information. 2nd Annual Ride to Sunrise Visitor Center. If the weather is nice that weekend I'm definitely going. Sunrise is gorgeous but to ride up to the visitor center on your bike. That would be even better!

[Susan126]

I just checked the Seattle Bicycle Club Ride page and they moved the Sunrise ride up to August 22nd. Now I'm upset because the weekend of August 22nd I will be out of state visiting my parents. Dang Oh well . . . there are plenty of great rides coming up but still I wanted to do the Sunrise ride. Next time!

[LilBolt]

You did RAMROD...this will be a stroll in the park (literally) for you. The road is in great shape, and so many cyclists ride it, you won't feel lonely if you go on your own. Park in the lot where they set up the deli stop for RAMROD below Crystal and ride from there. If I didn't already have a commitment on the 28th, I'd be up for doing it.

[Eden]

We did the Crystal Mt. Hillclimb on Saturday and also had two free nights at the Alpine Inn so we stayed and climbed up to Sunrise today. I was expecting to possibly run into the Seattle Cycling Club group, but we didn't see anyone. I figured they might have gone much earlier or later.... Checking just now I see that the ride was canceled because of weather?????

We left Crystal at a little after 9 and hit the park entrance (fee gate) about 45 min later. It was actually quite nice today. Cold yes. I took long finger gloves and a hat and put the sleeves on my jacket - it converts to a vest, for the way down, but no rain and no fog thick enough to wet you down. (in fact only a very brief trip through the cloud layer at all) We punched through the clouds right up near the top (right at the viewpoint where the road make its last u-e). It was chilly but sunny at the top - nice little peekaboo views of Mt Ranier.

It has just been chip sealed.... like this week.... so I wouldn't exactly call the road in great shape.... not for a while at least until the chip seal gets pressed down flatter and most of the extra gravel is off the road. It wasn't horrible, but it was a bit rough and we did have to take extra care in the corners. I guess the forecast scared everyone else off too though. Only a few cars passed us going up and only a couple did coming down.

[LilBolt]

It has just been chip sealed.... like this week.... so I wouldn't exactly call the road in great shape.... not for a while at least until the chip seal gets pressed down flatter and most of the extra gravel is off the road. It wasn't horrible, but it was a bit rough and we did have to take extra care in the corners. I guess the forecast scared everyone else off too though. Only a few cars passed us going up and only a couple did coming down.

Yikes! Why on earth did they need to chip seal? Was it like that all the way up/down? I've seen that on Crystal, but surprised that they did that up to Sunrise.

Have any of you done Hurricane Ridge this summer? We are going to try to squeeze it in over Labor Day weekend, weather permitting. I'm curious about the road conditions.

[Eden]

The road to Sunrise was very fresh chipseal all the way from the turn off at 410 to the parking lot at the top.....

We did Hurricane Ridge about 3 weeks ago. The weather was *horrid* (it was cooooooold and so foggy that at times we could barely see the road), but the road itself is in superb shape - it was completely repaved a year or two ago after a big portion of the upper road ended up in the valley.... Take extra clothing - its always cold at the top even if the weather is nice and the way down can be quite chilly. Take at very least a rear blinky too. The tunnels (there are two) aren't super long and you can get by without a headlight, but it is best if cars behind have a visual cue that you are in there.

[LilBolt]

Thanks Eden. I appreciate the tips & road report.