Open
streets, a.k.a. ciclovias,
are events that temporarily close streets to vehicle traffic so people can use
them for biking, walking, playing and socializing. These events are gaining traction nationally
and, in Washington, the cities of Seattle and Spokane organize open streets
events in the summer.
Last
Sunday, Steve and I participated in a ciclovia of sorts. We biked the scenic North Cascades Highway,
which is currently closed to vehicle traffic until WSDOT crews clear it of
winter snow. The highway is closed from
milepost 134, east of Diablo Lake, to milepost milepost 171, 14 miles west of
Mazama in the winter.
In
the spring, bicyclists have a window of opportunity to ride portions—sometimes
all—of the closed highway before the road is opened to vehicle traffic. (And yes, it is legal to
bike this highway during its closure.)
Sunny skies, combined with a WSDOT report indicating that they hoped to
reopen the North Cascades Highway late this week, convinced us to bike it on
Sunday.
We
pulled into the Diablo Lake overlook in time to watch a group of bike riders
depart for a ride up the road. We
leisurely pedaled the couple of miles to the gated closure at milepost
134. There were more cyclists readying
themselves for a ride, and a couple of pedestrians too. In total, we encountered 25 cyclists and two
pedestrians taking advantage of the car-free highway.
The
ride was amazing! Lacking a steady
procession of cars and RVs, I could enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the
mountains.
We
weren’t relegated to shoulder riding, but you should stay on your side of the road as you may encounter approaching cyclists, heavy equipment (except Friday-Sunday), or an occasional official vehicle.
We
discovered that Bigfoot had been here!
We
stopped at waterfalls along the way to quench our thirst.
We
witnessed where avalanches had crossed the road.
We
reached the end of our climb and the end of the snow plowing at Rainy Pass.
We
hung out with other cyclists to take a break and check out the fancy snow
removal equipment before facing the long descent back to the car.
There’s
also an east side version of the North Cascades Highway ciclovia via Mazama, as
posted on the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association’s Facebook
page.
Before you head out, be sure to get the latest report from WSDOT and check the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center for current conditions. The highway passes through avalanche terrain.
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ReplyDeleteWow, Louise, this sounds like a great ride. Thanks for blogging about it.
ReplyDelete