# Cle Elum -Thorp Loop



## borregokid (Jun 9, 2005)

This is a loop ride that I do its about 34 miles with a fair amount of hills maybe 1500 feet over the course of the ride. Its a nice ride because there is very little traffic and the one place there is traffic on Hwy 970 leaving Cle Elum going east there is a wide shoulder. 
This first photo is leaving Cle Elum at the east end of town.










This is looking east on 970. The shoulder is wide and smooth and traffic is light









This is the turn off onto Hwy 10 and to Ellensburg. The traffic is very light. The next turn is about 9 miles down the road at the Thorp Road









This is just before the Thorp Road. A nice Scenic view into the Yakima River Canyon.









For those of you who like a lunch or coffee break take a one mile detour into Thorp and go to the restaurant and store. This is almost exactly halfway. A trip to the restaurant and "downtown" Thorp will add two miles. You have to double back at this point or cross the freeway and head east. I go back to the Taneum Road and then start heading back to Cle Elum. 









This is the Taneum Road before it gets back to the forested hills of Cle Elum. No traffic here at all. Eventually you will go over an overpass that takes you into South Cle Elum.









Return to Cle Elum. Total distance with the Thorp Detour is 36 miles. No stop signs, No traffic.


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## huckleberry (Jun 26, 2005)

Beautiful!

I recognize quite a bit of that ride.

Chris


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## clutchman83 (Jul 7, 2006)

Hey Borrigo! I just picked up a Spesh Allez Elite triple, happy to join the road ranks and may just give that ride a shot.


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## s2ktaxi (Jul 11, 2006)

that was my 2nd group ride last year. will do it again!


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## borregokid (Jun 9, 2005)

Glad to see everyone is alive and well in the great NW. I have been on a long vacation hanging out in Southern Cal-desert. 

Its about time you got yourself a roadbike Clutchman. Now we need some riding weather. I plan on hitting the NW roads again early April. I am going to be leading some shop rides out of the Roslyn Bike shops rain or shine on weekends. It will be a mix of road and mountain. It might be more road, I plan on hitting a few road races this year.  Like to see a few westside guys get over the hill like s2ktaxi. Hope you survived the rain. The pictures I posted dont say how cold it was that day. I think it was one of the last decent ride days.


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## SantaCruz (Mar 22, 2002)

borregokid said:


> I am going to be leading some shop rides out of the Roslyn Bike shops rain or shine on weekends.


I'll second the good roads around Roslyn and Cle Elum. I'm new to the PNW and have been pointed to excellent rides by the bike shop in Roslyn and the one in Cle Elum. Drove up to check out the skiing last Saturday and since it was raining at Snoqualmie I carried on to Cle Elum where it was mostly sunny and dry (tho' cool and windy).


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## borregokid (Jun 9, 2005)

The Thorp store aka Rill Store burned down a few weeks ago. Someone told me about it and I drove by and it had been completely demolished. It was exactly halfway in the loop ride. It is warming up here and hopefully the snow will be gone from the hills in a couple of weeks.


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## tyro (May 15, 2005)

That looks like a nice loop. If I ever make it over that way, I'll have to try that one.


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