# Ride Report -- Seattle S. Lake Washington Loop



## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

OK, my first ride report. First dry day in a while out here. This popular route is about 30 miles around. I'm starting east of Seattle in Bellevue WA. It's pretty bike friendly out here. This ride is a mix of city streets and multi use trails.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*Boeing Single Aisle Plant*

Renton is the town at the south end of the lake. Home to Boeing's 737 production.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*Green Airplane*

The airplanes come out of the factory "green" before they are painted. The green is some sort of protective coating.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*Shop Bike*

Guys use bikes to get around the factory, as the distances are just off the charts. Here's some heavy steel -- and one of the factory bikes.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*Obligatory Shadow Shot*

I got my new waterproof camera the other day, so now I can do my worst to add to these pages. Apologies to Arby and MB1.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*Bike is a ...*

Motobecane Grand Jubilee that I got for $35. After a few trips to Recycled Cycles, it's a $200 fixed bike. I've got the period correct Stronglight cranks in the garage to go on it next. Oh, and the stem police won't like my stem, but it works for me.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*Porn?*

A nice hub that I've had since 1979. Not sure if it qualifies as porn since the fenders are held on with zip ties. Note the porn modesty by not quite revealing the zip ties. Gotta leave something to the imagination, you know.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*Not exactly the work of artist monks*

but not too ugly either.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*Moss*

How many of you need to avoid the moss on your rides? And it's just starting to rain here.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*Starbucks*

This Starbucks is right on the water. The number of beautiful bikes that grace this shop is stunning. Oh, and you see things like Pinarellos with fenders. NTTAWWT. Big fender fan myownself. These two bikes passd me earlier on the ride. Nice couple.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*Interstate 90 Floating Bridge*

Now to cross back over the lake I ride east on I-90. There is a bike path on this floating bridge. It's well used.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*Gonna Rain Again*

Not many places where rides take you across the lake.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

*The scene of the crime*

Here's where a dog decided to munch on my leg this summer. Notice all the convenient escape routes. The hill home from here was a bit hard on the fixed gear today. I sure have appreciated having this site. Have a good day.


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## spot (Feb 16, 2005)

Nice report and nice photos. That is one of the coolest bridges I have ever seen.


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## CyreneSong (Aug 10, 2005)

Beautiful ride and I thoroughly enjoyed your report! 
That bridge is an amazing feat of engineering. Does it have a name?


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

lets_ride said:


> Beautiful ride and I thoroughly enjoyed your report!
> That bridge is an amazing feat of engineering. Does it have a name?


There are two floating bridges across Lake Washington. People call this one simply "The I-90 Bridge." The other one is on state route 520 -- a little north of I-90. I believe that one is "The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge." A piece of that bridge sunk a while ago. No kidding.


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## Vettekid (Sep 16, 2005)

jplatzner said:


> There are two floating bridges across Lake Washington. People call this one simply "The I-90 Bridge." The other one is on state route 520 -- a little north of I-90. I believe that one is "The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge." A piece of that bridge sunk a while ago. No kidding.


 Actually the entire I-90 bridge went down in 1990. These folks describe the story much better than I could:
http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=2002

In 1979 a portion of The Hood Canal Floating Bridge went down. Once again i defer to the Washington State history pros at Historylink.org :
http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5501

A search for "floating bridge" at the main page will give you plenty of info about their history.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

Wow! I guess I had that one wrong. The story at the link is cool.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

jplatzner said:


> Wow! I guess I had that one wrong. The story at the link is cool.


I have been stationed on the Kitsap Penisula two times for a total of 9 years. I would ride from Poulsbo to Port Townsend via the Hood Canal Floating Bridge. You haven't lived until you have ridden across a floating bridge including the armegeddon section in the middle where there is no place for bikes and you have to compete with cars for space. People do all the time. No place to change a flat either.


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## CyreneSong (Aug 10, 2005)

Thanks for the additional information. I've always found bridges fascinating, and bridges with interesting stories even more so!


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Great photos and great post. Thanks for sharing.*

No apology necessary but I do want to mention that I hate you!  

$25 for that great Motobecane Fixte conversion!?#*!  

Envy, envy, envy.  

Although I don't exactly hate my bike.  

Ride your bike.
Keep the rubber side down.
And don't try to ride across a sinking bridge.


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2005)

Boy I look at the pictures and I SORT of miss living down at the coast - but then I see the moss and green on everything and I don't miss it so much any more.

I was in Vancouver for two days last week; November is normally the wettest month of the year, by November 3 this year they had received 20% of the average monthly total for November. I was there for the 2 and 3rd - YUCK!

Boy I don't miss that part of living down there.

I rode across that brideg - ONCE! never again - as BigBill said - the part in the middle!!!!!!


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

*Like the fixed*

The Motobecane looks great. Especially for the price you got it for. What a deal. I have to agree with others about that bridge. Scarey!


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## fastfullback (Feb 9, 2005)

*great report, jplatzner.*

I've ridden the west side of the lake around to Marymoor Park many many times, but I've never done the full loop. Does it connect to the Interurban Trail at any point, or does one need to find a way south through Renton (lovely Rainier Beach) to get on that trail? 

Re: the bridge bigbill is referring to. To clarify, it's a different floating bridge than the one jplatzner shows here. The 1-90 bridge shown here has a continuous bike lane, with coffee-scented tail winds provided by Mercer Island-bound luxury cars.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

fastfullback said:


> I've ridden the west side of the lake around to Marymoor Park many many times, but I've never done the full loop. Does it connect to the Interurban Trail at any point, or does one need to find a way south through Renton (lovely Rainier Beach) to get on that trail?
> 
> Well, there are a bunch of ways to go all the way around the lake. From Marymoor park I usually go south on West Lake Sammamish to Newport Way which runs parallel to I-90. You don't want to do this in the other direction...in other words there is a shoulder going south, but nothing going north on West Lake Sammamish. Taking Newport way west to Factoria you can connect to the Lake Washington loop under I 90. There are a couple of small residential streets that let you aviod the busy spots. King County has a good free map that shows many of the popular rides including the tricky side streets.


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## steephill (Jul 14, 2005)

*Some history and photos about the Homer Hadley Bridge*



Vettekid said:


> Actually the entire I-90 bridge went down in 1990. These folks describe the story much better than I could:
> https://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=2002
> 
> In 1979 a portion of The Hood Canal Floating Bridge went down. Once again i defer to the Washington State history pros at Historylink.org :
> ...


Here are some photos of the bridge I took while in Seattle this past summer....

*Here's a plaque that shows the name and origins of the bridge:* 









*Seattle thought of cyclists when the Homer M Hadley Bridge floating bridge to Mercer Island was built:* 









* Another view of the bridge. I too thought it was a very interesting design:*


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## treebound (Oct 16, 2003)

*thanks*

I grew up out there near Seattle and lived in that area until the early 1980's, used to ride across the floating bridge back when it still had the bulge. I'm out here in Wisconsin now.

Got any pics of Shilshole Marina? That used to be a nice Saturday ride I'd do sometimes when I lived in Bellevue off 148th, head south thru town to pick up I-90, across Mercer Island taking usually the north loop across the island but sometimes wandering around the south end, find various ways across Seattle and end up at Shilshole Marina, head north out of the marina up the hill and meander towards Sand Point Parkway Bothel Way and ride that to the north end of the lake, then around and down the Burke-Gillman trail along the Slough and finally back to Bellevue. Did a similar loop when I lived up between Kirkland and Redmond. I found Sand Point Parkway much more bike friendly than the bike trail due to all the residential side street and driveway crossing of it north of the U district, had a much more efficient ride on the main road back then.

This was all way back when when the Bellevue Square was still a community of small shops and a nice bookstore instead of the massive-Mall they turned it into. This was all back before the MicroSoft implosion of the region. Back then I enjoyed cycling the eastside much more than cycling Seattle. Last time I was out there in a car I think I'd now prefer riding in Seattle than in Bellevue.

And what ever happened to the nice friendly road between Redmond and Fall City? Last time I was there I got lost getting around in Redmond and almost couldn't find my way east heading to North Bend.

I also used to do a loop from Marymoore thru redmond out to Fall City, then to Carnation and Duvall and Woodenville and then back to home.

Sometimes I really miss those days.

Thanks for the pics.


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