The Bike-it List

In December I started compiling a list in my head of bike rides that I might want to do in the coming year. Well, shoot, 2 months have gone by already, time to get working on it!  These are mostly in the Inland NW, I'll have to work on another wish list for those rides out of the area.


- Gran Fondo Ephrata. An 80 mile excuse to visit my hometown, visit the folks, and get a Dusty's cheeseburger.  March 10th 9am.  I think I need a 7am start.

- Columbia Plateau Trail to the Tri-Cities. This might require a fat bike but Eric rode it on a mountain bike. I did a short excursion on it last year on a 29er, but it was rough.  It's an old railroad bed with the rails and ties removed, but all the railroad rock still there.  And apparently overgrown - when I mentioned it to Eric, his wife said "the one you needed a machete for?'

- The Full John Wayne Pioneer Trail ride across Washington State.

- Parts of the JWPT - Cow Creek, just the Eastern Half, the middle section, or the western half.

- A bike camping trip or two with Debbie.  Usually our camping trips require hot showers and a nearby 4-star restaurant so this will take a little planning.  I've scouted some spots along the Iron Horse State Park (aka the western part of the JWPT).  Debbie has shown some interest.

- The 55-at-55 Gravel Grinder.  I turn 55 this year, and this idea started to form in my head when I was out tooling around the back roads near Williams Lake last year.  55 miles is a little short for a gravel grinder so maybe it'll be 55 out and 55 back.  Early July.  Pulled Pork afterwards, if I can overcome an aversion I've been developing to big slabs of meat. Or a Clambake. And cold beer.

- explore more of the Old Milwaukee Road and old Northern Pacific Railroad (see Mullan, ID to Lookout Pass).

- ride the Trail #25 loop in Riverside State Park

- circumnavigate Spokane by bike.

- the usual mountain bike suspects - Beacon, Mount Spokane, Riverside.

- Quilomene?

- Or just try to ride my bike a bit more than I might have otherwise. (borrowed from Tarik Saleh)