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2022 05 Big Event Ride

27 Apr 2022 12:42 PM | Cheryl Walchli (Administrator)

Big Event Ride

Rick Proctor

 

The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming, and the birds were chirping as I parked my car at the Stanwood Middle School and unloaded my bike.  The temperature was 47°F and the weather forecast was good – all indicators pointed toward a great day for bike riding.  I got in line to check-in and get a rider number.  A sense of excitement was apparent as I chatted with other riders in line.  I teamed up with a friend, we pinned on our numbers, and we rolled out about 9 AM to ride the 65 mile Metric Century route of the 2022 McClinchy Mile – Camano Climb on Sunday, April 24th.

We had a tail wind pedaling west out of Stanwood that helped us quickly get onto the island and off the busy SR 532.  As soon as we turned onto Good Rd, the drop in traffic and noise was appreciated.  Camano Island has many miles of quiet and scenic country roads with good pavement which had recently been swept.  Camano Island also has lots of scenic residential communities nestled along the coastline and our route would take us on a loop tour of most of them.  Views of the bays, other islands, and snow covered mountains are spectacular all the way around the island.  As we pedaled north, then west, then turned to the south we were sheltered by forests from most of the winds from the SE.

Cama Beach State Park was our first rest stop at mile 17.  There were plenty of snack options available and real rest rooms.  The day was warming enough to remove and stow my jacket sleeves and change to fingerless gloves.  Camano Island has lots of hill climbs on our route – this part of the ride is called the “Camano Climb” for a reason.  There are also some nice descents, and a good one is eastbound Mountain View Rd that is straight with good pavement.  I coasted faster than I could pedal.  An uphill section ended the coasting party and brought back the pedaling requirement near the Elger Bay Grocery & Deli. 

We turned right onto S Camano Dr for the southern end of the island route.  Riding south on the west side of Camano Island there are views of Whidbey Island across the waters of Saratoga Passage, with occasional views of the snowcapped Olympic Mountains in the distance.  Rounding the southern tip of the island, Hat Island is out there to the SSE with Everett’s skyline beyond.  The SE winds became a tail wind as we turned northward – nice!  At mile 31 the 2nd rest stop at Hutchinson Park had snacks, water, a porta-potty, and a muddy parking lot.  At about mile 34 we missed a turn onto Nelson Avenue due to traffic distractions and bypassed a mile of the coastal community on the narrow, shady lane of Highland Drive.

The Beach Drive coastal community around mile 37 offered nice views east to the Cascade Mountains across the bay of Port Susan.  There is also a full size dinosaur skeleton across a small lake to our left.  At mile 44 we turned onto eastbound SR 532 for 1¼ miles then some more country roads before the final couple of miles on SR 532 back into Stanwood.

We took a short break at Stanwood Middle School then continued onto the 15 mile Stanwood Farms Loop.  The eastbound Pioneer Highway took us through an aromatic dairy farm and a one lane landslide detour traffic control.  Turning onto Norman Road at mile 56 we rode the flat valley near the Stillaguamish River then lots of farms and fields.  Miller Rd was our link back toward Stanwood.  The old bridge from Miller Rd up to Pioneer Highway is closed for motor vehicles, but a gap in the barricade allows bikes and pedestrians to pass.  Part of the old road between the highway and old bridge has slide away and the remaining section that is passable today has cracks.  We had a tail wind riding back into Stanwood to complete our 65 mile ride.

We proceeded straight to SAAL Brewing in Stanwood to park our bikes in the bike corral, found a table, then patiently waited quite a while for our tacos and fries.

Overall, this was a great day for bike riding and seeing lots of friends.  The McClinchy Mile has been the big event ride for our BIKES Club for 40 years and it has undergone plenty of changes.  We live in one of the most scenic areas on our planet and big event bike rides like this are great experiences.  Other local bike clubs and organizations offer similar big event rides:

 

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McClinchy Camano Classic Century

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