I drove down to Mount Rainier on Saturday morning for the chance to climb up to Paradise along Steven’s Canyon Road. It was raining on the way down and driving over Cayuse there was practically zero visibility in the low fog. I actually overshot the turn and had to drive up to Chinook before I could turn around. It was looking a bit hairy for the ride up to Paradise if similar conditions prevailed.
Thankfully they didn’t! The cloud cover started to burn off and we had ideal riding conditions heading up to Paradise. Some sun but not overly hot. The only downside was that Rainier itself was obscured by cloud for the whole time so we didn’t get the stunning views of it that are potentially available.
There were 4 of us in total; Marcel, Rosemarie, Annie and me. I’d decided I would stop and take more photos along the way this ride as I had no time constraints to get to the next control which are always prevalent on my randonneuring rides. It’s a nice steady climb with plenty of spots to stop and admire the views.
We climbed at our own paces regrouping periodically and stopped for a bite to eat at the top before descending back to the cars. My bike worked well and the new wheels and tires rolled well going down hill. I had plenty of opportunity to practice hopping my bike over the numerous grates in the road as I headed down at 35+ mph.
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