Washington Scenic Bikeways

Our WA State House has voted to pass a statewide network of scenic bikeways similar to those in Oregon. The bill just needs to pass the State Senate and be approved by Gov Inslee.

What excites me about this and led me to post is that, "Any person may propose the designation of a scenic bikeway route. The State Parks Commission will provide an opportunity for public comment on the proposed scenic bike route before determining a scenic bikeways designation."

What if this kind of thing leads to some kind of utopia in which some of our state's most beautiful roads have signage acknowledging cycling with education/ecouragement/enforcement for people both driving and cycling?

What routes in WA would you want to see on the list if it passes? Here's the Oregon site for inspiration.

I'd start by nominating the North Cascades Highway SR 20 between Newhalem and Winthrop and will give it some thought over the next days.

Church

You say the hill's too steep to climb,
Chiding!
You say you'd like to see me try,
Climbing!
You pick the place and I'll choose the time
And I'll climb
The hill in my own way
just wait a while, for the right day
And as I rise above the treeline and the clouds
I look down hear the sound of the things you said today

Pink Floyd - Fearless

One of my favorite things about climbing is that on the ascent we can sometimes ride out of the clouds.  On this day, on the Golden Gardens hill climb, which starts at roughly sea level and rises to only about 350 feet above; it was the right 350' to be treated to the above view.  I often describe such moments of beauty as church, for it's clear at such times that the earth is a sacred, living becoming.

Discovery Park Hill Climb

This is a fun and short, but quite steep climb.  Having just descended this same route from the top of Discovery park, and turned around at the bottom while admiring the oft windswept shore to the west, we turn around and begin the climb to the flatter rolling area above the bluffs.

The climb starts out at a fairly reasonable gradient, but steepens just around the corner to the left.  The grade maxes out at 25.3%, according to the Strava segment for this climb, and it sure does feel steep for about half a km.  Indeed, it is a struggle to remain seated and spin up in even my lowest gears, and the proportion of the climb I can manage this is a generally good indicator of fitness.  But once it's been crested, there is some flat to be had before the road again stairsteps up and around to the descent down the other side of Magnolia.

This is only the beginning.

This climb frequently makes it into my coastal hill rides that are right around my area and more or less within Seattle city limits.