RAPSody 2012 Route Overview

Ride around Puget Sound.Day 1: 85 miles
Day 2: 80 miles
Total Miles: 165 miles
Day 1 Elevation Gain: 5,800 ft
Day 2 Elevation Gain: 3,800 ft
Approx Total Elevation Gain: 9,600 ft.

The Ride Around Puget Sound starts and ends at Tacoma Community College, where free overnight parking is provided. The route passes through Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Southworth, Port Orchard, Shelton, Olympia, Lacey, Fort Lewis, Steilacoom, University Place and lots of little towns you have never heard of but might want to go back and visit again some day.

Route highlights:

  • Discovering local bike trails: Scott Pierson out of Tacoma, Cushman in Gig Harbor, unnamed paths in Shelton, McLane in Olympia, and Chehalis-Western for 10 shady, scenic miles out of Olympia. One-day riders: We promise these trails are not crowded but will give you a chance to "smell the roses" (or pick the blackberries) if you so choose.
  • Riding across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge early in the morning. You can look right down into the waters of Puget Sound.
  • The views: Seattle skyline, Mount Rainier, tree-lined roads, hay fields, cool creeks.
  • A house decorated with ironwork herons, followed by 17 real herons feeding in the mudflats.
  • Port Orchard Farmers Market — lots of fresh fruit and baked goods.
  • Learning a little about the Squaxin Island Tribe during a restroom stop near the Little Creek Casino.
  • The Blue Heron Bakery: good coffee, more fresh baked goods. Need we say more?
  • The ¼ mile we ride on I-5. It sounds bad, but it is always fun to ride faster than the cars stuck in traffic on the freeway.
  • Chambers Creek — first the teens wakeboarding and wallowing in the mud, then the last big hill of the ride leading to my favorite downhill, which is ...
  • Riding down the hill into Steilacoom with the little ferry just pulling in, the Olympic Mountains in the background and the historic downtown in the foreground.
  • Returning to Tacoma Community College with cowbells and ice cream to welcome you home. Plus, this year the music will be provided by Gig Harbor singer-songwriter Thea Wescott and her band Timberland Ridge.