North Bend to Ellensburg
Had a great two-day tour pulling my BoB trailer on the Iron Horse Trail (aka: JWPT) from its start in North Bend on out to Wanapum State Park near Vantage. There are a couple of sections of loose gravel: 4-5 frustrating miles' worth just east of Hyak, then a mile or two of it east of Cle Elum. I rode a cyclocross bike with 40mm wide Clement X'Plor tires, which was just fine for the task except for the aforementioned sections. I really enjoyed the slow climb up to Snoqualmie Pass, and especially the Yakima River Valley section between Cle Elum and Thorp. I had hoped to ride the section through the Yakima Training Center and on down to the Columbia, but with my GPS registering 116F in Ellensburg so I elected to play it safe and take the Vantage Highway instead. The trail is a treasure, and I hope to ride it again sometime soon!