I decided I needed to get a little bit more active, and not only just hang out in the nearest parks…. as it was already a bit too late to start a bike hinke towards West Seattle, I figured I could go to Discovery Park.

Google maps indicated a 45 minute trip along the lake and the canal, hence I figured it would be flat, and feasible without becoming to much of a stretch.

Henri the bike is doing a fine job, but when rolling down Capitol Hill I am very weary of his brakes. One slip and I’ll shoot right through downtown and into the Sound…

The bike path lead me along Lake Union, with its newly restored waterfront park, and then along the canal.

That canal was dug, and indeed Lake Union was created, to link Lake Washington with Puget Sound. It’s an industrial canal, and it is very much still in use.

So the scene differed a lot from picturesque Canal de Lachine in Montréal. Instead of a lovely bike path along the canal, it mostly went one block from the canal, behind a number of marinas or ship yards, docks and other industrial sites, rail way tracks etc. Parts of it are very nice though, especially the parks along Lake Union.

When I reached Discovery Park, the hike got steep. The Park is on top of a hill and cliff, which meant I had to hike it all up – and down again if I wanted to reach the lighthouse and the beach at its westernmost tip.

I was rewarded though with some great views over the Sound and over to the Olympic Mountain range (mostly up in the clouds) and a nice little stretch of grey beach, with old tree trunks and crystal clear, but ice cold water.

 

Funnily the water on the north beach was clear, the one on the south beach, just around the corner from the lighthouse, was a muddy brown…

I had packed a few nectarines, but the best treat were the abundant blackberries that I found all over the island… hands blue, both full. Super sweet!

I relaxed only a bit, as I had to hike the way up again, and as the map didn’t indicate it, I had to carry the bike back up the cliff over a few stairs… I sure as hell was not going to ride the bike back up.

On top, I chose a different bike path back, again crossing a major industrial site and huge cargo train station. Seattle is a major port, there’s no denying.

This time the path took me back along the Sound, in a long stretched out park, with a great view on the Seattle skyline and Mount Rainier.  A smoothie and a couple of stops sweetened the ride until I was downtown again, and all that was left was to go up Capitol Hill.

For the first time, I opted to take my bike on the bus, using the bike holders in front. Alas, I’m not very good at grasping these things.

The bus driver had to come out and help me get the bike holder down, the bike up and strapped on correctly. I hardly managed to get it off the rack, too. Sorry folks, for holding you up.

All in all I biked 15,2 Miles (24,5 km), went down from 1037ft to sea level and then up 755ft again. Guess who slept well that night.