Mother’s Day Bike Adventure
By Steve Godfrey
May 09, 2011
Photo by Steve Godfrey
This locked gate is as far as motored vehicles can go. It's a 14-mile round trip from here to the base of the peaks.
Photo by Steve Godfrey
This is the first major warning sign on the North Cascades Highway. It's a 28-mile round trip from here to the hairpin turn at the base of Early Winters Spires (elevation 7807 feet) and Liberty Bell Mountain (7790 feet.)
A fellow bicyclist was kind enough to snap a photo of us in the shadow of Early Winters Spires and Liberty Bell Mountain.
Social media does have its advantages. Last week Annette Jouard posted a couple of photos on Facebook from a bike trip that her and her husband John enjoyed up to the shadow of Early Winters Spires and Liberty Bell Mountain on Highway 20. We were intrigued.
Although the North Cascades Highway remains closed to motorized vehicle traffic as the Washington State Department of Transportation works to clear the massive amount of snow still covering the upper portions, bicyclists and hikers can still use it for a good chance to see the last of the winter's snow.
We parked our car at the Early Winters Campground (just west of Mazama) at the first major sign in the middle of the highway warning drivers that the road was closed to through traffic. It was all uphill from there.
It was 7 miles to the locked gate spanning the highway. This would be a good place to drive to if you don’t want to bike double the miles. From here to the hairpin turn in the shadow of Early Winters Spires and Liberty Bell Mountain is another 7 miles; again, mostly uphill.
Remember, what goes up, must come down. The ride back to the car was fast, fun, and cold! If you do this very scenic riding adventure this time of the year, be prepared for any kind of weather. We biked through nice warm sun, whispering flakes of snow, and stinging cold rain.
Granted – not your typical Mother’s Day outing, but it was a blast. And a good excuse to get outta Dodge!
