A Fall Ride Around Olympia's Dickenson Point

This ride offers a spin through the lightly-settled, and still partly rural, peninsula not far from the State Capitol.  The ride starts at Priest Point Park (so named because it was the site of an 1848 Catholic mission school, now lost to the vagaries of time).  The route takes us to the marina at Boston Harbor (out and back, and up and down!), then to Fishtrap Loop Road.  After circling the loop, we turn back south and pause briefly to watch the herons at the Woodard Bay Nature Preserve.  The final section of the ride passes through the little-visited East Bay neighborhood.   We will plan to stop for snacks at a local landmark, the San Francisco Street Bakery.

We will leave the park at 1:30 p.m.  If coming from points north, allow time for the usual I-5 congestion in Tacoma and at JBLM, or come early and grab lunch in Olympia before the ride.  Take Exit 105B (right lane) from I-5 onto Plum Street.  Continue straight on Plum Street until it becomes East Bay Road.   After about a mile or two on East Bay Road, watch for the overpass, then, before you get to the overpass, watch for the park entrance on the right.  (The park entrance is not well marked.) 

Plan to arrive at least 20 minutes early so we will be able to do introductions and the safety briefing and start on time.  Parking, restrooms and water are available at the Park.  Ride leader will be in the area between the bathrooms and the new picnic pavilion.  Bring what you need to address your own mechanical issues. 

This is a social ride, with some hills, and we will stay together.  The pace is “steady,” which means riders should be comfortable with riding 12-14 mph on a flat road without headwind. 

Steady rain cancels.  If a cancellation is necessary, ride leader will post a notice in the comments section at least two hours prior to the start.