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I went east to Issaquah, then along the Grand Ridge access trail, and then to Preston, down to Fall City and onto the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. This type of multi-surface riding really gets my stoke going; on the Ibis I can roll pavement and well as dirt, no boundaries no problems. At Carnation I turned west into Tolt McDonald Park, crossed the Snoqualmie River on a cool suspension bridge and then began trying to figure my way up the hill. It was getting on five o-clock and the sun was low, I knew that I had limited time to mess around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After an initial wrong turn along a disused road that parallels the river, I found my way onto a trail affectionately known as Itsabitch. I had to push the gravel bike at times and when I passed a middle-aged lady hiking I said \u201cwow this is steeper than I remember.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She replied, \u201cyeah it\u2019s a bitch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the top of the hill I was immediately disoriented. I used to trail run these forests on a nearly weekly basis and when I reached what I had expected to be a dense forest I saw not one tree. The entire area had been clear-cut and the resulting moonscape was crisscrossed with rudimentary logging roads. Enter uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sun was now low in the sky and I knew that Ames Lake lie to the west, so I simply took roads that led me towards the setting sun. I eventually popped out on Ames Lake Road with a bit of light remaining in the sky. I started a steady pace towards home but was quickly interrupted when I saw my son\u2019s childhood friend out working in his garage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I couldn\u2019t resist the temptation to stop in and catch up for a few minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Luckily, I had the foresight to rig the bike with lights and backup lights and that, though a bit warm at the start, I was dressed for the no sun chill. I was in no hurry; I simply turned onto Union Hill Road and began a steady roll back to Mercer Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Itsabitch cut-through added some spice to an area that I enjoy but has become a bit mundane and flavorless.\u00a0 It\u2019s definitely worth a check out and I suspect that the downhill is entirely rideable on a gravel rig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/adventurescript.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Itsabitch.jpg\")