I lived in Redmond more than ten years ago, and even though we didn’t have a dog then, we went to the off-leash area in Marymoor Park many times. It was fun being around the dogs, and the setting is really nice. I decided that Rhett should get to experience it, so we rode there last Friday. Here’s Rhett right before we left.
Marymoor is more than sixteen miles from my house, so I knew that it was going to be a long ride. We took the 520 trail to get there, and I rode across the 520 bridge for the first time. It’s nice to have that connectivity, and the view is nice from the bridge, but I have to admit it’s really loud with the cars going by. The air quality from the car exhaust is pretty bad, too. The difference in air quality if those cars were electric would really be something. We stopped in the middle of the bridge to enjoy the view.
We encountered a few bikes on the trail, but not too many. I also saw the not-yet-open light rail go by when I was in Bellevue. That line opened the next day. Some of the trail on the eastside was also really loud with poor air quality, but other sections were really pleasant. Riding through the Microsoft campus really brought back some memories, and I felt more nostalgia than I expected.
I had a hard time finding a bike rack in Marymoor near the off-leash dog area. After searching for ten minutes, I found this custom rack near the off-leash area entrance. Having it in long grass and on a small rise is not ideal, but at least I found it. I like artistic racks, but it would be nice to also have more functional and conspicuous racks there. Maybe I just missed them all.
I think Rhett had a great time! The park has more space to explore and more interesting surfaces to walk on than other off-leash areas he has been to. There is also a great blue heron rookery in the off-leash area. The birds are constantly vocalizing, but the dogs don’t seem to notice.
Time was tight because I needed to make a school pickup. In spite of that, I decided to take the Sammamish River Trail and the Burke-Gilman Trail back home. I am so happy I did. This was a much longer way to come back, but the ride is so nice. It’s quiet and has lots of river and lake views. I don’t think I’ve been on the Sammamish River Trail since I lived in Redmond. I didn’t get any pictures of the ride since I was hustling.
All told, we went 46 miles on this ride. I believe that’s the furthest I’ve ridden in a day. Since I was on an e-bike with a dog passenger it’s not really comparable to other rides I’ve done.
