Biking Seattle

So far, all the photos I’d taken while biking were with my iPhone. Perfectly serviceable, but I realized I hadn’t taken any pictures of the Ship Canal Trail on my last trek, and it made a good excuse to bring along my slightly better camera to try and capture some nice fall shots.

The South Ship Canal Trail, under the Fremont Bridge

The start of the trail under the Fremont Bridge (well, start for me – I suppose a decent number of people think of it as the end of the trail) is exactly the kind of otherwise-hidden spot I wouldn’t see without heading out on a bike. As I don’t live next to it, I would have been unlikely to walk to the trail, and driving above on the Fremont Bridge you hardly know this quiet spot exists down below.

The trail starts by passing under the bridge, then pops out the other side in a different world. Despite the traffic above on Fremont Bridge, the fallen leaves, grassy bank of the ship canal and ring of trees create a pocket of quiet and near-solitude,except for a few bikers and joggers going by.

Further along, the character of the trail changes, turning more industrial as it approaches the Ballard Bridge. The bucolic scene of leaves and grass moves to a paved-over experience, leading through the back entrance of parking lots for waterfront businesses. The short trail provides a quick transition between the postcard-friendly sights and the everyday commerce of Seattle.

After a slow ride west stopping for photos, I made a quicker trip back east. As I reached the Fremont Bridge, I decided to continue along the water instead of turning north and heading for home. I haven’t ridden much south of the ship canal, and my knowledge of Seattle geography is still iffy, so it didn’t really dawn on me that I was tracing my way south along the west side of Lake Union, riding along an access road lined with parking stretching the entire way, until the line of buildings between my path and the lake stopped, opening up into a small park space giving a vista across.

I pulled out my small tripod and managed to get a few shots of the evening lights around the lake before my camera battery gave out, and I headed home. I hadn’t intended on taking the detour south when I headed out, but it gave me another reminder of how relatively small the city is.

Evening light on south Lake Union

Starting anything new can be intimidating. If you don’t know the culture, the layout or how things are done, getting up to speed in any activity is daunting, especially if everyone you see looks like an expert.

No matter how familiar you are with an area in a car, it is an entirely different place on a bike. The major auto routes become places to be avoided, and the side streets that frustrate in a car can reveal wonderful surprises on a bike. There is also a feeling of vulnerability, especially at first. I know some people who hesitate to ride a bike in a city out of nervousness about sharing the streets with cars and trucks. Most city streets don’t bother me, although I try to stay away from multi-lane arterials if there’s not space for a bike on the side. The feeling is, the faster traffic is going, the less likely they are to notice or make way for a cyclist.

I didn’t expect any of this to be an issue the other day when I wandered outside for a brief afternoon ride. I’d noticed a trail on the Seattle bike map paralleling the ship canal to the south, on the opposite side of the water from the Burke-Gilman, and decided to take a look. Continue reading…