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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Send a printed postcard from Web site 8/2/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, August 2, 2008 Shuttle bus simplifies Cascade bike rides By Sharon Wootton Herald Columnist Love downhill bike rides but not crazy about the uphill exertion? Have children for whom going up the side of a Cascade mountain would simply be more than they could handle? Don't like the logistical problems and gas consumption of using two cars sandwiching a long one-way ride? Fret no more. Take a downhill bike ride of a lengthy section of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail without having to pedal back uphill or arrange for cars at both ends of the route. According to a sign near Hyak, the trail was named after Wayne because he "symbolizes for many the positive spirit of the West." The new recreational Bus-Up 90 Shuttle covers both ends of the Hyak (I-90 exit 54 at Snoqualmie Summit) to Cedar Falls trail head (south of I-90 exit 32) near Rattlesnake Lake, west of the Snoqualmie summit. And passengers can ask to be picked up or dropped off at trail heads along the way. The 20.5-mile section of the crushed-stone trail follows the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (otherwise known as the Milwaukee Railroad) right-of-way, with cascading streams, mountain meadows and an unusual adventure through the 2.3-mile-long Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel under the summit near Hyak. It's the longest U.S. tunnel open to non-motorized traffic. Hikers should bring a flashlight and bikers a handlebar- or helmet-mounted light, because the light at the end of the tunnel is but a dot in the distance. The railroad company went into bankruptcy in 1980 but many of its various parts remain: bridges, foundations for the signals, ties, trestles and more. The cave is cold, dark and damp with walls covered by soot. The elevation at the start is about 2,600 feet and descends to 900 feet at Rattlesnake Lake. The trail runs within the 1,612-acre Iron Horse State Park, a 110-mile-long strip park about 20 feet wide from North Bend to Kittitas. It's open year-round, although the tunnel closes Nov. 1 and doesn't open again until June 1. The trail can be used by bikers, hikers and horse riders (and an occasional horse-drawn wagon). It is a National Millennium Legacy Trail because of its history, length and diversity of environments. Eventually the trail may link up with the 132-mile Columbia Plateau Trail; and that trail may link with the Spokane River Centennial Trail, which crosses the border to Idaho's Centennial Trail to Coeur d'Alene. After that? Maybe Chicago! Bring cash for the shuttle: $20 adults; $15 seniors, youth and ages 6 to 15 and active military personnel. Bicycles will be accommodated on a space-available basis. The shuttle operates Friday, Saturday and Sunday, although additional days may be added if the demand is high. For schedule information, call 877-981-2022 or go to www.busup90.com. On the bookshelf: "Paddle Your Own Kayak: An Illustrated Guide to the Art of Kayaking" ($35, Boston Press) is a beautiful book almost as much about the photography as the instruction. Gary and Joanie McGuffin, who live on a 300-acre wilderness preserve near Lake Superior, are known for their wilderness expeditions and best-selling books. "Paddle" covers kayaking skills in a clear fashion with more than 600 photographs and illustrations. Photographer Tim Fitzharris' books are always a treat. In this case it's the third edition of "Close-Up Photography in Nature" ($20, Firefly), which focuses on working in the natural environment to photograph plants and animals. His photo captions explain how he took a particular shot while his straight-ahead instruction de-mystifies field techniques as well as offers artful approaches. Last year Fitzharris released the excellent "National Audubon Society Guide to Landscape Photography" ($25, Firefly), one of the best books on the market. It included a nine-photograph design template to help your eyes find the motifs when analyzing a landscape for photographic possibilities. Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.

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