Biking The Chehalis Western Trail In Early Spring: Heaven!
Friday, April 27, 2018 at 11:08PM 
Mile Zero - The Chehalis Western Trail, just outside of Olympia, Washington.
With my new (used) bike under me on a cold and damp late March day, I headed up the trail to see wht I could see . . . . and take a few photos. Mile Zero is only a few hundred yards from where I am staying.
The brown vestiges of last Autumn still strewn about on the wet trail . . .
. . . but here and there the first signs and sprouts of Spring were appearing.
I rode this trail in sections . . . up and back for 5-7 miles each way at a time, in different weather and in an ever exploding Springtime.
Before all the foliage returned, there were still many views out across the Thurston County rural landscaped.
The Chehalis Western Trail is a converted logging company rail line cut through beautiful forested Pacific Northwest countryside.
The trail is very well maintained and the horse riders, walkers, and bike riders share the pavement . . . and follow the rules.
As the weeks went by, and the weather warmed, the bare branches started to show tiny daubs of green.
The deep, old growth forests remain lush throughout the winter.
There are a number of ponds and small lakes along the 18 miles of the trail I have ridden so far.
I have taken my bike rides at various times of the day . . . an evening scene at one of the many lovely lakes.
Riding through these tree-lined canyons and green tunnels is a visual delight.
My new (used) large-size hybrid bike. Perfect for this kind of riding. It has a sprung front end and a sprung and damped seat. Very comfortable. I have since added more kit - lights, a dinger, a water bottle, and a couple of sacks for my phone and camera.
Such different scenes along the way . . . from open and sunny to dark and closed in.
I stopped often to take photos and have a sip of water.
A beautiful pond where I would sit and rest each time to just enjoy Nature.
As Spring progressed, the trail became greener and greener.
Very occasionally I would see another cyclist or walker.
New growth everywhere . . . . in late Spring.
There was more and more green in the tree tops the later in Spring I rode.
Sometimes I would load my bike into my truck and drive up to where I last turned around. My last leg (so far) was from mile 11 to mile 18. This leg of the trail brought me up into the foothills of the Cascades Muntains . . . and a very different topography.
The Deschutes River.
The Chehalis Western Trail runs along side the Deschutes River for several miles.
Up in the hills there were beaver dams with duck pairs paddling about.
The trail crossed several pleasant streams.
A Llama (or Alpaca?) ranch along side the trail. Cute.
I felt right at home on the trail . . . there were many 'Old Timers' like me out for exercise and inspiration.
My now 'kitted out' bike on a water stop . . . up near Mile 18.
I returned often to my favorite pond for quiet meditation.
Mmmmm!
It has been raining about 50% of the time I have been here . . . and many areas of the forest are supersaturated . . . making for some wonderful reflections.
Beautiful daubs of green and yellow adorn the trees all along the route.
A small sign directed me to this pretty lakeside rest area.
An idyllic Pacific Northwest scene . . . on the more-or-less rare clear day in late April.
The same stretches of trail I rode only one month earlier are now lush with new leaves and flowers.
Trees sprouting puffs of Spring.
Beautiful wild flowers along the trail.
Blossoms and blooms.
These fruit tree blossoms . . . smelled so sweetly.
Deep in the undergrowth . . .
Such a bold yellow!
Such lovely scenes all along . . .
Greener and greener as the weeks go bye.
April 27, and the refoliation is nerly complete.
Update on Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at 3:20AM by
Dr. Jeff Harper
Dr. Jeff Harper
Two weeks later and I am out with the intention of riding the last 13 miles . . . . beginning at mile 15 of the trail.
It was a beautiful day . . . clearing all day, and warm. Wonderfully bucolic scenes of western Washington.
The cows were enjoying the good weather . . . and fresh tender grass.
The Chehalis Western Trail climbs up into the foothills of the Cascade mountain range, and as it does, the trees become larger.
The trail up in this part is an almost continuous tunnel between the trees.
Such a lovely and inspirational place for an all-day bike ride.
There were some wildlife to spot . . .
It must have been a very bad winter here . . . the deer were very thin. :-)
The cows, on the other hand, seemed to have done well over the winter.
The bike path became sunnier as the day wore on.
On and on down into a tunnel of foliage . . .
A rail line crossed over the path, which was itself a rail line before being paved.
It must be very wet here throughout the winter . . . these trees were completely moss and lichen covered . . . and only just beginning to bud out.
Beautiful . . .
Sometimes the trail would come out of the trees into bright sunshine.
There were many kinds of wild flowers. I had a lot of miles to cover, so I did not stop as often as would have liked.
Sweet yellow wild flowers.
As the trail neared its end near the town of Yelm, there was more farmland.
What an idyllic scene.
A dry shed for the kids to wait for the school bus . . . it rains a lot here.
The rural school bus waiting shed was decorated nicely . . .
The complexity of these budding trees in the bright clear sunshine was captivating.
I eventually rode to the end of the trail . . . 13 miles one-way . . . and then back for a total of 26 miles (40K) in one day! Overall I rode the 34 miles of the trail in three sections . . . both directions, for a total of 68 miles along the fantastically beautiful Chehalis Western Trail while Spring was exploding all around me.
Reader Comments