Golden Gardens Loop on the Hilsen

09 Monday Nov 2026

Posted by Brian Hanson in Cycling, Northwest, Builds

Tags

a. homer hilsen, ballard locks, bicycle, bike, commute, cycling, golden gardens, hilsen, Miyata, photography, rivendell, Seattle

Took the A. Homer Hilsen out Monday for the same Golden Gardens / Ballard Locks loop I rode on the Miyata Triplecross a couple weeks ago — Maple Leaf west through Greenwood, down to Golden Gardens, south to the Locks, South Ship Canal Trail to Fremont, Burke-Gilman past the U-District and Ravenna, then the climb back up to Maple Leaf.

Biggest difference right away: the Hilsen’s lower bottom bracket. At lights and stop signs I can put a foot down while still sitting on the seat. On the Miyata I’m up off the saddle more often for the same stops. Small thing on paper, real comfort on a city loop.

Parked at my usual Golden Gardens rest spot looking out toward the Shilshole breakwater. One harbor seal at the marina. None at the Locks later, so the salmon run is over.

A. Homer Hilsen parked overlooking Puget Sound at Golden Gardens — Rest spot at Golden Gardens

Copper Hilsen on the grassy shore at Golden Gardens with breakwater beyond — Hilsen at the Gardens

Side view of the lugged copper Hilsen with canvas bags at Golden Gardens — Side view

Hilsen on the shore with Shilshole breakwater and navigation light — Looking out past the breakwater

Harbor seal head above the water at the marina — Harbor seal at the marina

Harbor seal swimming near shore — Same seal, another look

South to the Ballard Locks. Last time on the Miyata there were two harbor seals and a California sea lion working the tail end of the salmon run. Today: empty, and the main channel was completely drained for maintenance. Lots going on down in the basin — crane, lifts, tanks, scaffolding. I took a few pics.

Hilsen parked on the Ballard Locks walkway overlooking the canal — Hilsen at the Locks

Hilsen against the railing with whitewater at the Ballard Locks spillway — Spillway side

Rear three-quarter of the Hilsen at Ballard Locks — Rear three-quarter

Hilsen from behind at the Locks with canvas bags and pizza reflector — Bags and pizza reflector

Hilsen by a rope spool on the Locks walkway — Along the walkway

Drained Ballard Locks main channel with exposed gate and narrow stream of water — Main channel drained

Looking down into the drained lock basin floor — Looking down into the basin

Empty lock chamber floor with silty concrete and wall openings — Empty chamber

Drained lock looking toward the closed gates with wooden access stairs — Toward the gates

Drained main channel filled with crane, lifts, and maintenance equipment — Maintenance in the main channel

High view of drained Ballard Locks chamber with orange container and work platforms — Another angle on the work site

Drained lock chamber with boom lift and autumn trees above — Boom lift in the basin

It was starting to rain on the way back, but I was fine in a woolly warm vest over a merino undershirt. No drama — just Seattle November.

After the Locks I picked up the South Ship Canal Trail toward Fremont, then the Burke-Gilman past the UW. Busy through campus — lots of kids back in school. Steady climb through Ravenna back up to Maple Leaf and home.

The Hilsen is dialed in and shifts well overall. Had a few skipped cogs when I started out, so I may need to look at drivetrain wear. Copper lugged steel, rim brakes, hand-taped drops, friction shifting — still the same quiet, predictable feel I wrote about years ago. Good contrast to the Miyata loop: same route, different bike under me, and a very different scene at the Locks.

Photos on Flickr: Hilsen Golden Gardens Ride.

Golden Gardens Loop on the Miyata

27 Tuesday Oct 2026

Posted by Brian Hanson in Cycling, Northwest, Builds

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Tags

bicycle, commute, cycling, Miyata, bike, Seattle, travel, art, food, photography, books

Took the Miyata Triplecross out for my 17.9-mile Seattle loop (~900 ft of climbing) yesterday — out of Maple Leaf, west through Greenwood to Golden Gardens, south through Ballard and the Ballard Locks, east along the South Ship Canal Trail to the Fremont Bridge, and back via the Burke-Gilman through Ravenna Park with the steady climb back up to Maple Leaf Park and home.

Golden_Gardens_Locks_Loop Download

After traversing the North Seattle ridges for the first few miles, the route drops right down to sea level at mile 5. Down at Golden Gardens, a couple harbor seals were bobbing in the shallows just off the rocks. I parked the Miyata at my usual rest spot looking out toward the Shilshole breakwater before heading south along the water.

From Golden Gardens I rolled south to the Ballard Locks. Spotted two harbor seals and a big old CA Sea Lion rolling around looking for the tail end of the salmon run. A lone sailboat was making it’s way through, and there was a flock of geese pillaging the hillside.

After crossing the locks, I picked up the South Ship Canal Trail heading east toward Fremont. Stopped at a good spot along the bank by the Fremont Bridge where a sailboat was circling, waiting on a bridge opening. Watched the span go up and the boat sneak through underneath.

From the Fremont Bridge I hopped onto the Burke-Gilman past the U-District over to Ravenna Park around mile 15, then made the ~400-foot climb up through Ravenna to Maple Leaf Park and home. The Miyata is dialed in and rolling great on the Snoqualmie Pass tires. I really need a new Selle Anatomica skin on that seat as it is stretched out to max. Felt good after a month on a road trip to the Midwest. Another story…

Photos on Flickr: stonehog photostream.

Snoqualmie Pass Tires on the Miyata

11 Friday Sep 2026

Posted by Brian Hanson in Cycling, Northwest, Builds

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bicycle, bike, commute, compass, cycling, Miyata, rene herse, Seattle, tires, triplecross

Took the Miyata out for a Seattle loop: Golden Gardens, Ballard, across the locks, and into Free Range Bicycles. Picked up a pair of Rene Herse Snoqualmie Pass Endurance — the 700×44s I’d been hunting from my favorite LBS (Hi Shawna!).

Endurance casing instead of Extralight. Still a light folding tire, a bit more protection for tubes on these older clincher rims. Feels right for this bike. This will be the first bike in a while that I run with tubes. They only measured out to 39.5mm initially. This is only 3mm more than the Barlow Pass “38’s” I have on my Homer. It will be interesting to see if these stretch.

At this point I don’t mind them being a bit shorter as the top tube is touching the taint when I swing a leg over…

Good day. Bike’s ready for real miles now.

Image

Return from Whidbey

26 Wednesday Aug 2020

Tags

Miyata, rivendell, Whidbey Island

I haven’t been writing for a while now. It looks like my last post was in 2018 and “A LOT” has happened since then. Highlights: a graduating senior is leaving us for college in a month and I will be very sad at her departure, I’ve been through some work changes, but work has been stable, and then there is this pandemic thing…

I’ve spent a lot of time on Whidbey Island this year – probably more than half-time since February. I love how it feels rural, but is still an hour from Seattle. It has helped me maintain my mental state through the pandemic and social disorder affecting the world.

Now, back to bikes. I have moved most of my bikes up here, including the following that are getting very regular (daily) use:

Rivendell A. Homer Hilsen (my primary road bike)
Rivendell Hunqapillar (my road/trail bike and camp bike)
Miyata RidgeRunner (my fishing/crabbing/lounging bike)
Kona Hei Hei (when I want to kick it up a bit on the trails)

My normal day starts early with half my team on the east coast. I’ll usually do a lunch ride for 1 to 1.5 hours – either a nice 15 mile road ride, or a 6-10 mile trail ride. I then work to the end of the day. After dinner, I will go on a beach walk, kayak, or fish for whatever is nibbling. I enjoy standing in the cold Puget Sound waters for an hour or so while fishing to numb up my legs and relax from the day’s work.

Typical Road Ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/55001772?privacy_code=NBuzdhA7QvKegnWl

Trail Ride at Trillium: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/16459760#postcard

Posted by Brian Hanson | Filed under Cycling

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Winter Hills

11 Saturday Feb 2017

Tags

cycling, Miyata, Whidbey Island, winter training

Late January rides are hit or miss in the Northwest, but when a nice day comes along, they may be the best time to be on the roads. Little traffic greeted me a few weeks ago on a winter ride on Whidbey Island.

Screen Shot 2017-02-11 at 9.26.02 PM.png

This one was to have some hills, and my bike was a fendered island bike – an old Miyata RidgeRunner Team. Not the lightest bike, but it seems to go as fast as I can go on anything this time of year. I have ridden a few of these hills recently, but wanted to try out Swede Hill on the south end of Whidbey.

Screen Shot 2017-02-11 at 9.26.48 PM.png

As the elevation graph shows, most of the big climbs were done in the first half of the ride. A couple were quite steep. Swede Hill hit at about the 12 mile mark. It went straight up from a picturesque beach area into a forested ridge. No real views west, but this picturesque farm awaited me at the top.

The next scenic stop was just past Clinton at the 20 mile mark. This area of the island is mostly high bluff. You can see Camano Island peaking out on the left.

The mountains were out, and I had great views of the Olympics and the Cascades, but I find most roads on the southeast side of the island are buried in dense forest with sporadic scenic stops.

This stop overlooked Baby Island – a small refuge where Holmes Harbor meets Saratoga Passage. It is on a small dirt road with a mean, steep hill up to the main road near the end. Very secluded, it offers a great rest stop and views north and east into the Passage.