RUSA Permanent #2679 -- Dudley Dursley Populaire

• Distance: 137K
• Elevation: 2736 feet according to RideWithGPS
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Sometimes, a route is too perfectly simply out NOT to go out and ride it.

This permanent, for instance, has exactly one navigation cue between the start and the first control at mile 33, and that cue is "go straight". So, you get a nice two or three hours of riding on Highway 14 -- and as is often the case with mid-size highways, the road gets nicer and nicer the further away from Yakima you ride. It's mostly gradual climbing to about mile 24, then downhill until your control at the Silver Dollar Cafe on the northern end of Highway 214.

241's climb is not nearly as gradual; it's still far from horrible, but does throw just under a thousand feet of elevation at you in about four miles. The south side of the highway's high point is more gradual; you get about eight miles of descent before a right turn onto Independence Rd, towards Zillah.

The next (and last) mid-ride control of the day comes in that small town, just short of 100K into the ride. A little gas station convenience store on the corner of 1st and Cheyne has a bunch of delicious greasy fast food options, or of course small stuff like Gatorade and potato chips if you're in more hurry.

Cheyne connects you to Yakima Valley Highway, another pleasant low traffic stretch since most car traffic uses the parallel freeway. You rejoin 14 at mile 80 -- right at Bale Breaker microbrewery, wink wink -- then have another five miles to get back to the start point.

RUSA Permanent #2667 -- Neville Longbottom Populaire

• Distance: 158K
• Elevation: 3508 feet according to RideWithGPS
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Rimrock Lake is gorgeous!

This is an almost-exactly-100-mile ride that takes you on a loop of it, which means riding a lot of Highway 12 towards White Pass in the Cascades. The peak elevation by the lake is just under 3400 feet, making this a three-season ride in most years.

Highway 12 isn't the most quiet or best maintained stretch of road in the Pacific NW, but it's also far from the worst -- lots of nice views, moderate traffic, and generally adequate shoulder space. It's also graded very nicely on your way up towards the lake, with all of your climbing coming at a gradual 2% grade or so.

Your turn-off for Rimrock Lake comes at mile 36, giving you a full sixteen miles of glorious off-highway biking. It's all smoothly paved, and you'll see some campers, fishers, and boaters in the area on most days. There's an info control at mile 40, then another when you re-join Highway 12.

When you head back down the highway, be aware of one thing -- there's an unlit tunnel at mile 59, so pack a tail light even when you're guaranteed to finish well before sunset. There's no "bike warning" system, either, as you might find in other places (Highway 101 near Cannon Beach comes to mind); so, make yourself seen, ride straight and safely, and you'll be totally fine.

Aside from start/finish, the route has only a pair of info controls -- but there's several options for food/water stops along the route as needed.

RUSA Permanent #2684 -- Gilderoy Lockhart Populaire

• Distance: 108K
• Elevation: 3551 feet according to RideWithGPS
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You want hills? Have some hills.

Well... at least "hills", by Yakima standards, organized into a relatively easy-to-navigate route -- it's certainly no De Ronde. I could add another thousand or so feet with zigs and zags here and there, but reading cue sheets is never the best part of bike riding.

Starting once again on West Nob Hill, your ride starts going straight west out Summitview, then onto Cowiche Mill Rd to the first info control at mile 13. It's a somewhat major road closer to Yakima, but always has a nice shoulder and gets quieter and prettier as you leave town.

From there, dart back down to the little town of Naches, and grab some mini-mart fare if you're in need. The way out of town brings by far the worst climb of the day -- starting in the middle of mile 22, you'll run into a couple of switchbacks up the hillside at about 8-10% grade. Nasty stuff, but less than a mile in total length.

After a little descent with beautiful high desert views, you resume climbing at a much more mild pace, heading up North Wenas Rd (the same stretch of road used for the more fun way to Ellensburg). Instead of attacking some gravel and crossing the boundary into Kittitas County, though, you just take a U-turn after an info control and enjoy nearly 20 miles of gradual descent towards Selah.

You'll finish up on some back roads to the west of Selah, which add a few final small climbs before taking you back south of the Naches River over Powerhouse Rd. From there, it's all city roads and a little MUP to wrap up your adventure.

Permanent #2678 -- George Weasley Populaire

• Distance: 129K
• Elevation: 1300 feet according to RideWithGPS
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This is a fun one! Well, Fun for me, at least. YMMV.

Like #2600, this is a trip to Ellensburg and back. Unlike that route, though, this one takes a much more interesting way to head north.

You go the same way through Selah, but head northeast onto Wenas Road instead of going along the Yakima River's canyon. This climbs gradually for about eighteen miles, with consistently nice views of desert ridges and one lake that will seem rather inviting on a hot summer day.

At mile 26, there's an info control to make sure you're actually doing this silly ride, then the magic happens: the pavement ends, gravel begins, and the road starts going way the hell upwards.

Or, specifically: it goes up about 900 feet in 3.7 miles. Hardly the highest amount in the world; it's a little tougher in sheer elevation than Cornell Rd in NW Portland from 25th to Skyline. A lot tougher in practice, though, since it's mostly exposed desert roads covered in dirt and loose gravel.

With that said, as the photo indicates, I was able to pass through without too much trouble on 23mm tires back in the early fall. After you summit at about 3100ft, there's a little bit of gravel descending that's mostly straight-ish and not too hairy; then, thankfully, the rest of the downhill back into Ellensburg is on pavement.

Get some fast food (I recommend the cheapo chicken sandwiches at Carl's Jr), then it's back to Yakima via WA-821. It's flat-ish compared to what you did earlier in the day, all on good pavement, and will offer a little cool air coming off the Yakima River in even the hottest weather.

There are two long stretches between services on this ride, so be careful and pack plenty of water especially in summer: from mile ~20 (a RV park with small market) to Ellensburg at mile 45, then from there to Selah at mile ~75.

Permanent #2579 -- Minerva McGonagall Populaire

• Distance: 100K
• Elevation: 2600 feet according to RideWithGPS
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Several months later, a new permanent in Yakima!

This is exactly a 100K, starting and ending on Nob Hill Blvd in the west part of town (near my home, obviously). Goes further west to the boundary of the Ahtanum State Forest, on a gradual climb up to 3,000 feet elevation.

I rode the route (or at least the general area) a couple times shortly after moving here in the fall, then checked it out again last week during a surprising warm spell. The weather now is back down to mid 30s at best, so the road conditions are certainly iffy -- but the roads aren't permanently closed in winter or anything, so it's technically a route that's open year-round... so long as you can find a period of nice weather.

This 100K certainly has the potential to be a fast one. There's maybe four or five intersections with a stoplight or sign and, while you do go up from a starting 1100ft to nearly 3200ft elevation, the climbs are all super gradual. Back in August, for reference, I did the full course (way before submitting it as a permanent, so no card or credit) in 3:33 elapsed time... about 50 minutes faster than any other 100K I've ever done.

I can't promise you the same results, of course, but it's a fun and easy one that's waiting for you next time you're in central Washington!

Permanent #1707 -- Gellert Grindenwald

• Distance: 224K
• Elevation: 7,705 feet according to RideWithGPS
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If a bird flew due west from Sellwood, it'd hit Netarts in right around sixty miles. Taking Highway 6 along the Wilson River makes it about eighty. Going the super-long caret-shaped (i.e, the symbol above the "6" on your keyboard) for this scenic route makes it just under a hundred and forty.

To get towards Birkenfeld, you have two options, and I chose to use Highway 30 and Scappoose-Vernonia Road rather than misc roads through the west hills and North Plains. This way is a good bit shorter, slightly flatter, and offers you a chance to ride on the Crown-Zellerbach dirt road which parallels the S-V. The high point there is around 1300 feet, so check snow levels and road conditions if you want to ride in wintertime.

After a well-traveled stretch of 47 & 202, Birkenfeld falls almost exactly at the 100km point. The little general store there recently stopped selling liquor, so you can't grab a mid-ride pull of Bulleit, but they make great hot sandwiches and have the usual market fare (chips, soda, candy).

A bit later, you get to ride the entire 9-mile duration of Highway 103, and there's another market available once you come out on 26. You do spend about three downhill miles on the rather busy and narrow-shouldered 26, but it's certainly survivable.

From there, it's maybe five miles from 26 to Henry Rierson (at mile 97), and then the gravel fun begins. The conclusion is obviously the same as #1706 -- Foss to Miami-Foley to 101 to Tillamook to Netarts. Fun stuff!

Permanent #1648 -- Aberforth Dumbledore

• Distance: 110K
• Elevation: 4,609 feet according to RideWithGPS
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Another inland one of sorts (you can't exactly make a route that goes west from Netarts... unless RUSA allows the use of pedal-boats), this time checking out the towns of Pacific City, Hebo, and Beaver in that order.

Starts south via the awesome Netarts Bay road before heading over Cape Lookout and into Pacific City where you'll have plenty of nice food options. The "focus" of the ride is a 20-mile stretch on 131 and then 22 -- a pair of great, shady, scenic, and low-traffic highways. After rejoining the 101 in Hebo, take it back towards Sandlake then over Cape Lookout again for the ride's conclusion.

Two passes over Lookout makes this one a little more challenging, but nothing terrible at all. Pleasantly, each direction of climbing has a very different feel as you're riding, so it's by no means dull and you can decide for yourself which direction you prefer. The 130-to-22 stretch goes gradually up to about 550 feet, almost all of which is gained on very mild grades. The only downside is that there's about 10 miles of unpleasant northbound 101 riding between Hebo and Sandlake, but even that is not so bad if you go at the right time/day/season.

Permanent #1586 -- Cornelius Fudge

• Distance: 130K
• Elevation: 5,418 feet according to RideWithGPS
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If the previous Flitwick route takes a meandering path towards the coast, this one is about as direct as possible. Same startpoint at Holgate, but you'll tackle the west hills on Cornell/Thompson rather than through the zoo, then quickly turn off Skyline to take some boring but reliable suburban roads (Laidlaw, West Union) towards North Plains. After a control stop there, it's straight west again on some backroads that dump you onto Gales Creek Road before it meets up with Highway 6.

You'll take Highway 6 for basically its entirety. Because it's the most convenient coast route out of Portland, it's well-traveled by bike campers and tourers, and it has a decent (not amazing) shoulder. Traffic is moderate (not amazing), including some commercial trucks and vacationing RVs. It does get drastically worse on three warm-weather holidays -- Labor Day, 4th of July, Memorial Day -- so I wouldn't recommend taking it by bike on any of those weekends. Otherwise, should be fine.

This one ends in Tillamook rather than Netarts, and I forget why I decided that. The highest pass on Highway 6 comes just nine miles or so after you join it, then you can cruise at a good pace for the rest of the way into Tillamook. If you can time it right so traffic is low, the road is absolutely gorgeous, and definitely worth traveling at least once.

Both permanents are reversible, but I haven't yet written up cue sheets for anyone who wants to use them going in the opposite direction. There is a bus service from Portland to Tillamook -- leaves Tillamook at 8:10 a.m. and 12:25 pm, or leaves Portland (from the train station) at 10:35 a.m. or 3:15 p.m.

Permanent #1614 -- Crookshanks

So I already have a pair of permanents that will get you from Portland to Tillamook and/or Netarts... but what are you going to do once you get there?

Well, snack and drink beer and walk on the beach and go to the lighthouse and check out the octopus tree and have campfires and read books and play board games.

Aside from that, though, I thought it would be nice to have some coast-based riding options. So, voilà, one of two new permanents.

• Distance: 104K
• Elevation: 4,260 feet according to RideWithGPS
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Instead of doing the one of the more obvious coast-based riding options, this one takes you inland for a great stretch of riding on Trask River Road. When you first join the road, there's a warning sign for high truck traffic, but when I did the ride on a late Tuesday morning I saw maybe a half-dozen total commercial trucks in the 20 miles I spent there, plus sparse car traffic from the various park/campground/boat launch options.

Oh, and I also saw a cow giving birth in the field. How cool is that? I stopped to gawk at it for a while from the roadside, but then the sow seemed to get stressed out by my presence lurking a few feet from its newborn, so I rode on.

The turnaround point is at Trask River County Campground. They have drinking water available, but it's highly sulfuric and reeks of rotten eggs.

The rest of the route is pretty straightforward -- starting over Cape Meares (I much prefer approaching it from the south, where you pass the best views on a slow climb rather than a scorching descent), connecting back to Highway 101 via backroads behind the Tillamook air museum/airport, then taking Sandlake Road to Cape Lookout.

Throwing in the two capes puts the elevation up around 4K feet (with the usual disclaimer that my preferred online mapping program tends to wildly exaggerate this number), but it feels like a pretty relaxed ride. I rode with no sense of urgency at all and finished in five and a half hours, or a full ninety minutes ahead of the maximum cutoff.

I can't promise a live cow birth to future riders, though.

Permanent #1549 -- Luna Lovegood

#1549 -- Luna Lovegood Populaire

• Distance: 105K
• Elevation: 3,269 ft according to RideWithGPS 
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A straight shot north over the I-5 bridge, then out of downtown Vancouver on Lakeshore Drive, with some nice little rolling hills along the way. Heads towards Ridgefield, but crosses over the I-5 for a halfway control in lovely La Center. Leaves La Center going east, then comes back into Vancouver and then Portland via 72nd Ave & St Johns Road.