Sound Cycling: Get Daffy in Tacoma

(Ed Note: Part One yesterday of Bill's spring cycling travelogue featured a ride through the tulip-filled fields just outside of La Conner. In Part Two, we travel down to a beautiful area just outside of Tacoma filled with daffodils.) 

The annual Daffodil Classic, now in its 36th year, gets hundreds of cyclists heading to Tacoma on the second weekend in April. It starts Sunday, April 10, in Orting.

At the heart of the ride is the Foothills Trail, which runs through the Orting Valley from the Puyallup area toward Mount Rainier. The mountain looms over the trail on a clear day.

A typical rail-trail, the Foothills is flat and broad, and runs through a number of small communities. Part of it is “rail with trail,” with a working railway running parallel to it. Other sections parallel for a time the Carbon River and South Prairie Creek, providing cyclists with extra sights and sounds. 

Although the trail is a great starting point, it’s only a part of the Daffodil Classic route. For families or people wanting to take it easy, they can stay on the trail for up to 30 miles. But if you want to get hilly with it, take the 40-mile Buckley loop or the 60-mile Eatonville loop, or combine them both for a century ride.

The welcoming Tacoma Wheelmen’s Bicycle Club runs the event in style, with well-stocked rest stops and a strawberry shortcake feed at the finish line. You also can fuel up at the start line with a pancake, ham and eggs breakfast served at the Orting Middle School.

The small price ($5-$7) helps the nonprofit Weller Foundation supply kids with school-related costs such as sixth-grade camp, sports fees and physicals.