December 9, 2024

Southerly Ladies !!!

Southerly Ladies is a ladies* only group (*trans ladies this means you too!), and we welcome only non-motorized (non e-) bicycles.   We've been riding every month since October of 2022, enjoying gorgeous roads and strange cut-throughs, shared goals, fixed flats, made new friends and just had plain ol' bike fun together.  

We took a break from posting rides on the Shift calendar for most of 2025, as your ride leader was getting burnt out on hate mail from folks mad about e-bikes not being welcome on this ride, which included accusations of able-ism and age-ism (unlike the accusers, I do not equate e-bike use to being disabled or old).  I volunteer to organize many rides that welcome e-bikes, but this one particular ride is simply not a good fit for e-bikes for a variety of reasons.  If this makes you feel excluded, consider joining one of the hundreds of others on the Shift Calendar or any one of my many other rides instead.

We always meet at the northern end of the trolley trail at 17th Avenue & SE St Andrews Drive, across from the Goodwill Bins and very close to the Springwater Trail - about a half mile from the Orange Line MAX (Johnson Creek/Tacoma stop). Some riders have trouble finding this for the first time, so you might consider studying the map before you head there.  

We're usually a small group of 4-6-8 riders. Our pace will be approximately 12-14mph, slower if it's super wet or on hillz. Our rest stops will be at parks with bathrooms and water spigots.  We will not be stopping at any stores or cafes or restaurants, so be sure to bring enough snacks for yourself. It's also helpful if you can carry a small repair kit and spare tube (even if you are riding tubeless or don't know how to fix a flat). 

We'll plan to choose from one of the routes below at the start.  I've heard from some riders that if they don't prefer the announced route, they skip the ride, so I am hoping giving everyone input will help more riders want to come.  

Route choices:
Happy Valley Industrial, 25 miles, 1000' gain, all paved
Best on Sundays

Salish Ponds, 27 miles, 500' gain, all paved except for gravel path into Salish Park 
Great for rainy days

East to Binford Trail, 22 miles, 600' gain, all paved except for 1/2 mile path in woods 
Springwater to gorgeous trail in the woods

Aldercrest Classic, 20 miles, 800' gain, all paved 
The route that started it all!

Hidden Falls, 30 miles, 1300' gain, all paved except path into Hidden Falls 
Pretty view of the falls

West Riverside Loop, 23 miles, 1300' gain, less than 2 miles on wooded paths
Not great for rainy days, starts with a climb 

Happy Valley Cutties, 17 miles, 600' gain, less than 2 miles on gravel paths
Features some strange but fun nature cut throughs

East to Boring, 35 miles, 700' gain, all paved
Our longest ride, great for rainy days as we can cut it short easily

Oregon City Viewpoints, 25 miles, 1200' gain, all paved 
Views and car-free Waterboard Park 











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