Fatbike funfest this weekend
NW Fatbike hosts its third annual winter meet-up in the Methow Valley this weekend (Jan. 16–17). Participants will gather at Methow Cycle & Sport in Winthrop at 8 a.m. on Saturday to organize car pools to the Pearrygin Lake area trails for a large group ride. This is an all ages/ability group ride. Participants must bring their own bike or rent one.
Organizers anticipate up to 80 fatbikers from around the Northwest. The ride is free, but a Sno-Park pass or Discover Pass is required to park at the trailhead.
Sunday will be more informal, with fatbikers encouraged to explore local trails. There will be a free Salsa fatbike factory demonstration from 9 a.m. – noon at the Pearrygin Lake State Park main entrance.
Bikes can be rented from Methow Cycle & Sport in Winthrop and North Cascades Cycle Werks in Mazama.
On Saturday, Methow Cycle & Sport will host a bonfire/party in the evening. Call (206) 850-0219 for more information, or call Methow Cycle & Sport at 996-3645.
Steelhead topic of flyfishers’ meeting
Matt Abrahamse, fisheries biologist for the Yakama Nation resource management program, will be the guest speaker at the Methow Valley Flyfishers’ meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 19) at the Liberty Bell High School library. Abrahamse will discuss his work on increasing steelhead spawning on the upper Columbia River. The free event, open to the public, starts at 7 p.m. For more information, call 997-9001. Mike Salmon will demonstrate spruce fly tying at 6:15 p.m.
Fees waived for state parks, USFS sites
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission announced that Sunday and Monday (Jan. 17 and Jan. 18) are the next state parks free days, when visitors are not required to display the Discover Pass for visits to state parks. The free days are in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. The free days apply only at state parks; the Discover Pass is still required on WDFW and DNR lands.
Also, the U.S. Forest Service said it will waive fees at day-use recreation sites in Oregon and Washington on Monday (Jan. 18).
