All the excitement--caught on film!

All photos courtesy of and copyright Viviann Kuehl 2011.

Headquarters at the Quilcene county park and campground, adjacent to the Community Center.

Prizes and entertainment (the guitar is the latter).

Lil was far and away the best dressed, and was accompanied on the ride by her Anti-Gravity Friendly Dragons.

"We ain't scared of no gravity"--awesome!

Youngest riders from left to right: Amanda, Rachel, and Lillian (yours truly).

 The crocs are pretty Quilbilly.

Amanda excited about her prize for Youngest Rider.

Rachel won a pineapple!

A father-daughter moment.

You mean I have to ride *up* the hills?!?

Clayton, caretaker of the Quilcene campground.  He was happy to have us there, and we owe much thanks to him for keeping everything so nice.

Mary and Jon were the last riders in.  They started off with Holy Moly You Made It All The Way Up?? Hill, and still climbed 5 difficult hills after that.

Jon won soap for completing most hills.

Viviann managed to ride a few hills in between helping to run Headquarters.

Organizer Lillian is very grateful for her parents' support.

What light through yonder window breaks?

The sun!  I've been wrapping up the cue sheet and putting out buckets this morning, and the low-overcast has just revealed its flimsiness.  Nothing lifts my spirits like morning sun on the mountains.  Look forward to seeing you all in a couple of hours!
-Lillian

Wait, where are we again?

Realized location of the Quilcene Community Center and Campground may not be intuitive knowledge to everyone:
294952 State Highway 101
Quilcene, WA 98376
Look for the spray painted plywood signs.

Get to know your hills

The Quilbilly Hilly is only two days away, as my co-worker charmingly pointed out to me as I was trying to get away from yet one more long day at work.  So here's a selection of hills introductions to get all you Friday-evening kickers back rallied:

East Quil/Bolton Hill, scenic and gentle, this hill takes you past the newly restored Little Quilcene River delta at the head of Quilcene Bay, then curves into the woods following the east side of the bay along the Bolton Peninsula.

Lindsay Hill gives you real bang for your buck, as the bulk of its 400 or so feet is gained in 3/4 of a mile.  But beware, that flat spot just after the 3/4 mile?  Not the top.

Taylor Hatchery Commuter Hill is the wicked little brother to Lindsay Hill.  The top of him is a bit lower, but the little twerp compensates with an even steeper grade.  You get a stamp for going to the bottom of this hill, so if you send for a boat it's like a Get Out of Climbing Free card.

Beer Gut Hill reminds you that a hill is in the eye of a beholder, and while as a 10 year old on a banana seat I may not have been thinking of beer guts, I knew that I had to stand up and push hard to make it to the top of this little number.


Head for the Hills Hill--its resistance keeps the teenagers from running away from small-town Quilcene.

Mount Walker Hill says "I guess you get credit for making it over the pass on hwy 101", but You Made It All The Way Up?? Hill is what really counts, on scouts honor that you bring your bike up with you.  When I was a kid, my dad had it in his head that the top was at 800 feet.  Not so, and we found that out on our first hike up.

Pi Hill, or at least the pi portion of the hill, seeing as the whole hill is the Olympic Mountains, sits at 314.159 feet.  Mmmm, pie...

That's just eight of them, you'll have to stay tuned for the remaining five.  For those of you that aren't click-happy and haven't scrolled down in a while, here's a map of *approximate* hilltops: yay hills!

Quilbilly Hilly press release

Quilbilly Hilly a challenge for all

It’s free, it’s fun, it’s the Quilbilly Hilly.

Sponsored by the Port Townsend Bicycle Association, Quilcene chapter, this brand new bicycle event starts at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 12 at the Quilcene Community Center in Quilcene.

“I wanted to put on a ride that wasn’t just tailored for fancy bikes and Spandex, that reflects the personality and natural features of Quilcene,” said organizer Lillian Kuehl when asked about the inspiration for the ride.

In this scavenger-style ride, participants of all ages will receive a passport to get rubber stamped at the top of each of about a dozen hills in the Quilcene area.

“Some are super-easy, literally, like the hill to go over the Linger Longer Bridge, and some are hard, like Mount Walker,” said Kuehl.

Participants may choose which and how many of the hills to ride, and how often. Elevation gains range from 20 feet to 2800 feet.

Prizes will be awarded for Most Hills, Fewest Hills, Quillbilliest, Youngest Rider, Oldest Rider, Heaviest Bike and other special prizes.

More details are at quilbillyhilly.blogspot.com, or contact secretary@ptbikes.org with any questions.

Quilbilly Hilly Strikes Back

Quilbilly Hilly is in one week!  Mark your calendars for Sunday, June 12, 2011.  Ride, as before, is from 10 am to 4 pm, with prizes awarded after 4 pm. Ya HOOOO!!!