The tale that has been told over the years is that a boy left his bike chained to a tree when he left for war in 1914. He didn’t return and therefore the tree grew around the bike. The bike has been in the tree for more than 98 years!
KOMO investigated this mystery to discover the truth and found that there was a fire. The fire burned a family’s home to the ground. Devastatingly, the father died. The Vashon community rallied around the family and the little boy, just 9 years old, Donnie, was given a kid’s bike. A bike he didn’t like – a girl’s bike. He left it in the woods. When his mother asked where the bike was he said he didn’t know. Eventually he bought himself a bike he liked and this one was claimed by the tree.
The bike also appears as the back drop for the children’s Christmas book “Red Ranger Came Calling.”
Have you paid a visit to the bike tree?
The bike is off Vashon Highway on the NE corner of the Vashon Highway and SW 204 St. Intersection. It’s only a short distance into the woods on the north side.
Off the Beaten Path is a feature of our radio station that highlights local businesses or sights that are interesting, unique or simply a fun place to stop while you are out and about in our beautiful state. Do you have a location or business you’d like to recommend? Let us know!
Comments