VFR_Mike
Edmonds, Wa
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4 Day cruise... Left Edmonds Washington 9/5/07
Day 1, Headed east on I-90 to Ellensburg and then proceeded south on Canyon Road which parallels the Yakima River for miles. Hit the slab again (US 97) and stopped at the Columbia River to get a cool beverage. After the break I continue south into Oregon and made my way to Chemult Oregon for the evening. 483 Miles
Day 2, Leave the rustic "Whispering Pine Motel" and head west to the Crater Lake National park. I pay the ranger my mezly $5 and enter the park waiting to be blown away by what I will see shortly. I have only seen the lake in magazines. I hit the first vista and the word "Majestic" was my first thought. Truly breathtaking. If you have not visited this feat of nature, it is a must. After spending a few hours riding slowly around the rim of the crater, I take the advice of the motel manager and head north to Diamond Lake for a quick jaunt. Not disappointed I continue on with his recommendation and work my way back to Hwy 97 and head south for another 10 miles to Silver Lake Road which will lead me through the Klamath Marsh wildlife preserve. After passing through the marsh, I find myself on an incredible section of road, it had it all. Twisties, sweepers and some nice straight aways. I pick up the pace on my trusty 86 VFR750F and start making good time. Lost in the moment and glance back in the mirrors and see another bike coming up quickly. I pull in the clutch to clear the vibration and I see blue light bouncing off the headlight. Damn, I'm going to get popped for excessive speed. I slow down, getting ready to pull over and get "the lecture". The bike just blows by me with a one handed wave. It's another VFR brother on a 05 or 06. I laugh and turn up the volume on my MP3 player. I work my way to Hwy 395 and head north to Burns Oregon for the evening. Perfect location, pizza and beer across the street from the Hotel. 365 Miles
Day 3, Continue north on 395. Just north of Burns they have just re-tarred and graveled the road for 20 miles. Not fun, real greasy and slow going. Once the road clears I'm in for one of the best rides of my life. I went over and around what seemed like 6 mountain passes full of fragrances, rivers and twisties (my favorite). I was a happy man. Once I left Pilot Rock Oregon, things started to get a little wild. Crazy 18 wheelers and 25 mph wind gusts. Time to tuck and try to keep her straight. Hit Pendleton and head west on I-84 and I-82 to cross back to the home state. I work my way to Hwy 221 and start going north through the wheat fields and call it a day in Yakima Washington. 304 Miles
Day 4, After a nice evening in Yakia-vegas (as we call it). I head west on Hwy 12 heading for Mt. Rainier. I was hoping to hit Hwy 123 on the south side of the mountain, but it is still closed from the storm of 86. I cut off 12 and hit Hwy 410 to Chinook Pass. It's about 11 am when I get to Rainier National Park. Just incredible, since I used the word Majestic already, I will settle for "Awesome". Spent an hour lying around taking in the beauty and decide its time to continue on for the next 90 miles and go back to my regular life. 183 Miles.
* This post was
edited 09/11/07 09:28pm by VFR_Mike *
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Ride_Slow2004
Northwest
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Joined: 02/02/2005
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VFR_Mike wrote:4 Day cruise... I will settle for "Awesome". Spent an hour lying around taking in the beauty and decide its time to continue on for the next 90 miles and go back to my regular life. 183 Miles.
Great ride, thanks for sharing, I will have to look for some of those roads in OR.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."
-Doug Larson
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92lowrider
Bothell, Wa.
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Joined: 08/30/2006
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Nice bit of riding, I lived in Medford OR and did the Crater lake ride its nice country. I would like to head down that way again.
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Ride_Slow2004
Northwest
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Joined: 02/02/2005
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One of the great things about commuting on 2 wheels, other than the positive therapy, is that you see things other people miss, like the absolutely stunning sunrise this morning.
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4-Bike Dave
Michigan
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Joined: 07/03/2007
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Spent 4 days on a meandering ride from Detroit, Michigan to Hessel (in the UP) and back. We stayed off expressways and managed to clock 1100 miles for a trip that would only be about 600 on I-75. Hey - it's about the ride, not the destination! Uncle Mike from California drove my 2005 FJR and I saddled up my new 2006 V-Strom.
Started off in the rain (I hate that!). We had good riding gear, so rain isn't a big deal, it's just somewhat depressing to have to leave the garage in full rain gear. We visited a friend at Torch lake which must be the cleanest, clearest lake in Michigan, then wandered up to the "Tunnel of Trees".
The "TOT" is a stretch of paved road in the NW corner of lower Michigan near Cross Village. The trees grow right up to the edge of the road (no shoulder) and form a tunnel which makes for a pretty scenic ride - dangerous, but scenic. Unfortunately, we were riding at dusk, and Mike hit a deer that popped out from the trees and wedged itself between the fairing and the front forks. The deer went down, ripped the front fender off, and was dragged under the bike. Due to Mike's off-road riding experience and a bit of luck, he kept the bike up avoiding injury and major damage. Lesson learned - be OFF the road one hour before dark if you ride in deer-infested areas. Michigan has 50,000+ deer/car accidents per year. That's not a typo.
Day 2 we crossed the Mackinaw Bridge and turned East toward Hessel. We found a business, Eco Tours, that rents kayaks, and provided us an entertaining afternoon of paddling around the Les Cheneaux islands. Back in the saddle, we crossed the bridge South-bound and found a nice $39 motel in Rogers City (they DO exist). We vowed to stay off the "major 2-lane" roads, and spent the remaining two days covering the East side of the Lower on a route I couldn't even remenber the day the trip ended. We saw more country roads, quaint small towns and quiet farmland than I believed still existed. What a beautiful way to travel!
Well, thanks for allowing me the space to re-live that great trip. We here in the "rust belt" do not have the luxury to ride to Glacier, Ranier, or many of the garden spots this great nation has to offer. Our loss. We do enjoy riding, and will take any reasonable opportunity to feel the wind at our face.
Take care.
Go riding!
Be safe.
Dave
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4-Bike Dave
Michigan
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4-Bike Dave wrote:Spent 4 days on a meandering ride from Detroit, Michigan to Hessel (in the UP) and back. We stayed off expressways and managed to clock 1100 miles for a trip that would only be about 600 on I-75. Hey - it's about the ride, not the destination! Uncle Mike from California drove my 2005 FJR and I saddled up my new 2006 V-Strom.
Started off in the rain (I hate that!). We had good riding gear, so rain isn't a big deal, it's just somewhat depressing to have to leave the garage in full rain gear. We visited a friend at Torch lake which must be the cleanest, clearest lake in Michigan, then wandered up to the "Tunnel of Trees".
The "TOT" is a stretch of paved road in the NW corner of lower Michigan near Cross Village. The trees grow right up to the edge of the road (no shoulder) and form a tunnel which makes for a pretty scenic ride - dangerous, but scenic. Unfortunately, we were riding at dusk, and Mike hit a deer that popped out from the trees and wedged itself between the fairing and the front forks. The deer went down, ripped the front fender off, and was dragged under the bike. Due to Mike's off-road riding experience and a bit of luck, he kept the bike up avoiding injury and major damage. Lesson learned - be OFF the road one hour before dark if you ride in deer-infested areas. Michigan has 50,000+ deer/car accidents per year. That's not a typo.
Day 2 we crossed the Mackinaw Bridge and turned East toward Hessel. We found a business, Eco Tours, that rents kayaks, and provided us an entertaining afternoon of paddling around the Les Cheneaux islands. Back in the saddle, we crossed the bridge South-bound and found a nice $39 motel in Rogers City (they DO exist). We vowed to stay off the "major 2-lane" roads, and spent the remaining two days covering the East side of the Lower on a route I couldn't even remenber the day the trip ended. We saw more country roads, quaint small towns and quiet farmland than I believed still existed. What a beautiful way to travel!
Well, thanks for allowing me the space to re-live that great trip. We here in the "rust belt" do not have the luxury to ride to Glacier, Ranier, or many of the garden spots this great nation has to offer. Our loss. We do enjoy riding, and will take any reasonable opportunity to feel the wind at our face.
Take care.
Go riding!
Be safe.
Dave
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VFR_Mike
Edmonds, Wa
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Joined: 09/11/2007
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Dave, glad to hear your Uncle Mike is OK and you were able to continue on and have a great time.
4-Bike Dave wrote:4-Bike Dave wrote:Well, thanks for allowing me the space to re-live that great trip. We here in the "rust belt" do not have the luxury to ride to Glacier, Ranier, or many of the garden spots this great nation has to offer. Our loss.
Dave
Anywhere on two wheels is a "Garden spot" in my opinion.
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holhog
mechanicsville, va
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Joined: 03/24/2005
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Took my new bike out today, an 08 HD FLTR, getting those breakin miles on it, about 100 miles today, just back-roading it here in central VA. Finally hit 500 miles, was gonna ride down to Myrtle Beach in the evening, but checked weather.com first... rain all over the place tonight and tomorrow... the heck with it.
Rob
2000 HD RoadGlide
See ya on the road.
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Ride_Slow2004
Northwest
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4-Bike Dave wrote:Spent 4 days on a meandering ride from Detroit, Michigan to Hessel (in the UP) and back.
We do enjoy riding, and will take any reasonable opportunity to feel the wind at our face.
Take care.
Go riding!
Be safe.
Dave
Hit a deer and stayed upright!! Impressive!! Thanks for sharing the ride. I have a Michigan map, that is one of the places I will visit someday.
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Ride_Slow2004
Northwest
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September 28th to October 1st.
Gathering at the Iron Horse Casino in Auburn for fuel and final discussions were Greg, (JAFO); Mike, Mark, Dean, Larry, myself, and last but not least, Nathan rode up as we were getting ready to go. Serious consideration was given to the condition of Chinook Pass, but we were on a mission. Disregarding the latest reports of temps around 28 degrees, and snow levels down to 4000 ft., we headed east.
As we passed Buzzy’s in Greenwater, on SR 410, we caught the attention of Trooper J.B. McCallum. As a much appreciated public service, he winged us over about 4 miles east, and advised us that the snowplows were working the top of Chinook Pass. This was a great disappointment to us, as Dean and I were holding bets as to how many times Doppler Boy would be stopped on this trip, and this LE contact was only a public service. After Mike finished his conversation with the trooper, we continued east. Temps were dropping, and as we approached the intersection of SR 410, and SR 123, there was one snowplow, sitting, idling. Although there was about an inch of snow on the side of the road, and more obviously had fallen at the top of the pass, the road surface was wet.
A National Park Ranger had stopped the semi that had passed us earlier, (no commercial trucks allowed in Mt. Rainier Nat’l Park,) and released him just as we approached. He stayed behind him, with his lights on, at about 10 mph, towards the top, with the semi holding at 10 mph, also. Mike rode up next to the Ranger, and asked him about allowing us to proceed past the very slow truck. He later related the Ranger seemed very surprised to see him, and said emphatically NO!
The truck pulled into the visitor lot just before the top, with the Ranger still lighting him up, and we continued over, stopping at a small rest area just past the crest, 5,430 ft. Great scenery, covered in snow, a wonderful harbinger for the ski season.
The rest of the trip couldn’t get worse, right?
We knew we would have to experience some slab time to reach our destination, but it was worth the detour to stop at the Teapot Dome Service station, just off I-82.
(The Teapot Dome Service Station in Zillah, Washington is one example of architectural folly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Teapot Dome Service Station was built on State Highway 12 in 1922. The building has a circular frame with a conical roof, sheet metal "handle," and a concrete "spout." The station was intended to be a reminder of the Teapot Dome Scandal that rocked the presidency of Warren G. Harding and sent Interior Secretary Albert Fall to prison for his role in leasing government oil reserves in, among other places, Teapot Dome, Wyoming. The unique service station continued operation as a full service gas station for some years, but is now closed.)
Mark had an interesting surprise for us, lunch in Bickleton, at the Bluebird Inn. I remembered reading about this Inn, either an article by Clement Salvadori, or Denis Rouse, whoever it was, they had good things to say, and they were truthful. Historic deeds, pictures, and signs hang on the walls, and the food is tops. (The Bluebird Inn was built in 1882 and is one of the oldest taverns in the state of Washington. For a number of years there was even a barbershop in the tavern! This is the only original building in the town that has not been burned by the periodic wildfires that rage through the region.)
After leaving the Inn, we continued south and east, down to SR 14, and east along the Columbia River. We crossed at Umatilla, and headed east on OR 730, then picking up OR 37, to Athena, then up OR 11, and right for Weston, on OR 204. These are some very good roads, good visibility, not much debris, and less traffic. The fields are tilled right up to the road edge; these farmers leave no spare ground. The towns are small, and we slow down out of respect for the folks that choose to live a different life. Many boarded up storefronts; the only sign of life might be the gas station. No Safeway here, just small mom and pop operations.
The sun is setting and the temps are dropping, the discussion turns to where we set down for the night. Do we shoot for our original goal, or wuss out and stop in Elgin. We figure we have to run for Elgin, and then see if we can make it to Enterprise. Now if you have been on OR 204, you know it goes up quite a bit. It is not really named as a pass, but a later perusal of the map shows a height of 5,380 at the summit. That would explain the snow on the ground, and the temp dropping. Mike was the guinea pig, we could watch the water coming off his tire, and be sure we were not riding on ice! Freaking scary, and we did not stop for pictures. Rolling down to a lower elevation, we realized that Enterprise was within our reach, and off we went. OR 82 was looking good, and the curves were enticing, after the white knuckled ride we just had, this was a piece of cake, and darned good, too.
We rode into Enterprise in the dark, looking for rooms and grub. The first place we checked had only a few rooms left, and they were smoking. The girl called the other property, and they had room! What the heck? High Early Buck hunt. Hunters already checked in and bedded down. (They were long gone by the time we got up Saturday) Dinner at the La Laguna Family Mexican Restaurant, right next to the Wilderness Inn. Really good food, and rocking margaritas, Mike ordered his made with Sauza Hornitas 100% Puro De Agave Tequila, so did I. Pure Agave means no mix or filler, and 3 month aging in oak. Great tasting tequila, and no afterburn.
Enterprise rests at 3,753 ft., which explains why I was dragging going up the stairs to our upper level rooms.
Breakfast was also within walking distance, at the Range Rider Bar and Grill. Good food, just a little confusion by the server. Many artifacts on the walls from the ranching and farming history, you could spend all morning looking at what was hanging there. An invigorating walk back to the hotel, and then hard decisions as to the route. Based on the experiences of the day before, and the paucity of the weather report, really good for Spokane and Portland, but we were not there, Mark advised taking OR 3, north to the Grande Ronde River valley. We had to run further down to Joseph, and to view Wallowa Lake, before heading north. Well worth the detour, riding thru this artsy little community, we did not turn any heads. Several other riders had found Joseph, they must see many bikes, and that tourist $ is very welcome. They do have an interesting main drag, with statues, flowers, and restored storefronts. We then backtracked north. Mark said the road would be good, and the drop into the valley would be twisty. He did not mention the great scenery, the colors of the leaves turning, the contrast of the sun on the grasses against the rocks, and the road snaking up thru the hills. This is one of those places where you can peek over the edge, and see your companion riders below you, single file, heeled over and accelerating. Not too much acceleration, however, very little margin for error. The road on the Washington side is not as well maintained as it is in Oregon, now numbered SR 129. I had hoped to run the Spiral Highway, outside of Lewiston, but we had another long day ahead.
We ran down Idaho 95 from Lewiston to Grangeville, where we stopped for fuel. Gas stop treats are survivable, when you have someplace to go. We took Idaho 13 towards Kooskia, and Highway 12. Idaho 13 is a twisty well maintained, and busy road, but we just flew along there. Highway 12 is 101 miles of scenic, curving, distracting, road; my arms were sore from wheeling the Harley from side to side. Slowing down was not an option, even though when I looked down into the Clearwater River, it seemed as though I could reach out and touch the rocks at the bottom. At the top of Lolo Pass, it was snowing lightly, and the road surface was about 20’ below the snow level. Downhill from here, and Montana was saying come here. I had a moment of sanity, and actually slowed down. Good thing because when we finally found an open gas station outside of Missoula, I was running on the last ½ gallon of fuel. Larry was amazed that he made it at all; I think it was about 150 miles since the last fill.
Who would think that Missoula would be running out of hotel rooms, we gotta start checking events, Elton John, and Griz Homecoming, conspired to make it time for the Best Western Grant Creek Inn to wring that last bit of money out of us poor tourists.
Dinner was at the MacKenzie River Pizza Co., (I think) Entertaining server, putting up with us; she stayed in good spirits, while we closed the place down. Breakfast was courtesy of the motel, and as I was packing up, I opened the window, and on top of the ridge behind us was silhouetted a deer. Nice shot to start the day, as all the hunters are loading up in the lot, Bambi is watching from the ridge. By the time I could call Nathan over, the deer was gone.
Mark apologized for the time we were on I-90, but it was worth it for the run on MT 200. This road runs NW in Lolo National Forest, mostly following the Clark Fork River valley, until you cross into Idaho, pass the Cabinet Gorge Dam, then the road becomes the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway. The whole length of the road should qualify for Scenic Byway status, small farms, rail lines, river crossings disappear in the open space of the river valley, plus you can ride and rubberneck, the road is curving, but not demanding.
Lunch was in Sandpoint Idaho, ritzy place, (leastways for us,) Beach House Restaurant, Best Western Lake Front. Another excellent and very professional waitress, kept the coffee and water coming. As we were putting on our gear to leave, another waitress was bringing a Sundae with a candle in it to the table near ours. We joined in singing Happy Birthday to a very nice lady. As we were leaving I advised the room that we were trained professionals, and Dean said “Don’t try this at home!” Got a good laugh. We then spent time looking for Mike’s GPS mount. Nathan saved the day when he asked if it could have dropped into the fairing of Big Red, and it had. Rolling again out of town, heading for Highway 2, the Panhandle Historic Rivers Passage, then up the east side of the Pend Oreille River, and Colville, Washington. Don’t remember when the rain started, but we saw it coming, leaving Sandpoint, and were all geared up. Don’t mean to rub it in, but heated gear is really nice, even makes a rain ride enjoyable. We crossed the river, picked up SR 31, then SR 20, and rolled into Colville under a dark cloud. We could not get conditions on Sherman Pass, which we had to run, to get to Republic. Dean finally got the WSP dispatcher in Spokane to check the WSDOT camera, which showed a dusting of snow. I talked to an ambulance driver that had just come over Sherman, he said it was only slushy for about 5miles, but the slush was slick, due to a new road surface and chemical, that was holding the moisture on the highway. We headed west, then south on SR 25, for Davenport, figuring if we couldn’t get a room there, Spokane was not far away.
That was one scary ride, deer and elk, and turkeys on the roadside. Rain, wind, silos looming out of the darkness, Cummins Turbo Diesel Dodge trucks, with humongous brush bars, had no problem keeping up with us. It was cold and wet, especially for those of us without the heated gear, meaning not me, I plug in if it is below 55 degrees. We ended up sort of spread out, even with the Bambi hazard; we were making really good time. I would like to make that run again, a little slower, in the light. We pulled into Davenport, slowing in the 30 zone, just in time to thwart the local Ford Interceptor. The proprietor of the Black Bear Motel just happened to be by her office as we pulled in, and she was able to set us up with rooms that were small, but clean, and we could turn the heat on enough to dry out. Very nice lady, she and her husband are putting together a very nice small motel, with a gift shop and a western motif. Dinner that night was at the Camino Real Mexican Restaurant, again, small town restaurant does good, and Mike pronounced the Margaritas great.
The rain stopped and the fog rolled in as we headed west. The destination was a recommended restaurant in Creston. Another local spot for breakfast, you know it is good, because of the real working trucks, and 4 door Buicks parked in front. SR 2 is a farm truck road, not too many curves, not too steep grades, and very good pavement. We were running into sunshine, the rain was gone, and things were looking up. SR 17 runs through the Grand Coulee, awesome scenery, hawks riding thermals, Dry Falls, Sun Lakes, and Lake Lenore, wonderful ride through here.
Somewhere between Soap Lake and Ephrata, the heavy leather jacket, and the rain bibs went into the saddlebags, and the vest and chaps came out. Felt good to be riding in the sun. We rolled onto SR 28, following the rail lines, then the curves of the harnessed Columbia, through Wenatchee, and west on SR 2/SR 97. We stopped for gas, and gear, just before 97 and 2 split off, we were heading over Blewett Pass on SR 97. Lots of passing lanes, and places to pass with out the benefit of a passing lane. Good Harley road, no bumps or slick spots to upset my luxo-barge, and I could roll pretty good. Mike jumped way out ahead to try again to get some action pictures. We peeled off on SR 970 to Cle Elum, for another good lunch, at the Sunset Diner, (I think-4th day on the road, stuff is starting to blur together)
Toasts all around for Dry Side Ride #5, almost in the books, Mike will be $20 richer soon, Dean and I lost our bets, all we have left is to run home on familiar beat up good old I-90.
Auburn to Enterprise, 416 miles
Enterprise to Missoula, 360 miles; 776 total
Missoula to Davenport, 412 miles; 1188 total
Davenport to Auburn, 295 miles; 1483 total.
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