Searching for Plump, Juicy Cherries In the Park

I have not road with my friend Brian in a while because his wife suffered a broken ankle a couple of months ago and he was on nurse duty.  This is a shame because 1) his wife is hurt and 2) we have same interest on the road and it is enjoyable riding with Brian.  Thankfully his wife has recovered her broken ankle so it was time for us to go riding.

The plan was to meet in Orting at 7:30 for breakfast at a McDonalds and ride over White Pass to Naches for gas and buy some cherries and return over Chinook Pass after a stop for lunch at Whistling Jack's.  My friend George (FJR tech wiz) agreed to join us.  The plan was set and the weather was perfect, blue skies and warm temps.


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I left home for Orting at 6:00am and it was a beautiful morning.  At one point the rising sun was directly behind me casting a perfect shadow of the bike directly in front of me.  I regrettably forgot to bring my little pocket camera.

Arriving very early at the McDonald's I had some heart happy oatmeal and coffee while I used my Ipod to check out my email and catch up. On schedule George and Brian arrived and we departed about 7:45.

The route included the turns along Hwy 7 between LaGrand and Alder, a three mile section of twisty road engraved into a cliff above Nisqually Dam.  It was a great idea but the road was closed due to an unstable slope and may be closed the rest of the summer.  Boo hoo.

We went out of our way to enjoy this section of road.  Fortunately I know these roads well and was able to continue without missing a beat and we cruised through the hamlet of Eatonville.  The merchants in Eatonville who own the gas station and coffee shop must be thrilled as this will bring more summer business.  Something about LEO comes to mind too.

Here are some photos of what we missed.  I shamelessly ripped these photos from a post earlier this year.

My FJR

Brian on his ST1300 - 115,000 miles on this fine machine!

We join Hwy 7 at Alder Lake and continue to Elbe, Washington home of  Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad where tourist can ride in an old fashion steam powered rail car.  Elbe is also home to the historic Little White Church. 


Back in the 1950's through 1960's my family drove through Elbe every two weeks to visit my grandparents in Ashford, Washington.  Grandpa was a financially very poor man, despite owning 100 acres of land.  Spending time there as a young boy I learned to love the outdoors.  Grandfather would, in season, hunt for deer and elk and had a garden for food.  Sometimes he didn't have to go far to hunt deer, they would come to him.   Once he befriend young deer and named it Bucky.  We have an family photo of me riding Bucky.


My Dad shot Bucky, in season, for food.  Not much sense in having a tame deer running around for somebody else to shoot.  My Grandmother was furious.   Bucky tasted good!


Continuing with my Grandfather stories, in the late 1960's an elk fell through the wood cap covering the well for the household water supply.  They never did get the damn critter out of the well and life got harder after that.  Grandfather died in 1969 and the place was sold.  Aside from the elk messing up the well, life was good in the 1960's playing in the hay barn, learning how to use a rifle and how to fish in the surrounding creeks in the high country. And I remember Elbe well.  The church was there and not much else.  Today it is the same save the railroad and new state rest stop - the Elbe merchant's must be thrilled with this state funded facility.

If you arrive early in Elbe early say by 8:00am you may see Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad steam engine.

After Elbe it is on to Morton.  About 5 miles after Elbe is a terrific photo op of Mt. Rainier.  Here are some shots I have taken over the years. Today the view was cloudy.
 

This photo is from April 2011 - early season.

This shot is from September 2011.

And this photo with a cloud cap is from April 21, 2012

Brian on his ST1300 between Elbe and Morton, Spring 2012. 

At Morton we stop to evacuate coffee and put on sun screen before heading east, into the sun, on Hwy 12 to White Pass.  Thankfully just after Packwood there is some new pavement on Hwy 12.  It is asphalt even, oh happy days!  


A passing lane appears an we pass some slower vehicles, including one a small Honda, burning oil.  More happiness for the air was filled with the smell of burnt oil, quite a contrast to the lush and green scenic highway.


Here are some photos of Mt. Rainier at a turnout.

Two FJRs, Mt. Rainier and George

The Mountain

This photo of Mt. Rainier is just west of the turn out, westbound Hwy 12, from July 2006.

  I road ahead to get some road photos.

Here is a photo of George.  The photo of Brain was blurred.  I need coaching.

As we road to Naches to get gas and cherries my mind wandered.  What shall I call this ride report. I was settled on something about cherries then thought of plump and juicy - I needed some adjectives.  George's Member Title on the FJR forum is Searching for dry roads and his avatar is his bike is parked in front of the yellow sign noting twisty road for 77 miles, while it is raining, at Lolo Pass.  Then it came to me, Searching for plump, juicy cherries.  The rest of it, ...in the park, came to me later in the day and is a reference to the State of Washington and how I consider it riding in the park.


It was in the low 90's in Naches.  We got got gas and cherries.  I had some Instant Cold Packs to keep the cherries cool.  Unfortunately the cherries were not plum or juicy as the cherries I got in Yakima 3 weeks prior.  Boo hiss.


Off to Whistling Jack's for lunch.  We got a window seat with a view of the Naches River.  After lunch we move on to Chinook Pass.  Along Hwy 410 it was in the lower 90's, quite warm for these parts.

Fife's Peak along Hwy 410, about 15 miles east of Chinook Pass

The temps did not drop until we reached Chinook Pass, still covered in snow.  We stopped at Tipsoo Lake for a photo op.

Jim and George

George and his clean FJR

While Jim took the photo two above Brian took this shot.

Feejers at Mt. Rainier

Tipsoo Lake still frozen on July 2012

A thawed Tipsoo Lake in August 2008

George and Brian

Mt. Rainier framed by trees.

It was an uneventful ride home.  Arriving at the entrance to my development, along the side of the road was a street vendor selling cherries.  I could have walked two block to get cherries, but the pleasure of being with friends on the cycles made the day.

The End.