Five Pass Blast In the Park

This is the last in a series of ride reports when the wife was away the King will play. The day before I rode around the Olympic Peninsula while most FJR peeps in the Pac Northwet were attending the FJR Forum Tech event in Auburn Washington, a most excellent event, I decided it was riding day not wrenching day. After all the weather was excellent and summer crowds are not out on the highways yet.

The question is where to go. Chinook Pass, a favorite, is still closed for the season, buried by 18’ of snow. The Forest Service road around Mt. St. Helens on the east side of Mt. St. Helens are still closed too.

I was just on the North Cascades Hwy April 24 but decided to return because you can’t get too much of a good thing. In this case it is a real real good thing.

This time I decide to do a loop and knock off five passes in one day. Here is the route, at 10+ hour trip without stops.

I hit the road on Sunday morning at 7:00am and pin ball up the freeway and get off at Arlington where I stop to get gas.

Next stop was a photo op long Hwy 530, near Darrington, featuring the North Fork of the Stilliguamish River. Around here we call it the Stilli.

What caught my eye was the snow capped peak in the upper right. I was shooting somewhat toward the sun so contrast was a problem.


In this photo the sun was behind my back.


Not long after the river photo op White Mountain calls me to take a photo. I just shot this photo two week ago but was compelled to try again with my larger DSLR as the wife, who was out of town for 10 days, had the small pocket camera.

I shot this photo on April 24 with a Canon S100 Powershot.


From nearly the same position I shot this with my Canon Xsi DSLR with a 10-24 Tamron wide angle lens.


I cropped and edit these photos. The Canon S100 is a pocket camera while the DSRL take up much more space on the motorcycle. I am thinking the Canon S100 would be the only camera I need on a long trip.

As I entered Darrington these trees caught my attention and I have been looking for a shot flowering cherry trees all season.


I continue to Rockport and head on up the North Cascades Highway one of the top five great motorcycle roads in Washington. Just before a twisty section a couple of sport bikes appear in my review view mirror. The lead bike goes around me while the second guy follows me for a while until I wave him buy. To my surprise I hang with them for a while.

After following these fellows for about ten miles I observer the rider of the lead bike is an experienced rider cutting nice confident turns. The second rider on the other hand is a rookie, he is not sure where he should be in the turns and I hang with him easily wishing he would pick up the pace in the twisties along Diablo Lake some of the best twisties on the North Cascades Highway. I smiled a the irony of it - usually sport bikes just blow by me and never bother trying to keep up - I just ride my ride. But not today.

Once again I stop to take a photo the the sport bikes are gone. This is today’s photos with the DSLR.


A couple of weeks ago I shot this photos in the same place with the Canon S100 pocket camera.


I continue to Rainy Pass where once again I stop to take some photos.


I have been waiting two years to get this photo and today I did it right.


Two weeks prior I took this photo from the same location. This time I put the bike a bit further down the road. I like the affect of the bike further away. Look at the sign and see how much the snow has melted in two weeks.


Up and over Washington Pass I starting to get hungry. The idea was to ride to the Red Horse Diner in Ellensburg for lunch. The GPS said I would be in Ellensburg at 2:45 too late for lunch so I stopped at the Twisp River Brewpub and ordered a salmon sandwich. For the second day in a row I got a salmon patty sandwich. This a a far cry of my expectation for a real piece of fish. Humbug.

I cruise down the the Columbia River where I get to enjoy the dryer climate and vistas of Eastern Washington.


Through Wenatchee and up to the summit of Blewett Pass which at 4000 feet has no snow on the ground. It is on the dry side of the Cascades and gets less snow.

I could have bailed back home along I-90 but decided to stay the course, accepting the two extra hours of travel time for the scenery of the Yakima River Canyon, White and Cayuse Passes.

Yakima River in the Yakima River Canyon. Notice the green slopes. In 3 weeks it will all be brown until next year.


Lumpy rocks along the Yakima River Canyon


Yakima River


I run up to Cayuse Pass, over the crest to the Mt. Rainer photo op. This is what the camera caught with the wide angle lens.


This is what the eye sees. A bit of cropping and exposure enhancement.


Just before Cayuse Pass is the weeping wall. Water runs over it in season only. By August it will be dry, but not today! Shot with a Canon Xsi DSRL with a 10-24 Tamron lens.




I ride home with about 530 miles on the odometer for the day. It was a nice day go for a ride in the Park.

Olympic Peninsula Ride Report

My wife was away for two consecutive weekends recently so while the cat is away the King gets to play.

The first weekend I went to the Evergreen Air and Space Museum to see the Spruce Goose. Lots of fun.

The next weekend May 3rd, while most FJR peeps in the Pac Northwet were attending the FJR Forum Tech event in Auburn Washington, a most excellent event, I decided it was riding season not wrenching season. After all the weather was excellent and summer crowds are not out on the highways yet.

My buddy Brian and I decided to ride around the Olympic Peninsula a ride we did last year.

So what to say about the ride you did one year ago. What’s left to add? More pictures!
We meet a the Edmunds Kingston ferry in time for the 7:50 sailing. 

Photo of the Olympic Mountains from our ship.


Approaching the Kingston ferry dock.


It was a glorious day with temps in the mid ‘50 to upper ‘70 and maybe even low ‘80’s. Our route is the standard fare, across the Hood Canal Bridge, to Hwy 101 to Port Angeles. I dislike the slow going northward along Hwy 101, likely because my last and only ticket was along this stretch of road three years ago. It is boring to the nth degree. The fun starts after Port Angeles when we start down Hwy 112, a twisty little affair, with a few bumps following the Strait of Juan de Fuca. 

We reach Hwy 112 where Brian and I start playing photo tag. Here is my bike posed in a turn waiting for Brian.


And here comes Brian.

On her trip the wife had the little camera so today I was using my Canon DSLR with a 28-135 lens. I also have a 10-24 wide angle lens but it stayed at home today. Using the DSLR means I can get some nice photos of Brian today.


And there he goes.


Once again in a different set of turns.


Brian really likes this one. In the full size image you can see the letters Honda above the headlamp. I got lucky and got the image sensor on him, plus the speed limit on this road is about 45 so it was easier to get a shot on the go.


Here is a shot of moi.


Rest stop at a scenic overlook at the ocean.


I am getting a photo. Crawling up on the post was interesting in full gear given I have artificial grand toe joints that are mostly not flexible.


A lighthouse in the distance.


Another photo of me.


Scenic overlook.



And this is Washington State? 


Brian along the ocean. I like this shot. Given this is rainy wet Washington I really like this shot.




So we went to lunch at Kalaloch Lodge for a so so sandwich. At least mine was so so. I ordered a salmon burger. What I got was a salmon patty burger. We had a nice view at lunch though.


After lunch our route took us to Wynoochee Dam. Believing the Garmin GPS with the latest maps we head down a paved Forest Service road. After a while it turns to gravel and we suck it up for eight miles. Humbug. Neither of us is thrilled by that but we make it the the dam in one piece. The dam is one of Brian’s target this year in the Washington State BMW club ride. Yeah yeah I know he has an Honda ST1300 with 130k miles. Perhaps they let him in because it is a high mileage bike and they are jealous??? 

After the dam it is getting late and we are getting tired. Instead of going up the fun part of Hwy 101 between Hoodsport and Quilcene we slab it back home. Turns out that was a good choice for there was a SUV vs motorcycle accident along Hwy 101. The SUV crossed into the oncoming lane and hit the motorcycle head on. The rider and pillion died at the scene.

A morbid way to end this story but that is how it ended.