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.

North Cascades Hwy Ride Report

The North Cascades Highway reopened on April 16 this year. This is a classic motorcycle ride and is best done in early season before the snow melts at the lower elevations. I prefer the scenery with snow.

I have been waiting for two years to get a photo at Rainy Pass. The photo I had was shot with a lens that was out of focus. Last year I went to Rainy Pass on a weekend and cars along side the road spoiled the art I was trying to capture.

This year I decided to try a weekday and see I could get the photo I wanted. This past week the weather has been absoluting stunning so I called a couple of friends to go for a ride.

We met at a Starbucks south of Everett Washington just off I-5. We catch up about bikes, life and particular Doug’s BMW RT which after 145,000 miles left him stranded with a burnt valve. Doug’s wife Meg rides too and so they rode her bike home two up with Doug driving.

Doug is a mutual friend of all of us and was unable to make the ride today. This meant we could really question his BMW loyalty. Ha ha. Truth be told I like BMW RTs - I just don’t want to pay for one or pay for the maintenance.

Another truth is his BMW has seen better days. It will evolve from one aw shit to another. Out of this fact I made a crack Doug could part out the bike and be further ahead rather than fixing it for after all a final drive with 145k miles was worth it’s weight in GOLD. It is a proven unit and what could be better for a BMW owner than knowing their RT final drive will not end up leaking all all over the pavement; a sure sign of impending doom. That comment created all sorts of giggles and ha ha with my friends on this splendid sunny morning.

Well I have spoken too long and rather than describe the North Cascades Highway let’s get on with the part everybody wants; the pictures. I took over 100 photo on this ride. So this is a photo essay.

Whitehorse Mountain near Darrington the crack capital of Washington.


The rest are scenery shots of peaks with names unknown to me.


Moi on the road.....

Brian on the road and what a road it is....




We walk up the snow covered hill to get this photo of the high alpine cirque.



Rainy Pass the photo I have been trying to shoot for two years. I like how the road curves out of sight with the mountain in the background with the snow bank drawing the image forward.



Approaching Washington Pass and Liberty Bell.


Life is Grand!


Approaching Liberty Bell avalanche shoot and Big Bend where the road does a 180.


Just after Big Bend

So we went to Twisp for lunch. Curtis decide to do the loop and head back home via Wenatchee. Brian and I could not resist the call of the North Cascades Hwy so we return the same way we came.

Liberty Bell


Once again approaching Big Bend east to west this time.


Brian driving by what I call God’s Golf Course. You ought to see it in July. I it is all lush and green. By September everything is brown.




Another shot of Rainy Pass. This time in the afternoon. Nothing like a nooner.








Brian on his ST.


We stopped at Newhalm where this engine sits.

The End

Little Creek Casino RTE

RTE is Ride To Eat

My friend Brian and I decided to got for a ride this weekend. This is a story of changing our minds at a moments notice. We started out with planning to ride around the Olympic Pennisula.

On Saturday the day before the ride we change it up and agree to ride to Lake Cushman Dam and Wynochee Lake Dam as these are Washington State BMW club ride targets on the and on Brian's list. We agree to meet at McDonald's in Federal Way at 9:00am and ride to Lake Cushman mostly by freeway.Sunday morning dawns and I am on the road soon stopping to get gas at Costo in Federal Way for about 3.40 a gallon. Nice to see prices less than $4 a gallon. I arrive at McDonalds at 8:35 figuring for once I would show up before Brian. No way as he arrived 15 minutes prior.

We trade stories, have some coffee and I have McMuffin. I suggest we avoid the freeway take an alternate route providing a better view of the mountains around Lake Cushman. We are hoping for clear skies for a photo opportunity.

We go down I-5 and across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge known by all first year Mechanical Engineering students as Galloping Gertie. In 1940 the original bridge went splash to to resonant frequency and aerodynamic issues.

Narrow Bridge in 1940 just before splash down. 

Narrows Bridges Today

We head to Waunu, Washington where I wanna take picture a of this tree and Puget Sound.

We follow Hwy 302 through Victor to Hwy 106 once again rejoining Puget Sound and terrific views of the shoreline, like this one.

We decide to continue to Lake Cushman as there was some blue sky in the area and hope for some views.This is what we got. Bummer.

I have done better but I am still looking for the time when I can improve on this photo.

Yours truly at Lake Cushman dam.

The plan was continue to Wynochee Dam, but this ride is about change. I have been leading the entire ride. About 2 miles before the exit before the Little Creek Casino Brian takes the lead. I know something's up and I think I know what.

We now have a RTE.

The Little Creek Casino has a terrific buffet lunch featuring seafood, including steamed clams, salmon, dungeness and snow crab. Yummie! This is a favorite RTE for us and you can see why.

At lunch we agree on more change. Instead of going to the Wynochee Dam we decide to reverse course and head north along Hood Canal on Hwy 101. The reason for the reversal is to avoid rain. Radar on the web page we looked shows rain south so let's go north! So we did.

Along Hwy 101 I shot this photo.

There was fishing boat on Hood Canal working on Sunday.

Not long after it starting raining. So much for avoiding the rain. We could see clearing north east of Quilcene so we knew this would be short lived. And it was.

We get to the Hood Canal Bridge a floating bridge. In 1979 the bridge sunk during a storm. I imagine fans of Led Zeppelin pulled up to listen to The Crunge where Robert Plant ends the song asking the question, "Where's that confounded bridge?"

Hood Canal Bridge today.

Looking northbound from the Hood Canal Bridge.

Looking southbound from the Hood Canal Bridge.

Brian behind me on the Hood Canal Bridge.

We continue to Port Gamble where I shot this photo.

And on to the ferry dock at Kingston where I shot this photo of Brian.

And this photo of our ship coming in.