With restrictions on 'unnecessary' travel being lessened (not that they were ever really enforced in Washington state) and the desire to torch a few tanks of cheap gasoline, cast my eyes over some different terrain, and clear out a few lingering Winter cobwebs, I set out to do a lap round several of the snow-capped mountains round my adopted neighbourhood of the green and lovely Pacific North West. With beautiful weather on tap in the forecast from last weekend and for the next several days, and with me still out of work (since the 20th of March), I rolled the freshly serviced K1300GT out to the end of my street, looked both ways in indecision, and turned right.

With an eye towards riding the pine tree-lined bypass road through the centre of the nearby, massive joint military base, Fort Lewis-McChord, I headed out to Bridgeport Way and on further south. Arriving at the entrance to Interstate 5, the traffic was clogged near the planned escape route due to bridge and overpass construction, so I simply got onto the freeway. In about two hours' time I was nearing the mighty mighty Columbia River Gorge and twisting Highway 14 on the Washington side of the border between WA and Oregon. My first stop was at the Cape Horn Lookout, about 1000 feet above the gorge. There's just a simple turn out, not much of a place to have a snack, take smoko, or move very far away from your vehicle, but the view is awfully nice. 

The red GT eats the miles up, with plenty of smooth power on tap and gahd-awesome brakes, whether you're droning 'the slab' or leaning into and powering out of tights turns on a county back road, it is a sweet and stable machine worthy of the moniker, K bike. It was time for a stop, besides, I was in need of a stretch and a sip of water. My arse was sore from the bloody awful slab they call a seat. It is the real weakness of this particular series of bike. I use a Canadian-made Egli Sheep Farm seat cover, bought whilst riding above the Great Lakes through Canada back in August of 2018. I have procured a second set of secondhand seats and will be making some foam adjustments to the rider's portion.

I found a green and deserted picnic ground and park along the water, over the train tracks, for a spot of lunch I'd brought with me. I easily practice social distancing quite well when travelling solo. In fact, during the entire day I spoke to no one but myownbadself, even during the two fuel stops. The lit signs along the route yelled out in all capital letters that all trails and public areas were off limits to travellers - this authoritarian admonishment didn't appear to threaten or prevent the many walkers and hikers from parking up the road a bit from the car parks and backtracking to the many trail heads along the route. Hood River, famous for windsurfing and curiously, home to a major drone factory, was abuzz with kite and sail craft on the slow-moving and wide brown river. 

Heading back out along Highway 14, due east, towards Bingen, then Klickitat and Wahkiakus, and along its namesake and snaking river on old Route 142, I soon found myself in mid-arvo, bright sunshine, a very mild westerly breeze, approaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and looking at another five or six hours of riding to get home. With limited routes to take due to still-closed Chinook Pass, I decided to ride through the Yakama reservation on Highway 97, head towards the fruit and veg farming communities of Toppenish, Union Gap and Yakima, and then back along Highway 12 alongside the bendy American and Tieton Rivers, through Naches and up over White Pass where the ski area now lies dormant for another Summer. I'd had a squiz at the state's DOT website and they'd recently announced that the wonderful, motorcycle friendly Cayuse Pass had opened for the season.

Retreating snow at the junction of Highway 123 (Cayuse Pass) & Highway 410 (Chinook Pass), The road takes you down down past lofty 14,400' of snow-covered Mt Rainier through Rainier National Park towards Greenwater and Enumclaw, known colloquially as Enumscratch. The map says about 460 miles but the bike's odometre registered 491 miles, done in nine and a half hours, stops included. I definitely torched a few tanks of premium, which despite my repeated and persistent urgings, still delivered an average of 45.6 mpg (US). I used the entire throttle range and how many cars did I overtake today? "All of them!"

Arriving home well before darkness had set in, this was the temp still in the shade of the back garden.

A good day for a ride.

Check the map out...the Google Gods say ride!

A fine ride report, TWB!  It's the inspiration I need to do something similar here in Idaho.  As you note, it's a good time to take advantage of the very economical fuel, to say nothing of the need to throw a leg over in the interest of good mental health. I'll map out a more local route here to avoid any issues of quarantine upon my return home.  As nice as Washington scenery is, I'll not be deprived much if I remain in Idaho.  
Thanks for posting the pix.  Much appreciated.

Great day out for you TWB. Lovely scenery to be blasting through.

Here in New South Wales our intrastate restrictions come off on Monday so we won't have to be dreaming up reasons why we are far away from home. This means the ride planning department needs to get busy so as to enjoy the outdoors and some non domestic company (socially distanced of course).

Cheers

I am very glad I could inspire travellers and/or a few lounge room lizards to perhaps get out and make tracks for somewhere, anywhere. I had so many travel plans for the upcoming summer season. Many of them have been shelved, but you can wager a few of them will be made come hell or high water in the next several months. Makin' hay while the sun shines.


¡Arriba, arriba! ¡Ándale, ándale!

Thanks TWB for the report as always and hope to cover some of the same roads one day.

I had given up on spending this summer touring with my wife but last week she she said she needs to go. Change of plan not to go into Canada but still going to give the north west a shot. We bought a 6'x10' enclosed trailer Friday and plan on pulling the bikes out to eastern Montana where one of my daughters now lives and can store the truck and trailer (and yes the shame I feel). We will be leaving the 15th of June and can only hope that restaurants, hotels, points of interests, and folks along the way will not be freaked out by our foreign invasion. In these strange times I do not know what to expect.

caveman wrote:I had given up on spending this summer touring with my wife but last week she she said she needs to go. Change of plan not to go into Canada but still going to give the north west a shot. We bought a 6'x10' enclosed trailer Friday and plan on pulling the bikes out to eastern Montana where one of my daughters now lives and can store the truck and trailer (and yes the shame I feel). We will be leaving the 15th of June and can only hope that restaurants, hotels, points of interests, and folks along the way will not be freaked out by our foreign invasion. In these strange times I do not know what to expect.

Bearing in mind that your departure date is barely two weeks away, you will likely still be facing various phases of opening in WA state, depending upon which county you're travelling through. It is now the less heavily populated areas that are experiencing an increase in cases. In fact rural farming majority county of Yakima, southern mid-state, has seen an outburst in meatpacking, warehousing and fruit storage facilities. Count on most state and national camping grounds to remain closed through June, or at least part of it. I saw some private RV parks with people in them last week. No restaurants are open for sit down, nor are bars. Expect to be able to get a room, but you'll likely have to walk across the busy road to get takeaway from Wendy's or Macca's or some-such pablum for supper in your room, not by the now-emptied swimming pool. It's not hard to primitive camp up off the road in the forest, but the east coast number plates might draw a second look from some wary eyes. I notice a lot of empty spots in Montana and Idaho where it has either not yet, or won't hit. I'd simply play it by ear and eye and keep your nose to the warming winds as regards what direction seems appropriate and what does not. There's an awful lot of wide open space out there to hide in.

Best of luck to you. I was planning a 2  month cross country ride /camping trip for mid Aug thru mid Oct. but decided against it.Kinda scary out there right now with the disease and all the other garbage going on.Keep safe and keep us all informed .You might just change my mind !

I was hoping to do a month long trip to Alaska in August, but can't finalize plans because the border is closed with no idea of when it will open.   And now I'm hearing that for the foreseeable future visitors to Alaska need a negative Covid test within 72 hours before entering along with confusing information on visitors having to self quarantine for 14 days after arrival. 

Sounds like that trip is cancelled.

I think for me it's going to be riding up to my camp in the northern Adirondacks and spending as much time as I can up there riding and kayaking. It's a 400 mile ride to get there so I feel like I'm going someplace even though I'm only going to my own place.But,better to stay close to home this season.It's too iffy with where to eat and camping is another issue.There is no way I'll stay in a motel right now . These are strange times indeed