Between Bavarian-themed touristy hub, Leavenworth, and Wenatchee on the inland Washington region of the Columbia River, lies a fruit growing town called Cashmere. The WSBMWR are having their annual rally/party on the last weekend of June at the county fairground off state highway 2, at the base of Blewett Pass. They used to hold it further east in the north east section of WA state in the town of Republic, but that went away about five years ago. This is their 'new' location, ongoing three years now, and one I've not visited. I am gunna ride out there for that one, too.

The CCR is upon us once again, and once again the weather is playing funny buggers with us on the west side of the Cascades, with intermittent showers, heavy grey skies, and wind gusts to bend trees. While the suns shines brilliant and warm just over the north-south range to the east. It'll clear by nightfall but means a wet slog this arvo up and over Snoqualmie Pass to Cle Elum. Going Chinook, Cayuse/White or Stevens Passes is the same.

That is how it stays so green this side, though.

And, voila! The sun is out in full all around. Maybe a bit of rain in the foothills.

An extended-family emergency with a broken down car had us leaving Friday morning early rather than Thursday arvo as planned. The weather was bright and clear, we got away at 6 o'clock in the AM in order to attempt to beat commuter traffic and the incoming heat. We got up and over Snoqualmie Pass with light traffic and rising temps. It was beaut to ride into a sunrise rather than having a bright sunset in our eyes as we headed home, which is typical. A great coffee shop in Cle Elum, WA was our first stop, and hour an a half in to the first leg of the ride - Pioneer Coffee Roasters.



The Touratech USA rally was going on nearby in Plain, Washington, with about 1,500 attendees, so the CCR rally had only about 80 riders turn up. It was brilliant, We started to call it the un-rally. I had a good time catching up with many of the folk who have been customers of mine over the years at two BMW shops in the greater Seattle/Tacoma area. A number of custom bikes turned up, a heap of old Airheads, a smattering of KTM and Honda trailies, a coupla early K bikes, including a sweet & clean, silver, mid-90s K75S with fork-mounted Motolights, but mostly the new waterboxer GS, RT and K16 models filled the lawns. Tents abounded. 

The dinner meals were catered by a local, originally from Holland, and her younger Belgian friend, and was diverse and tasty, something for everyone, from cow to yardbird to fresh veg for the picky eater in some of us. A Local brewery called Dog & Pony parked a refrigerated trailer in a hall onsite, and for $5 one could enjoy a tap-poured Kolsch, and IPA or lager. A local guy named Frank and his wife, sold excellent and stuffed with goodness, bolillo sandwiches & brekky burritos from a window in his converted school bus. The lawn was lush & green, shade aplenty, and the weather was brilliant and bright, except for a brief storm on Saturday evening which brough three hours of steady rain and heavy cloud cover. No mind, as it stayed quite warm, and brought most indoors under cover with opened garage doors from which to watch the rains fall and have conversation with friends new and old. One guy, an eighty year old, accepted the award for oldest rider at the rally, the youngest was 41, but such is our demographic of late. A bright young thing from SAMA in South Africa, engaged us with a half an hour talk on touring southern Africa with her family's company on new BMW GS models.

A lone vendor sold motorcycle gear and paraphernalia from his truck & trailer, a 90 year old gent who at first I didn't recognise. Turned out he was one of the owners of the original BMW dealership in Lakewood/Tacoma, Washington, which the new owners purchased from he and his partners in 2004, to create South Sound BMW Motorcycles, my long-time employer from 2004 to 2006, then 2012 to 2016, and again mid-2020 to 2023, when I was able to retire. It was good to see him. I hope to be half as energetic at that age - 26 years from now.


It did bucket in that often dry, high-desert sorta way.

Packing up to go at 8 o'clock the next morning, the sun returned and so did the heat. It was all I could do to get the kit together whilst staying cool. The ride back over the mountains brought more rain and a twenty degree (F) drop in temps. Another enjoyable summertime ride in Washington state. The next one is to Paonia, Colorado, the Top o' The Rockies rally. I've not been to that one since the late '90s. I depart the 16th of July, it's about 1,200 highway miles one-way, or 1,500 miles on the fun roads,  and I will take a week or more away.