I started off down the road on the Mighty K not particularly early. The crack of dawn was too soon, the crack of noon too late, so it was somewhere in the middle. The sun was blazing as it has been for a few weeks round here. It was gunna be 90 and above (33c) on the other side of the mountains.

Link to a satellite map of Mt Rainier and the 'neighbourood

The idea was to head in an anti-clockwise direction South on highways 7 and 12, below Mt Rainier, east over White Pass, down through the deserty dry lava bits along the Tieton River to Naches, then westerly back up highway 410 along the American river, over Chinook Pass, then down the mountain on the mossy green tall tree side to Enumclaw and on towards home near Tacoma. Google maps said it was aroundabout 275 miles (437 kms). I had all day. The terrain would vary from lowland fertile farmland, dense pine forests to sub-alpine 5,000+' passes, some with patchy evidence still of last Winter's snow.


 Alder Lake near the town of Elbe, Washington.


Between the small towns Randle (gateway to Mt St Helens) and Packwood you catch a glimpse of the majesty of Rainier.


The Cowlitz River flows silty grey from glacial melt.


The Palisades, a lava flow that cracked into vertical tubes when it came into contact with a glacier 2 million years ago, along highway 12. heading up White Pass.


The view round some corners is better than others...


Heading east on 12 before arriving at White Pass.


The ski area lodge, boarded up for Summer, at White Pass.


The bright green waters of Dog Lake contrast the blue sky.


Clear Creek Falls.


I smiled and said to her 'nice curves', and she didn't slap my face!


Rimrock Lake


The dry side.






A good spot to camp (next time), plenty of firewood, fly fishing, and a river runs through it.


The American River. Freezing cold in the 97 degree heat!


Cold water, hot day, white boy, pink feet.


Heading back up the hill.


The back side of the national park. There's still some snow in them thar hills.

Looking back down from Chinook Pass. The late and heavy Winter snow caused a landslide which covered the road. It's down to one lane and can be seen mid-photo.


The Pass. The footbridge is for hikers.


The pièce de résistance, 14,500' tall Mt Rainier, in full glory and sunlight! Lake Tipsoo is in the foreground.




Heading west towards Cayuse Pass on highway 410. It's a tamer version of the Alps with smoothly-paved, gorgeously descending twisties.


The view to the South towards Mt St Helens, the Columbia River, and further on still, Oregon, late arvo.


Looking back as sunset approaches over the docks at Commencement Bay, the city of Tacoma, and the mighty mountain. The native Americans idolised this and the other nearby snowy peaks, and it's easy to see why.

In the end I covered an easy 268 miles, stopping to appreciate the beauty of the region, in a leisurely eight hours. The K did its job in exemplary fashion, as expected, and returned a fantastic 49 miles per (US) gallon. She's usually on 42 mpg at best when I'm caning her to work and back.

Back to work tomorrow, and in other news, I've just located excellent plane tix back home to OZ via Hawaii on the 12th of September! The beloved red K is gunna get some TLC, a belly pan, a new fuel pump and related bits, and a right good flogging down to Victoria and back to visit rellies. I also hope to catch up with a few OZ Kaymates while home.

What a day!  

Buy you a coffee and sausage roll in Clunes!
Cheers,

dee why wrote:Buy you a coffee and sausage roll in Clunes!
Cheers,

You're on! Ta. But it'll have to be a veg pastie or somesuch as I've not eaten cloven hoof since I was eight years old!

Haven't been back to Clunes since May or June of '12, and there's a good bakery there too.

Need any spares for your Kbeastie?

Ok, herbal it is.
Spares, mmmmm let me think on that.
D

dee why wrote:Ok, herbal it is.
Spares, mmmmm let me think on that.
D

Hawaiian Airlines has a "liberal" extra luggage weight limit so I'm gunna be hauling a duffel full of K bitz, so a few small spares wouldn't be amiss, also, they've the best return price I could find on flights.

Can't wait for a good Aussie cuppa coffee...the mainly bitter roasts in favour here are almost face-twisting. As well, I'm out of Vegemite! But that's a face-twist of another stripe for non-Aussies, so I'll shut up now.

TWB - thanks for sharing. What a fantastic day out, just the kind of ride that I would really enjoy and what the K is built for. Great photos - reminds me what I really miss about the USA.

Good luck with your trip home to the motherland to restock your vegemite supplies (personally speaking, it must be an acquired taste...the pet Aussie at work inflicts us with a dose of vegemite every once in a while but I just ain't got the taste for it yet...perhaps a job down under would educate my bland British palate?).

PaulLipscomb wrote:TWB - thanks for sharing. What a fantastic day out, just the kind of ride that I would really enjoy and what the K is built for. Great photos - reminds me what I really miss about the USA.

Thanks, Paul. It's true the Ks lend themselves to easy curves, smooth inputs and an unhurried pace, which is what yesterday was throughout. I'm usually a 'hard charger' and this day was not that, but thoroughly enjoyed. I've lived here on an off for a fair while, and the scenery and roads of this region, the entire west coast, really, never fail to take my breath away. There's a geological youthfulness to it, unlike Australia's time-worn, ancient features.

I decided yesterday to have another crack at the roads round the mountain (it's in my riding backyard), and with a nicely relaxed, experienced and eager pillion aboard ('I like it when you pass cars! Just don't tell me the speed'), rode up to the old lodge and visitor's centre at Sunrise (the place, not the time). Here's a coupla more happy snaps.

Here at 6400' of altitude (1950m) to Mt Rainier's 14,409' (4392m) backdrop, the road to Sunrise offers up some fine twisties, plenty of places to overtake pokie bloody tourists wandering across into your lane, incredible, spectacular views, wildflowers, and today, at least, abundant sunshine. The rapid glacial recession is evident. There must not be enough dosh in the federal gubmint's budget.
 


The old lodge at Sunrise and a carpark full of visitors, where I heard a dozen different languages spoken and observed the smiles, wonder and amazement of visitors from any number of faraway places. It wasn't quite the mob scene the signs at the entrance suggested, and truth be told, it wasn't too bad going up or down as the road is smoothly paved, the legal velocity limit about 35 to 45 mph (which I readily admit to disobeying flagrantly), wide enough and most people pull over to have a squiz at some fantastic scene or just to have a picnic or a bit of a walk.


An authentic-looking log cabin at the visitor's centre is used as sleeping quarters for staff.


One lone K bike, a Yammie FJR and a gaggle of ultra cool lookin' FatboyNightRodDynaElectraHuggerWideGlideScreaminEagleBaggerSuper DeluxeSpringerSoftail apehangered HDs occupy the much appreciated 'motorcycle only' spaces in the overcrowded carpark at Sunrise. I followed five of them, garbed in not much more than wifebeaters ( Definition ) as safety gear, down the mountain and watched them hold up a short queue of cars...so I overtook the lot, rocketing down a straightaway, into a blind corner and came shooting out the other end laughing like a madman who'd just been sprung from prison. Gahd, it felt good. The Mighty K is a liquid-fuelled velvet magic carpet ride at full song, though the rev limiter smacks its strict cane down upon the school desk right at 9,000 RPM. Sorry, teacher.
 


The happy pillion with visitor's centre and mountain looming in the background.


One last look at my favourite semi-dormant volcano before I head out on my Sunday mission of finding new ways to straighten the corners in and around Mt Rainier National Park. Cayuse Pass is pretty good since the re-pave! After a quick nibble and a frothy glug at the Naches Tavern in pine-treed Greenwater it was home before sunset as the dark smoke-tint visor becomes illegal. It was an eight hour, 250 mile excursion with a cool dip in the Tieton River, a picnic at Chinook Pass, and many new memories ingrained in my mind's eye, as well as captured in the lens of my camera, of this spectacular place.

If any of you in the OZ Kontingent (or others of like mind) wanna come over for a ride there's a comfy bed in the spare room at my house, an R1150RT or a K1200GT to ride whilst you take in the spectacular scenery for your very own bad selves. The best time window is late-May/June through early-October. Gotta let the snow melt enough for the passes to be cleared, but not too late as the snow flies again in them thar hills.

Ride on.

A really lovely post about A Day in the Life of a K. Lovely photos and a great story in it, what a k is all about.

Very much appreciated.

Wonder now would a promise of a K in this part of the world get you venturing this way?

92KK K100LT 193214 wrote:A really lovely post about A Day in the Life of a K. Lovely photos and a great story in it, what a k is all about.

Very much appreciated.

Wonder now would a promise of a K in this part of the world get you venturing this way?

Sign me up. I've got an itch to return to the verdant green of the UK and Ireland. It's been 14 years since I was last there. Perhaps next year?

Cheers.

stunning scenery  and roads by the look of it dazza

thanks for the pictorial of this run,

a bit different from anywhere round here .