Nas Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Not a major ride to be really proud of, nothing like the multi-day trips people are posting, but still a very very enjoyable 1-day ride in the mountains of the Washington state. http://goo.gl/maps/Gbthl So I finally opened my Cascades 2014 season yesterday. Rolled the dice on the weather, and I got lucky! I had been looking forward to this ride for so long that I just could not make myself delay the ride. The morning was pretty miserable, so I did not leave early. The forecast said it was going to improve later in the day, so I left around 11:30 am and headed toward Sumas, WA. Got through the border, filled up in Sumas, WA (I love US gas prices!), and then it was Hwy 9 to Sedro-Wooley, WA and then Hwy 20 to Winthrop, the plan was to do Winthrop and back as I didn't have time for the big loop. So I ended up doing a 700 km / 430-ish miles trip. (posting this on VFRD and a local forum as well so provided both metric and imperial numbers) The weather could not make up its mind all day, constantly changing between ran and sunshine. The rain was not bad at all, nothing crazy, sometimes sprinkling for only 10 mins and sometimes raining steadily for a good 45 mins. I have said it before, and I’ll say it again: I LOVE MY TOURMASTER HEATED GEAR. It was a chilly day, average of 13-14C (55F) in the cloudy parts, going as low as +5C (41F) in the Rainy Pass, and as high as +22C (72F) in Winthrop. But overall it was cold and damp, I had my liner on low the whole ride, neck warmer, base layer, and even my Tourmaster winter gloves, and let me tell you I was very happy I brought all that! :D It was my first wet trip. Obviously after several years of year-round motorcycle commuting in Vancouver (rain or shine) I have seen WAY MORE rain than shine, it’s Raincouver we’re talking about here after all :P but my longer rides have always been rain-free. I have always done 1-day trips so far – just the way my schedule has been working since I started riding in 2010. I try to make the most of it by going about 1000-1100 km / 620-680 miles in one day on average though :) Anyways, it ended up being a fantastic ride! Because of the forecast and weather conditions, there was pretty much zero traffic, virtually no bikes, no cars, no RVs, no cops. I was careful in small towns of course… as usual, I saw police cruisers on 25-35 MPH streets waiting for unlucky tourists to zip through the town going 50. It was simply amazing to have all those roads to myself. When it rained it was even better in a way because I had to really focus on the road, poor visibility and all, while feeling cozy and warm in my heated gear, tucked in behind the windshield… it was a very zen experience. Then I would suddenly get to a patch of blue sky in the clouds, it's nice and sunny, the roads are dry, and I’d be like “Yeah, I made it! PAAAARTYYYYY!" I could almost hear my Viffer responding "Engaging VTEC in 3-2-1... and .. Take off!” I would still prefer a sunny ride, not like I would make the effort to plant it so I could go riding on a rainy day, but riding in the rain was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. It was sunny from Diablo, WA all the way to Winthrop, going through Rainy Pass which is my favourite part of the ride. I usually struggle to make myself pull over and take a photo… but yesterday I actually managed it :) Not the first time I ride that road but every time I am blown away by the gorgeous scenery, simply amazing. Had a coffee in Winthrop, chatted with a group of bikers from the Vancouver Island who all turned out to be retired cops. I love random conversations with random people you meet on rides. Gas station attendant in Winthrop told me about his pit bull that developed a taste for killing sheep on his farm … I have to say it was the first time in my life I had a discussion on that subject :D Finished my coffee, the group of retired cops wished me to have no contact with their not-yet-retired colleagues lol and I headed out. Have I mentioned empty roads yet? :D My Viffer was very happy! I love that V4 song… especially with the VTEC note added to it. I swear I love that bike more and more with every ride. It’s been 3 years and about 40K km / 25K miles now (that’s without multi-day trips!) and I still think it’s the perfect bike. On the way back it was pretty much the same, no traffic, some rain, some sunshine, lots of fun. In the deer country just outside of Winthrop I had to be careful as it was close to sunset. I saw one deer casually cross the road right in front of a car in the distance, and just one turn after I had to break hard to let several deer cross. They were accompanied by a bear too… crazy, I know. It was not a good spot to pull over so I don’t have a photo of that strange group of friends crossing the road. It was dark by the time I crossed the border around 10 on my way back. The border guard was more interested in my bike and my day than anything else, asked me a few questions about the ride, the road, weather, he actually asked me only one border-crossing related question, and it was almost as an afterthought... oh, by the way, are you bringing anything into Canada? Pretty much like that LOL Got home by 10:40pm, had a hot shower, dinner, a couple of beers and went to bed feeling amazing. What an awesome day! My Pirelli Angel ST's are completely done now, there really was not enough meaningful feedback from them in the rain anymore... well I did like 20K km / 13K miles on them so it's time. I am in love with the Angels, amazing tires IMO. Ordered as set of Angel GTs today from Motorcycle Superstore. Here are some photos. Yes, it’s not all my ramblings, there are pictures to go with this story! Thanks for reading! Winthrop, WA Poser shot. I wish I had a proper camera with me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted June 21, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 21, 2014 To be sure RT 20 is one of the best out there! Thanks for posting up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted June 21, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 21, 2014 Nice pic's !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer V-FORE Posted June 21, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 21, 2014 I did a 410 Mile "Beer Run" on the 7th. Up Hwy 2 to Leavenworth stopped at the Icicle Brewery for 2 Growlers, the up to Winthrop to the Old Schoolhouse Brewery for a couple more growlers, then westbound on 20 down to Birdsview Brewery for the last 2 Growlers and then home. On Sunday the better half wanted to go to WInthrop so back over 20, an enjoyable weekend. I was amazed that traffic was extremely light.....or was that the front end as I geared down and went around The weather was beautiful, roads were wonderful and I even had considerate HD riders who waved me up and past as they were cruising 10 under the speed limit! Let me know next time you get the itch to go up there, I have been hitting that area every weekend.... it is nice being close Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted June 21, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 21, 2014 Ok now I hate you!! What a nice ride!! Nice pics too. Tnx fr the pics. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianF Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 The only thing that makes me miss Washington are posts like this. Good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dustin Posted June 21, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 21, 2014 Wow, the snow has melted a lot from a few weeks back when I rode there. I was hovering around 4c at the pass at that time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted June 21, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 21, 2014 Good ride report - and great photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 Let me know next time you get the itch to go up there, I have been hitting that area every weekend.... it is nice being close Nice meeting ya, dude! By the end of the day I completely forgot your VFRD username and I was kicking myself for not writing it down :D I will let you know the next time I am going to do my next ride in the Cascades. I am also going to be doing the bigger loop as well, going past Winthrop and then looping around through Wenatchee (Hwy 2?), Stevens Pass and so on. For all those who liked the photos, here is a couple more from the yesterday's Cascades ride. Have I said it before? Just in case - I love my VFR :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer V-FORE Posted June 23, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 23, 2014 Great Pictures NAS, Very nice meeting you, glad you enjoyed your ride, I wish I could have joined you two, maybe next time.... Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MaxSwell Posted June 24, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 24, 2014 Great write up, great pics and beautiful VFR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Lorne Posted June 25, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 25, 2014 Nice story and photos, Nas. It's always nice to have empty roads - preferably dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ChasingNolan Posted June 27, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 27, 2014 I have yet to make it up to this part of the state. Maybe later this summer? It's been on my NW ride list for a long time. Thanks for the post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choco Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 One of my favorite roads for sure. Great pictures and reporting on your trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.