Good long solo ride in Washington

[choco]

It's been a while since I went on a good long solo ride. I wanted to explore the area around the Columbia River Gorge just east of Mount Adams. Left my home in Duvall just after 7 a.m., warmed up by riding the country roads through Duvall, Carnation and Fall City, where I picked up I-90 and rode it east to the Canyon Road and followed this wonderful road to Yakima, where I took my first gas break. I was planning on breakfast at Mel's Diner but decided to press on as I knew I still had a long ways to go. Seventy-seven miles later I headed west on 142 out of Goldendale, and after clearing the farm lands, the road was awesome canyon riding with spectacular views or red rolling hills and mountains, oak and pines and rapidly running rivers, the Klickitat.

I eventually found the Columbia but immediately headed back north through Old Highway 8, White Salmon, BZ Corner, and Glenwood, great canyon/mountain riding with views of Mount Adams, left Glenwood and headed west to Trout Lake, taking in the splendor of the pastoral farmland and Mt. Adams, looming large in the distance.

Stopped at the café we all stopped at during one of the rides we took during the Troutdale/Edgefield VFRD trip way back when.

Thought about staying somewhere, then thought about using up the long day's light and great scenery and headed back home mostly the same way, but this time I headed from Glenwood back to Goldendale, which has a 10 mile or so section of intensely twisty and beautiful mountain/canyon riding. Made it home after hitting severe, bike bullying winds just north of Yakima, which badgered me all the way west of Ellensburg, practically till I started up Snoqualmie pass. Got home just at dark, total miles 570, according to GPS, my odo said 574, so they are pretty close to each other.

I only took a few pictures, will have to download them from my phone and get them on here, and with me, that is an adventure in itself.

 

 

[Belfry]

Sounds like a nice, if long, route.  (I find about 500 miles a day is my max for an enjoyable ride these days.)  Could you stitch together a Google map of your route along with your pictures?  I've ridden parts of that route, but not all of it.  As for wind, I've learned to avoid Ellensburg in the afternoon.  It has to be one of the windiest places I've ridden.  Quite often, when coming home to B.C. from multi-day rides in the states, I have found myself approaching Ellensburg in late afternoon.  That seems to be when the winds really kick up.  It was downright terrifying when I'd be on my DR, on the interstate (82 or 90), trying to get to Ellensburg for the night.  The DR is taller and, particularly when loaded up for touring, has the aerodynamics of a barn wall.  Like all bikes I've ridden, it naturally leans into the wind, but around Ellensburg there are monster gusts that can push you across the lane before you know it.  And, even when it's blowing a steady gale, you have to be alert for trees, underpasses, cuts in the hills, trucks, anything that temporarily breaks the wind and causes the bike to stand up before quickly being swatted over again.  Compared to the DR, the VFR laden for touring is a lot easier to ride in such conditions, but still not a lot of fun.  I made it into Ellensburg a few years ago (I think it was coming back from SumSum2), having battled the wind for what seemed like a couple of hours, and was never so happy to see a Super 8.  People in the parking lot were chasing after items they were unloading from their vehicles and I had to pay attention to how I parked for fear the bike might blow off the side stand. When I left the next morning, it was perfect weather: clear and absolutely still.  

[jimbob]

Nice choco! Hope to see you in Nelson!