I am really delinquent in my posting here now that the school years has started up. It hasn't so much slowed down my riding as I get it in on the weekends now, but on the sharing part. I'll throw in some chronological recap of the major runs over the last 6 weeks.
September 4th, 2010 Desert Mix
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| Ellensberg city center local and me |
Went out with my friend Karen Allen (2008 FLHX Street Glide) on a very blustery morning ride around to the other side of Quincy (28), some back roads back (where I got a bee up my helmet and blew through a stop sign in a panic to remove it or at least keep it from stinging me) to (281) George, shortcut on the Beverly Burke Road to the 26, down to the Vantage Bridge and across to the Vantage Highway into Ellensberg (Wenatchee should send their city council to Ellensberg if they want to see a city center done right. Very social, traffic managed, the right kind of shop mix… get a clue guys.) , back behind to Thorpe (10) and on to the 970 to 97, over Blewett Pass and home.
September 5th, 2010 Birthday Run
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| At the desert side of things. |
Joan and I went out after a major mail server failure brought me in to work over Labor Day Weekend, and on my birthday much less, on one of the varied runs you get here living in Central Washington. Out the door and down to the 2 where it crosses into Douglas county and then north up the 2/97 along the Columbia to Pateros for breakfast. A short bust up the 97 to Brewster where you hop onto the old 97 Highway and ride it along the foothills to Highway 20 just south of Omak. West on 20 over Loup-Loup (there was a motorcycle fatality a week earlier and we slowed down where those ugly investigative paint marks were and looked at the path of the accident, speed and unfamiliarity is an unforgiving combo on a bike), then down to the 153 where it takes you back to the 97 at Pateros. Backtrack a short stretch south to Apple Acres Road to the 97a and into Chelan, around the lake on South Lakeshore Road and up the Navarre Coulee Road (971) and over the hump into the Navarre Coulee down again to the 97a through Entiat, and back into Wenatchee. A nice figure-8 route that takes you through many different terrains.
September 9th-10th, 2010
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Getting through the border without a cavity search, all
they wanted to know outside of my life history was
"where did you get your shemagh"? |
Decided to comp my lost time over Labor Day and make a run into Canada with some friends (Terry Hammond and Don Edwards) that I hadn't been able to connect with for several years. Went on the 28 to Soap Lake and then up the 17 to Coulee City, then the 2 to Wilber for breakfast at a place that a Mother/Daughter team who came down from Alaska started (lots of sled/sled dog information on the walls). East off the 2 we hopped onto the Telford/Miles-Creston Road cutoff past 7 Bays to the 25 and then the Rice-Orin Road to Colville, Hwy 20 to Tiger, and then north on the 31 where we cut off again (Hammond was feeling quite adventuresome) on the Sullivan Lake Road. THAT was a fantastic back road run! Crossed the border at Nelway where I was grilled about my employment and the scarf around my neck (Shemagh).
Our destination was Nelson, so we entered B.C. on the 6 and headed to Salmo (3/6) and then continued up the 6 to Nelson. There is a hotel there called the New Grand that is only a block from where the car show we were going to watch was, and while a bit run down, was clean, priced right for the night, and had a pub below. Don and Terry were off to bed way too early for me, so I lounged the pub with a couple pints and chatted with the patrons there a bit as I poured over my maps before off to bed myself.
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| Don and Terry, these guys are great to ride with. |
Next morning was up to the Balfour Ferry to the 3a and down to Creston for breakfast, then across the border into Idaho where I was once again grilled (is it a BMW thing?). I left Don and Terry at I90, where Terry and Don went further south and I hopped into the Luftwaffe lane and made it home in under 3 hours. It was a great 2 day run, the miles were cool but only spat on the whole 2 days.
September 18th, 2010
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Ride West BMW, Seattle
Look at those BLUE skies! |
Needed a new back tyre and some basic maintenance parts, so off to Ride West BMW in Seattle we go. Joan hummed and hawed until finally realizing that if she didn't, she but cutting her riding season even shorter so off we went, fully expecting to be rained on the entire run. 58°f most of the way, then up and over the pass broke to full sunshine! 77-80°f average until we were back to the Stevens pass summit returning and the temp dropped to 60°f and rained on us a little but what a great trip to a great shop.
