SW Washington State

Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum

Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Fontanaman

Robin Trower
Joined
Oct 29, 2009
Messages
2,004
Reaction score
1,060
Location
Spokane, Wa
Living in the Seattle means early season day riding is limited to Western Washington lowlands as several passes (the best ones) over the Cascade Mountains are closed or the passes open have ice or other fugly things like calcium chloride.

Today was the first day of decent riding this year at least for a working stiff like me. Got in about 250 miles today. As the forecast was for showers near the Canada/USA border I road south to some of my favorite roads where it was sunny and in the mid 50's. Not bad for March in these parts.

Head south on to Black Diamond a former coal mining community, now bedroom community, about 35 miles south east of Seattle. It is a nice way to take get to the backroads south of Orting so I ride it frequently.

Black Diamond boasts it is a sleepy town with nice view of Mt. Rainier. Today the view looked like this.

IMG_0153%2520%2528640x480%2529.jpg


On days with better light conditions you might get a photo like this.

blackdiamond.jpg


Black Diamond is also known as a speed trap. Been that way for years. State Hwy 169 bisects the town and is a great source of income.

This little mining car has been there for years too. In my youth I thought cutting the car free from it's short rail mounts. This is sort of like jerking the axle from the cop car in the movie American Graffiti.

black-diamond-300x225.jpg


This shot of Mt. Rainier is near Enumclaw about 5 miles south of Black Diamond.

IMG_0154%2520%2528640x480%2529.jpg


After this I went through the towns of Buckley, South Prairie, Kapowsin, Eatonville, LaGrande and Elbe before shooting a better photo of Mt. Rainier. The skies cleared as I went south, nice!

IMG_0155%2520%2528640x480%2529.jpg


I choose Hwy 508 over US 12. It is less crowded and Hwy 508 follows the Tilton River a more scenic option. On the fly I decide to find Fluckinger Road, so I did without help from my GPS!

IMG_0156%2520%2528634x640%2529.jpg


Other than the name the Fluckinger road is nothing to write home about. It is about 1/4 mile long. Here it is:

IMG_0157%2520%2528640x480%2529.jpg


From here I went to the towns of Vador and Curtis finding some nice flowering cherry trees along the way.

IMG_0158%2520%2528640x443%2529.jpg


IMG_0159%2520%2528640x400%2529.jpg


From Vador I road the Wildwood Road, Curtis Hill Road, Bunker Creek Road, Michigan Hill Road, Lincoln Creek Road, Independence Road (would somebody with a triangular hat and musket take pot shot at me) and in to Rochester.

This is farm land country and each of these roads is a delight. Out here I just ride the speed I want to ride. Honestly I don't know the speed limit, I just ride what the road gives knowing there can be sand or hazards in each corner.

After riding the road from Rochester to Littlerock I gassed up the the Costco in Tumwater, picked up I-5 and slabbed it home. It was a nice day to be on the FJR.

EOF

 
Nice looking ride Jim, I went north instead. No rain but plenty of gloom and clouds...ran heated gear most of the day.

--G

 
Ride a bit east of Vader towards Pe Ell, and you'll find some tasty roads like Lost Valley road. Usually quiet with no patrols.

 
Great RR Jim, I rode to Westport for lunch and it was a little colder and it was in the mid to high 30's, I hope no one rode on 530 around Oso!
weirdsmiley.gif


 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think jim had the right idea. Here I eastern Wa, I followed Wingshot down to Wanapum dam to check out the lack of water behind the broken dam. 32 degrees when we left around 45 for a high. Gerbings=good.

 
Great photos Jim. As usual...

I went over Snoqualmie, and Blewett this morning then up to Chelan and Brewster, over to Grand Coulee and Ephrata back to Wenatchee and back over Blewett, Snoqualmie and home by 6 pm. Snagging Dams for Dam Tour. We live in the best state in the union for moto bike travel.

Keep going!

Chelan Dam

1966812_255412871298142_1272353817_n.jpg


Grand Coulee

1240468_255412924631470_545098250_n.jpg


Bacon Siphon & Tunnel Structures - Locked up tight....

1969129_255413014631461_1333940187_n.jpg


 
Last edited by a moderator:
Rode to Roslyn for breakfast today. Pass was cold but gorgeous sunny views. Had to wash a crapload of de-icing fluid off my exhaust, which had caked on pretty good. Too bad it's not a 3 day weekend.

 
Rode to Roslyn for breakfast today. Pass was cold but gorgeous sunny views. Had to wash a crapload of de-icing fluid off my exhaust, which had caked on pretty good. Too bad it's not a 3 day weekend.
Yeah that calcium chloride is nasty stuff. It is a sticky brine (salt) solution designed to stick to the road or anything it contacts including my purty FJR - eeechhh! I dread what it might do to the shock pivots and bearings. Maybe my dread is unfounded but I will wait a few more weeks before crossing the pass.

 
Bunker Creek Road, Michigan Hill Road, Lincoln Creek Road, Independence Road: These are some of my favorite roads and I ride them every week :)

 
I decided to have lunch in Astoria OR on Saturday. Took the back roads from Olympia to Longview, and then hwy 4 to Astoria. Coming back was hwy 101 to Raymond, then hwy 6. From Adna I took the same rout as Fontanaman
smile.png


13385579185_8a224be307_z.jpg


13385574935_087ab5ba07_z.jpg


13385570625_334022c020_z.jpg


 
Last edited by a moderator:
I decided to have lunch in Astoria OR on Saturday. Took the back roads from Olympia to Longview, and then hwy 4 to Astoria. Coming back was hwy 101 to Raymond, then hwy 6. From Adna I took the same rout as Fontanaman
smile.png

13385570625_334022c020_z.jpg
This an awesome photo likely to make those in other places want to come here. I am glad I am here instead of there! Those are awesome roads henwil.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top