Niehart
Pie Smuggler
I'm not sure how all of this started. I guess blue sky's and highs in the mid-80's and not have been on the bike for a couple of days got this cock-a-mainie plan going.
Central Washington has been the victim of some very serious fires [300+ homes destroyed].
https://www.ibtimes.com/washington-fire-destroys-300-homes-horrifying-damage-caused-inferno-photos-1639756
Hwy 2 across Steven's Pass has been closed from Coles Corner [mile post 87] to Leavenworth [mile post 99] due to fire danger. Hwy 207 and Chumstick Hwy [got to love a highway with a name like] are the detours from Coles Corner to Leavenworth. When they were talking about closing Hwy 207, some of the locals said they would use National Forrest Road 6700. Humm ... never heard of that road so ...
Got out my trusty Benchmark Washington Roads and Recreation Atlas and then goggle maps. Say, that looks like a awesome road. Wonder how come I have not heard of it before? Oh, now I know why, 21 miles of gravel, unimproved gravel. Just damn it.
https://www.google.com/maps/search/National+Forest+Service+Road+6700/@47.8171619,-120.9981936,13z
https://us.geoview.info/national_forest_development_road_6700,5850757w
So I started goggling FS6700 and reading about jeep, pedal bikes and hikers using and enjoying the road and views.
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/riding-to-forest-road-6700/
https://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2009/08/forest-road-6700.html
Just out of curiosity, wonder if it's completely open. According to the jeep stories, there are a lot of trees down and snow until late June/mid-July.
Wenatchee River Ranger District, Roads Smithbrook / Rainy Creek Rd 6700 - Open to the Little Wenatchee Rd. #6500
Well, I'm not a very fmart sellow and I just kept think about that little stretch that I had not been on.
Okay it time to look for some folks that are just as dumb as I am. I know Panman is busy and Jimmie-Jimmie is at a family reunion and Curly Joe is working. I'm am pretty stupid but not enough to do it by myself. Hey, Minnesota Jeff was wanting to go on a ride. Aha, asucker riding partner. Jeff's answer was hell yes, let's go.
Now all I needed was a little quick planing to stay off of Hwy 2 as much as possible.
High Bridge Road, Ben Howard Road
Reiter Road
https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/147605-reiter-rd-reopened-hwy-2-wash-state/?hl=%2Breiter+%2Broad
Old Cascade Hwy
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/16418
and up over Stevens Pass.
Okay, FS6700 should be here on the left. Aw, there it is.
Hey, lets stop this pickup that's driving out of FS6700 and ask about the road conditions. The young pickkup driver says "Oh, not to bad but you wouldn't do it with a street bike. There is a trail head about a mile in and then, after that, there is nobody, cars or people. Just would not do it on a street bike". I just was never very good a taking instructions.
So off we go on FS 6700. Goggles says 21 miles of gravel, two passes and two unimproved bridges. Sounds fun to me and, wait for, it was. Views were awesome, we didn't not meet another person or, as we said in Montana, outfit. We rode two steep climbs and one fairly steep ascent We saw big gravel, little rocks, big rocks, sand, potholes, even a little pee gravel after one of the bridges and two bridges with water so clear that you could be the bottom of the streams. Our saving grace was the rain a few days before that had cut the dust down and not left to many water holes. I rest set my GPS at the start of the road and my top speed was 23 miles per hour.
It was so much fun to get out of my comfort zone, practice and improve my gravel skills and come out the other end unscratched.
I emailed Panman [who is my usual gravel buddy] some pictures and hopefully he will post a picture of me and my riding buddy. Don Carver will like the picture.
On our way back to Hwy 207, we stopped at one of our favorite dive pubs, the Headwater Pub. They have the best home pizza [the pizza call dirty face is my favorite] in the area and the beer is cold. Just had to have one to wash the dust out of our throats don't ya know.
The rest of the trip was just the same as the trip out, get off of Hwy 2 as much as possible and enjoy the heck out of a great day.
That was one of those "why I ride" days. Thanks for following along.
Central Washington has been the victim of some very serious fires [300+ homes destroyed].
https://www.ibtimes.com/washington-fire-destroys-300-homes-horrifying-damage-caused-inferno-photos-1639756
Hwy 2 across Steven's Pass has been closed from Coles Corner [mile post 87] to Leavenworth [mile post 99] due to fire danger. Hwy 207 and Chumstick Hwy [got to love a highway with a name like] are the detours from Coles Corner to Leavenworth. When they were talking about closing Hwy 207, some of the locals said they would use National Forrest Road 6700. Humm ... never heard of that road so ...
Got out my trusty Benchmark Washington Roads and Recreation Atlas and then goggle maps. Say, that looks like a awesome road. Wonder how come I have not heard of it before? Oh, now I know why, 21 miles of gravel, unimproved gravel. Just damn it.
https://www.google.com/maps/search/National+Forest+Service+Road+6700/@47.8171619,-120.9981936,13z
https://us.geoview.info/national_forest_development_road_6700,5850757w
So I started goggling FS6700 and reading about jeep, pedal bikes and hikers using and enjoying the road and views.
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/riding-to-forest-road-6700/
https://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2009/08/forest-road-6700.html
Just out of curiosity, wonder if it's completely open. According to the jeep stories, there are a lot of trees down and snow until late June/mid-July.
Wenatchee River Ranger District, Roads Smithbrook / Rainy Creek Rd 6700 - Open to the Little Wenatchee Rd. #6500
Well, I'm not a very fmart sellow and I just kept think about that little stretch that I had not been on.
Okay it time to look for some folks that are just as dumb as I am. I know Panman is busy and Jimmie-Jimmie is at a family reunion and Curly Joe is working. I'm am pretty stupid but not enough to do it by myself. Hey, Minnesota Jeff was wanting to go on a ride. Aha, a
Now all I needed was a little quick planing to stay off of Hwy 2 as much as possible.
High Bridge Road, Ben Howard Road
Reiter Road
https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/147605-reiter-rd-reopened-hwy-2-wash-state/?hl=%2Breiter+%2Broad
Old Cascade Hwy
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/16418
and up over Stevens Pass.
Okay, FS6700 should be here on the left. Aw, there it is.
Hey, lets stop this pickup that's driving out of FS6700 and ask about the road conditions. The young pickkup driver says "Oh, not to bad but you wouldn't do it with a street bike. There is a trail head about a mile in and then, after that, there is nobody, cars or people. Just would not do it on a street bike". I just was never very good a taking instructions.
So off we go on FS 6700. Goggles says 21 miles of gravel, two passes and two unimproved bridges. Sounds fun to me and, wait for, it was. Views were awesome, we didn't not meet another person or, as we said in Montana, outfit. We rode two steep climbs and one fairly steep ascent We saw big gravel, little rocks, big rocks, sand, potholes, even a little pee gravel after one of the bridges and two bridges with water so clear that you could be the bottom of the streams. Our saving grace was the rain a few days before that had cut the dust down and not left to many water holes. I rest set my GPS at the start of the road and my top speed was 23 miles per hour.
It was so much fun to get out of my comfort zone, practice and improve my gravel skills and come out the other end unscratched.
I emailed Panman [who is my usual gravel buddy] some pictures and hopefully he will post a picture of me and my riding buddy. Don Carver will like the picture.
On our way back to Hwy 207, we stopped at one of our favorite dive pubs, the Headwater Pub. They have the best home pizza [the pizza call dirty face is my favorite] in the area and the beer is cold. Just had to have one to wash the dust out of our throats don't ya know.
The rest of the trip was just the same as the trip out, get off of Hwy 2 as much as possible and enjoy the heck out of a great day.
That was one of those "why I ride" days. Thanks for following along.
