Wheaton and wifey - North by Northwest

Well, how do you start a story like this?

Many ways I suppose, but I will start with friends. Friends like George/escape, Dave/Niehart, Dave and Sylvia/FastJoyRiders. Other FJR friends as well...many others. But this story starts with friends...If you were to look in this thread...https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/166067-july-2016-pac-northwest-trip-wheaton-with-wifey/

you would see a list of people responding with help and advice. You would not see the list of people who also messaged me with other very generous offers. You would not see Cole Biehler's offer to give us his bike to use for our journey, you would not see others who offered a place to stay or other assistance. However, you would see, if you looked at who was following that thread, go ahead and look at that now, that Beemerdons was following us from afar. Yep, beemerdons.

The problem with going to FJR meets is that you meet people...strangers/ some of them strange, some of them not, who then become your friends. They do stuff for you that you do not deserve nor merit...just because. This trip was blessed by strangers/friends who gave us many blessings.

This trip, like all trips, also starts out with something else...a longing to head out onto new roads...roads imagined but not discovered yet. I had originally imagined starting in San Francisco and heading north to the Pacific northwest...which in and of itself is an awesome trip. However, my previous experience in Nakusp 2009 was whispering in my ear. It became an ever louder voice, and I realized after a multitude of trip planning iterations that this trip would need to not start out from San Francisco, or even Oregon, but from Seattle and head North into Canada from the Northwest.

So as Louanne and I arrived at SeaTac, we were met by our Black driver in a white car. Dave Black/Niehart of course. We were going to Uber it up to George/Escape's place and get our stuff on my '13 which I had shipped out earlier, but George texted me and said to cancel the Uber...Niehart was picking us up. That was no small gift that he gave us to start this trip...thanks Dave!

Well, we got to our launching off place and George greeted me with my shiny and squeaky clean FJR...with some maintenance that he had done around the sidestand switch. He just looked at me, like all my friends do, shook his head and said, "Mark, Mark, Mark...". So I'm there moving stuff around on my bike, taking some stuff out of some bags and add stuff to others, hardly able to as I've been up since midnight PDT for an early morning flight out of Greenville. Dave and George offered help, I was a little loopy, but was finally good to go.

Escape and Piehart escorted us out of town that Friday afternoon, making sure we left...but really making sure we got off to a good start on our way down to St. Helens which was our first destination the next day...we ventured and bunked down at an EconoLodge in Buckley. It was actually a decent motel iffen yer just looking for the basics. I recommend it.

As we were on our way, Niehart joined up with us again and took us to a cafe for supper that he has frequented. It was outstanding. As I was with the famous Niehart, I ordered pie to go along with my sandwich.



The pie was not Texas sized, it was ALASKA sized!



Take a minute to study the proportions of that strawberry-rhubarb pie, which was heated of course...sidled up to a continent sized scoop of vanilla ice cream. Go ahead...see how big it is compared to the spoon.

That pie and ice cream was this trip, all perfectly tasting, and so much to swallow. It kept going, one view or scene after another...tasting as good the whole time as the first bite.

Well, I needed Louanne to help me finish off that pie and ice cream, just like I need her in so many things in life. But it was my pleasure to share this trip with her, one bite after another...

Looks like the Black Diamond bakery to me, been there once or twice.

Saturday, July 9th - Mt. St Helens

So this is how we loaded up the FJR for the trip...



Tankbag - maps, gloves, spot, lunch, misc

Top case - riding gear, liners, rain gear

Left saddlebag - my clothes

Right saddlebag - her stuff, cuz she's always "right".

left dry bag - shoes, bathroom kit, misc

right dry bag - some tools, emergency tire plugging kit and minicompressor

We worked as a team to load up in the morning and unload in the evening. Louanne has always viewed us as a team and is always one to roll up her sleeves to get stuff done.

So in the morning we headed out from Buckley with a very good breakfast with good fresh sausage, eggs, etc. The pavement was wet, but drying and the clouds were all over the place, so we knew we would be dancing around rain clouds that day. With a few days exception, that was typical for this trip. We actually did not mind...as we just set out each day, not dreading the wet, but anticipating the good.

On the way to St. Helens...



Note the pavement is sometimes wet, sometimes not...





A beautiful area...



Things were looking like rain as we approached from the west...



So...why go to St. Helens? It was right around my 21st birthday that she erupted...spewing ash and death in an unreal cataclysm. Really, a volcano in America?!? I read the dramatic stories of survival and the tragic stories of death. I could not come to the Northwest without seeing this place...to be HERE.



I just stared in terrible awe at the devastation that must have happened on that day...



Note the size of the new ravines and rivers cutting into the soil compared to the trees, then take a look back at the previous photos to get the sense of scale of the whole scene...





It was quite overcast early in our stay, but then it cleared up and a window of blue arrived overhead.



Although death rained down that day, living things are thriving...





So after a number of hours at the various visitor centers, we headed west and away from St. Helens...we stopped in Toledo, WA which was having its CHEESEFEST! We aren't cheeselanders/Wisconsinites, but we were hungry and walked and watched and took part of some of the offerings...



We retreated back to a motel between St Helens and Rainier for the evening. Reflecting on the day's sights and looking forward to more.

It appears to me that your "writing days" are not behind you just yet.

I just read the entire planning thread for this adventure and I am looking forward to the rest of what I know will be a great RR.

Excellent.....subscribed!

A rough map of our first few days travels with a few deviations on the fly...



Sunday, July 10th - Mt Rainier

Well Sunday morning dawned and liquid sunshine was dropping in quite a few places nearby. George/Escape volunteered to get up early and head down to our motel in Morton where he would lead us onward in the Mt Rainier area.



So we headed east on Rt 12...





At the Park sign...getting a little wet.



We stopped at a roadside waterfall and snapped a few shots...







We headed on towards Paradise,



George spotted a waterfall...





We knew that with the visual ceiling low, we might have to look for beauty where we could find it...stopped at a little hiking trail parking lot and enjoyed what we found, a little bit of beauty tucked away here...







Along this hike we also came to a pedestrian bridge over a beautiful slot canyon with dark granite walls...









Saw some storm damage as we hiked back to the road...chainsaws were busy as there were trees down everywhere...



a tunnel nearby...



Heading on towards the visitor center...













The area was very beautiful below the ceiling, but once we did get to the visitor center, the clouds were socked in and there was a light drizzle. We stopped in and took a look around. The exhibits were more geared towards the elementary school level, but I enjoyed looking at the engineered wood and steel structure...











So, after George and Louanne had "The World's Best Cafeteria-style Pizza" for lunch (few choices up there), we headed back down the mountain. We followed a motorcyclist that seemed to be relatively new to his bike...so George gave him space.



...and enjoyed the views.



We did head up Sunrise point, but the views were in the clouds...plus it was a chilly 47 degrees and drizzle, so we booked it back up north on 410, hopscotching as we went.



We used George's secret back roads heading north to Monroe so were really were not delayed. We got back to Monroe, took a shower, relaxed a little, and George and Jill picked us up as we headed to a local restaurant for a nice dinner. Thanks George for ferrying us around! We had a wonderful time with George and Jill. Thanks George for riding all that way to escort us around. The weather wasn't optimal but when you lay these dates out in advance, it can be a crapshoot and hope for the best. We indeed enjoyed the day and the views!

Mark,

Excellent ride report! the tale of Mt St Helens takes me back to 1980, I rode by it in July after its May eruption.

More report please!

FWFE

Nice report! I really enjoyed the pictures having been to both Ranier and St. Helens, unfortunately both times without the bike. Two years ago my brother who lives in Portland, and I climbed St. Helens. It was one of the best hikes I have ever done! Just incredible! Also have stayed at Paradise twice with my parents and hiked up to Camp Muir @ 10,350 ft., where the summit climbs really begin. Headed out to Portland tomorrow for 10 days with the gf to meet my Mom & Dad and Brother & his family. This time we are going to Crater Lake. I really have begun dreaming about retirement when I can tour the country by FJR. Wish I could have it with me but this is a family trip. Thanks for the excellent report!

Glad I was in a position to help out on the trip, my pleasure...except when you made me ride that dirty '13!

We had a nice ride around Rainier Mark. Wish the weather had cooperated better while we were at Sunrise...the views would have been even more stunning! Next time for sure.

Looking forward to the rest of the trip!

--G&J

Glad to see y'all southerners didn't get lost, eh...... interesting view of Mt. St. Helen's from the northwest side, as we had gone in from the southeast side.... maybe I'll try that next time. So many rides, so much to see, great peeps in the PNW........

Excellent start Wheetie! Subscribed!

Subscribed also!

Monday, July 11th - HEAD NORTH!

Louanne and I got up early for the ride as it was to be a long day, nearly 600km. George/escape and Dave/Niehart offered to escort us across the Cascades and across the border and on up to our Canadian Base for the next few days. Here's a rough itinerary of the next week or so...we deviated from this between Nelson and Golden, but we'll talk about that later.



So, Escape met us about 7:15 at our motel and we left for a meetup place with the pieman shortly thereafter. It was cool and foggy, so after Louanne's chilly 46 degree ride yesterday, we layered up with the heated gear underneath. We met Dave at a gas station and then we were off! We headed north along the flatlands between the hills...and passed the HUGE, MASSIVE landslide at Oso.https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Oso_Mudslide_29_March_2014_aerial_view_3.jpg&imgrefurl=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Oso_mudslide&h=3264&w=4928&tbnid=Y1O6mw4tJrXwUM:&tbnh=132&tbnw=200&docid=xcYOC2wdQXjnqM&itg=1&usg=__lHva0rKlFlQrFgWYs1rGwQE5P5M=#h=3264&imgdii=Y1O6mw4tJrXwUM:;Y1O6mw4tJrXwUM:;JrlpBIycwdoD-M:&tbnh=132&tbnw=200&w=4928

As we looked to our east, we knew we were passing mountains/foothills, but couldn't see them with the fog. When we got to the point where we were going to turn right and head east, I let George know we were going to put on rain gear. Quite frankly, I was chilled already and knew more rain was coming up. So we headed east and up in elevation, with George and Dave occasionally breaking the silence with some chatter. It was fun riding with those guys...glad I got a chance to do it...George up front with Dave backstopping. Two great guys, and from what I saw typical of the PNW gang.

We entered the Park...



The rain and fog was out early, but it cleared away as the day wore on. We stopped at an overlook...











Interesting lake color...



Very Alpine...just how I imagined the Cascades to be. Glad we stopped so I could enjoy the scenery. We continued on and got to a really nice pass. George led us to the overlook and we took some pictures. The road really drops down from this pass so we shed some layers at this stop in anticipation of the upcoming heat.





Yep, the road's a long ways down there...



George caught a picture of us...



George and Louanne...



Looking way down and towards the east side of the pass...





Piemaster and wifey...



Escape and Niehart



So...you drop real quick on the east side, it gets warm quick, and the terrain turns into high plains/desert. It wasn't as hot as other times (so I've heard)with the temps being kept low by the system over WA...



We got stopped by the man with the stop paddle...but I notice Pieman moving up to talk with George. He knows an alternate route, so we circle back and get to this side road that parallels our route...but it climbs a bit and we get some incredible views...Thanks Pieman!

So we head north and take a light sandwich lunch at Omak...and shed heated gear as it is 80 degrees. Grab a sandwich at a grocery store deli...George and Dave tell a few lighthearted jokes at my expense, we gas up and away we go after tanking up on US gas. As we are heading north, Escape regales us with tales of woe and misery crossing the border...in fact, when we get to the border, Louanne and I enter into a line different than George, then so does Dave. Now George is noticing this and comments...Dave heads back into his line as it seemed to be moving along faster. Sure enough, George and Dave get out ahead of us, as we have some minivan in front of us that is taking forever. Turns out they get waved to the search facility...we get up there and have no issue. I'm surprised really that George has had any issues. I mean Billy/fitter and Ray seem to come and go as they please...is there no justice in this world?!

After crossing the border, we follow Fontanaman's wise routing up into the mountains parallel and east of the straight route slogging along.

Climbing up to the mountain roads.









We had a great time in the cooler mountain roads heading north...



We finally are getting close to our destination for the day, Dave and Sylvia's/FastJoyRiders in Oyama, BC



Destination in sight...



We arrive after Niehart and Escape show me where they really live after I missed the turn for their driveway. When we arrive, hot and tired from a day's ride, they help us get comfortable, and we enjoy a beverage and a fine supper that Sylvia has prepared. Dave and Sylvia live in a little part of Shan-gri-la...an astounding view from their home. But as fantastic as the setting in Oyama, BC, it does not compare to the hospitality dispensed by our gracious hosts.

Dave and Sylvia...THANKS!

Well, the conversation was fun and friendly. Louanne felt very much at home with these two, as did I..how could you not after all their kindness? I enjoyed the fellowship of these fine people brought together initially by nothing but a shared love for the FJR, but friendships remain because of much more than that. I know many fine people now because of meeting FJR riders all over the continent.

Subscribed. Looking forward to more.... Tis a shame the weather was not 100% cooperative for you and your bride during your days in Washington State. The chance of good weather during the later half of July is about 90%.

Enjoying the write up and pictures.

I have to make my way up to Canada one of these days.

me likey!

Tuesday, July 12th - Low Mile day

So Tuesday dawned up in Canuckistan, and I knew Escape and Niehart were going to be getting off early for another significant mileage day getting back home through the Cascades, so I made sure I woke up early enough to see them off. We bid farewell to our friends and off they went...the weather looked pretty good in Oyama so I hope they had fair sailing back.

One thing I forgot about the night before is that Dave and Sylvia arranged for a little bonfire in the fire pit. Somehow, that's always a great way to enjoy the oncoming evening on the beautiful lake shore. Conversation ebbs and flows, Louanne gets a "poking stick" and plays with and keeps the fire burnin', with conversation humming in the background. Good times.

So back to Tuesday...this is an off day, a short ride of less than 100 miles was arranged by Dave, the route master. After a nice, unhurried breakfast, and after we enjoyed some morning coffee on the deck, we geared up for a ride.

Dave and Sylvia led us out...



We enjoyed an absolutely beautiful ride out on the backroads...



It was a lovely day and a relaxing, scenic ride. We ended up at a "biker bar" that they had been to before for lunch...it was great.

Our gracious hosts, Dave and Sylvia/FastJoyRiders



They did absolutely everything to make us feel at home. We both hope they come visit us in Greenville sometime.

The ride through the countryside is just what I love, unhurried, scenic, spotting animals on farms, seeing the mountains, the lakes...just right for what "ails ya".

When we got back, we headed up to the comfortable quarters they provided for us.

and checked emails using their wifi...



Looked out on the Lake...





After awhile, I headed downstairs to the main living quarters to sit on their deck.



Enjoying the absolutely scenic views,





Of course, Dave offered me a Tall Timber Ale from Revelstoke Brewery, so I sipped and we chatted for awhile. Louanne came downstairs and joined us...



Later on I witnessed a bald eagle flying not 30 metres away, being dive bombed by an egret of some sort, the eagle flipping in flight and turning its enormous talons upward each time. Not ten minutes later I see TWO bald eagles flying from north to south, even closer this time, towards some point past the nearby pines! Wow. That was quite a spectacle.

Later on in the evening, Sylvia fixed us a great dinner us again, and we enjoyed the evening on the Lake.

Gobsmacking view...gets me every time I look at it.



Thus ends this day, but there is more tomorrow!

^^^ Like ^^^

Are they just the nicest of what? Dave & Sylvia = Awesome.