sportsguy
searchgeek - author
Right, so on Tuesday I had the FJR in for her 4,000 mile service. As soon as I picked her up, I knew I had a problem...
I only had 3,750-odd miles on the odo, and I knew I needed to square things immediately! I mean, ideally I'd have put the extra miles on BEFORE the service, but I rationalized that the run would be more efficient with the TB sync complete, new oil, etc., so off I went.
I only had a vague plan in mind - a loop I'd mapped out a few evenings before.
I left Bellevue WA around 2PM headed out on the 90, East-ish. Almost immediately I had a rain shower pass overhead. Upping my speed a bit, I quickly left the liquid sunshine behind me. Surprising me, though, as I streaked down the highway, the noise level inside my helmet cranked up several levels. Slightly confused, but knowing everything other than the noise remained normal, I began to wonder hat was making the racket. I then noticed the smudges on my windscreen... HAIL! FFS, I was getting pelted by HAIL on May f*cking 4th...and I wasn't even in the mountains yet!
At around mile 30 or so, I decided to pull over and put on my fleece pullover. I wasn't particularly cold, given the temp was around 52 degrees, but knowing I was heading higher into the mountains I figured this would be a good plan. I was immediately grateful for the warmth the fleece was providing up my neck, not realizing how chilly the air was behind the screen...
The run up to the pass was pretty straight forward, and I was enjoying the audio book playing on my iPod. I'll admit, though, it was very different listening to a book-on-tape while riding. I mean, when listening to music it doesn't really matter if you hear everything. Concentrating on the road, wind noise, etc., conspire to make the music, in some cases, pass by unheard. Listening to an audiobook, though, you feel compelled to follow the story, knowing that if you miss parts you could be lost as the book progresses. Anyway, just trying a new thing. Overall, it's been a positive experience, though.
Anyway, back to the top of the pass... Snoqualmie Pass, all 3022 feet or so of it.
This is the lake just passed the top of the pass. Oddly, despite all kinds of fresh snow, all the ski hills were empty and closed.
On the other side of the pass, things got a bit warmer. Though I never felt the need for anything heated (good thing, since I have none...LOL), I was happy to see the temp gauge ratchet up a few degrees.
Figuring it was time to grab a drink of water and stretch a bit, I saw this place coming up down the highway, on the opposite side of the road, and grabbed the next exit to grab a break and a few pictures.
Here's The Black Barge, ready to respond!
After a few minutes, I hit the road again. Next stop was just outside Cle Elum, WA, where I turned roughly North-ish in search of Highway 97 to head toward Highway 2 and home. Not exactly "nearby", I had another bunch of mountains to traverse before I could easily find my way home Tuesday evening.
Just off the highway, you can see the terrain starting to change a bit... more rolly, less craggy...
Down the road a few miles, I found the aptly named, Airport Rd., which I guess led to an airport... If they knew how fast an FJR can travel, would I qualify for access as a "pilot", I wonder...?
I love finding out of the way air strips like this when touring around. There are thousands across the country, and I always find them cool to visit.
...and this stately cedar is located about 100 feet from the end of the runway, just off to one side - better not flub your approach...
Figuring it was time to press on, I mounted The Black Barge and hit the road again. The sun was out here, the temps were up and it was a great day to ride!
In a little while, though, I had to stop and snap a pic of this spread on the river. What a nice place! That's what I want in a few years! If you look closely, you can even see some Canadian Geese in the tall grass.
Cruising in this area was magic. The roads are smooth and clean. No traffic. Loads of twisties that can be easily taken at 70 mph, it's simply an great place to ride! Except for one small issue... those signs warning you of wandering deer and cattle MUST be headed. About 2 miles before I stopped to snap these pics, I came around a sweeper and thanked Dog I was paying attention. Just walking into my lane were two beautiful does. One kept plodding across the road while the other didn't like the look of me, flashed a white tail skyward and deftly jumped behind a downed tree to eyeball me a bit more.
For my part, I hauled on the binders, marveled at the rapid loss of speed this bike can conjure up, and proceeded at a cautious 10 mph watching for more critters nearby. Didn't take me long to find a roadside carcass being tended to by very large, ugly birds... no pics, as their malevolent stare told me to "move along, as there was nothing to see there..."
This place was just bang, right there on the side of the road, with nothing else around for miles. Restaurant, hotel, store, all in one... well, there was the DOT depot across the street...
This reminded me of areas of Europe...
Glancing at the Barge, I noted it was covered in what looked like salt residue from the area around Snoqualmie Pass earlier. It was wet, though warmish, so I had just pressed on...
Pressing on a bit, I rounded a turn to encounter the end of route 970, which dumped me onto Highway 97, as intended. This greeted me as I crept up the onramp to 97. Simply beautiful wine growing country in this area.
Only a few miles separated me from Highway 2 and the path back home, so I tweaked the throttle a bit and swept through the sweepers at a brisk pace, enjoying the tight ride and easy flow of the bike.
Next stop was Leavenworth, high in the mountains, yet still pleasantly warm. This was, unknown to me at the time, the last time all day I'd feel warmth from the sun. Leavenworth is the very epitome of a Bavarian ton, plucked straight from the forests outside Munich and plopped square int he hills not far from Seattle. You can have lunch on Puget Sound, be skiing for the afternoon over 4,000 feet in the mountains, and ten minutes pasted the ski hills, enjoy a traditional Bavarian dinner the same day. All handy and close enough to get you back home in time to hit the sack on time.
The dirty, dirty girl taking a rest in Leavenworth...
Just leaving Leavenworth, I stopped for one of the last pictures of my day-trip. This stretch of the river was worth stopping for.
From here, home was in sight. I knew only a bit more than an hour separated me from the warmth of my living room, so I opened up The Barge a bit and enjoyed the fluid rhythm of man, machine and macadam blending into a seamless rush as the curves were smoothed by gentle leans and pressure on the end of the clip ons. I knew I was about to crest Stevens Pass, and the weather could be unpredictable. Figuring I had bested one pass today, and knowing I had enough daylight to make the long trek back around the way I came, on the off chance the pass ahead was closed, I poured on the power and figured on making some time.
As I pressed onwards and upwards, I started to see snow flurries. I'd seen a few earlier in the day, so while I noted them, I wasn't put off. As the miles rolled by, the flurries increased. I was suddenly in a snow storm! By the time I hit the top of the pass, I was wondering about safety, wind chill, etc. I managed two quick pics at the summit, then gamely pressed on hoping lower elevations would deliver me from under the snow fall. While I snapped these pics, a few guys who were skiing illegally at the closed ski lodge, stood nearby pointing and shaking their heads. Screw 'em, I thought. This was the view from where I'd just come... and the next is in the direction I was headed... *gulp*
I'll admit, I gingerly took the curves ahead, taking my time to enjoy the view of the snow storm and noting how the flakes lessened with every 10 feet my elevation dropped. Thankfully, I had ridden out form under the snow, and into clear weather...well, cloudy, but not liquid or solid, just plain old empty air! The last shot of the ride was of the town of Snohomish. While I was packing up after this shot, another FJR pulled up behind me to see if I was OK. Nice guy. Black Cherry Red FJR, yellow helmet - thanks for stopping to check, man.
From here, the rain began. And man did it rain. I got caught in Gold Bar behind some old lady intent on driving dead on the 35 mph speed limit and flapping her wipers on high. It was like riding through a car wash, minus the suds. My gear was doing a great job keeping me dry, but wetness was starting to seep in here and there, as inevitably happens.
While sitting in the rain, at the lights in Monroe, I noted two things:
1 - another FJR opposite me, though the rider didn't return my wave, sadly. In his defense, his visor was up, so perhaps he was squinting through the incoming rain and simply didn't see me.
2 - the salt residue has been completely washed off The Black Barge by this time, so that was kinda nice...
The rest of the ride home was filled with day dreams of dry clothes and a blanket. By this time, the temp was holding at a steady 43 degrees and refused to creep any higher.
I was pretty hungry, so visions of dinner began to dance in my mind, so I stopped quickly to pick up dinner on the way home. After remounting the bike, I was very pleased to notice I was still, after 248.1 miles, pretty comfortable. I credit the Airhawk with keeping my bottom happy for the long-ish ride.
Back home, I noted that I managed the 250 miles in about 5 hours - a leisurely pace, to say the least...LOL
I can honestly say, this ride kicked my a$$. While not a long ride by many standards, the combo of temps and weather netted me a sore throat yesterday and today, and it took me 24 hours to feel warm again after that ride...
Now, for today, I'm off to somewhere - gotta go plan the route now...
Thanks for reading - no go for a ride yourself!
I only had 3,750-odd miles on the odo, and I knew I needed to square things immediately! I mean, ideally I'd have put the extra miles on BEFORE the service, but I rationalized that the run would be more efficient with the TB sync complete, new oil, etc., so off I went.
I only had a vague plan in mind - a loop I'd mapped out a few evenings before.
I left Bellevue WA around 2PM headed out on the 90, East-ish. Almost immediately I had a rain shower pass overhead. Upping my speed a bit, I quickly left the liquid sunshine behind me. Surprising me, though, as I streaked down the highway, the noise level inside my helmet cranked up several levels. Slightly confused, but knowing everything other than the noise remained normal, I began to wonder hat was making the racket. I then noticed the smudges on my windscreen... HAIL! FFS, I was getting pelted by HAIL on May f*cking 4th...and I wasn't even in the mountains yet!
At around mile 30 or so, I decided to pull over and put on my fleece pullover. I wasn't particularly cold, given the temp was around 52 degrees, but knowing I was heading higher into the mountains I figured this would be a good plan. I was immediately grateful for the warmth the fleece was providing up my neck, not realizing how chilly the air was behind the screen...
The run up to the pass was pretty straight forward, and I was enjoying the audio book playing on my iPod. I'll admit, though, it was very different listening to a book-on-tape while riding. I mean, when listening to music it doesn't really matter if you hear everything. Concentrating on the road, wind noise, etc., conspire to make the music, in some cases, pass by unheard. Listening to an audiobook, though, you feel compelled to follow the story, knowing that if you miss parts you could be lost as the book progresses. Anyway, just trying a new thing. Overall, it's been a positive experience, though.
Anyway, back to the top of the pass... Snoqualmie Pass, all 3022 feet or so of it.
This is the lake just passed the top of the pass. Oddly, despite all kinds of fresh snow, all the ski hills were empty and closed.
On the other side of the pass, things got a bit warmer. Though I never felt the need for anything heated (good thing, since I have none...LOL), I was happy to see the temp gauge ratchet up a few degrees.
Figuring it was time to grab a drink of water and stretch a bit, I saw this place coming up down the highway, on the opposite side of the road, and grabbed the next exit to grab a break and a few pictures.
Here's The Black Barge, ready to respond!
After a few minutes, I hit the road again. Next stop was just outside Cle Elum, WA, where I turned roughly North-ish in search of Highway 97 to head toward Highway 2 and home. Not exactly "nearby", I had another bunch of mountains to traverse before I could easily find my way home Tuesday evening.
Just off the highway, you can see the terrain starting to change a bit... more rolly, less craggy...
Down the road a few miles, I found the aptly named, Airport Rd., which I guess led to an airport... If they knew how fast an FJR can travel, would I qualify for access as a "pilot", I wonder...?
I love finding out of the way air strips like this when touring around. There are thousands across the country, and I always find them cool to visit.
...and this stately cedar is located about 100 feet from the end of the runway, just off to one side - better not flub your approach...
Figuring it was time to press on, I mounted The Black Barge and hit the road again. The sun was out here, the temps were up and it was a great day to ride!
In a little while, though, I had to stop and snap a pic of this spread on the river. What a nice place! That's what I want in a few years! If you look closely, you can even see some Canadian Geese in the tall grass.
Cruising in this area was magic. The roads are smooth and clean. No traffic. Loads of twisties that can be easily taken at 70 mph, it's simply an great place to ride! Except for one small issue... those signs warning you of wandering deer and cattle MUST be headed. About 2 miles before I stopped to snap these pics, I came around a sweeper and thanked Dog I was paying attention. Just walking into my lane were two beautiful does. One kept plodding across the road while the other didn't like the look of me, flashed a white tail skyward and deftly jumped behind a downed tree to eyeball me a bit more.
For my part, I hauled on the binders, marveled at the rapid loss of speed this bike can conjure up, and proceeded at a cautious 10 mph watching for more critters nearby. Didn't take me long to find a roadside carcass being tended to by very large, ugly birds... no pics, as their malevolent stare told me to "move along, as there was nothing to see there..."
This place was just bang, right there on the side of the road, with nothing else around for miles. Restaurant, hotel, store, all in one... well, there was the DOT depot across the street...
This reminded me of areas of Europe...
Glancing at the Barge, I noted it was covered in what looked like salt residue from the area around Snoqualmie Pass earlier. It was wet, though warmish, so I had just pressed on...
Pressing on a bit, I rounded a turn to encounter the end of route 970, which dumped me onto Highway 97, as intended. This greeted me as I crept up the onramp to 97. Simply beautiful wine growing country in this area.
Only a few miles separated me from Highway 2 and the path back home, so I tweaked the throttle a bit and swept through the sweepers at a brisk pace, enjoying the tight ride and easy flow of the bike.
Next stop was Leavenworth, high in the mountains, yet still pleasantly warm. This was, unknown to me at the time, the last time all day I'd feel warmth from the sun. Leavenworth is the very epitome of a Bavarian ton, plucked straight from the forests outside Munich and plopped square int he hills not far from Seattle. You can have lunch on Puget Sound, be skiing for the afternoon over 4,000 feet in the mountains, and ten minutes pasted the ski hills, enjoy a traditional Bavarian dinner the same day. All handy and close enough to get you back home in time to hit the sack on time.
The dirty, dirty girl taking a rest in Leavenworth...
Just leaving Leavenworth, I stopped for one of the last pictures of my day-trip. This stretch of the river was worth stopping for.
From here, home was in sight. I knew only a bit more than an hour separated me from the warmth of my living room, so I opened up The Barge a bit and enjoyed the fluid rhythm of man, machine and macadam blending into a seamless rush as the curves were smoothed by gentle leans and pressure on the end of the clip ons. I knew I was about to crest Stevens Pass, and the weather could be unpredictable. Figuring I had bested one pass today, and knowing I had enough daylight to make the long trek back around the way I came, on the off chance the pass ahead was closed, I poured on the power and figured on making some time.
As I pressed onwards and upwards, I started to see snow flurries. I'd seen a few earlier in the day, so while I noted them, I wasn't put off. As the miles rolled by, the flurries increased. I was suddenly in a snow storm! By the time I hit the top of the pass, I was wondering about safety, wind chill, etc. I managed two quick pics at the summit, then gamely pressed on hoping lower elevations would deliver me from under the snow fall. While I snapped these pics, a few guys who were skiing illegally at the closed ski lodge, stood nearby pointing and shaking their heads. Screw 'em, I thought. This was the view from where I'd just come... and the next is in the direction I was headed... *gulp*
I'll admit, I gingerly took the curves ahead, taking my time to enjoy the view of the snow storm and noting how the flakes lessened with every 10 feet my elevation dropped. Thankfully, I had ridden out form under the snow, and into clear weather...well, cloudy, but not liquid or solid, just plain old empty air! The last shot of the ride was of the town of Snohomish. While I was packing up after this shot, another FJR pulled up behind me to see if I was OK. Nice guy. Black Cherry Red FJR, yellow helmet - thanks for stopping to check, man.
From here, the rain began. And man did it rain. I got caught in Gold Bar behind some old lady intent on driving dead on the 35 mph speed limit and flapping her wipers on high. It was like riding through a car wash, minus the suds. My gear was doing a great job keeping me dry, but wetness was starting to seep in here and there, as inevitably happens.
While sitting in the rain, at the lights in Monroe, I noted two things:
1 - another FJR opposite me, though the rider didn't return my wave, sadly. In his defense, his visor was up, so perhaps he was squinting through the incoming rain and simply didn't see me.
2 - the salt residue has been completely washed off The Black Barge by this time, so that was kinda nice...
The rest of the ride home was filled with day dreams of dry clothes and a blanket. By this time, the temp was holding at a steady 43 degrees and refused to creep any higher.
I was pretty hungry, so visions of dinner began to dance in my mind, so I stopped quickly to pick up dinner on the way home. After remounting the bike, I was very pleased to notice I was still, after 248.1 miles, pretty comfortable. I credit the Airhawk with keeping my bottom happy for the long-ish ride.
Back home, I noted that I managed the 250 miles in about 5 hours - a leisurely pace, to say the least...LOL
I can honestly say, this ride kicked my a$$. While not a long ride by many standards, the combo of temps and weather netted me a sore throat yesterday and today, and it took me 24 hours to feel warm again after that ride...
Now, for today, I'm off to somewhere - gotta go plan the route now...
Thanks for reading - no go for a ride yourself!
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