Riona
Well-known member
Just back from a 3 day ride around the Pacific North West over the Memorial Day Weekend. Saturday was Highway 20 across the North Cascades, Sunday was spent touring the area, then heading over to Coeur D'Alene in Idaho. Monday was a straight run home on the I-90 Slab to Seattle.
Redmond to Kettle Falls
Weather forecast was iffy - chance of rain and cold, so I layered up warm and left early to try to stay ahead of the rain. I planned to cross the North Cascades on Highway 20 through the Mt Baker National Forest. My original plan to run up I-5 to Mt Vernon and take WA-20 East from there was derailed (or de-bridged) by a truck driver who had taken out the I-5 bridge over the Skagit river earlier in the week, so instead I only went up I-5 as far as Arlington, where I picked up 530 to run NE up to 20. This turned out to be well worth doing as the 530 section had lush, rural scenery and a few interesting things to look at on the way ..
530 and 20 run flat (but gently twisted) for a surprisingly long way inland. I was still at 300 to 400 feet altitude well after I had expected to start climbing, but eventually the valley floor ran out and the climb started.
I could soon see why the range is called "The Cascades" ... water falls are around every corner ...
Soon the highway hits a series of lakes - so many that they quickly became the "theme" for the tour. George Lake,
Then Diablo Lake
come up quickly.
The water is a deep green - according to the sign at the visitors center, this is due to the fine rock particles ground off by the glaciers suspended in the water:
The top of the pass was npt as high as I had expected, but still high enough to have snow piled up by the side of the road ..
After the the top of the pass, there is the famous hairpin curve - I didn't take a photo - too busy keeping my eyes on the road, so I linked to this one from the WDOT site ... there wasn't this much snow on saturday !
Lunch stop was at Winthrop - a cute tourist trap of a town, basking in afternoon sunshine - I divested myself of several layers and headed for "The Old School House" brewery and restaurant. Food was excellent, but they were packed out for the holiday weekend. Luckily there were seats open at the bar, and the owner was good company during the 49 minute 29.2 second (the owner timed it) wait for my burger. I explained I was riding, so had to forego the beer, but as well as the pepsi, he gave me several samples of his award winning ales. My favorite was the Imperial IPA, recommended as a very flowery taste with a clean finish, yet not too "hop forward'
From Winthrop, WA-20 turns South to follow the Methow river down its course - the scenery is still Alpine, but now the rich meadows and farmland of the alluvial valley, rather than the majestic crags of the peaks and passes. This gentle section goes as far as the charmingly named "Twisp" where 20 turns East again and leaves the river valley to climb up and over the Loup-Loup pass to Okanogan. This was another great stretch of twisties, with some faster corners (30 and 45 mph) mixed in with 15 mph hairpins.
Just before Okanogan my FJR ran onto reserve for the first time since I bought her, and I moderated my enthusiasm for the bends in favor of a more moderate driving style, intimidated a little by the flashing display and the trip counter reminding me how many miles it had been flashing. I refilled in Okanogan and could barely get 5 gallons into the tank, so I guess there is more reserve there than I had thought.
From Okanogan, 20 merges with 97 to head North towards the Canadian border, but I had forgotten my passport, so when 20 split off again to head East at Tomosek, I turned with it to head first to "Republic" and then to Kettle Falls. Hwy 20 saved the best for last that day - the climb up and back down Sherman Pass - the highest pass of the day at 5575 feet, and quite the best set of twisties and hairpins on the ascent and descent ..
I was glad to reach Kettle Falls and park up at the Kettle Falls Inn. Sun was setting and I was tired ..
This is an inexpensive Motel ($70) - basic, but clean and cheerful, with a good restaurant next door (TJ's) where the food (I had baked fresh salmon with wild rice and steamed vegetables) was excellent and good value ($16 for a huge salmon fillet).
So good, that I was back there the next morning for breakfast. Beware the pancakes - they are excellent but huge - dinner plate sized. I was glad I had ordered the short stack (2) but only managed to eat one ... good job I didn't order 3, or there would have been a lot going go waste (or waist ...)
Excellent first day of riding - easily 120 miles of twisties on 20, plus another 200 miles of straights and gentle curves. I recommend hwy 20 to anyone !
Sunday
Having forgotten my passport, the original plan of heading up into Canada was not possible, so the plan changed to just "poke around the area and then head to Coeur D'Alene". A quick look at Washington Destination Highways showed that DH12 - around Lake Sullivan - was just to the North - so it seemed a pity not to go there ..
https://washington.destinationhighways.com/dh/NorthEast/12sum.htm
and WOW was it worth it .. staggering views and roads around every bend - starting with the run on 20 further East to Tiger, then up 31 to Ione in the Pend Oreille valley. I stopped being motorcyclist and switched to "tourist" - stopping every few miles to snap another picture ... here is the highlights reel ..
At Metaline Falls the road goes up again and forks - one way into Canada (no passport !) and the other around Lake Sullivan - an impossibly beautiful pocket sized lake up in the hills.
Too soon the Lake Sullivan loop is over (its a little less than 18 miles) and back to the highway ...
our old friend WA-20 , but now running South East to Newport along the Pend Oreille river where it crosses the border into Idaho and turns into I-2 ...and yet another lake - Lake Pend Oreille ..
But this far South we are running out of twisties and the run on 95 into Coeur D'Alene is quite straight, made worse by the Memorial Weekend Traffic and new construction zones. Strangely having been out all day on the most fantastic roads, the only time I see any other motorcycles is on the most boring bit on 95 into Coeur D'Alene.
Coeur D'Alene ... I have wanted to visit this town for a long time, as several of my tri-athlete friends have done the Iron Man there. The one this year isn't for another month, but it was good to get a flavor of the place. Another very beautiful Alpine Lake, this time with a modern, well maintained town / tourist resort, with beaches, marina, upscale shopping and restaurants. Oh, and a really nice road around the lake - Highway 97
Stay away from the Bamboo Thai restaurant though - at least on the Sunday night of a three day weekend. I had to send my "Idaho Trout with cashews" back - it was totally over cooked and the noodles I ordered as an alternative were not much better - overcooked to a glutenous mush .. I have to assume that a relief chef was working there, as the reviews on Yelp had promised much better than I experienced.
Lodging for the night was at the Ameritel at the intersection of 90 and 95 - a bit out of downtown, but the downtown places were much more expensive. The Ameritel does have a really good pool and hot tub, the room was comfortable and the included breakfast slightly above average (though typical for hotel breakfasts).
Nothing much to report for Monday, day three. I had to get back to Redmond, 300 miles away, and forecast for West of the passes was rain, rain and more rain. Originally I had thought to go back West on 2, over Stevens Pass, but that was going to be a longer, slower trip, so I chose to slab it back on 90.
The first half wasn't too bad - cold, but the rain held off. Not much scenery going over the Columbia Plateau (barren, to say the least ! ) - but then after the Gorge the road gets prettier towards Ellensburg. There the rain started, and the traffic stopped. It was a parking lot from Ellensburg to Cle Elum, 25 mph to Easton, and 45 mph over Snoqualmie .. Memorial Day traffic I guess, there were a lot of RV's on the road. I was nice and warm in my layers, having stopped in George to put on my waterproofs, but with the slow traffic, I couldn't hide from the rain behind the fairing, so I ended up with a fogged up visor for the last 100 miles ... Oh well.
Just over 900 miles total over the weekend - not much, I guess, by the standards of most of the people on this forum - you guys do that in one day, not three, but I had a great time and saw some of the best roads and best scenery that the PNW has to offer. Time well spent.
Riona
With grateful thanks to Squidbuzz for the route !
Redmond to Kettle Falls
Weather forecast was iffy - chance of rain and cold, so I layered up warm and left early to try to stay ahead of the rain. I planned to cross the North Cascades on Highway 20 through the Mt Baker National Forest. My original plan to run up I-5 to Mt Vernon and take WA-20 East from there was derailed (or de-bridged) by a truck driver who had taken out the I-5 bridge over the Skagit river earlier in the week, so instead I only went up I-5 as far as Arlington, where I picked up 530 to run NE up to 20. This turned out to be well worth doing as the 530 section had lush, rural scenery and a few interesting things to look at on the way ..
530 and 20 run flat (but gently twisted) for a surprisingly long way inland. I was still at 300 to 400 feet altitude well after I had expected to start climbing, but eventually the valley floor ran out and the climb started.
I could soon see why the range is called "The Cascades" ... water falls are around every corner ...
Soon the highway hits a series of lakes - so many that they quickly became the "theme" for the tour. George Lake,
Then Diablo Lake
come up quickly.
The water is a deep green - according to the sign at the visitors center, this is due to the fine rock particles ground off by the glaciers suspended in the water:
The top of the pass was npt as high as I had expected, but still high enough to have snow piled up by the side of the road ..
After the the top of the pass, there is the famous hairpin curve - I didn't take a photo - too busy keeping my eyes on the road, so I linked to this one from the WDOT site ... there wasn't this much snow on saturday !
Lunch stop was at Winthrop - a cute tourist trap of a town, basking in afternoon sunshine - I divested myself of several layers and headed for "The Old School House" brewery and restaurant. Food was excellent, but they were packed out for the holiday weekend. Luckily there were seats open at the bar, and the owner was good company during the 49 minute 29.2 second (the owner timed it) wait for my burger. I explained I was riding, so had to forego the beer, but as well as the pepsi, he gave me several samples of his award winning ales. My favorite was the Imperial IPA, recommended as a very flowery taste with a clean finish, yet not too "hop forward'
From Winthrop, WA-20 turns South to follow the Methow river down its course - the scenery is still Alpine, but now the rich meadows and farmland of the alluvial valley, rather than the majestic crags of the peaks and passes. This gentle section goes as far as the charmingly named "Twisp" where 20 turns East again and leaves the river valley to climb up and over the Loup-Loup pass to Okanogan. This was another great stretch of twisties, with some faster corners (30 and 45 mph) mixed in with 15 mph hairpins.
Just before Okanogan my FJR ran onto reserve for the first time since I bought her, and I moderated my enthusiasm for the bends in favor of a more moderate driving style, intimidated a little by the flashing display and the trip counter reminding me how many miles it had been flashing. I refilled in Okanogan and could barely get 5 gallons into the tank, so I guess there is more reserve there than I had thought.
From Okanogan, 20 merges with 97 to head North towards the Canadian border, but I had forgotten my passport, so when 20 split off again to head East at Tomosek, I turned with it to head first to "Republic" and then to Kettle Falls. Hwy 20 saved the best for last that day - the climb up and back down Sherman Pass - the highest pass of the day at 5575 feet, and quite the best set of twisties and hairpins on the ascent and descent ..
I was glad to reach Kettle Falls and park up at the Kettle Falls Inn. Sun was setting and I was tired ..
This is an inexpensive Motel ($70) - basic, but clean and cheerful, with a good restaurant next door (TJ's) where the food (I had baked fresh salmon with wild rice and steamed vegetables) was excellent and good value ($16 for a huge salmon fillet).
So good, that I was back there the next morning for breakfast. Beware the pancakes - they are excellent but huge - dinner plate sized. I was glad I had ordered the short stack (2) but only managed to eat one ... good job I didn't order 3, or there would have been a lot going go waste (or waist ...)
Excellent first day of riding - easily 120 miles of twisties on 20, plus another 200 miles of straights and gentle curves. I recommend hwy 20 to anyone !
Sunday
Having forgotten my passport, the original plan of heading up into Canada was not possible, so the plan changed to just "poke around the area and then head to Coeur D'Alene". A quick look at Washington Destination Highways showed that DH12 - around Lake Sullivan - was just to the North - so it seemed a pity not to go there ..
https://washington.destinationhighways.com/dh/NorthEast/12sum.htm
and WOW was it worth it .. staggering views and roads around every bend - starting with the run on 20 further East to Tiger, then up 31 to Ione in the Pend Oreille valley. I stopped being motorcyclist and switched to "tourist" - stopping every few miles to snap another picture ... here is the highlights reel ..
At Metaline Falls the road goes up again and forks - one way into Canada (no passport !) and the other around Lake Sullivan - an impossibly beautiful pocket sized lake up in the hills.
Too soon the Lake Sullivan loop is over (its a little less than 18 miles) and back to the highway ...
our old friend WA-20 , but now running South East to Newport along the Pend Oreille river where it crosses the border into Idaho and turns into I-2 ...and yet another lake - Lake Pend Oreille ..
But this far South we are running out of twisties and the run on 95 into Coeur D'Alene is quite straight, made worse by the Memorial Weekend Traffic and new construction zones. Strangely having been out all day on the most fantastic roads, the only time I see any other motorcycles is on the most boring bit on 95 into Coeur D'Alene.
Coeur D'Alene ... I have wanted to visit this town for a long time, as several of my tri-athlete friends have done the Iron Man there. The one this year isn't for another month, but it was good to get a flavor of the place. Another very beautiful Alpine Lake, this time with a modern, well maintained town / tourist resort, with beaches, marina, upscale shopping and restaurants. Oh, and a really nice road around the lake - Highway 97
Stay away from the Bamboo Thai restaurant though - at least on the Sunday night of a three day weekend. I had to send my "Idaho Trout with cashews" back - it was totally over cooked and the noodles I ordered as an alternative were not much better - overcooked to a glutenous mush .. I have to assume that a relief chef was working there, as the reviews on Yelp had promised much better than I experienced.
Lodging for the night was at the Ameritel at the intersection of 90 and 95 - a bit out of downtown, but the downtown places were much more expensive. The Ameritel does have a really good pool and hot tub, the room was comfortable and the included breakfast slightly above average (though typical for hotel breakfasts).
Nothing much to report for Monday, day three. I had to get back to Redmond, 300 miles away, and forecast for West of the passes was rain, rain and more rain. Originally I had thought to go back West on 2, over Stevens Pass, but that was going to be a longer, slower trip, so I chose to slab it back on 90.
The first half wasn't too bad - cold, but the rain held off. Not much scenery going over the Columbia Plateau (barren, to say the least ! ) - but then after the Gorge the road gets prettier towards Ellensburg. There the rain started, and the traffic stopped. It was a parking lot from Ellensburg to Cle Elum, 25 mph to Easton, and 45 mph over Snoqualmie .. Memorial Day traffic I guess, there were a lot of RV's on the road. I was nice and warm in my layers, having stopped in George to put on my waterproofs, but with the slow traffic, I couldn't hide from the rain behind the fairing, so I ended up with a fogged up visor for the last 100 miles ... Oh well.
Just over 900 miles total over the weekend - not much, I guess, by the standards of most of the people on this forum - you guys do that in one day, not three, but I had a great time and saw some of the best roads and best scenery that the PNW has to offer. Time well spent.
Riona
With grateful thanks to Squidbuzz for the route !
