Epic Ride One! To Hell and Back.
Mt. St HELens that is.
Mt. St HELens that is.
The guys who are part of the Glacier View Motorcycle Forums ride to Mt. St Helens and the South Central part of The Greatest of all American States.
Washington State..
Lane and I rode from Darrington with the intention of meeting Jon in Morton Wa at 6 pm.. We departed Darrington about 8:45 am.
We made a few stops in the Seattle area.
Both Vstroms pictured use the Darrington Outback VStrom handle bar risers peddled on this website. They made the trip 100% more enjoyable.
We plan on following 410 east from Sumner and then droping down 123 to hwy 12 and then explore on our adventure bikes some potential camp sites.
We ride east on 410 but 123 is closed due to big chunks of the road missing.
So what is the solution? Ride the legal limit + a bit more when safety allowed and loop 55 miles east and then
back on 12 80 miles to Morton on 12. In other words cross the cascades twice. on two of the wildest Washington hyways.
I figure we must not of been going to high over the limit because we counted 52 LEO's on this leg of our Journey to meet Jon.
At this intersection we finally had cell service and contacted Jon's voice mail and told him our problem.
We look around for potenttial camp sites.
But after meeting Jon.
Nightfall was comencing and we found a better place.
LAYSER CAVE!
Randle and Gas and energy drinks and corndogs!
We left Randle and headed south to Windy Ridge.
This road is perfect for bikes and sports cars. In fact there was a Cobra rally on Saterday and they were really smokeing when they flew by us heading down..
After passing an RV Motrbike crash. (Bike was an older cruiser. Rider should of been wearing riding gear.) RV was so big it took half the other lane to make the hairpin turns..
Only an absolute Moron drives these motor homes up these kind of roads.
Again! NO Motor homes or travel trailers or anyone who can not make the speed limit should be on this road....
We take a break on the way up right after we see this..
We found this guy while we rested. he ate an entire bag of almonds by himself!
Jon ready to go...
Then I got the bright idea to run up some side roads and put a capital A in Adventure.
Lane crashes! scratches Adventure Bike..Oh No!!! But he is not hurt at all other then a big ego blow.
back in the saddle!
I made it up this hill!!
We went all the way to the lookout point before slowly riding back down takeing pictures along the way.
SPIRIT LAKE!
Even after a 1/4 century the destruction is terrible to behold while at the same time it is wonderfull!
And then it was back down the road to Randle with rain at our heels.. We decided that eastern Washington was the place we ought to be as it NEVER rains there.
We came to Naches just west of Yakima and had a very wonderfull supper.
NACHES!
We had a great time and our spirits were lifted and we headed south to find a campsite as darkness desended.
Unfortunatly every road in the area was Cochise this or frigging that!
So we ended up on Cochise mill road heading west looking for a good place to camp...
After a long time the road turns into primitive dirt.
It was spooky as all get out and two bats flew right into my helmet. Sticks looked like they covered the road in places.
Stange sticks.
We continue for several miles untill we come accross a pickup
truck with a bib coverall wearing farm guy carrying a pitchfork standing in front of his truck.
I pulled up and asked about campsites in the area.. Banjo music was playing in my own mind as I asked...
The farm guy smiles and says he wouldnt go camping tonight. Rattlesnakes were out thick.
The farmer reaches down to a stick by my front tire and it wiggled. He carefully picked up the small rattlesnake and tossed it into the ditch.
I felt my bowles grow a little loose. God No. Not snakes.... And he carefully does it again to another snake. I had a vision of my death camping in the area.
We thanked the man and carefully turned around on the nasty road being abnormaly carefull. A spill would mean face down with rattlesnakes.
Trying to avoid the sticks on the road we carefully hauled ass down into Yakima chatting on the two way radios that a KOA would really be great!
We got one of the last three tent sites available. 28 bucks for 3 guys with three bikes and three tents. Sweet. Showers a pool and everything else...
Man Oh Man... Beats the rattlesnakes we just about commited suicide with.
Some cruiser guys and gals camped next to us... They were the quietest campers there.
This KOA kicked A**! It even came with alarm clocks.
It was raining by morning.
I called my wife and asked her to watch the weather and then call me back.
She called back and said the weather was as follows.
Haul it for Home is the weather report.. Before the major front hits..
We said our good byes at an empty gas station along the freeway. Lane and I to go North. Jon South through Goldendale and then into Oregon and home to Portland,
Lane and I stoped but one time. At a rest area 10 miles west of Ellensburg. It would be the only dry moment of the day. Rain and lashing rain would greet us on the pass.
No Complaints.
Rain is a part of Washington Life..... But the Rattlesnakes made us West siders feel a bit like aliens in a strange land. We have it all here in our wonderfull state.
Our Identity as Citizens of Washington is unique and worth keeping. East and West.. We are one. Even us West side Mountain men have a lot to learn about the
other half. But not at night by flashlight.
Global Warming? This is the wettest coolest August I can remember.
God Bless Washington State!
God Bless America.
May we soon have peace.
STATS!------- Round trip complete. 799.5 Miles... Yakima to Darrington....223.2........
Ride on!
Washington State..
Lane and I rode from Darrington with the intention of meeting Jon in Morton Wa at 6 pm.. We departed Darrington about 8:45 am.
We made a few stops in the Seattle area.
Both Vstroms pictured use the Darrington Outback VStrom handle bar risers peddled on this website. They made the trip 100% more enjoyable.
We plan on following 410 east from Sumner and then droping down 123 to hwy 12 and then explore on our adventure bikes some potential camp sites.
We ride east on 410 but 123 is closed due to big chunks of the road missing.
So what is the solution? Ride the legal limit + a bit more when safety allowed and loop 55 miles east and then back on 12 80 miles to Morton on 12. In other words cross the cascades twice. on two of the wildest Washington hyways. I figure we must not of been going to high over the limit because we counted 52 LEO's on this leg of our Journey to meet Jon.
At this intersection we finally had cell service and contacted Jon's voice mail and told him our problem.
We look around for potenttial camp sites.
But after meeting Jon.
Nightfall was comencing and we found a better place.
LAYSER CAVE!
Randle and Gas and energy drinks and corndogs!
We left Randle and headed south to Windy Ridge. This road is perfect for bikes and sports cars. In fact there was a Cobra rally on Saterday and they were really smokeing when they flew by us heading down.. After passing an RV Motrbike crash. (Bike was an older cruiser. Rider should of been wearing riding gear.) RV was so big it took half the other lane to make the hairpin turns..
Only an absolute Moron drives these motor homes up these kind of roads.
Again! NO Motor homes or travel trailers or anyone who can not make the speed limit should be on this road....
We take a break on the way up right after we see this..
We found this guy while we rested. he ate an entire bag of almonds by himself!
Jon ready to go...
Then I got the bright idea to run up some side roads and put a capital A in Adventure.
Lane crashes! scratches Adventure Bike..Oh No!!! But he is not hurt at all other then a big ego blow.
back in the saddle!
I made it up this hill!!
We went all the way to the lookout point before slowly riding back down takeing pictures along the way.
SPIRIT LAKE!
Even after a 1/4 century the destruction is terrible to behold while at the same time it is wonderfull!
And then it was back down the road to Randle with rain at our heels.. We decided that eastern Washington was the place we ought to be as it NEVER rains there.
We came to Naches just west of Yakima and had a very wonderfull supper.
NACHES!
We had a great time and our spirits were lifted and we headed south to find a campsite as darkness desended.
Unfortunatly every road in the area was Cochise this or frigging that! So we ended up on Cochise mill road heading west looking for a good place to camp... After a long time the road turns into primitive dirt. It was spooky as all get out and two bats flew right into my helmet. Sticks looked like they covered the road in places. Stange sticks. We continue for several miles untill we come accross a pickup truck with a bib coverall wearing farm guy carrying a pitchfork standing in front of his truck. I pulled up and asked about campsites in the area.. Banjo music was playing in my own mind as I asked... The farm guy smiles and says he wouldnt go camping tonight. Rattlesnakes were out thick.
The farmer reaches down to a stick by my front tire and it wiggled. He carefully picked up the small rattlesnake and tossed it into the ditch.
I felt my bowles grow a little loose. God No. Not snakes.... And he carefully does it again to another snake. I had a vision of my death camping in the area.
We thanked the man and carefully turned around on the nasty road being abnormaly carefull. A spill would mean face down with rattlesnakes.
Trying to avoid the sticks on the road we carefully hauled ass down into Yakima chatting on the two way radios that a KOA would really be great!
We got one of the last three tent sites available. 28 bucks for 3 guys with three bikes and three tents. Sweet. Showers a pool and everything else... Man Oh Man... Beats the rattlesnakes we just about commited suicide with.
Some cruiser guys and gals camped next to us... They were the quietest campers there.
This KOA kicked A**! It even came with alarm clocks.
It was raining by morning.
I called my wife and asked her to watch the weather and then call me back.
She called back and said the weather was as follows.
Haul it for Home is the weather report.. Before the major front hits..
We said our good byes at an empty gas station along the freeway. Lane and I to go North. Jon South through Goldendale and then into Oregon and home to Portland,
Lane and I stoped but one time. At a rest area 10 miles west of Ellensburg. It would be the only dry moment of the day. Rain and lashing rain would greet us on the pass.
No Complaints. Rain is a part of Washington Life..... But the Rattlesnakes made us West siders feel a bit like aliens in a strange land. We have it all here in our wonderfull state.
Our Identity as Citizens of Washington is unique and worth keeping. East and West.. We are one. Even us West side Mountain men have a lot to learn about the other half. But not at night by flashlight.
Global Warming? This is the wettest coolest August I can remember.
God Bless Washington State!
God Bless America.
May we soon have peace.
STATS!------- Round trip complete. 799.5 Miles... Yakima to Darrington....223.2........
Ride on!