Trip Details:
As the end of August has arrived so has another chance of rain in
the forecast. We have not had much of a summer but I have done my
best to make the best of it. Our Sunrise and Mud Mountain Dam ride
was postponed until tomorrow. I decided last minute that since the
sun was shining over my house it may do so else where. With little
planning I got all the camera and ride gear stowed in my Goldwing
and gave the bike a quick check. My destination was Stewart's Meats
in McKenna to load up on Beef Jerky and Pepperoni. This ride was
long over due! I decided to get there by way of Kapowsin Highway and
Hyw 510. Once on the road my first stop was for fuel and then onward
I rode along Ruston Way on the Tacoma Waterfront. I made my way on
to I-5 and then off again to Hyw 167 or River Rd as I know it. At
the "Y" at River Rd I turned right on to Pioneer Way. This is a
great short 7.2 mile stretch of back road that parallels the
Burlington northern railroad tracks. Exactly 1.8 miles down Pioneer
Way on the right is an old snag that is a well know land mark where
a family of Bald Eagles lives near by. You can park on the right
side of the road as there is a wide shoulder. If you cross the road
and look in the trees to the north you will see the nest. Best time
to catch the Eagles is early morning or an hour before dusk. Around
these times the adults leave the nest to hunt. The picture of the
Bald near the top of this page, is from a previous trip. Due to
the time of day I decided not to stop and rode on into Puyallup
where I entered the on ramp to hyw 512 for a short few blocks over
the Puyallup River bridge and on to Hyw 167 for another few blocks
to Hyw 410.
The weather started looking pretty gloomy in the direction I was
heading. The first mile all was ok and then it started to rain. Soon
I was riding in a down pour! I continued riding, determined to
finish this ride in hopes to salvage what video I could of the ride.
My ride up
 410 was a total of 8 miles to where I turned right on to
234th Ave E. This road took me 1.4 mile to where I turned left on to
Prairie Rd for another short 1.3 miles. It was along this road I
decided that the down pour wasn't going to let up so I pulled off to
the side of the road and put on my rain gear. I was thinking to
myself that this sure is not August weather. More like October. Once
I was shielded from the elements thanks to my First Gear
riding gear, all was well. That is except my video camera.
Water had made its way into the display screen and the display was
distorting. This is the second time this camera has taken one
for the team. I hope it dry's out like last time with no signs of
moisture damage. My next turn was right on to Prairie Rd. Prairie Rd
took me 6.8 miles crossing South Prairie Creek and the Carbon River.
Nice little stretch of road that intersects with Orville Rd. I
turned on to Orville and rode it 5.1 miles while paralleling and
crossing the Puyallup River. I really like this stretch of road but
it was short lived as my next left turn was on to 264th ST E. This
was another short stretch 1.9 miles in length to a stretch of road I
had not ridden for some time.
I turned left on to Orville road and enjoyed 11.2 miles of scenic
road. I rode parallel to Kapowsin Lake and Ohop Lake. I really like
this area because I used to swim in Kapowsin as a kid and as I got
older I did some camping and allot of Bass and Crappie fishing at
 Ohop Lake. The lakes were a sight for sore eyes. The sun was
shining but the big dark clouds loomed in the background reminding
me of the down pour they served me just 15 minutes prior. At least
it seemed I was riding in the right direction and that was away from
those nasty looking clouds. Soon Orville Rd ended and I turned right
on to Hyw 161 for 1.8 miles and then a short ride on Eatonville cut
off Rd brought me to Stringtown Rd for 2.8 miles to my next right
turn on to Hyw 7, also known to locals as the Mountain Highway. So
far the weather was playing nice and I was enjoying ample sunshine.
In the direction I was going it looked to me as if I may not see
another rain drop the rest of the ride. Hyw 7 is one of my favorites
in Washington although the better parts of it are in the opposite
direction. Another short 3 miles of road and I turned left on to Hyw
702. 702 is approximately 9.3 miles of straight as an arrow road. It
still is nice as it's lined by older farms and houses. Once Hyw 702
intersected with Hyw 507 I turned left and Stewart's Meats was
about.6 miles up the road and on the left. If your hungry and in
this area, just before Stewart's Meats you will see the Bunkhouse
BBQ on the left. The is one of Washington's best burger joints. They
are also know for their shakes and make one of the Best Chocolate
Malts I have had. Want more info see my
burger page. As I pulled in to the
parking lot the smell of the smoked meats was really getting my
attention. It smelled oh so Good! If you stop in it's take a number
and they quickly get to you. I purchased 3 lbs. of Jalapeņo
Pepperoni, 1 lbs. regular and 1 lbs. extra hot. I also picked up a
pound of their Famous Jerky and a couple of smoked pig ears for my
dogs. Once back out in the lot I enjoyed some smoked meets and a Dr.
Pepper. Now this is the way to do lunch!
Once watered and fed, I turned left on to 507 and rode another
1.9 miles to my right on Hyw 510. This was 12 miles of nice road
that took me through Yelm, Fort Lewis land and the Nisqually
Reservation. Hyw 510 soon brought me to the Old Pacific Highway
junction
 where I turned right on to the Old Pacific highway. I
really enjoy this old highway as the is allot of nice
countryside and in just 3.3 miles from the junction there is a very
popular fishing spot. I pulled over just on the other side of the
bridge and watched folks fish in the Nisqually River Below. The sun
was still shining so everyone below was enjoying a stellar day for
wetting a line. Once back on the road it was only 2.2 miles and I
turned on to the I-5 on Ramp on my right. As much as I hate I-5 it
is a necessary evil sometimes to get to other roads. There fore I
endured it one more time to get to my next road which was the Dupont-Steilacoom
Rd. This is a great way to avoid I-5 and enjoy a short 5.7 mile but
enjoyable road. This road is way better then I-5 and took me in to
Steilacoom right by the Ferry terminal. One of these days I'm going
to ride this ferry and check out the roads on Anderson Island. Next
I turned right on to Lafayette St. and made my way north as
Lafayette turned in to Chambers Creek Rd. this is a nice stretch of
road. There are ample great views of the Puget Sound Narrows Waters.
I stopped and stretched my legs at Sunny Side Beach. Years ago I
used to scuba dive off this beach. As I remember is mostly sandy
bottom and allot of Moon Snails and Sea Cucumbers.
 After a brief stop I road the remaining 2.4 miles through
Chambers Creek making a quick stop at Chambers Creek for a photo or
two. On hot days the waters of above the fish ladder are packed with
folks trying to beat the heat. Today there were only a few folks
fishing. I turned left on to 64th and followed it to Grandview Dr.
W. In this area the Puget Sound was still off to my left and I road
by the only Apple Orchard in Tacoma and the new Golf Course everyone
is raving about. My next stop came soon after and it was Titlow
Beach. This is another nice stop and one of my old scuba dive
locations. It's still popular with the divers. Here I ran into my
oldest son. He followed me in to the lot probably because he was
down wind of the Jerky and Pepperoni. I fed him some of the meat and
we both headed up 6th Ave. towards home. Although short and a little
wet this was a great ride. There are is allot of scenery packed in
to this short 100+ miles ride. Well at least to me it's short. :-) |
