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With the sun out and expected highs to be near 95
degrees I felt drawn to cooler temperatures. One destination I have
yet to experience in
all my years living in Washington was MT baker. I made a call to
invite a ride buddy and proceeded to plan the route. In order to
avoid the ultimate bore (I-5). I included it only when
necessary. As usual I had my Goldwing inspected and gear packed the
night before.
Sun up soon came and it was time to hit the road.
The temperature was already above 70 at 8:15 AM as I made my way
along the water front on Tacoma. Ruston way is always a good road to
start a days ride with. Its a short but sweet 5 mile ride along
Commencement Bay. The morning sun was warm and the breeze off the
salt water felt good. I made my way up hyw 705 on to I-5 heading
towards Hyw 18. I-5 wasn't too bad for the short duration. It's a
different story heading through Seattle so I try to avoid it like
the plague. 18 miles east on highway 18 I turned off on to 244th to
meet the other rider (Lloyd).
Once back on the road after a bit of chat we rode on
11.6 miles to the I-90 junction. We continued on under I-90 on 3.6
miles on the Snoqualmie Parkway Rd. This goes right past Snoqualmie
Falls (on the left) for those of you who wish to stop for a brief
look at the falls. I highly recommend it as they are just off the
road. No mile hike in to seem them. 4.3 miles further and we
were passing through Fall City. We soon turned on to Hyw 203. The
first section of 203 Its a short but fun section of asphalt that
provides ample shade and sweeping and twisting turns. Hyw 203 is 24
miles in length and inter sects with US 2. While following it we
passed a few cattle and dairy farms some of which looked to be
abandoned. The ones that were operational were easily recognized by
a far as they could be smelt quite some distance away. Ah the smell
of bovine manure on a hot day! Needless to say it was quite
refreshing to view those as they became smaller in my rear view
mirrors. Hyw 203 took us through Carnation, Duvall and on to Monroe
where we took the left on to US 2. Every time I have ridden 203 I
always enjoy it. I find it relaxing and just a all around fun road.
We were not the only riders with the same road in mind and that was
apparent as we passed countless riders enjoying the same stretch of
highway.
 The
ride on US 2 was brief as we used it only to get to Hyw 9 which came
quickly after only 10 miles. Once on Hyw 9 we rode 26.7 miles
through farm land, trees and Arlington. This section of Hyw 9 is
very straight. There are only a few turns and they are gradual at
best. The remaining 16.8 miles of Hyw 9 took us by McMurray Lake and
Big Lake and did o so while treating us to some needed shade, twists
and turns. We made a rest stop next to McMurray Lake for some photos
and to let some blood into our back sides. Once on the road again we
made our way to the end of Hyw 9 at the UIS 20 junction. This is the
small town of Sedro Woolley and a good stop for fuel. We rode
through Sedro Woolley and up Hyw 9 for another 23 miles. This
stretch of road took us parallel to the Nooksack River through the
towns of Acme and Vandandts. Both these towns are popular for tubers
and that was plain as day as countless numbers of cars lined the
road side as folks of both genders and the entire age range walked
the road side to the rivers edge. As we passed over the River I was
amazed how many people were out in the water. I should expect this
on a hot day but there were allot of folks enjoying the cool waters
of the South Fork of the Nooksack River. At this point the sun was
high in hte sky and temps were pushing 87 degrees. I could have used
a dip in the cool waters myself.
 At
the town of Vandandt we turned on right on to Hyw 542. This highway
twists and turns its way up to the MT Baker Ski Resort and the MT
Baker view point. We rode the extremely fun and winding 73 miles of
542 paralleling the North Fork Nooksack River through Kendal, Maple
Falls and then Glacier. We stopped in Glacier to get some shade and
stretch our legs. This is a fun little stop. There are only a hand
full of shops but there is a restaurant, town store and best of all
a Ice-cream shop. Allot of folks were walking around eating waffle
cones and the smell was driving me crazy. As much as I wanted to
enjoy a cold waffle cone, I had plans to stop at the Chuck Wagon in
Mount Vernon on the return trip to eat my #3 pick for best burger
(Big Sue).
 Proceeding
on past glacier we rode 23 miles of Hyw 542 that seemed to endlessly
twist and turn our way to higher elevation and soon the MT Baker Ski
Resort. At this point I thought this ride was perfect and then the
smell of ant freeze became present. My temp gauge was reading half
way between normal and hot. It has never done so which prompted me
to pull over. I lost the smallest amount of fluid. I let the bike
cool for a while then started it up. It seemed to be holding at
normal. We then continued up. Within the 3 miles it took to reach
the summit view point it had reached the same temperature. I pulled
over with no loss of fluid. That is until I shut it off. It then
release a small stream of coolant on to the asphalt. I was a bit
pissed to say the least. The bikes 1 year old and only 14,000 miles
on it. I took this moment to count to ten! This was also a great
time to enjoy a gorgeous view of a small lake surrounded by trees
and MT Baker in the Background.
After our rest we climbed on our Wings and started
our way down the mountain. My biggest fear was that the bike
wouldn't make it far before the temperature rose again. I don't ever
let engines get to the hot point as it may cause engine damage.
Lucky for me the bike ran at normal temperature all the way down the
mountain. I'm not sure if the fans never kicked in or just one did.
Maybe the incline on the hot day? Towards the top the turns were
very tight and our speeds were very slow in the 5 MPH range. Who
knows... I can tell you it's under warranty and its going to the
shop for a look see.
 We
made our way back down hyw 542 with a rest stop at Glacier. The
waffle cones were still a popular item and still smelled great.
After a great lunch we headed back on Hyw 9 stopping in the AM PM
mini mart and fuel station in Monroe. This was a great place to stop
because they had the killer "ICY" machine! It was hot and around 92
degrees. We both went for the giant "Bladder Buster". There is
nothing like a Coke Classic ICY on a hot day. Once back on the
road we made our way back the way we came but made a short detour to
MT Vernon. There we made our way through the back of the covered
wagon that covers the pathway in the door. Once at the counter I
ordered my favorite "The Big Sue". This is 4 beef patties, Bacon,
lettuce, sauce, mayo and melted Swiss on a toasted 6 inch sesame
seed bun. And to add to the heat of the day I had them throw on a
bunch of Jalapeņo peppers. I must say they had some hot one. I
really enjoy hot spicy food and the addition of the peppers really
did it for me. After not eating all day the meal really hit the
spot. Lloyds little cheeseburger was a bit lacking in portion size
but it did it for him and that's all that matters.
We rode Hyw 9 back the way we had come. This time we
were treated to allot more shaded areas as the sun was lower in the
west sky. Once on hyw 203 we encountered an accident. A couple
riders gave us the slow down gesture as they rode by. We slowed down
thinking we were approaching law enforcement radar. This was not the
case. A teenage girl had some how lost control heading north on 203
near Duvall and went into the ditch. Her SUV plowed the hillside
next to the ditch and through mud, water, grass and debris all over
the road. She must have been driving a bit fast because she tore up
about 25 yards of ditch. I stopped and asked a young guy who
was next to her car if they needed help or a phone but he replied
they were ok and had a phone. We rode on a couple miles and stopped
in at the Mini Mart and fuel station on the right. There we ran into
a Sherriff and sent him to the accident in the event she did need
help. She did look pretty shook up.
We stretched our legs and got a cold drink from the
mini mart. As we were standing next to our bikes a lady pulled up
within 15 yards of us and got out of her car. When she did the
rather large white Pit-bull he had in the car decided the big guy
with the helmet and Yellow riding jacket looked like dinner.
He charged me as she was yelling for him to stop. This was one of
those moments that occur in seconds but they seem like slow motion.
I didn't want to turn away because I did so at age 7 when charged by
a German Sheppard and he bit me in the ass. I then went to the
doctors and got a shot in my only good cheek and that was a bad day.
All I could think was he's going to bite me so I raised my arm
extending my padded elbow out at him pulling my fist to my chest. I
mad a fist with the other hand ready to do battle. For some reason
when I raised my arm he put on the brakes and did a 180 and ran back
to the car. It was weird. He was growling so I knew he wasn't
approaching to get his back scratched. The lady never apologized or
anything just put him in the passenger seat and went in to the mini
mart. It was then we noticed the drivers window was rolled
completely down and that was enough for us. We climbed on our bikes
and got out of there.
From here it was a short and thankfully un-eventful
ride home. We had great weather and a great ride with the exception
of the coolant issue and the vicious pit-bull. All in all another
great ride! |
