Thursday, June 04, 2009

We put off our return so we wouldn’t be riding home in the middle of Memorial Day traffic. This gave us time to spend a lazy afternoon in Winthrop.

We’ve been on the bikes everyday the last four days. We’ve turned in almost 1,000 miles and it feels like time to head home. Until today, mornings have been cool and crisp with bright sun. This morning its cool and not so crisp. We have moderate overcast. We have rain gear but have been hoping not to use it. Today may be the day we break it out. As we head west from Winthrop, we start up one of the most scenic highways in the State of Washington, the North Cascades Highway.

Closed for winter, it just reopened. We look forward to big sweeping corners, pristine pavement and the road does not disappoint. As we ride, though, we get higher and higher and colder and colder. We stop several times to add layers. By the time we get to this lay-by I’m wearing four shirts under my riding jacket and am just barely warm enough. Ice crystals have started forming on my visor ... but at least the sky seems to be clearing. The road has been plowed and in places the snow is considerably over our heads by the side of the road.

As we crest Washington Pass (5,400 feet) it starts to sprinkle. Four miles later we crest Rainy Pass (4,900 feet) and it’s living up to its reputation. We stop to put rain liners under our jackets and press on. We run out of the rain at Darington and from there it’s a pretty straight shot home.

This was fun. Perhaps in a final post I’ll think out loud about why.

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Motorcycles
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