Sunday, April 26/15
Like Robert Burns said, "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry" and I can tell you the same applies to men, women and motorcycles.The plan was to be up and at 'em early, which meant a 6:00 AM alarm, a quickie cup of tea, maybe some toast then load and roll. Sounds great in theory but....well I'm sure you can guess the rest.
The alarm does go off, albeit at 7:00 AM; I'm still bagged from the day before so it's roll over and hunker back under the covers for another hour. By eight I'm up, Lori's got the kettle on and making her famous egg, ham, tomato and cheese brekkie sandwiches with I'm wandering round gathering up the last few articles we'll take on the trip.
Some phone calls, last minute bill paying, emails to deal with and it's getting on for 10:00 but why stress it? I had just come off a ten day run at work without any time off and I was still feeling trashed from the ordeal so I'm justified in a little ass-dragging besides it's the journey not the destination which in this case is Nowhere.
We meander our way to the garage and start loading up the bikes. Using the Jeep, I top up the tires with my trusty DC powered pump, a handy little device that works like a charm. Soon we're good to go and motoring along the Fraser Highway towards Abbotsford where we'll cross the border into Washington. The border is not very busy so combine that with our Nexus Passes and we're through in a matter of minutes.
Highway 9 starts in Sumas so we grab it and point 'er South. I've been on Highway 9 a lot of the years and it never fails to deliver a wonderful ride. This two lane piece of black-top passes through farmland and forests with quick, twisty bends, long lazy sweeping curves, very little traffic and just enough small villages to make it interesting. This highway is a gem and it's right in our backyard so if you're doing a run south skip the I-5 and give Highway 9 a try. I guarantee you'll soon have it on your list of personal favourites.
Coffee Break on Highway 9 near Big Rock
I asked the gal in the store where the washroom was to which she jerked a thumb over her shoulder and said, "It's 'round back...to the left" Well she was right it was easy to find!
Country Comfort
At it most southerly end, just east of Everett, Highway 9 runs into Highway 2 which cuts diagonally across the state to Wenatchee. Hwy 2 is another fun road to ride with its twists and turns and elevation gains. This road is much more open that Hwy 9 so it's a great opportunity to let the dogs have a run. Again the is no traffic to speak of so we're quickly climbing up into Stevens Pass where the air is cold and fresh. We've fired up the heated vests so we shoot through the pass and we're rocketing down the other side and pulling into Leavenworth where we fuel up and stop for refreshments at Starbucks. I had a delicious piece of pumpkin loaf and a Fast-Ass (whole milk) Latte while Lori opted for a yogurt and blueberry muffin and washed it down with a Chai Latte. Oooo! Trendy Wendy!
A little self indulgence never hurt anybody.
The ever present windmill farms. Very popular in Washington.
Roadside lookout. Hwy 97 near Yakima WA.
View from the lookout facing North. Hwy 97 near Yakima WA.
I kill a few minutes texting with old pal Don Sigston who's touring on his Beemer GS with Nick and Scott somewhere in New Mexico. We have a somewhat vague plan to meet up somewhere along the trail although at this point we have no idea where that could be. They will be heading north in a couple of day while we will be roaming wherever the sun is. Western Colorado or Utah might work, however; it depends on the weather as I don't want to be messing around anywhere near the Continental Divide this time of year. We'll stay in touch and see how this plays out.
It's getting cooler now and Lori and I are speeding our way towards Kennewick, our planned stop for the night. We've left Leavenworth, breezing along Hwy 2 then turning south onto Hwy 97. Once again the traffic was nonexistent and the road was fun and in great condition so it was rip 'n ride. Next it's Hwy 24 east across some scrub prairie, a quick right onto Hwy 240 and we're rolling into Kennewick just as the clock says 8:30 PM. Not too bad; just under four hundred miles and with later start on the day.
We check into the Comfort Inn, grab a shower and send out for some pizza from Papa John's which I must say was absolutely delicious. Lori's watching some TV while I update the blog. What a wonderful start to the tour and if today is any indication as to how the rest of the trip is going to be well then we're in for a real treat.
Now all we have to do is figure out where we want to go tomorrow. Stay tuned as there's lot more to come.
Good night.
Daily Distance
388 milrs
624.5 kms
Steve
Kennewick WA
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