A River Ran Through It - Touring Central Washington's Scablands

A Solo BMW R1200 GS Adventure Experience

The Channeled Scablands are a barren, relatively soil free landscape in eastern Washington, scoured clean by a flood unleashed when a large glacial lake drained. They are a geologically unique feature in the U.S. They were created by the cataclysmic Missoula Floods (reaching flow speeds in excess of 65 mph!) that swept periodically across eastern Washington and down the Columbia River Plateau during the ice age. Planetary scientists have taken note of the these lands as they are the best terrestrial analog for the Martian outflow channels.

Around 15.5 million years ago, the region was lush and wet, home to many plant species now extinct. A number of trees were buried in volcanic ash, and the organic matter in the tree trunks was gradually replaced by minerals in the groundwater; the resulting petrified wood was protected for millennia by flows of basalt. The catastrophic Missoula Floods eroded the basalt, exposing some of the petrified wood. Additionally, remains of prehistoric animals and early natives have been found here. Most notably a Blue Rhinoceros that had been entombed in a lava flow.

GrizzLee spent 3 days solo exploring, camping and hiking the area via motorcycle.

See the video below and share in the experience.

The Yakima River adorning a beautiful spring flower dress

A real petrified forest

Off-road riding in some BLM scablands

Basalt columns and green carpeted coulees

Dry Fall, site of what is believed to be the
world's largest waterfall from the Missoula floods

View from the top of Steamboat Rock down to Banks Lake

The brief flower season and a dead snag ... scenic

Riding along Banks Lake in the heart of the scablands

Sunset over Steamboat making it look like an ancient fortress

The town of Douglas, just outside of Waterville.

Until Next Time... 

Time Without Consequence - Touring the Washington Olympic Peninsula on a Pair of BMW GS Motorcycles

Time Without Consequence - Touring the Washington Olympic Peninsula

March weekends in Western Washington are not usually much to brag about, however, this trip documents one of the most perfect weekends on recent memory. The sky was clear, the temperatures were warm and we got a bit of a tan ... not really, we actually got a little red. We are hoping for a tan soon :-)

Looksha Lori and GrizzLee took the bikes (An RS1200 GS Adventure & F650 GS Dakar) out on a 2 night campout adventure (tent, sleeping bags, stove and camp food). Join us on a spiritual tour to reconnect with some of the best roads in the Pacific Northwest as we leave home on Friday evening and return late Sunday evening to finish out one of the best casual rides around. Highlights include traveling through ancient forests, splendid ocean views, an emerald forests surround by high mountains and cascading waterfalls, riding through deep gorges next to glacial filled lakes. We finish up the tour with a ride on the beach near Ocean Shores and then make our way home through the back roads, avoiding freeways all the way back.

 

 

Looksha Lori (Top of Mt Erie)

GrizzLee (Top of Mt Erie)

Looksha Lori .. isn't she cute?

GrizzLee at Olympic Park Lodge

The Dakar .. aka "Dak"

Gretchen

Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park

Sun Started Setting

Beauty eh?

Just relaxing

Tree Hugger

Man, that is one big piece of wood

Thinking

Poser :-)

Copalis Beach is awesome!

 

Until next time...

 

Hold the Sails: Washington Coast Motorcycle Escape

Time spent at home on nice weekends is time misspent. It was time to go to the coast and see what nature has to offer. The weekend was looking good, albeit, a bit on the chilly side. However, it was a good time to pack the tent, the sleeping bag, the stove, some warm clothes and the camera. With the mountains still full of wintery wanderlust, no passage could be secured. My soul began to wander towards the coastal regions of the state. I am no matelot, but rather a fully seasoned skipper and my 2 wheeled vessel was tugging me westward. But to sail as the crow flies on this journey would have been a mistake. There is much scenery to plunder and many beautiful ports of call. So it was. I left the hustle and bussle of the Seattle's crowded harbor to make like the wind to the shores of the southern Washington coast. Places like Cape Disappointment, Dismal Nitch, Beard's Hollow and Gray's Harbor beckoned me. More delightful names they could not be, but when the sun is shining on the sea, one would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful place to sail overland in the winter.

Watch the Video Summary

 

Sailing among ancient trees, the current was twisty and humid.

Awe, the Chehalis River and Rainbow Falls State Park.
Just enough sun to keep the frost off my sails and keep me moving.

We sailed through many small ports:
Yelm, Tenino, Chehalis, Raymond and South Bend.
On one ocaasion, my sails caught too much wind
and a harbor guard flashed his lights in warning.
I wished for some windage to slow my approach.

Enlarge to read. Many have come before...
Some in a lead-lined coffins filled with alcohol.

On a hill lies his resting place
so that he can see the land he so desired to settle.

When sailing over land, one does not encounter normal sea
creatures like whales or dolphins.
Instead I encounter a herd of Elk near Bay City.

Looking across midship, one can faintly see the herd.

Willapa Bay, no finer sailing destination to cleanse one's soul.

Caught in a moment of slack tide.

Not a seagull, but a raptor looking for rodents.
I must admit, my presnece did nothing for the bird's peace of mind.
It took off before I could capture it closeup.

Cape Dissapointment Light House.
If there was disppointment in the area,
 I must have missed it. It was gorgeous.

I docked my vessle next to the sea and hiked around a bit.

Off to Astoria, Oregon to spend the night.

Nature had another surprise for me.
It was low tide and the sun was setting

The next day at Lewis and Clark National Park

That area down that way is known as Beard's Hollow.
It was named for Capt. Beard who's ship sank near
the mouth of the Columbia River in 1853.
All hands were lost.
Beard's body was found on the beach near this hollow.

Later that morning I sail back north, again towards Willapa Bay.

No harbor in Seattle can compare to this.

Shortly after leaving here, I find myself in mixed heavy fog and
light sunshine for the rest of the day.

 

The sun came out for good north of Gray's Harbor and I had a fantastic cruise up the northern coast, touching Quinalt lake breifly before I head back to the Olympic Coast. I got side tracked by some fellow sailors who where out commanding their own two-wheeled vessels. They recognized me and my bike from my you tube videos. It's a small world they said. As one of them just watched my riding videos to Bella Coola B.C. that morning before setting sail.

 

I knew the weather wouldn't hold for another day, so I followed a fellow BMW R1200 GS rider and his wife (riding two up) back to Port Angeles. I arrived back at my home port on the east side of Lake Sammaish at 9:00. The temperature had just starting dipping below 40 degrees. Thank god for the invention of heated grips.

 

Until Next Time...