First Big Ride (1100+ miles) Crater Lake and a Boatload of Volcanos

Yukon Johann and GrizzLee headed out for the ride of their lives. When all was said and done they traveled well over 1100 miles in 4 days of riding. This almost doubled the mileage on the bike which now reads around 2400 miles.

Our trip took us through some of the best volcano scenery in the United States which included, Mt Rainier, Mt St Helens, Bend Oregon, Mt Bachelor, Three Sisters, Broken Top, Diamond Pk, Mt Theilsen, Crater Lake and views into northern California where we could see Mt Shasta and Mt Lassen. The trip was about the bike as much as it was for the scenery.

Panorama of the the "Sisters and Broken Top from the Mt Bachelor Ski lift.

Our trip started out pretty cold with a nice family breakfast at Denny's in Issaquah and then through Mt Rainier Natl Park.
It was cold and the frost sensor on the GS came on as the temperature dipped to nearly 35 degrees and dense fog. We stopped to put on layers to warm us up. The heated grips were nice.

One of the many falls along the road in the park.

Of course, we had to pose for a picture with the falls making for a nice backdrop.


Darn if this kid isn't cute!
Mt Hood makes for a great back drop.

GrizzLee and his toy.

All loaded up and ready to go. As we drive on a pumice road on Mt Hood.

Mt Hood. Great place to camp!

Yukon Johann posing on a boulder with Mt Hood in the background.

Approaching Smith Rock state park in Redmond Oregon we crossed one of numerous deep gorges, presumably carved out from the great glacial flooding that formed the Columbia river.

Smith Rock State park for dinner and sunset.

Smith Rock State Park is famous among hard core rock climbing enthusiasts. It is like a rite of passage to climb here on ones way to doing bigger walls.

Turning right at Bend, we headed out along the Cascade Lakes scenic byway. Mt Bachelor in the background.

Once again, this kid is cute!

We took the ski lift up Mt Bachelor to the resturaunt at 7700" for incredible views of the Three Sisters Volcanos and Broken Top. We could also see Mt Washington, Mt Jefferson and Mt Hood in the distance. Visibility was great and got even better in the next couple of days.

We posed for pictures. ... and why not, the volcano made for a nice back drop and a chance to capture a memorable moment.

The south Sister with a dead snag made for an interesting picture.

Great fun and great views.

Broken Top Volcano Peak.

Broken top from down in the valley.

The south Sister Volcano. Anywhere else in the U.S. and this place would be declared a National Park. This area has great natural beauty... all accessible form the road for the taking.

We arrived at Crater Lake Natl Park around 6:30 p.m. on July 4th.

We took a few photos and soaked in the views.

Great views they were. ... but we had no reservations and had to high-tail it down to Mazama Village to see if there were any campsites available. Fortunately for us there were some available. Being at 6,000 ft of elevation, the campground still had some snow... and BUGS!!!!

From the crater rim we could see Mt Theilsen and the South Sister(?) in the background.

Obligatory shot of the bike.

A picture within a picture, within a picture..... something like that. Things you can do with mirrors.

The next day at Crater Lake was marvelous... not a cloud in the sky!!! At 8,000 feet we were the highest point around for miles with views beyond compare.

That cinder cone you see in the lake is called Wizard Island. Crater Lake is the 7th deepest lake in the world (the deepest in the U.S) formed formed form the collapse of Mt Mazama a huge volcano that erupted around 7700 years ago.

A "not so good" panorama shot fo the lake from the rim. Hey, we had no tripod and and had to wing it. It does give a perspective of the circular nature of this unique volcanic lake.

On the way back we camped at Mt Hood and drove through Hood River, crossing into Washington and up to the town of Carson along the Columbia river. We drove through the woods towards Mt St Helens.

Yukon Joahnn showing his best biker pose for the camera.

Up near Windy Ridge, one can stare into the throat of the St Helens volcano. The roads up there are some of the best motorcycle roads anywere. Lots of curves and the blown down timber makes for great views and visibility around the next bend. GREAT RIDE!

We ended the day by riding back home through the Town of Randle and Packwood. We then traversed Mt Rainier Nat'l Park again and arrived home around 7:30 p.m. in the evening. We were glad to see Lori and had many new tales to tell.

One heck of a ride.

Until next time....