Final Fall Ride in the west Cascades?

 
Summer has been really weird here in Wa state. Really no rain to speak of all summer and fall was just as dry. It has been the best Indian summer I've experienced in all my years of living in western Wa.

We got snow down to the 3400 ft level last week. So, with a cloudy Saturday and all my chores done, the time was ripe to take my girl Sally (G650GS Sertao) out on a date.

I put the word out early sat morning to some friends that we were leaving at noon. All busy, except Dr K. Good deal. Sally and the Almighty Bruce (Tenere T7) took off.

So we headed out towards Darrington, Wa to Swede Heaven on FS18 to FS17. We wondered if we'd encounter snow as we saw the snow level was pretty low and down the sides of the mountain.




First stop was to investigate a memorial where someone did an Evel Knevel around one of the turns some years ago on a quad (?).



We headed up to nearly 3500 hundred feet and begun to see snow on the side of the road, but it appeared to have been washed away by the recent rains as the snow level rose higher in elevation.

Some clouded views of Whitehorse mountain across the valley along with Devils Thumb ( all places I climbed when I had good knees in my younger years).



The sun was trying ,but just couldn't win.

We took a side road on the other side of the pass and rode through some beautiful country with a small lake and river running through the valley. We looked at the GPS and the road appeared to "peter out" in a dead end canyon.

BTW... lots and lots of hunters out .

We arrived at the mouth of the canyon just as the road was getting more interesting in elevation and came across a gate. Damn!! Closed for mining.






We evaluated the gate and assessed if we could go around it. 

 So we looked at the possibility of getting around the gate. The only viable solution was going around it on the right. But, the issue was a big, unmovable rock that we'd have to squeeze by. Going yet around the rock was maybe possible, but the road dropped off along a cliff there and a slip meant falling and possibly losing the bike and/or getting hurt. We then eyeballed the width between the gate post, the big rock and our footpegs/handlebars and decided it was too close. We'd have to come back thru it and it would take us both much time and we'd have to be carefully threading our each bike thru, hoping not to slip and drop it on the rock. Which was wet , mossy and slippery. Did I mention that I'm getting too old for such shenanigans. We both had nothing to prove... So we turned around and headed back up the valley.

At the jct of FS 18 and FS 17 (Finney Ridge rd ?) there was a construction sign that stated the Finney Creek Bridge was out 9 miles ahead. Darn, soo much for looping back to Darrington, Wa.

We decided, instead, to head towards Sedro-Woolley.. Yes, this is a real place here in Wa. Weird name for sure. I always thought the name came from a mammoth find or something of the sort in the area. But wikipedia mentions no such connection.



I mentioned to Dr K that there was an ancient tree along the way that must be 300-500 plus years old and to keep a lookout for it.



Sure enough, we found it. This tree is an oddity out here in an area of 2nd and 3rd growth forests. Somehow it had managed to survive the loggers saw, forest fires and disease over the centuries.
There were many ancient tree stumps in and around the area, but am baffled how a greedy lumber company let this one go. Trees like this are are rarely seen outside of parks these days.



Of course, my girl Sally was having a good time. And why wouldn't she. This is a beautiful ride.

We continued on down the road passing a squadron of jeeps, trucks and even old Honda civics along the way filled with orange vested hunters. Some parked along the clear-cut ridges and empty, while others were occupied with folks glassing the hillsides and valleys below.

I'm sure they were all excited to see bikers coming through scaring away their prey. Either way, we got and gave friendly waves from many of them.

We reached a high point on this particular route and the sides of the road were soon dotted with patches of snow. The fall colors were out in full force. It was beautiful. Fall is my favorite time of year to be out in the mountains. The colors, the leaves, the smell and damp still air with a bite of cold in the air really stir my soul. Unfortunately, fall is too short and in the Pacific northwest, on the west side of the cascades that usually means rain. Today was a gift.




We passsed a hunters camp just off the road, complete with canvas tents, a covered seating area with a roaring camp fire. It all looked cozy and inviting. Even with the snow on the ground.



From the pass the road dropped swiftly towards the west and soon we had great views of the Skagit Valley from high above. The Skagit River is crawling its way out of the north cascades into a broad open delta on its way towards the ocean. This is a salmon and steelhead highway. Come February, the banks will be littered with migrating eagles from the north, waiting out the cold and fishing for food.

On a clear day, the vista includes unobstructed views of a glaciated volcano to the north, Mt Baker. But not today. The sun lost its battle with the clouds and the mistress of the north was nowhere to be seen. Darn!



The weather got warmer and soon we were in the valley floor. Next to the river, checking our gps to make sure we would be home before dark. The days are really getting shorter now and soon we will be engulfed with rain, snow and long dark winter days. For me this is a time of reflection and dreams. I will spend the winter months pouring over maps, wrenching on my bikes and planning for next spring.



With less than an hour to ride home from here, we were suddenly greeted by flashing lights and a handful of fire trucks. They asked us if we've seen fire and or smoke. They got a call apparently. We mentioned that we saw nothing, so off they went heading further down along the skagit river looking for the fire that was called in.

With all the dampness, it seemed improbable that there could be a wildfire, but who knows. We wished them luck. Riding hwy 9, we arrived home in less than an hour. I was to enjoy a nice dinner with my wife in a warm cozy home as darkness just set in.

What a fun day to be alive.



I went to bed that night dreaming of more rides and pondering my last days of work before retirement at the end of November.

Thanks for riding along.

 

Camping with Gumby and Friends

Camping with Gumby and Friends

@BCBackRoads (Wayne) invited me and my spouse to join his crew at the BC BMW Valley Riders Last Chance Camp-n-Ride in Oroville Wa.

Since the weather was good and no ArriveCan app was needed. We packed the sidecar and headed over on Friday to meet the crew.

We had originally planned to take the sidecar, the dog and my wife (Lori) was to ride her bike. But a change of plans and Lori was in the tub and the dog was out.

All packed and ready to leave the home ranch


35 min later in Darrington Wa

Nehalem


N Cascades Hwy


The missus and Me


Liberty Bell. It was a bit hazy from the Bolt Creek fire. But the further east we went, the sky turned much more blue and the smell of smoke dissipated.

After much road travel through Winthrop, Omak, Tonaskat and a couple of gas and snack stops, we arrived in Oroville at the Osoyoos Lake Veterans Memorial Park.

We knew we were at the right place when we say a lineup of BMWs of all sizes gather together like a herd of elk in the park.

Unfortunately, I took no pics. I did a lot of video, but that's not ready to post.


Lori doing her camp dance once the tent was up.

We met a lot of new people, and saw a lot of familiar faces. It was incredible to meet some old acquaintances , make new friends and connect with those you've only seen in ride reports and pictures.

Of course @MGV8 (Brian was there) with his new LBS sidecar rig. Sorry Brian, no pictures. Ugh. I shot lots of video. Again, where was my head... oh well.

We had nice evening get together and made plans for tomorrow. The cool thing about this group, is that they are all easy going. The next day there were many rides to choose from. I had already made plans to take Lori to the ghost town of Molson and then to Bonaparte Lake. These are 2 favorites of hers from previous trips.


We had to take a pic together while we were fresh before the days ride began.


Wayne and Bruce decided to join us on the ride out to Molson, Chesaw, Lost Lake and Bonaparte Lake.

So off everyone went. Some going to Conconully State Park via the backcountry way, some heading to work (yes, some folks had to pack up and work on Sat).


Besides my wife, there was other female GS riders there, one of two Judys in the bunch. She actually was one who had to pack up and go to work later that day. However, we met up with her and the other Judy and others in Chesaw later in the day... more and that later.

Who is Gumby?

Gumby is Waynes little sidekick that rides with him on all his trips.

Gumby is exactly who you think he is.

Best ride Gumby has ever had... BMW moto with leading views, safety strap and eye protection.


We went out to Molson, the GrizzLee route

First we had to make a stop at Sidley. An old townsite that straddled the US/Canadian border.



Wayne and Bruce showed up... They let me lead because I know where Im going and they, being the gentlemen they are, didn't want to dust both Lori and I on the dry roads. Thanks Guys!!


Bruce giving a big hug to Canada upon his arrival


Lori trying to incite the border guards here as she makes her way across the border without using the arrivecan app.


We arrive at old Molson (Ghost town) just as the Spokane Valley Porsche club arrives.
I offered to trade my hack and all the gear on my bike, plus $20 USD for this ride. But the owner was having none of that.


 

 
Using pieces of hardware I found around the townsite, I was trying to manufacture a sidecar unit to bring back to camp.



Here I found the tub. Perfect!



Here is the best I could do for a tug. Love them rear wheels. I don't think I'd have much wear issues on the tires. By my figuring, I didn't need to add a sidecar wheel to the tub either. Using some of the local metal and welder, I think the tub I found would attach nicely and tuck in neatly behind the front wheel.

We thought that the local sheriff were after the Porsche club for speeding. Turns out, we probably should've slowed down on the bridge back by Sidley lake. After a bribe of $20 and all the pocket change I had, I told the Sheriff to have a nice lunch on us. Good enough

Leaving Molson, there is a paved road back to the Chesaw hwy. Since I was leading, I decided to take the more scenic gravel route to see some old homesteads.


Yessir, this beauty is probably one of the last sub $1M homes left in Washington State. A little fixer upper. Live like Laura Ingall's on the little house on the prairie. Yep, that's a pigeon on top. You could charge rent or let him stay for free.

Meanwhile, Wayne is looking at the map and scratching his head saying "why in hell did I let this guy lead?" Now my bike is dirty, and so is Gumby dammit!


I told Gumby that we'd be out on paved road soon.

I'd buy him a beer at the Chesaw tavern.


Well, we arrived at Chesaw and saw another part of our group there ahead of us. They took the paved route. Gumby was still mumbling under his breath about this.

The other Judy, and crew were pouring over a paper map. Not sure what was wrong with the BMW Navigator.. except that maybe with this bunch, me included, found it technically inferior to navigate by. Hey, I can barely figure out my iPhone. But paper maps are golden.


All was good as we went in to the Chesaw Tavern to get a bite.

Gumby was not happy. Apparently, that beer I promised him he couldn't have. He was under age and didn't fit in with the decor of the place. He did argue that he was born in 1957 and he did argue that he had a horse named pokey on his ranch at home and the blockheads were watching his place. But the barmaid wasn't having any of it. So he had to site outside. I did bring him some ice tea.

Chesaw is a cool little (very, very little) town. A mercantile store, a general store with gas, a tavern and a post office. What more could a person need.


Meanwhile, there was still a commotion going on in front of the Chesaw Store regarding directions on that map. Hmmm...


Off we went, Lori, Bruce, Wayne and myself to head out to Lost Lake and Bonaparte Lake.

As I was in the lead, I took them on some more FS roads. I was a bit worried that Bruce and his road oriented sidecar rig were going to beat me to a pulp back at camp. I recall him asking if there was any washboard roads on the way. I replied, "not when I was here last time a couple years ago". "Smooth as butter" I said <insert evil grin here>

But then we turn off on to FS 4867 (Myers Creek Road) and of course it is laden with washboard. I felt a little worried and guilty.

Bruce lost one of his running lights on his hack and we waited a bit for him to catchup. He stated that everyone is always trying to turn him into a GS rider. But so far he has refused... hmmm... next year, boy do I have another route planned for him. Better bring a winch buddy and a shovel

Heading to Lost Lake and then to Bonaparte Lake.

We arrived at lost lake campground and found it nearly empty.

I think Wayne made a mental note for a future campout. I know Lori and I would attend if schedule permitted. Nice group site right on the lake. No pics... again only video.

We then cruised about 3 miles to Bonaparte Lake via FS rd 050. We passed by the lost lake guard station and a couple of nice lake docks (private I assume).
It was in this section where I lost both Bruce and Wayne. After a brief wait, Wayne showed up and told Lori and I about Bruce's driving light Vibrating loose.

After a bit, Bruce came rambling down the road mumbling something about GS riders.

I promised him that the way back to camp will be all on pavement. So we reached a truce.


We reached Bonaparte Lake and all was forgotten. What a beautiful place.

Again, I seeded the idea of a group campout here as well.

When lori and I camped here, we heard loons in the late evening hours at our camp.


That's me taking a selfy with Bonaparte Lake behind.

Parting shot....


Ducks kept being persistent in their need to be fed.

There's a saying I've heard "If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it must be a KLR rider"
So we left, opting not to feed the ducks.

We had a fun ride home on the chesaw-oroville road back to camp. Very scenic and definitely a worthwhile ride with the fall colors all out in full display. Yeah, I know..I know... no photos of this. Only video.

Back in camp I see and admire Adrian's R100 GS Bumble Bee. I absolutely love the looks of this bike.




We had a great campfire that night and I'll steal Brian's (@MGV8) photos for this (below).

And a snippet of his Overland hack. Which he graciously let me test ride. I'm jealous.




A great time for my wife and I. 

The next day, the missus and I had an uneventful ride back to Winthrop and through the North Cascades park road (Hwy 20). The scenery here never gets old.



 

 

Take Care, -GrizzLee