Solo daytrip Near Seattle...

[Cyemm]

A self portrait, courtesy of a fencepost and timer.



Recently, here in Seattle, its actually been raining or gray for about 3 months straight. I know, those of you not from Seattle will think, " Why in hell did you MOVE there then... Everyone knows its always raining. "

You see, I've been here for three years now, and had actually thought the rumors were true...that the "always raining" story was simply an urban myth to keep out the unwashed masses.

Why? Because in the last three years, it's been a wonderful place to live. Moderate temps, the rainy season really wasn't that bad, and spectacular summers. I thought I'd found my home.

Being born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, I KNEW what nasty winters are all about, Slush, salt encrusted cars, boots and carpets, waking up to unexpected three foot snowdrifts, howling winds, fog for weeks, summer that lasted three/four months, I grew up in bad weather, didn't really even give it a second thought.

I must have become complacent, because this current run of gray weather is sucking the life from me. Add to this the totalling of my Valkyrie motorcycle during the commute to work a few months ago, leaving me without wheels, and I became a serious student of the couch potato way of life. ( Crash story is upcoming, of course. )

No wheels, bad weather, poor attitude. I stopped hitting the gym.

I fixed my bike. Even then I didn't leap with joy, I continued to be a sofaveggie. I actually still used the car to commute during the wet days.

Something had to change. I started simple. I rode to work. Everyday. Regardless. It sucked some days, I even found myself wishing for a windshield once or twice during the heaviest of the rain.

Slowly, I started noticing a change in my outlook. I was becoming less of a grumpy guy at work. I actually began enjoying the wet commuting rides more. I started going for short daytrips via motorcycle, no actual destination in mind, just point the bike and randomly go left or right at intersections until I was either in a place I'd never been before or it was time to go home. No fear of getting lost, Ocean is west, Mountains to the right with their snowy passes , leaving only a north/south option. Canadian border is not hard to miss, and the Columbia river marks the southern Washington border better than any roadside sign.

I was exploring the tiny, almost forgotten roads that wind in and out of the foothills here. You know the type. They start out as a country two lane, with ditches and centerlines, even passing zones. Gradually you lose the paved shoulder, the white painted line disappearing, the ditches becoming smaller and closer as the pavement gets narrower. The road gets twistier, following the contour lines of the topography, flowing with the terrain rather than cutting through it. There starts to be more debris on the road...fallen leaves, bits of moss wind-plucked from their lofty perches in ancient tree branches, even the road takes on a greenish,, mossy sheen in the sheltered places.

The centerline disappears. The road now doesn't flow as well, odd turns, off camber, decreasing radius curves start to pop up, surprising as the smoothness and flow of a good bike road begins to become a bit choppier. There's overgrowth here, you have to watch when you lean through tight right-handers that your helmet doesn't hit the branches reaching out.

The pavement grows narrower yet, to the point where two cars could not pass side by side. The cracks and crevices are bigger here, heaves and ripples in the asphalt can pop you off the seat and offline.

There's lots of countyside out here, Seattle's astounding $2000/sqft in downtown seems even more arbitrary and outrageous here, and we're less than 50 miles away. The homes here are well back from the road, a curious blend of beautiful, well maintained properties interspersed with trailers and overgrown brush, enough rusting metal in the yard to start a junkyard. There's "No Trespassing" signs everywhere, odd considering the places that display them would be the last place I'd trespass upon.

More debris on the road, as cars pull gravel from the inside corner of the tighter turns and spread it across the tarmac. Hopefully there'll be a twin set of tracks with clean pavement from subsequent cars, so there'll be a mediocum of consistent grip as I lean into the turn.

Potholes start to appear, then the signpost....." End of state-maintained road ". Invariably this means the road either simply ends ignomiously or turns into a rough dirt path in the next 500 feet.

I'll either continue down the dirt, or decide to stay clean and turn around, searching for the next road to nowhere. I really like my bike's "belly tank", an addition that bolts under the swingarm and carries an extre 3 gallons of fuel, meaning I carry just under 10 gallons when full. Lots of range at the lower speeds these roads dictate.

Yesterday, I went on one of these solo trips, as there was actually sunshine for a little while. In spots. Between the rain showers. Here's some shots....

A supercell?? This thing was spitting rain at me from 1/2 mile away.



Cold and gray in the foothills of the central Cascades range.



Rainshower ahead, nice twisty lonely road.



Wow...a bike shot??? How original.



Redneck Lawn Art?



Another self portrait... Man, I look FAT in full gear.



Ride toward the light...



An old train trestle through a swampy river valley.



I had a great day, the trees are starting to bud here, spring's coming.

Get out and ride....Might be a cliche, but you never see motorcycles parked in front of a psychiatrist's office.

[pashnit]

Somethin's wrong with the pics here. Bob- I think you're trying to insert them manually, but the software can't do that. It's all automatic.

They don't come up as attachments, so not sure where they are now. You may need to re-upload them.

Then hit the 'paperclip' command and they will all automatically insert themselves into the post. Then you can cut and paste the address' (which look like this {ATTACH}123456{/ATTACH} into the right places in the post.

[Wanderlust]

There they are. Nice pics Bob! I need to get up that way some time.

[Cyemm]

Thanks for the heads up, Tim... I tend to make things more complicated than they are.

Jim, anytime you want to road trip, let me know, I'll tour guide.

Thanks.

[OrangevaleFJR]

Beautiful pics. I really like riding on inclement days for a few reasons. Stormy weather is always more interesting to me and I enjoy the feeling of 'being tough'. Maybe that makes me a good dualsport candidate? Anyway, I love your pics, but your write up was also very nice to read as it lets us get in your head a little and I really liked reading how riding has pulled you from your slump.

Oh, and having a windshield is a good thing in my book :-)

[bikerduck]

Steve--

Thanks for posting your pictures. They are very well done. I'm an Oregonian and can relate to riding in other than sunny weather.

[vato_loco_frisco]

Bob --

Looks like the best therapists are all named "Valkyrie."

Enjoyed the pix, especially the rusted tractor.

[Cyemm]

What does your name mean?

Got a buddy up here who introduced me to a drink of the same name... It's 2 shots of 151 dark rum, 2 shots of Couvosier, and two shots of Hennessey, all in a snifter glass... guaranteed to do the job.

He tells me it's somethiing like " crazy M.F. ", but what's your translation?\

[st2sam]

Nice pics. and write-up bob. Awesome bike, looks lifted, like there is more ground clearence than a stock Valk..

[Neeley]

Yes I too know the weather well