WE WERE GOING TO HEAD FOR THE FOREST BACKROADS AROUND MT HOOD....BUT  WE ARE SO CLOSE TO THE OCEAN WE JUST HAVE TO GO!!  SO WE CHECK THE MAP AND FIND A WIGGLY ROUTE AND IT TURNS OUT GREAT!!  SUPER ROAD, FOLLOWS A TWISTY RIVER ACROSS THE COAST RANGE AND ITS A TUNNEL IN THE TREES ALL THE WAY!

HIWAY 34, THE ALSEA HIWAY!   RIDE IT!

PISTOP UP IN THE COAST RANGE !  THEY CARE EVERYWHERE.

MADE IT TO THE OCEAN  AND BIG WEATHER CHANGE..NOW ITS COOL AND CLOUDY!!  FEELS GOOD!!

AND ITS NUTS WITH TRAFFIC!! GET ME OUTA HERE!!!..WE TURN BACK EAST AT NEWPORT AND  GET BACK TO THE INTERSTATE...CRUMMY ROUTE BACK, HIWAY 20....STUNK! FLAT,TOO BUSY !.WE ARE HEADING BACK TOWARDS MT HOOD!

ONCE AGAIN I GET A PIC WITH  MY BEST FRIEND !

I GET WET!!

CRUISING UP THE PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY!!!

WE HEAD BACK TO I-5AND NORTH TO SALEM, THEN WE CUT NE TO HIWAY26 AND HEAD EAST AROUND THE SOUTH SIDE OF MT HOOD, TURNING UP HIWAY 35 AND ON TO HOOD RIVER.
UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE OUTA TIME TO GO THE ROUTE WE WANTED, THROUGH THE FOREST ROADS, AS WE BLEW IT WITH THE OCEAN RUN!
 

SOMEWHERE ON 35....HEADING N TO MT HOOD!
NOW THATS WHAT A MOUNTAIN SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE!!

NICE AREA...

ANOTHER PIT STOP NEAR MT HOOD! ITS HOT..100+

 

.WE COME INTO THE GORGE AT HOOD RIVER AND THEN HEAD EAST UP THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE TOWARDS THE DALLES FOR THE NIGHT..

ALONG THE WAY WE TURN OFF ONTO THE OLD HIWAY AND ENJOY A GOOD TWISTY RIDE FOR HALF A HOUR! NICE VIEWPOINT!!

 

 SECTION OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER SCENIC HIGHWAY.

OK..THATS IT FOR TONIGHT! STOP AT THE MOTEL SIX AND  FIND THE POOL AGAIN AS THE TEMP WENT  UP WHEN WE HIT THE GORGE..BACK TO 100F AGAIN! HAD SUPPER AT A PLACE CALLED "COUSINS" HAD THE HILLBILLY DECORE AND THE GIRLS CALLED US ALL COUSIN ALL THE TIME!!  WAS GREAT FOOD!!

WE HAVE OVER 4100KM ON THE TRIP SO FAR AND THE KIDS TIRE IS STARTING TO LOOK  WELL WORN. NEW WHEN WE LEFT, BUT OBVIOUSLY A SOFT COMPOUND...HOPE SHE LASTS AS WE HAVE A WAYS TO GO!

DAY 6....THE DALLES OR. TO ARLINGTON WA.

WE CROSS THE RIVER AT THE DALLES  IN TO WASHINGTON AND WE HEAD WEST ON  HIGHWAY 14  ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE GORGE. THIS IS A GREAT RIDE, BUT IS IT EVER WINDY! SEEMS THIS IS NORMAL AS THE RIVER IS  JUST LOADED WITH WINSURFERS! THE WAVES ARE HUGE! LOOKS LIKE A BALL. I TRIED WINDSURFING BUT  THERE NEVER WAS ANY WIND...THIS LOOKS WILD!

HARD TO MAKE OUT, BUT THE RIVER IS LOADED WITH WINDSURFERS

WE TURN NORTH ON #51, WIND RIVER ROAD AT CARSON...WATCH FOR THIS TURN AS ITS JUST A HOLE IN THE SIDE OF THE GORGE!

NOW THIS IS A GREAT TRAIL ALSO..WE ARE ONTO THE FOREST ROADS AND THIS IS LIKE DRIVING ON A BUSH TRAIL CEPT ITS PAVED. THE ROADS ARE NARROW AND  MOST OF THE TIME COMPLETLY CLOSED IN BY THE FOREST!   THE ROADS ARNT MARKED , BUT AT EVERY INTERSECTION THERE IS A TINY SIGN POINTING US TO MT ST HELENS!
TOOK  #30,25,131 AND #99 TO THE EDGE OF THE VOLCANO!

HEADING UP WINDY RIDGE ROAD!!  THIS IS FUN!

 
 

WE ARE HEADING FOR THE BACK WAY ONTO MT ST HELENS. UP WINDY RIDGE ROAD!!

QUITE A SIGHT WITH ALL THE TREES LAID OUT!  WHAT A WASTELAND! FUN ROAD THOUGH...FINALLY ONE TO GET A THRILL ON!
 

20 MILES OF THIS!

 
 

ABOUT HALF WAY TO THE TOP! YOU CAN SEE THE ROAD IN THE DISTANCE.

DONT  BLOW UP NOW!!!

SPIRIT LAKE..

 THIS WAS ANOTHER GREAT RIDE!  HAD A BURGER AT A SMALL SHOP NEAR THE TOP 
 

HEADED BACK TO THE FOREST ROADS AND NORTH TOWARD MT RAINIER! KEPT HEADING NORTH TO HIWAY 12 WEST A BIT, THEN NORTH TO RAINER ON #123, AND #410

MORE IN THE PARK.

ABOUT  A HR NORTH THERE IS A ROAD TO "SUNRISE"  ITS ANOTHER DANDY AND IT TAKES YOU UP TO THE SNOW LEVEL AND A AWESOME VIEW OF MT RAINIER! HAD TO BUY THE PARK PASS, BUT RIDE WAS WORTH EVERY CENT!  MET A PILE OF SPORTBIKES ON THIS ROAD..NO DOUBT ITS A FAVORITE AND DESERVABLY SO! WE MAXED OUT THE TIRE ON THIS ONE!

ANOTHER NICE SPOT TO COOL DOWN!!

HEADING UP SUNRISE ROAD!

MORE

MORE

MT RAINIER AHEAD!!

MORE FUN GOING DOWN AS NOW ON THE OUTSIDE!!
 
 
 
 
 

HEADING BACK DOWN!!

WE LEAVE RAINER AND HEAD NW OVER THE CHINOOK PASS AND WE END UP NEAR THE BIG CITY! SEATTLE...NOT MY IDEA OF FUN ON THE BIKE..BUT THE KID HAS NEVER SEEN THE BIG FREEWAYS AND I ASK HIM IF HE WANTS A NEW EXPERIENCE..OF COURSE! SO OFF WE GO BLASTING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT 80 MPH WITH EVERYONE ELSE! @#%^ NOISY OUT HERE SURROUNDED BY A ZILLION CARS AND TRUCKS..NOT MY CUP OF TEA , IF I HAD TO RIDE IN THIS DAILY I WOULD QUIT..NO FUN HERE! BUT THE KID LOVES IT AND WE BLAST UP THE ROAD TOWARDS OUR NEXT TURNOFF TO THE NORTH CASCADES HIGHWAY. WE STOP IN ARLINGTON, JUST N OF SEATTLE. ITS  6 PM AND WE MULL OVER THE IDEA OF BLASTING  UP THE  COQUIHALLA TO KAMLOOPS AND SHUTTING IT DOWN..BUT  I KNOW WE ARE TIRED AND WE GET A ROOM INSTEAD..I STILL WANT TO KEEP RIDING AND  THE NORTH CASCADES HIGHWAY IS NEXT!

DAY 7 ARLINGTON WA. - KAMLOOPS BC!!!

THIS IS A NICE ROUTE.HIGHWAY 20 NORTH CASCADES HIGHWAY....NOTHING TOO HAIRY, BUT ENOUGH CURVES TO BE INTERESTING AND LOTSA SCENERY!
 
 
 
 

CALE  HAS THAT LOOK OF "WHY YOU GOING SO SLOW" OK! SO I WAS SIGHTSEEING A BIT...TIME TO DISSAPEAR!

MORE

MORE..HOURS OF MORE!!
NOTICE HES ALWAYS BEHIND...HAHAAA  I GOT THE BIGGER ENGINE!!

NICE VIEW OVER THE EDGE!

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PASS!!   AHHHHHHH!!! ANOTHER BLAST OVER...AND TO THINK WE NEVER EVER WENT OVER THE SPEED LIMIT!!

 

CAME OUTA THE GOOD STUFF AND HEADED NORTH UP THE OKANAGAN ON HIGHWAY 97 TO OSSOYUS BC!

OKANAGAN LAKE AHEAD!

HERES THE TUBING CHANNEL AT PENTICTON THAT CONNECTS 2 LAKES.

WE DECIDE ITS GETTING LATE, SO WE TAKE THE OKANAGAN CONNECTOR WEST TO MERRIT!  THIS REALLY GETS ELEVATION!!

STARTING TO WORRY BOUT THAT CHAIN! ORINGS ARE GONE AND SHES  FRYING!
40 MILES TO GO!

MADE IT!!

INTO CANADA AND UP THE OKANAGAN, TONS OF ORCHARDS AT THE START, BUT THEN WE GET INTO TOURIST COUNTRY ALONG THE OKANAGAN LAKE. ITS BEAUTIFUL, BUT BUSY SO WE QUIT THE VALLEY HALF WAY UP AT SUMMERLAND AND TAKE THE OKANAGAN CONNECTOR OVER TO THE  COQUIHALLA HIGHWAY AND INTO MY NEW HOMETOWN OF KAMLOOPS!
 

THIS IS THE ROAD UP TO OUR HOUSE....CLIMBS 800' IN 1 MILE!! 

WELL CALES TIRE MADE IT, BUT THE CHAIN IS SHOT.......GOOD TIMING!!
 

 AS A SIDE NOTE THE REASON I AM CALLING IT HOME IS IF YOU LOOK AT MY LINKS YOU WILL SEE THATS WHERE I FLEW OUT AND RODE THIS BIKE HOME A FEW YEARS AGO. SOON AS I GOT HOME I LOOKED AROUND AND WONDERED WHAT I WAS DOING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PRAIRIE WHEN THERE WAS PLACES LIKE THAT, AND ONE THING LED TO ANOTHER AND  NOW I HAVE A HOUSE IN KAMLOOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOUNTAINS!!
 
 

THANKS TO MY WONDERFUL WIFE IT ALL IS COMING TRUE!!   SO ON THAT NOTE WE  END UP AT THE HOUSE AT SUPPERTIME.

WE WILL TAKE A FEW DAYS OFF AS I HAVE A BUNCH OF FIDDLIN TO DO WITH THE NEW PLACE, BUT FIRST I HAVE TO FIND A CHAIN FOR CALES BIKE AS ITS COMMING APART, AND A TIRE AS ITS BALD!  LUCKILY I FIND IT ALL IN TOWN AND WE ARE READY FOR THE NEXT RIDE!!  I INSTALL THE BACKRESTS ON THE BIKES AS WE WANT THE GIRLS AS COMFY AS POSSIBLE AS THIS WILL BE THE LONGEST THEY HAVE RIDDEN WITH US AND WE NEED THEM COMFY!! THE LUGGAGE WILL BE SMALL, BUT  WE BUNGY IT TO THE BACK AND WE ARE READY!

OK!!!  CLICK  HERE TO GO TO THE NEXT PAGE...MORE MOUNTAINS HERE WE COME!