MY SON CALE AND I HEAD SOUTH   AND TRY TO FIND SOME NEW ROADS THAT WE HAVE NEVER BEEN ON IN WASHINGTON, OREGON,AND IDAHO
THIS IS GETTING HARDER EVERY YEAR AS WE HAVE BEEN  THROUGH HERE QUITE A FEW TIMES....WE KNOW  IT WON'T BE LIKE COLORADO  AND THE HIGH STUFF, BUT  WE WANT TO CHECK OUT  THE AIR MUSEM AT MCMINNVILLE, AND  AVOID ANY CITIES IF WE CAN HELP IT. WE ENJOY THE DESERTED BACKROADS  MORE THAN  THE BUSY STUFF! I WILL GO A DAY OUTA MY WAY TO AVOID THAT STUFF THANK YOU! NO JOY IN  A FBUSY FREEWAY FOR ME!
SO  WE WILL JUST  PUTTER AROUND OREGON,WA, MT AND ID A BIT AND SEE  HOW IT GOES.
WE ALSO PLAN TO GO  A LOT LESS KM'S THAN NORMAL A DAY, AND SPEND MORE TIME AT PITSTOPS  ALONG THE WAY....

View Larger Map 

CLICK HERE FOR THE MAP..
 

I

TOUGH TO LEAVE KAMLOOPS AS ITS ANOTHER 35+ DAY LIKE IT HAS BEEN  SINCE END OF MAY,   BUT WE HEAD SOUTH AND ACROSS THE BORDER AT NIGHTHAWK AND ITS ACTUALLY COOLER DOWN HERE..A GREAT DAY TO HEAD SOUTH!

HERE WE ARE 1/4 MILE  INTO THE USA HEADING DOWN THE LOOMIS ROAD!
 

Just into washington...    Loomis road.

HEADING SOUTH
PAST  THE GRAND COULEE DAM
(BEEN THRU HERE PLENTY, NO PICS NEEDED)

WE FOLLOW BANKS LAKE AND THEN WHEN WE GET TO THE COLUMBIA RIVER CROSSING, WE STAY ON THE EAST SIDE AND GO DOWN ANOTHER ROAD WE NEVER HAVE DONE BEFORE. NOTHING TOO HAIRY OUT HERE, BUT  GREAT VIEWS AND NICE SWEEPING CURVES.
I REALLY ENJOY THIS ROUTE SOUTH INSTEAD OF 97.
I AM ALWAYS AMAZED HOW MUCH OF WASHINGTON AND OREGON IS DESERT! ALWAYS USED TO THINK OF THEM AS  FOREST AND MOUNTAINS WHEN I LIVED ON THE FLATS.

OLD RED  HEADS OUT AGAIN...STILL ON SAME SET OF TIRES I PUT ON THIS SPRING ABOUT 10,000 KM AGO..I EXPECT THEM TO GET ME HOME...CALE DOESN'T!
 YEP....

 

EAST SIDE OF BANKS LAKE..

LENORE LAKE, SOUTH OF BANKS L

LEAVING THE LAKE AREA.. HEAD PAST DRY FALLS, BUT BEEN THERE BEFORE, SO TIME TO MOVE ON.
 

WE CROSS I-90 AND HEAD SOUTH ALONG THE COLUMBIA RIVER.THIS IS NEW STUFF FOR US...WE WILL TAKE A BACK ROAD ACROSS TO YAKIMA FOR THE NIGHT.

I ALWAYS ENJOY RIDING ANYWHERE NEAR THIS RIVER AS ITS QUITE THE SCENERY AND  A LOT OF IT TO RIDE THROUGH !
 

BACK IN THE DESERT!

 A TENTERS PARIDISE ALONG HERE!

AHHHH...A HARLEY GROUP RIDE UP AHEAD..COOL!!
 

YA I COULDNT RESIST  :)
EH  DENNIS?

APPLE HARVESTING IS UNDERWAY  WOW DO THEY HAVE A TON OF ORCHARDS DOWN HERE! i THOUGHT BC  GREW LOTS, BUT THEY WOULD FIT IN ONE BOX COMPARED TO THIS REGION! GOES ON FOREVER!

ANYWAY..WE END UP GOING A HOUR AND A HALF FURTHER THAN PLANNED AS THE ROAD WE WANTED TO TAKE EAST OVER THE MTNS TO YAKIMA  WAS CLOSED DUE TO MORE HARLEYS!!   OK..SORRY..NO MORE FUN WILL I MAKE !!!
WE GET INTO YAKIMA BEFORE SUPPER.

BUT IT WAS CLOSED DUE TO FIRES..SO WE  HAD NO CHOICE..
STOPPED IN YAKIMA AND HAD A GREAT CHINESE  FEAST !

WE GET ABOUT 850 KM'S ON TODAY.

HEADING UP 410,    CHINOOK   PASS  OUT OF YAKIMA.NEVER BEEN THIS WAY....WE WILL THEN HEAD SOUTH THRU THE FORESTRY ROADS  PAST MT RAINIER AND UP THE BACK OF MT ST HELENS AND THEN WIGGLE  TO KELSO WA. ALONG THE COUGAR RESERVOIR FOR A EARLY AFTERNOON STOP.

TOP OF CHINOOK PASS ON 410!

SAME SPOT LOOKING BACK!!
 

 WE HEAD SOUTH DOWN THE PASS..A GREAT RIDE AT THE RIGHT SPEED....:)
AND ITS DESERTED SO THAT IS  EASY TO DO!

THAT SNOW IS MT RAINIER!  BIG UN!!
 

DOWN DOWN DOWN!

  US MORE DOWN

MT RAINER UP THERE.

GETS MUCH QUIETER  BACK IN  THESE ROADS  I THINK THIS IS ON HWY 123 !
 

THIS IS A GREAT RIDE ON THE EAST SIDE OF MT ST HELENS.
NOTHING FOR TRAFFIC, EXCEPT THE 4 BIKERS WHO NEVER ONCE LOOKED IN THE MIRROR AS THEY HELD US UP ON SOME OF THE TIGHTEST STUFF ALONG THE WAY.GRRR..THATS THE GOOD STUFF!!
LOOKED TO BE A NEW GROUP BEING LED BY A VETERAN...I REALLY LIKE TO GIVE THEM  LOTSA ROOM TO ENJOY THE RIDE AND ALL, BUT AFTER A WHILE I JUST WANNA BLOW BY THEM AND SCARE THE CRAP OUTA THEM AS I KNOW THEY NEVER LOOK BEHIND TILL I DO! :)
AND I DO!
TOO BAD HE DIDNT TEACH THEM THE BASICS OF USING THEIR MIRRORS AND WAVING OTHER BIKERS BY WHEN POKING  THAT SLOW.

SOMETHING  A LEADER SHOULD TEACH!!

  OH WELL..THE LEADER PROBLY DRIVES A BUICK DURING THE WEEK...:)
 

ANYWAY..GREAT ROADS! WE HAVE BEEN DOWN THESE BEFORE, BUT IN THE OTHER DIRECTION, AND ONE GOOD THING WITH MTN ROADS...THEY ARE A TOTALLY DIFF RIDE  GOING THE OTHER WAY!

AHH.. PAST THE FLOCK AND  BACK TO FUN STUFF AGAIN.

A GOOD HOUR OF THIS! YES..
IF YOU ALMOST SCARE YOURSELF ON THE ODD CURVE THEN ITS A PERFECT  ROAD!

a

quick trip to the top of  windy ridge road and mt st helens..BEEN HERE BEFORE..BUT STILL COOL!
 
 

LUNCH BREAK AT COUGAR!

WE FIND NO COOL PUB OR  SUCH THIS TIME, GUESS JUNK WILL HAVE TO DO!!

THE RIDE WEST ALONG THE  LAKES IS NICE, BUT ITS SUNDAY AND BUSY, SO NOT TOO QUICK WE GO!
WOULDNT DO THIS ONE AGAINNICE, BUT BUSY..MAYBE ON A WEEKDAY OK....WE SHOULDA KEPT SOUTH ON  THE FORESTRY ROADS TO THE GORGE.

IN FOR THE AFTERNOON AT KELSO WA.
WE STOP WAY EARLY FOR A ROOM. THEN PLAN ON A TRIP UP THE WEST SIDE OF MT ST HELENS..BUTTT..WE GO EAT AND HAVE A FEW DRINKS AND KINDA FORGET IT..:)
 

CLICK  HEREFOR TOMORROW!!