[Daboo]

Dave_J posted a ride over at viewtopic.php?f=13&t=63217, and well it happened.

We each woke up at our own "0 dark 30"...Dave's a bit earlier than mine, though neither one of us got enough sleep the night before. As he said in the other thread, we were planning to meet at Patty's Eggnest for breakfast in Monroe, but it was closed. Not sure why...besides the Maltby Cafe, they are probably the most popular place to get a great breakfast at and are always packed when I walk into one. So we decided to go to the local Denny's. We both ended up getting the "Ultimate Omelet". I downed a travel cup full of coffee before leaving home and then 3-4 cups of coffee there at Denny's. :sleepy1:

Here's some "food porn" to gaze at. I probably should've cut the omelet open so you could feast your eyes on all the yummy scrumptious ingredients inside.

And believe it or not, we ate the whole thing!

We rode from there east over Stevens Pass and to Leavenworth. I was hoping the water level was as high as it was a month ago. Back then, the water level was so high and furious, I'm not sure anyone would be able to kayak down it. Some of the boulders in the water are the size of dump trucks and they were completely engulfed and the water was shooting up 10-15 feet high as it slammed into it. Now the water was more like normal...just fast and beautiful.

We just stood there taking it all in and wishing we lived here, instead of in the crowded Seattle area.

We left from there and headed south along the eastern side of the Cascade range on Hwy 97 towards Ellensburg. Once there, instead of staying on Hwy 97, we took the Yakima River Canyon road that added about an hour to the trip, but was fun and twisty.

Once in Yakima, we headed over to Miner's Drive-In Restaurant where we met up with Elizabeth, Dave's sister. As he wrote, we hit it off great. I enjoyed the time with her and the stories they shared about their family.

Here's some more "food porn".

Those are probably the biggest and best hamburgers I've had in ages. Dave put the quarters down to give you something to judge the size by. I put my hand over mine...and my hands, even though they are wide...weren't as wide as that burger! It was enough that I didn't bother with dinner.

Moving on from there, we headed over to Chinook Pass on Hwy 410. Here's some pictures as we neared the summit.

I took this next set of pictures, trying to get Mt. Rainier in the background. Unfortunately, it blends in with the clouds so you can't tell where the clouds finish and the mountain starts. Still, it's a nice looking bike! :lol:

We would be down below there in moments...

I left Dave in Auburn, and headed north on I-405. On the way back, I got a chance to remind myself why some of my best times of riding are either out on trips like this...or in the winter when it is raining and cold. I had two zoom-splats decide to pass me on my left in my lane. I was already doing 70 mph in a 60, just pacing the traffic around me. I pulled over to the side hoping to discourage them. Nope, didn't work. The first went through with no space. The second decided he would too, and I pulled over the rest of the way. He decided he'd ride in the shoulder to get around. (I hope he picked up a nail!) When he got past me, very upset that I didn't stay still like a good "pylon" should, he pointed to the right side of the lane like I should stay put where I belonged...then popped a wheelie and rode away. :roll:

The new Honda NT700V ran like a champ. I am so impressed with this bike. It's not perfect, but it seems like it was made to just run all day long eating up the miles. And at the end of the ride, the bike got 56.8 mpg. Not bad for a bike with 680ccs.

Chris

 

[v8eyedoc]

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW...!!!!!

Chris - Great story and great ride and beautiful pics as well.......!! I feel as though I made that trip with you.! Superb scenery and some fantastic pics........ Thanks so much for sharing... :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[Dave_J]

It was one of the better rides I have been on. Even with all the weekend traffic we never were crowded and made our own pace. The few bonzi passes that Chris did caught me in manual OD so I could not just hammer it and go. But just around the corner is always a nice long stright-a-way so I could catch up, like NOW. In the Chinook Pass, it is a nice twisty road so I stayed in Auto mode and then when he hammered it to pass, I was right with him. I got 54 MPG for the first fill up and 57.5 MPG on the second one, that included my commute to work this morning.

Just after I split off from him, the road I was on was closed so I had to detour, Got to wave at Daboo as he went by.

 

[Daboo]

I thought you were hanging back to enjoy the scenery... :shock: :?

"The few bonzi passes that Chris did caught me in manual OD"...I never pushed it hard like I do with the 400... (more :shock: :? ) I think you're just trying to make me feel good because I was going to slow for you.

I did enjoy it a lot, and I'd like to someday just explore that area below Chinook Pass on the east side. The pictures didn't do it justice. Maybe make a route going over Chinook and White Pass?

Chris

 

[knucklehead]

Great pictures Chris. Tumwater Canyon is one of my favorite places on Highway 2. Stevens Pass is my first choice in getting across the mountains when I don't have the time to take Highway 20/N. Cascades. I90 is faster, and probably safer too, but I always feel hurried when I'm on I90.

Oh, and where was that 'rain' filter? The one that gives the illusion of raining? Emmet Watson would have been so proud!

 

[Dave_J]

Oh, and where was that 'rain' filter? The one that gives the illusion of raining? Emmet Watson would have been so proud!

He keeps the filter on that makes it look like a sunny day. It could be raining buckets and his pictures look like a beach in Jamaica.

 

[Rusty J]

Oh, and where was that 'rain' filter? The one that gives the illusion of raining? Emmet Watson would have been so proud!

He keeps the filter on that makes it look like a sunny day. It could be raining buckets and his pictures look like a beach in Jamaica.

The purpose of the "it's always rainy" hoax is to ensure soon-to-be expat Californians avoid the Puget Sound area. It's safe to drop the charade when you're away from Seattle. In fact, doing so helps decoy the immigrants away from the best parts of the state...

 

[Dave_J]

I think we're busted Chris. Seems they don't believe us about the rain. Oh well, that don't have to live it.

 

[Daboo]

The pictures around Chinook Pass didn't really come out right. Besides having Mt. Rainier blend in with the clouds instead of standing out like we could see it, we hit some rain showers...luckily, no thunder and lightning. Last night going to the prison, there was some close by thunder, lightning and downpours.

Here's the forecast for the next few days. Tell me it doesn't rain in Seattle... :toothy2:

[attachment=0:2mq55bz4]Capture.JPG[/attachment:2mq55bz4]

Chris