Rain Run 2004

[Ed Miller]

I thought I'd share a brief report of my trip this week down to Mount St. Helens in Washington state. I had planned to take one last road trip fore the year, and was pondering all the possible routes to take. I had wanted to do a trip up to Hyder Alaska, but the recent weather to the north suggested that a trip there would be risking snow. So looking at the weather reports and reviewing my maps, I decided to go see what had become of Mt. St Helens in the more than 20 years since she blew her top. I had booked a couple of days off work, which gave me a total of five days to make the trip there and back. Of course a straight there and back run would be just silly, so I plotted a route that would involve same great motorcycle roads, some I had travelled before and some new ones to explore. I was watching the weather forecasts carefully and was plaesed to see that Calgary was predicted to be stuck in the same cold wet misery theat we have suffered through for the better part of the summer, while the NW stated woulfd be enjoying some rather nice fall temperatures.

Damn all the weather reporters to hell. I managed to drag all this miserable rain and cold along with me nearly the entire rout, while at home the clouds broke and provided a bit of more seasonable weather.

Leaving Calgary Sunday morning it was cloudy and cool and that was the pattern for the morning until I got just past Fernie on hyw #3 in BC. Thats where I came to a line of traffic stopped at a road block. Apparentlysome sort of accident blocked the highway in the town of Morrisey. After a delay of about 30 minutes, a pilot vehicle arrived to guide the traffic through a detour route which was along some lovely forestry logging roads. Well it would have been lovely if I had been riding a GS not an RS. After slogging through the mud and crud for about 30 Kms, we finally emerged back onto the highway at Elko, my formerly clean bike now looking, well, not clean at all. Oh well the rain that was now falling would soon take off at least the heaviest layer of gumbo. I dropped down across the border into Montana, still in the rain, and made my way through Kalispell and onto Highway 83 down the west side of Flathead Lake. I followed that road down to Highway 200 which took me over to Missoula and the start of Highway 12 over the Lolo pass. I arrived at Lolo Hot Springs, out of the rain but still cloudy and cool. I set up camp there, and wandered over to the pub for supper and a pint (actually two), then followed up with a much enjoyed soak in the hot springs before calling it a day.

[Ed Miller]

Monday morning arrived still cloudy and cool. I packed up my soggy tent, it had showered periodically all night long, and set off again on Highway 12 into Idaho. If you ever have the opportunity, this is a truly great motorcycle road. Just as you enter into Idaho there is a big sign warning (inviting) you to the roads ahead and its 77 miles of winding curves. In all of those 77 miles there is seldom a straight strech more than a few hundred meteres long. What a great run first thing in the morning to build up an appetite for breakfast. The weather was improving with brief glimpses of blue sky and no rain, things were looking positive. Then at Kamiah, I stopped to have a brief discussion about how to properly convert Km/h int MPH with the local Sherrifs deputy, it seems my math was a bit off on the high side :rolleyes: . He was kind enough to let me off with just the math lesson and a reccommendation for a good breakfast. Unfortunately, that was back in the direction I had just come from, so I opted to head on up to Orofino and stop there instead.

Fed and fueled I headed off again to Lewiston and on into Washinton state. I was back into the rain and stayed in it until past Walla Walla. At Pasco the rain ran out, just in time to enjoy the wonder of riding on Intersate highways. Highway #12 pairs up with I82 for the rest of the way to Yakima before splitting off agian on its own. As I continued west on #12 up towards White Pass the rain started again, really started. It absolutely poured going over the top of the pass forcing me to slow to 40 -50 Km/h at times due to poor visibility. Fortunately as the elevation dropped off on the west side of the pass so did the rain, until at Randle it was done.

I decided that I had time left in the day to head up to Windy Ridge for a view of Mt St. Helens from the east side. The road that winds its way up there is a terriffic adventure on a motorcycle. It is fairly smmoth, narrow and windy. It is about 40 miles up to the lookout. At about 25 miles up, you turn a corner and suddenly you are out of the beautiful forrest and into a barren landscape of destruction. The trees are all stripped off the mountainsides and the volcanic ash, more like gravel, is apparent still, 24 years later. Upon arriving at the top of Windy Ridge it is obvious how it got its name. The wind howls across this open unprotected place. The view of the crater and the devastation is incredible, or at least it would have been if not for the clouds concealing the volcano itself. It is amazing to see the power of destruction that this volcano delivered. And yet the ability of nature to not give in and start to reclaim this barren wasteland was very apparent with the regrowth that has taken place.

The ride up took more time than I anticipated, and with dusk threatening, I figured it was wise not to spend too much time here and headed back down the same route into Randle again. It is a perilous route for a good distance with the 1500 foot drop on one side of the road, gravely ash washed onto most of the corners by the rain which left the pavement still wet, and the howling wind to push you around. Finally reaching town again with the rain starting up once more, I opted to skip the camping and found the last room in the local motel. I unpacked and wandered over to the diner next door for supper. My boots were in need of a fresh coat of waterproofing, which I had run out of, so I picked iup a new tin of Mink Oil and a cold beer at the store and returned to my room.

[Ed Miller]

Tuesday morning I was up and going quickly not having to pack up the tent and such. I headed west agian towards the road that runs up the to the western side of Mt St. Helens. This is another fantastic road, obviously rebuilt to handle the volume of tourists wanting to view the volcano. It is smooth wide, but still offers lots of corners to make it fun on a bike. There are two viewpoints from which you can see the crater, or at least you could if the clouds were not obscuring it. I stopped at Coldwater ridge first, but was unable to see anything of the crater. There is a visitors center ther, but I was too early in my arrival and it would not open for another hour. Thus I decided to continue the 9 more miles up to Johnsons Ridge with the hope of getting a view of the crater from there. Same deal with the clouds though. There were a few times when I could make out a faint glimpse of the crater through the mist, but never a good view. The valley below was clear enough though to see the moonlike landscape created by the eruption. I snapped a few photos, which turned out to show not much but clouds, then headed back down, a little disappointed having come so far to see the Mountain and then never really seeing it.

I decided to make up some of the time spent waiting for the clouds to break, and chose to take the I5 up towards Seattle, but not before stopping for a very late breakfast first. there is a supprising scarcity of restaraunts in the area around Mt. St. Helens. The few that I found were all ready closed up after the end of the main tourist season. Apparently the locals are not frequent enough patrons for them to stay open year round. Belly full and tank full I blasted up I5 towards Seattle. Fortunatly for me being on a motorcycle, I was able to bypass the mid day congestion using the commuter lanes, reaching my exit onto highway 2 with no delays. Of course for this less than interesting portion of travell, the sun made a brief but welcome apperance.

I decided to take hwy #2 east to Wenatchee, having never travelled it by bike. As the highway wound and climbed up into the mountains again away from the coast, the rain appeared again. It continued to rain until I reached Leavenworth on the other side of Stevens Pass. Once agian on the best roads I was soaked and cold. At Wenatchee, I headed North on hwy #97 along the mighty Columbia River. The highway and I parted with the river just past Brewster, and continued north to Omak where I decided it was time to end the days travel.

Now every good motorcycle trip needs to have at least one good dining experience, and this was it in a most unexpected place. I would not have expected a fine meal like this in the middle of nowhere. I enjoyed a near gourmet meal of shrimp fettuccini alfredo, a selection of homemade gourmet breads, and a salad with homemade honey vinagrette dressing at the Breadline Cafe in beautiful downtown Omak Washington. My stomach filled, I found a decent campground here as well to set up my tent for the night. It was actually not raining for a change, though it was still overcast. Another day done.

[Ed Miller]

Of course the rain was not finished with me yet. It showered overnight spoiling my hopes of packing up my tent dry in the morning. I was not actually raining as I started out again northwards. However before I found the border crossing back into Canada at Osoyoos, the rain found me again. I chose to have breakfast at a familiar stop in Osoyoos before making the run east on hwy #3. The stretch of highway from Osoyoos to Rock Creek, is one of the best on this route, even in the rain. I turned north again at Rock Creek onto hwy #33 which is another terriffic road leading up to Kelowna. The rain stayed with me all the way to Kelowna where I choose to avoid the congestion of the main highway to Vernon and took Westside Road which is a windy narrow much less busy road that follows every contour of the lake shore. I can see the pending demise of this road though with the new development of resorts ond condos at its midway point.

In vernon, I needed a break form the cold and rain and stopped for coffee and a donut at the Tim Horton's before riding east on hwy #6 through the Monashee's over to Nakusp. This is one of my favourite roads period, or at least it is when its not so wet and cold that even the heated vest and grips can't keep the chill out. There is a wonderfull hot springs just outside of Nakusp, and my original plan was to make a round trip down through the Slocan valley and end up back at Nakusp for a soak and spend the night. It was still raining and miseable, and by this time I was getting so tired and discouraged, I diecided to make a run to catch the ferry across the Upper Arrow lake and head for Revelstoke instead.

Thank you to BC ferries and their wonderfull policy of motorcycles first, I skipped ahead of the loooong line of trucks and RVs and boarded the ferry with only a minute or two's wait. Off on the other side of the lake and a 30 minute blast up to revelstoke for supper. I decided that despite the spitting rain, I'd camp anyway at the KOA just outside of town. Having stayed there before I new the showers were hot and clean, and once the tent was set up It would keep me dry. It continued to rain through the night, but at least the cloud cover kept the temperature for dropping very low. Thursday would be a quick run home form here.

[Ed Miller]

Thursday morning I crawled out of my wet shelter and packed up for the last time. The Rogers Pass ahead of me between Revelstoke and Golden is always miserable when its wet or cold or both, which it so often is. I made it across with the grips on high and my Gerbings maxed out passing the trucks and RVs in the frequently available passing lanes. I made it into Golden in good time for breakfast. The east side of the pass was not quite as wet and cold, but still no sun to be seen. I left Golden and continued on my final leg back to Calgary on hwy #1. The rain came and went, but the cold stayed all the way home. Finally I pulled into my garage tired and filthy after 3600 Km's, most of it in the rain.


I had just replaced my tires before this trip with a new set of Metzeler Z6's, and I have to agree that the wet traction is better than the Z4's. I certainly have lots of opportunity to test them. The RS ran fine, though a few times it seemed hesitant at full throttle. I suspect it was a bit too damp and may have been icing up in the throttles a bit. The only trouble I had with the bike was a baffle breaking loose in the muffler causing an awful sounding rattle at low revs.

[DougM]

Very nice trip report--great descriptions of the sights. Thanks! Glad to hear you weren't given a Fast Driving Award...

[dbrick]

Thanks, Ed. I enjoyed reading your report, but sure didn't envy the persistent wet that you faced.

I leave Thursday next on a two-weeker through NV, UT, WY, MT and ID, returning through some of southern BC (I liked Nakusp on a prior trip), WA and OR. I hope that you'll have exhausted (satisfied?) the rain gods!

[MikeH]

Sounds like a great trip Ed, even with the weather. We obviously have something in common.

All the best from a cold, wet, soggy UK. :)

[Dee Duble Yuh]

Yup, I experienced a trip that was a little like that. Several years ago my sister's brother (do you use the expression "brother-in-law" in other countries?) took me on my first motorcycle camping trip to France. Each day we arrived at a camp site in the blazing sun, we had to remove our motorcycle gear first before even thinking about pitching tents. Nice. Then during the night... pitter patter pitter patter.

The first night I'd left a towel out to dry, so in the morning we had to pack wet tents and wet towel, and ride off in search of breakfast. It rained all morning, gradually cleared up during the late afternoon and we'd arrive at the next destination in blazing sun. Gear off, tent up, dinner, then bed (towel out to dry, of course). Sorted. Then during the night... pitter patter pitter patter.

The same happened all week! And I never got to use that bloomin' towel again, neither!
:violin:

[lorazepam]

Great report Ed, Wish I was there to share the misery. Ihave precious little time to ride this year, and even a trip in the rain would be nice. I seem to be the rainmaker for Michigan. Every trip I have made there in the last couple years it rains on me.

[MikeH]

Ed, what on earth did you do at Mt. St Helens the other week!? You didn't throw anything nasty into the crater, did you? (old oil cans, etc) :D

From what I hear on the news, the old girl has woken up and is rumbling a bit! :eek:

[Ed Miller]

Ed, what on earth did you do at Mt. St Helens the other week!? You didn't throw anything nasty into the crater, did you? (old oil cans, etc) :D

From what I hear on the news, the old girl has woken up and is rumbling a bit! :eek:
To quote Bart Simpson, "I didn't do it".

Maybe I should have made more sacraficial offerings of beer to the great volcano gods. :Beer:

[MikeH]

Maybe I should have made more sacraficial offerings of beer to the great volcano gods. :Beer:Yes, but I bet it would be like that old joke about the Scotsman who was on his death bed. He whispered a request to his lifelong friend "When I'm gone, will you pour a bottle of the finest 20 year old malt over my grave?".

His friend thought about it carefully for a few minutes, then said "Yes, of course I will, for an old friend . . . . . . .
Only, I hope you won't mind if it passes through my kidneys first!" :Beer: :laugh:

[Ed Miller]

Oops! :eek: was that not the right way to do it?