Last night we stayed at the Cedars Inn in Wenatchee, WA, a decidedly more upscale motel than the Sterling Motel was. We were greeted by two young ladies who were quite efficient and friendly, and who later baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies for their guests. We went for dinner at the Clearwater Steak House & Saloon. I had the chicken fried chicken (I don't know why the word chicken is in the name twice) with garlic mashed potatoes, white gravy, and steamed vegetables. It was a vast improvement on the peanuts, Doritos, and Diet Mountain Dew that Garry and I had for dinner the night before.
This morning we were treated to a continental breakfast of coffee, a waffle, sausage and eggs, and fruit or cereal. A decidedly good start to the day. Until, that is Jim showed up and insisted that I shoot some video because he was going to show us something we hadn't seen before. He then dropped his jeans to reveal Under Armor tights. You can see the video and determine from the comments that this was not one of the highlights of our trip to this point.
We programmed my GPS for the Starbucks in Ellensburg, WA, and followed a roundabout route to get to Highway 97 where were rode past a place named Cashmere (like the toilet paper, not the Kashmir that Led Zeppelin sang about) where Kerry gets a type of apple-based candy that he likes. Along the way we met a Slingshot, a reverse tricycle made by Polaris. It is kind of low and sleek but some states won't license it as either a car or a motorcycle. We also skipped the Bavarian-themed town of Leavenworth and flowed the twists and turns of the highway as it climbed into the mountains.
One of the things I remember from high school geography is that the temperature drops 3 degrees Fahrenheit for every thousand feet of altitude gained. When we left Wenatchee it was 21C; warm enough for me to wear my fingerless riding gloves and to feel cool about it. At the top of the pass it was 14C. I felt 'cool' about it, but not in a good way. The wind chill factor at 14C and 100 kph has got to be quite low so my fingers were getting cold enough to warrant a quick stop to change into my regular gauntlets.
On the way in to Ellensburg we passed a wind farm where several dozen wind turbines were placed on the top of a ridge to catch the wind which was blowing hard enough to throw our bikes around as we rode.
The GPS took us right to the Starbucks in Ellensburg where we stopped for our first cup of their coffee in three days. As we sat drinking our coffee, we couldn't help noticing the young women with nice puppies who we arriving at the store. Several of them had puppies that were so cute that people just wanted to pet them. One had a miniature Doberman and a pug, another had a chihuahua, still another had a fluffy little puppy of indeterminate breed while yet another one had a small terrier type of dog. Since we were there for a short while it seemed unusual to see so many in such a short time. Jim gave us our pearl of wisdom for the day when he said, "Pain has no memory." The fact that women have a second child and we all go back to the dentist is some sort of proof that he is correct.
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We left Ellensburg and headed east toward Othello, WA. On the way we passed another wind farm with probably two hundred or more wind turbines just outside of Vantage, WA. We crossed the Columbia River and headed south. Climbing out of the Columbia River Valley we emerged onto the Palouse, the rolling country that covers much of eastern Washington. Along the way we saw rock bluffs and road cuts that were comprised of volcanic rock, the visible signs of the massive volcanic eruptions that covered almost 164 000 square kilometres of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and California between seventeen and fourteen million years ago.
Outside of Othello we stopped at a roadside market named Judy's, that sold beer, wine, and asparagus. The young lady who met us wasn't named Judy and there actually is no Judy, and she seemed surprised when we told her that we were stopping for an asparagus break.
Kerry and Jim traded motorcycles for the ride in to Othello, and Jim put in the yellow helmet that he has been saving for a special occasion. With the visor down he reminded me of Maverick from the 'Top Gun' movie.
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Further on we passed a feedlot that must have had several thousand cattle in it. seeing this makes me think about where the hamburger and steak that I like comes from. Just outside the fence, wandering in a large field of grass were at least two hundred cattle 'free ranging' it. It was clear which animals had the better life, although it is academic because they'll all probably end up in the same place anyway.
We continued on to Othello where we pulled in to Burger King. We were immediately followed by a guy and his wife who were driving a 1951 Ford V8. When he exited the car I couldn't help thinking that this guy should be in ZZ Top. He's not. We asked him about it and he opened the hood to show us the engine. The guy's name was Scott Ross and as we chatted he mentioned that he had a Harley at home. He then pulled up his left pant leg to show us a prosthetic leg that flames painted on it. He also had a Harley-Davidson sticker just above the foot.
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His story was that about twenty years ago while he was riding his Harley, he was hit by a twenty year old guy who was drunk and had no insurance. Scott got very little for his loss and he says that the guy spent less time in prison than he spent in the hospital. he had some funny lines. One of them was, "Why do old guys ride baggers?" The answer: "Because they can." He also had an explanation for the name Othello. Someone chaged a few letters from the settlers' first explanation when they saw the place. They said, "Oh hell, no." An added 't' and a dropped 'n' and that resulted in today's name.
While we were sitting in the restaurant a Hispanic man approached me and said that his wife wanted to know if I could take her for a ride around town on the Harley. I might have done it, but I didn't have an extra helmet so I had to tell him that I couldn't oblige her.
About thirty kilometres outside of Othello we pulled in to a rest stop then continued on our way. Ninety four kilometres later after being blown around by the wind ffor most of the way and not seeing a single place to pull over, we stopped at a small village that was appropriately named Dusty. The only place that seemed to still be in business was a farm supply place. Everything else was closed. We passed a small place called Washtucna which had recently had its railway tracks pulled up. I love trains and like railway tracks and it always seems sad to me when a community which has had a connection with the rest of the world by rail, probably for almost a hundred years, loses that connection. It's almost the death knell of a place like that.
Strangely, although it was sunny it wasn't really warm and the wind which had been blowing hard all day seemed to cool down and it just wasn't pleasant riding from Colfax to Pullman, WA. We stopped for gas and checked out the motel across the street. We have a reasonable eye for cost, so when what would be a sixty dollar room was quoted at one hundred and ten I was surprised. The reason was the Washington State and University of Idaho graduations this weekend. We walked away to check out another place that turned out to be much better. The price was a reasonable sixty-five dollars.
Before we went for dinner at the Chinese restaurant down the street Jim showed up with his Under Armor. The photo will show the reader what we saw. Make your own judgment.
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Between the time we arrived at the motel and when we were ready to head out for dinner, clouds had rolled in and it was looking like rain. By the time we returned it was raining lightly. I hope that things clear up by tomorrow. At present we will head south and east into Idaho and perhaps into Utah. We will have to figure that out tomorrow.
So far we have had decent weather and good roads. Everyone is getting along well and we're all having a great time. This is a great time to be riding with good friends.
Burned into my mind forever. And not in a good way.
We programmed my GPS for the Starbucks in Ellensburg, WA, and followed a roundabout route to get to Highway 97 where were rode past a place named Cashmere (like the toilet paper, not the Kashmir that Led Zeppelin sang about) where Kerry gets a type of apple-based candy that he likes. Along the way we met a Slingshot, a reverse tricycle made by Polaris. It is kind of low and sleek but some states won't license it as either a car or a motorcycle. We also skipped the Bavarian-themed town of Leavenworth and flowed the twists and turns of the highway as it climbed into the mountains.
One of the things I remember from high school geography is that the temperature drops 3 degrees Fahrenheit for every thousand feet of altitude gained. When we left Wenatchee it was 21C; warm enough for me to wear my fingerless riding gloves and to feel cool about it. At the top of the pass it was 14C. I felt 'cool' about it, but not in a good way. The wind chill factor at 14C and 100 kph has got to be quite low so my fingers were getting cold enough to warrant a quick stop to change into my regular gauntlets.
On the way in to Ellensburg we passed a wind farm where several dozen wind turbines were placed on the top of a ridge to catch the wind which was blowing hard enough to throw our bikes around as we rode.
The GPS took us right to the Starbucks in Ellensburg where we stopped for our first cup of their coffee in three days. As we sat drinking our coffee, we couldn't help noticing the young women with nice puppies who we arriving at the store. Several of them had puppies that were so cute that people just wanted to pet them. One had a miniature Doberman and a pug, another had a chihuahua, still another had a fluffy little puppy of indeterminate breed while yet another one had a small terrier type of dog. Since we were there for a short while it seemed unusual to see so many in such a short time. Jim gave us our pearl of wisdom for the day when he said, "Pain has no memory." The fact that women have a second child and we all go back to the dentist is some sort of proof that he is correct.
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Rest stop in Ellensburg, WA
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Starbucks in Ellensburg, WA
We left Ellensburg and headed east toward Othello, WA. On the way we passed another wind farm with probably two hundred or more wind turbines just outside of Vantage, WA. We crossed the Columbia River and headed south. Climbing out of the Columbia River Valley we emerged onto the Palouse, the rolling country that covers much of eastern Washington. Along the way we saw rock bluffs and road cuts that were comprised of volcanic rock, the visible signs of the massive volcanic eruptions that covered almost 164 000 square kilometres of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and California between seventeen and fourteen million years ago.
Crossing the Columbia River at Vantage, WA
Outside of Othello we stopped at a roadside market named Judy's, that sold beer, wine, and asparagus. The young lady who met us wasn't named Judy and there actually is no Judy, and she seemed surprised when we told her that we were stopping for an asparagus break.
Kerry and Jim traded motorcycles for the ride in to Othello, and Jim put in the yellow helmet that he has been saving for a special occasion. With the visor down he reminded me of Maverick from the 'Top Gun' movie.
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Tom at Judy's near Othello, WA
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Jim with his 'Top Gun' look
Further on we passed a feedlot that must have had several thousand cattle in it. seeing this makes me think about where the hamburger and steak that I like comes from. Just outside the fence, wandering in a large field of grass were at least two hundred cattle 'free ranging' it. It was clear which animals had the better life, although it is academic because they'll all probably end up in the same place anyway.
We continued on to Othello where we pulled in to Burger King. We were immediately followed by a guy and his wife who were driving a 1951 Ford V8. When he exited the car I couldn't help thinking that this guy should be in ZZ Top. He's not. We asked him about it and he opened the hood to show us the engine. The guy's name was Scott Ross and as we chatted he mentioned that he had a Harley at home. He then pulled up his left pant leg to show us a prosthetic leg that flames painted on it. He also had a Harley-Davidson sticker just above the foot.
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Steve Ross and his 1951 Ford V8
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Steve's flame painted prosthetic leg
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Detail of Steve's leg with H-D sticker
His story was that about twenty years ago while he was riding his Harley, he was hit by a twenty year old guy who was drunk and had no insurance. Scott got very little for his loss and he says that the guy spent less time in prison than he spent in the hospital. he had some funny lines. One of them was, "Why do old guys ride baggers?" The answer: "Because they can." He also had an explanation for the name Othello. Someone chaged a few letters from the settlers' first explanation when they saw the place. They said, "Oh hell, no." An added 't' and a dropped 'n' and that resulted in today's name.
While we were sitting in the restaurant a Hispanic man approached me and said that his wife wanted to know if I could take her for a ride around town on the Harley. I might have done it, but I didn't have an extra helmet so I had to tell him that I couldn't oblige her.
About thirty kilometres outside of Othello we pulled in to a rest stop then continued on our way. Ninety four kilometres later after being blown around by the wind ffor most of the way and not seeing a single place to pull over, we stopped at a small village that was appropriately named Dusty. The only place that seemed to still be in business was a farm supply place. Everything else was closed. We passed a small place called Washtucna which had recently had its railway tracks pulled up. I love trains and like railway tracks and it always seems sad to me when a community which has had a connection with the rest of the world by rail, probably for almost a hundred years, loses that connection. It's almost the death knell of a place like that.
Strangely, although it was sunny it wasn't really warm and the wind which had been blowing hard all day seemed to cool down and it just wasn't pleasant riding from Colfax to Pullman, WA. We stopped for gas and checked out the motel across the street. We have a reasonable eye for cost, so when what would be a sixty dollar room was quoted at one hundred and ten I was surprised. The reason was the Washington State and University of Idaho graduations this weekend. We walked away to check out another place that turned out to be much better. The price was a reasonable sixty-five dollars.
Before we went for dinner at the Chinese restaurant down the street Jim showed up with his Under Armor. The photo will show the reader what we saw. Make your own judgment.
.jpg)
Between the time we arrived at the motel and when we were ready to head out for dinner, clouds had rolled in and it was looking like rain. By the time we returned it was raining lightly. I hope that things clear up by tomorrow. At present we will head south and east into Idaho and perhaps into Utah. We will have to figure that out tomorrow.
So far we have had decent weather and good roads. Everyone is getting along well and we're all having a great time. This is a great time to be riding with good friends.
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