Robbie Burns, the Scottish poet, once said, "The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry." This line in his poem To a Mouse, proved especially apt this morning. Garry and I had planned on leaving Omak and heading west on Highway 20 on the North Cascades Parkway through Twisp and Winthrop, WA, to finish in Burlington, WA.
Highway begins about 10 kilometres south of Omak. Just north of the intersection the Department of Transportation placed a sign indicating that Highway 20 was closed 15 miles (25 km) west of Winthrop. Our plan went up in smoke in one fell swoop. Since we had already reserved and paid for a room in Mount Vernon, going to Canada was not an option. The new route took us 90 miles (150 km) south to Wenatchee where we would take US Highway 2 to Everett, WA.
We made one stop for a break about half way to Wenatchee at the Wells dam. There we met Joe, a man from Staten Island, who was on a journey even longer than ours. He began his journey on June 26th heading to Montreal and riding to Sault St Marie with a friend. He crossed into the US and met his wife in Minnesota. From there he rode to the West Coast and met his wife in Portland, OR, and they went riding for a few days before she flew home. He was headed to the Dempster Highway, and perhaps Tuktoyuktuk.
He expressed his concern about the politics in his country and he has real fear about what could happen in the US elections in November.
It was again really smoky today. The view from the outlook was really muted with the smoke. Still it is beautiful country.
Wells Dam on the Columbia River
Columbia River
Haze over the Columbia River
One of the 150 ton turbine spinners from the Wells Dam.
We merged onto Highway 2 and traffic appeared to be heavier than it was earlier. Perhaps it was because Highway 20 was closed. Perhaps it was a normal traffic pattern. But perhaps it was because many tourists were going to Leavenworth, a tourist town with a Bavarian theme. We stopped at a McDonald's for a quick break, then continued west. Traffic through the town was stop and go until we passed through when it picked up.
The highway to Stevens Pass climbs to more than 4000 feet and the temperature dropped to a more comfortable range. There was one frustration though. One driver of a motorhome was driving at about ten miles per hour below the speed limit. When traffic reached a passing line, this idiot the sped up to about 5 mph over the speed limit then resumed his slow speed when the lane ended. Washington State has a law that makes it illegal to have more than five vehicles following you. The state has built pullout areas for slower drivers to pull over and let others pass. This guy at one time had thirteen vehicles behind him. Either he had no idea that he was doing this or he was so entitled he didn't care that he was holding up a long line of traffic.
We stopped for a break at Deception Falls, a waterfall in a small state park. The falls cascade over rocks ending at a small pool before resuming as a rapidly flowing stream. It was worth the stop and a family was enjoying the opportunity to swim in what I imagine to be very cold snow melt water.
Various views of Deception Falls
We stopped in Monroe, again for a break, and when we left the temperature was quite hot but not as hot as it had been in the Okanogan Valley. Traffic again was stop and go, but it was because an orange car had been rear-ended in a collision with an SUV. The collision looked serious. Later a fire truck and Fire and Rescue truck were headed to the scene.
I love watching trains and as we refueled in Sultan, WA, an empty coal train rolled through. I was lucky enough to get a video of the first half of the train. In all of our travels I have seen only one other train despite the large number of rails lines we passed or rode alongside of. Kind of a little bonus for me on a hot afternoon.
As we made it to Everett, the maze of roads and the directions from my GPS were somewhat confusing and a led us astray taking a long unnecessarily convoluted route to I-5. We did see a lot of the Everett area, that will never see again, nor do I wish to.
Our last stop of the day was at Sound H-D, where we checked out the dealership. I was interested in buying a coffee mug, but the US $32 price translated to almost CDN $45, more than I would ever consider paying for an item as mundane as a coffee mug. The people at the dealership were as friendly as I remembered when I used to have my Ultra Glide serviced there years ago.
Views of Sound H-D
It was a smooth 70mph (115 kph) ride to our motel in Mount Vernon, which we found without difficulty. Today's run was longer than we had planned and we were both disappointed at not being able to ride the North Cascades Parkway, but things work out satisfactorily in the end and we are now one day's ride from home. We covered more than 400 kilometres today but tomorrow should be considerably less. Day 17 is now in the books - and in the blog.
Biggs Junction, because it is at the intersection of two major highways and consequently, all night long there was heavy tuck traffic. The truck stop across the highway was also busy with trucks refueling and sitting idling in the parking lot. While the noise from all this activity was not overpowering, the subliminal noise was noticeable. However, there were limited choices for places to stay and we had a decent room.
The morning dawned with solid cloud and cooler temperatures and we were on the road shortly after 8:00 a.m. Highway 97 climbs out of the river valley is a series of S-turns and after several kilometres and about 1500 feet (450 metres) of elevation change we were in open country. Considering the amount of truck traffic that we saw, we made good time. The terrain changed from the south side from open country to rolling hills with a plethora of basaltic outcroppings from the eastern Washington basalt flows between 17 and 14 million years ago. The extent of these basalt flows is huge, covering parts of several US states. In many places the layers are plainly visible from successive eruptions.
Biggs Junction this morning
The highway dipped down from the higher elevation to the valley where Ellensburg, WA, is situated. The pullout for the scenic view gives a panoramic vista of the valley.
Ellensburg vista
Ellensburg, WA, vista
In the hills above Ellensburg, WA
We continued on north after a brief stop in Ellensburg and made it to Yakima. We had real difficulty finding Starbucks because my GPS was pointing me in the wrong direction. I got directions from a young lady at a motorcycle shop. While were there I was approached by an older gentleman. He asked if I wore leathers in this hot weather. When I told him that I wore them all the time he said he did too and showed me a photo of him and his Yamaha Royal Star.
Mike asked me if I had ever seen he movie Easy Rider. When I told I had, he volunteered that after he saw it, he rode his 1947 H-D on essentially the same route from Los Angeles to New Orleans that the characters in the movie had taken. Quite a story. He was a pleasant guy and left us with the advice to 'Keep the shiny side up.'
Mike at Yakima Starbucks
Before we left Yakima we visited Apple State H-D. Garry bought a coffee mug and a litre of H-D oil. The people there were friendly and helpful with directions back to Highway 97.
Apple State H-D, Yakima, WA
Hills surrounding Yakima, WA
When we left Yakima, we rode north to join I-90 east to Vantage, WA. We crossed the Columbia River once again and climbed out of the valley. The landscape is very similar to the other high desert areas that we have seen earlier. We pulled in the scenic viewpoint over the Columbia River. At the edge of a cliff the state has placed a wild horse memorial. The sculptures are silhouetted against the sky. The sight is quite memorable.
Wild horse memorial above the Columbia River, near Vantage, WA
The vista over the Columbia River and the bridge crossing it provide evidence, if any is needed, of the insignificance of the works of humans. Around fifteen thousand years ago this gorge was carved by the Lake Missoula floods when the lake burst through a glacial ice dam and flooded the Columbia all the way its mouth near Astoria, OR.
Columbia River I-90 crossing near Vantage, WA
Basalt layers above the Columbia River near Vantage, WA
The GPS took us toward Omak in ways that I had difficulty understanding. We stopped in a small town called Ephrata. The highway took us through a basaltic gorge around Lenore Lake. The terrain was extremely rugged with the ubiquitous basalt layered outcroppings. Garry suggested that we should go back to the visitor centre to see the lake and cliffs, but I wanted to press on I regret that decision now. I should have agreed , but that can't be undone. The route we took back to Highway 97 seemed, after looking at the map, to be extremely convoluted, but eventually we did get back to the highway.
We were near the Grand Coulee Dam but didn't go to see it. However, we did stop to see the Chief Joseph Dam on the Columbia River. This is a large power generating facility near Bridgeport, WA.
Chief Joseph Dam
Columbia River Bridge at Bridgeport, WA
Closer view of the bridge over the Columbia River
View of the dam from the visitor centre
One of the turbine spinners from the Chief Joseph Dam powerhouse.
We were quite close to Omak, our destination for the day's ride. When we arrived in Omak, we tried to get a room. This was difficult but we were able to get a room in a somewhat downscale motel. The room was adequate but the chair was filthy, some of the vinyl flooring was liftin, and we were besieged by a swarm of houseflies which I gradually dispatched. When we returned from dinner there was water on the floor from the air conditioner. I have stayed in better places. The air conditioning did work and that was good because it was 39C at 5:00. It was probably hotter earlier.
Tomorrow will be a more relaxed day. We will be riding the North Cascades Parkway from Twisp & Winthrop to Mount Vernon in western Washington. We are now getting close to home.
This morning we got off the a later start without having a definite goal for the day. we made the decision to take our chances on riding as far as we felt like riding, then stop and try to get a room for the night.
After our stop for a morning coffee at Starbucks, we headed north along Upper Klamath Lake. The scenery along Highway 97 to Biggs Junction is varied and spectacular. Looking across Upper Klamath Lake, Mount McLoughlan rises to the west. It is one of the Cascade stratovolcanoes in that range.
Mount McLoughlan
View across Klamath Lake
Mount Mcloughlan
This is the high desert with evergreen trees and scrub grass, but not much else. The evergreens (I don't know the name of these trees) are the main type of tree here. At a rest stop I took some photos of them because they are representative of what we see at this altitude between 4-5000 feet.
Just because
While we were at the rest stop several Ford work trucks pulled in with young guys dressed identically pulled into the parking area. I asked one of the guys if he had been fighting fires. He said that they had been fighting the Lone Rock fire near Boise, ID. last week. It was the smoke from that fire that we saw last Friday when we left Boise, ID. These guys do not work for the Oregon State forest service. Instead, they work for a private company that contracts to fight fires that outstrip the state's resources.
Four firefighter trucks to the left.
We carried on to Bend, OR where we had a difficult time finding Wildhorse H-D, but eventually we did find the well hidden building. One of the reasons we stopped there was to buy coffee mugs with the Wildhorse logo on them. Turns out that they no longer had the mugs because the person who imprinted the logo was no longer doing it. Disappointment! They had a large number of bikes on the floor and on the lot and there seemed to be a steady stream of customers coming and going.
Great artwork on the dealer's trailer
Entrance with Wildhorse logo
After refueling we again headed north on Hwy 97. The temperature had ramped up so we made a stop in the town of Madras, OR for a lunch break. We saw this mountain on the way into town but there were no pullouts or wide shoulders, so I wasn't able to stop and take a photo of the whole mountain. This was the best view I had while we stopped. I believe that this is Mt. Adams, but I'm not certain. But what I could see was impressive.
Mt Adams? from Madras, OR
Carrying on north after our break, we stopped at a small town that seemed to have been built in more optimistic times. Shaniko, OR, seems to have fallen on tough times. Garry went into the General Store to buy some water and spoke to the proprietor, a woman in her early 70s by his best guess. She said that it was a slow summer and it seems like a hard way to make a decent living. The exterior of the store may tell the tale. Run down, but still not giving in.
Shaniko, OR, General Store
The main street has a hotel, cafe, town hall and some other buildings, all which seem to have seen better days. It is sad to see the dreams that people once had for places like this fade but still hang on. In out travels I have seen many small rural towns like this, one in Washington State which was a divisional point for the Milwaukee Road. When the Milwaukee road failed, the tracks were torn up and the population of the area dropped from near 10 000 to 150 and many of the buildings were in disrepair even though people were trying to maintain them.
Shaniko, OR town hall (yellow building)
Shaniko Hotel, the biggest building in the town
Paddy wagon from the turn of the last century, Shaniko, OR
Folk sculpture-horseshoes and barbed wire
Riding north we passed through the town of Kent, OR. To the north the country was wide open and rolling with large wheat fields and open vistas. The wheat fields were enormous and the wheat was golden and almost ready for harvest.
Wheat fields north of Kent, OR
My Heritage posing with a background of a wheat field.
The wind blows almost continuously in this part of Oregon and utility companies have take advantage of this to build wind farms. The one that I passed today is the largest one I have ever seen with what I estimate to be more than two hundred wind turbines. The size of these machines can be overwhelming but when they are working they must generate a tremendous amount of electricity for our increasingly power hungry world.
Wind turbines along Hwy 97
The rolling country allows views of two, and sometimes three of the Cascade stratovolcanoes. I believe the two here are mount Adams and Mount Rainier, but I can't be certain. It was difficult for me to stop looking at them as I rode along because they are just so massive and the snow caps are a beautiful contrast to the grey base.
Volcano views
We finished the day in Biggs Junction on the Columbia River. This is barren country built between the volcanic basalt cliffs and the river. It seems to exist as a truck stop where trucks run through on I-84 and stop here for fuel, meals, and a place to rest. at the junction trucks either funnel onto I-84 from highway 97 from the north and south, or split off to Highway 97 or continue east of west on I-84. Traffic is loud and continuous and the main purpose for this place is to service the hundreds truckers who pass through here each day.
The junction is set in a limited area with basalt cliffs and the Columbia River limiting its expansion. The bridge across the Columbia takes traffic north from here or brings in here from the north. We will be crossing it tomorrow morning.
Columbia River bridge at Biggs Junction
Wind turbines on the hillside across from Biggs Junction in Washington State
Biggs Junction, OR
The Union Pacific Railroad runs along the Columbia river and as I was taking photos of the bridge and wind turbines I was treated to the arrival of a UP container train heading east, so I was able to take a short video and a photo of the DPU (Distributed Power Unit) near the end of the train.
Union Pacific container train at Biggs Junction, OR, July 16, 2024
Union Pacific DPU
Today was a day with great variety and I was fortunate to be able to capture some photos of scenery and places that I have never seen before. This is one of the attractions of travelling this way and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to experience it. Tomorrow, we will head into Washington State and aim to make it to Omak, WA. We are making good progress on the way to Vancouver Island and are both enjoying the trip and looking forward to being home once again.
