Washington State Honda Sport Touring Association

June 14 - Mt Baker Recap

 

The ride was pretty uneventful.  Okay, that's not true.

Mark, one of our longtime members, decided it was time to upgrade, so he pitched his ride over an embankment at the summit of Mt Baker.  Injuries consisted of bruised ribs and a broken collarbone.  This is not the type of result that I like to hear about, as I was not present on the ride.  A week later, the guys returned to pull the bike up to the road and the resulting pictures were taken.

In the weeds...	Going fishin'	Proud Papa (notice the other arm)

 

 

June 20-22 - Lolo Pass Recap by Marv Travis

Jim Holzberger, Cary Perkins, Dave Bolton, Marv Travis, and Steve Dorsey met for breakfast at the Puyallup Shari’s early Friday morning.  Those coming from the north had started out in a downpour, but the weather in Puyallup was clear.  Tye Aldana rendezvoused in Randle, rounding out the group of six.

We made it to the Comfort Inn in Lewiston, Idaho in time to get checked in, cleaned up, and out for Chinese Dinner.  Tye made certain there were no left-overs (all this from a guy that hates Subway).  How he manages to keep his girlish figure is a mystery!

During lunch, Marv repaired a broken adapter wire for one of his heated gloves, and was back in business for the run back across the pass, (he thought).  Then he found he had left his multi-meter on the table and had to go back in and retrieve it.  Oh darn, more twisties!  After finally back on the road, savored the same turns, but in the opposite direction.

Now back in Lewiston, Dave talked us into dinner at the Red Lion Inn, and what a dinner it was.  Everyone opted for the Prime Rib all-you-can-eat buffet   Don’t know where Jim and Dave put that mountain of food, but they put a serious dent in the buffet line.

On Sunday, Tye decided to forego the drone back through Washington, and opted instead to take the southern route through Oregon.  The remaining five took the northern route toward home and ran into some pretty tiring crosswinds.  About the time the roads got interesting east of Chinook Pass, a WSP officer coming from the other direction decided we were having too much fun, and stopped us for a chat.  Cary removed his gloves and discretely draped them over the radar detector mounted on his bike.  The officer was initially pretty hard-nosed about our thankfully-minor indiscretion but, after we removed our helmets and he saw that we weren’t young’ns, he sent us on way with an admonition to stay within the posted limits.  It put a damper on the remaining portion of the run over Chinook Pass and through Rainier Nat'l Park, but discretion is the bettor part of valor.

Cary gets the “efficiency-in-packing” award.  There was talk that all he took was a toothbrush and a credit card, and that next time, he was going to leave the toothbrush.

All in all, it was a safe, enjoyable ride with a compatible group of riders…now if they could just figure out how to move Lolo Pass closer to Puyallup...

June 28 - Leavenworth Recap by Alan Belnap

What a gorgeous day for a ride! We started bright and early knowing it was going to be a warm, ok, very warm day.  We met at Petosa's in Monroe at 8:00, ok, 8:10 truth be told, but the alarm didn't go off, I swear!  I'm not sure anyone made it at 7:00 for breakfast as, by the time Joyce and I got there, people were suiting up and getting ready to leave, regardless of whether or not I showed up (and for anyone who knows me who can blame them?!)

Present were myself, Joyce (my SO, and learning to ride as fast as Neo), Tim and Heather, Don, Dave and Trevor. A partially mended Mark made an appearance after his "hugging mother earth" mishap a couple of weeks back, but no riding for him. Having seen his bike, I was just happy to see him standing up on both legs!  To say he got lucky would be an understatement... but I digress.

We headed east for an uneventful ride to Leavenworth, with heavy cage traffic due to the PERFECT weather outlook, so there were almost no chances to liven things up with a little speed.  It appears WSDOT is repaving the road up to Stevens Pass, though they weren't quite finished in spots.  If you got left in the "rough" lane that hadn't been repaved, you'd wonder how safe it would be to tackle the edge to get back to the smooth lane.  The Skykomish river was raging and made me think what a rowdy river that would be to run..... but not today!

Once in Leavenworth, we gassed up and ate lunch at the Subway there.  From there we turned north onto Hwy 97, and had hopes of a fun blast up Blewett Pass.  Right from the start however we had our doubts as we saw a State Trooper stopped at the light having just come over the pass.  Was he alone or was he part of a big enforcement push for the weekend?  Did he radio ahead (behind, whatever) and call out to his buddies, "Get ready, here comes a nice group of speeders for ya'!!"  Not being sure, I think everyone (except Don) took it fairly easy compared to some other runs up that same road.  I know I did having just made my fiscal donation to Kittitas County last year.

We stopped at Dairy Queen in Cle Elum for some frosty refreshment, then having no twisty road options to take home and everyone being quite warm (thinking of cooler entertainment involving our boats!), we headed for home on I-90.  We tooled along and gradually got separated into two groups, one faster and a couple of people hanging back. (BTW thanks Dave!!) Since the pre-determined stop in North Bend didn't happen, and worrying about slower group not knowing what happened to the lead group, I hung back to wait for them.  I figured that when the lead group stopped up the road somewhere, they would leave someone as a marker so we would know where they stopped.  But after Joyce caught up with me, we continued west but never saw anyone.

So with little fanfare and a fair bit of frustration on someone's part (sorry Joyce!), that was how the ride officially ended!  No crashes, or near crashes, and no tickets.  I guess you have to call it a success!  I hope the rest of the rides this year can keep that trend alive.

July 4-8 - Banff / Jasper Pre-Ride

Dawn and I have had plans to ride to Laguna for the WSB races for about a year now, basically since I got home from the same event last year.  For a number of reasons, plans changed and we had to cancel the trip to Monterey, but that wouldn’t change our plans to ride.  We selected a shorter road trip and decided to pre-ride the Banff/Jasper ride scheduled for Labor Day weekend.  We would head north to Canada, with DHBC in hand.

Day 1 – Seattle to Kelowna, BC – 500 miles

The three of us left the morning of the 4th of July for a first day with as many twisty roads as we could pack in.  On the Washington side, we essentially executed the Mt Baker ride northward, turning west at Maple Falls towards Sumas to cross into BC.  From there, we headed east on HWY 3 – Crowsnest Hwy through Manning Prov. Park on our way to the summer resort town of Osoyoos.  From there we finished up the day by picking up two more DHs, #27 and #7, covering the last 100+ miles of the day.  Maybe I should be talking in metric at this point (km, km/h, liters, degrees C), but I’ll make the reading easier on you.

Day 2 – Kelowna, BC to Kimberly, BC – 400 miles

After the ferry ride, we picked up two more DHs before stopping for lunch, one of which was #5 that should’ve been a diamond run, but turned out to be coal.  My notes compared this to SR-410 through Mt Rainier – nuf sed.  Following that bumpy ride, we ran into Canada Marv again.  This time he had a recommendation for lunch while in Kaslo.  We joined him and he talked to us about the “Canada Economy” in those parts.  He was referring to the weed that is grown just outside of town.  We finally parted ways and he wished us well.  One more DH before our next ferry ride, Balfour to Kootenay Bay.  This time, the ride would be better than a half-hour, and again, we watched the boat pull away as we approached the landing.  Here, we met another motorcyclist and his passenger, with the same mission in mind – scouting DHs on his “Zed Ex – 12R”.

Immediately following the docking in Kootenay Bay, was DH #1, heading south.  With our bellies full of lunch and being rested after the ferry ride, we prepared to conquer this road of high acclaim.  High points of this road were very light traffic, substantial twistiness, beautiful scenery, and overall character.  At one point, the other guy with the ZX-12R passed us at lightning speed wearing his girlfriend like a backpack.  The road justified its ratings.  In my notes, I commented that it resembled FR-52, south of Ukiah in eastern Oregon.

It was now getting late in the day, and we realized that making Banff today was out.  Since there weren’t any more DHs we would get to on this day, we stopped in Kimberly, on the recommendation of Canada Marv.  Remember what I said about being wary?  Okay, so Kimberly wasn’t quite what it was cracked up to be, but staying in a “Quaint” Bavarian hotel was interesting enough.  It was cheap and clean.  The room (“apartment” as the owner called it) was located over the restaurant and was overly furnished for just a night’s stay.  Let’s just say, it was like visiting grandma’s house with all the knick-knacks.  The owner graciously allowed us to part our bikes in the garage below for safekeeping.

Day 3 – Kimberly, BC to Jasper, AB – 375 miles

Along the trip, Marv’s bike was running rich and was the root cause for making about twice as many gas stops as we normally would have.  We were able to take advantage of that for breaks so it all worked out in that we could actually ride longer days by doing so.  At the stop for the Needles ferry where we met Canada Marv, Marv told me that he went on reserve about 30 miles prior and was almost out of gas.  I didn’t believe him, so he popped open his gas tank.  When he shook the bike, the only noise it made was the fuel in the carburetors.  That was too close!

There was only one gas-stop between Lake Louise and Jasper where, of course, EVERY biker stopped.  One really cool thing about this stop was that it had 360 degrees of mountain views.  It would take a camera on a rotating tri-pod about 8 shots to get it all.  We also met a family of bikers that were only 5 days into their 50-day holiday, eh.  Mom and dad were on matching ST1300s (which they were proud to say they traded in their HDs for) and their 16 year-old son was on his maiden voyage on a brand new F4i.  They were planning 24,000 miles for their trip, about 500 miles/day!

Once in Jasper, we checked into our motel, and while Marv cleaned up, Dawn and I walked around town (consisting of two main streets) to scout out cheap eats for dinner.  Local wildlife laws have changed since I was last in Jasper (in 1997) and the elk are no longer allowed to roam the public streets, goring and trampling the Japanese tourists.  I wonder how the word got out to the elk?  Too bad they didn’t have a better lawyer to stand up for them!

In Banff and Jasper, there are unique accommodations available.  They’re called Tourist Rooms and basically what it boils down to is renting a room for the night in someone’s home.  They are all along the main street in Jasper, and I believe they are also available in Banff.  The rooms run about 50% of the hotel rates, and may be a better way to go for vacationing.  There is a publication in town that lists all the accommodations.  This might be worth a further look.

Day 4 – Jasper, AB to Kamloops, BC – 275 miles

This day would be primarily droning to set us up for the last day of twisties.  We also encountered our first rain shower of the trip, about 5 minutes, just west of Jasper.  As we exited the park (Jasper) and rode south to Kamloops, it was pretty incredible to see the backside of the same mountains we had seen the previous day.  We completed our short day pulling into Kamloops, covering only one DH (#82) on this day, hardly worth mentioning due to its high number.  Fact is, I didn’t even know it was a DH until I wrote this report.  It was also time for me to find a rear tire and I was lucky enough to find a shop that was open on Monday.  I managed to get a deal on a tire that same day, rather than waiting until the morning.

We pulled into a motel in Kamloops, across the Thompson River, a short ride from downtown.  Having Marv along was great in that we played the senior citizen discount card at the registration desk and got a break on the room rate.  It worked like a charm.  Marv is also a great person to ride with – he never complains, always rides sweeper to make sure no one gets left behind, and usually has enough McGuyver stuff along to bail you out of any situation.  In Banff, we did have to stop at Radio Shack to get a replacement adapter cable to fix his heated gear.

We ate dinner downtown and dessert at DQ before retiring for the night.  First thing in the morning, we hit the road, with new rubber, in search for some more DHs, some of the best of the trip.  I called us the Rolling Stones after that because we all had matching BT020s on the rear.

Day 5 – Kamloops, BC to Seattle, WA – 580 miles

We would catch eight more (bringing the grand total to 20) DHs while in BC, some of which ranged from as good as it gets to absolutely painful (all the way from Whistler to the US Border).  We also found that Canada has the same sense of humor regarding signs that say “Pavement Ends” (about 50 feet ago!).  Their no-passing zones are shown with symbols of two cars side-by-side with a circle and cross.  My interpretation was that cars shouldn’t pass, but it was okay for bikes.

There are problems with traveling in Canada though.  Get used to the gas being about twice as expensive as you are accustomed, you pay two taxes on all purchases (one of which is refundable for accommodations and large purchases only), and the customer service usually sucks, if you get any at all.  Our biggest gripe was getting the drivers to pull their heads out of their behinds and recognizing that we have places to go and roads to ride!  One last thing, you are required to show proof of citizenship upon returning to the US (a passport or birth certificate will usually suffice).

In closing, the scenery is worth the droning that has to be endured.  The only way to avoid the stretch between Kamloops and Jasper, would be to backtrack towards Banff.  This may not be bad, considering that the views of the mountains change, and it seems like you want to take a picture every 1-2 miles because you’re getting a different perspective of the same mountain. You have to watch your mirrors to ensure you are getting the optimal shots!  Our overall experience in Canada was excellent.

July 12 - Mt St Helens Recap

The forecast looked to set up a great day of riding – not too hot, not too cool.  I had received two messages from newcomers joining the group and, given the outcome of the last ride to Mt Baker, I vowed that I would ensure that all riders would make it home safely on this one.  I would fail.

We left Enumclaw at 8:15am with 9 riders and headed east on SR-410 through Mt. Rainier National Park.  No sooner had we turned onto SR-123 towards Packwood, our first newbie went down.  This is the first time that Mt. Rainier has collected anyone that I can recall.  I guess it was getting jealous of Mt. St. Helens having all the excitement and, since Mt. Baker just added one to its count, it was time to even the score.

The rider sprung up and was okay after the fall owing to all his safety gear (boots, gloves, leathers, etc).  The rearset had broken off so we set the bike in 3rd gear because there wasn’t going to be any shifting.  The bike fared well enough to hobble home and all other controls still worked.

We had a discussion with the EMT/Park Rangers that arrived after a witness had called in the crash.  The EMT/Ranger had mentioned that the caller stated that we were speeding (NO WAY!) and that they assumed the rider would be seriously hurt.  We explained that it wasn’t the speed, but the “deer” (the brown Ford wouldn’t have worked in this situation) that jumped out that caused him to go down.  I think the Ranger was onto our story so he asked for the rider’s license and, after verifying all was in order, let us go.

There were a number of contributing factors to the rider going down.  The primary one being too high an entry speed going into the corner after having just overtaken another vehicle.  The pavement was broken and the rider was jostled, reducing braking ability.  What was conveyed to me later was that he probably had too strong a drive to “keep up”.  Unfortunately he didn’t benefit from the later discussion at Randle, prior to riding Mt. St. Helens.  I would never have thought that someone would go down so early in the ride.

We were looking at about 11:00am by the time we all gathered at Randle.  Lunch was on everyone’s mind so we rode straight to our lunch stop, the Burger Buggy.  Immediately after ordering, Bryan Bailey and Marisa pulled up.  We had seen them ride by while we were dealing with the other bike so I figured we’d run into him at the BB.  He was on his way to Oregon for the weekend.

Following lunch, we rode to the top of Windy ridge, which wasn’t windy for a change, and then worked our way back through the normal route of Morton, Elbe, Alder, Kapowsin, and Orting, where the ride terminated.

During the day, I had a chance to observe and talk with the other new rider about his riding technique and about riding with the club in the future.  Given the incident earlier in the day, I’m not certain he feels up to riding with our group, although he appreciated the ride as well as the advice given him during the day.

Recruiting NEW Members

Guys, please, we are trying to set a positive example and crashing on almost every ride does not help us in that manner.  Last year, was great in that we only had one spill to deal with.  The year prior, a couple more than that.  The Mt Baker and Mt St Helens rides have been some of the best rides, but also tend to be a little more technical, and dangerous than others.  New riders are going to need to be dealt with in a different manner.

Washington Sport Riders (WSR) employs a practice to screen prospective new members that I believe has a lot of merit.  First, new people must come recommended by an existing member.  The new rider is then interviewed, and is accompanied on a short test ride by a club officer to observe their riding skills.  I usually do this DURING the club ride, but now I see it makes more sense to make the assessment earlier.

Might this have prevented the accident?  Maybe, maybe not, but at least the pre-ride talk of there being no need to “keep up” would have taken place well before the accident had occurred.  I’d like you to let me know your thoughts on this.  I think before we bring on any more new people, we need to have some sort of screening process so we don’t keep having accidents, or worse.  This will be a topic of discussion at the next couple of club meetings where most of us gather.  Send me your thoughts – Dan Hytry