Montana Ride 2006, Day 1 - Seattle to Spokane
| Distance ridden |
377 miles |
| Departed |
10 am |
| Arrived |
7:30 pm |
| Riding time |
6:47 hours |
| Average moving speed |
53.4 mph |
| Number of fuel stops |
2 |
| Average fuel economy |
58 mpg |
Route map
|
 |
| The Ninja 250, all packed up and ready
to go |
I had intended to get a 9 am start, but I also figured (due to some
incorrect routing on the part of Garmin Mapsource) that I had a
relatively leisurely trip ahead of me. So I wasn't too frantic about
starting on time, and made it on the road at about 10 am. Of course,
only when I sat down on the bike and asked the GPS to show me the
route information did I realize that the computer in the house had
mysteriously knocked nearly 50 miles off the first leg of my journey.
So much for the leisurely start.
I was planning to stop in Ardenvoir, a flyspeck on the map of
Washington, near Entiat, which is in turn near Wenatchee. Ardenvoir is
where my grandfather grew up, and the house he designed still stands
there, occupied by... once-removed... second... aunt and uncle, maybe,
Charlie and Nancy. I've never been clear on how that familial
relationship should be named. Whatever the term, family relatives.
We had arranged that I would join them for lunch, and we would
visit for a bit.
 |
| US highway 2, on the way to Stevens Pass
|
I planned the entire trip to take advantage of the extensive
network of roads which aren't interstate freeways. There's little as
boring to me as droning along on an interstate for hours on end, and
the Littlest Ninja isn't especially in its element there either. It's
capable, to be sure, but between the lack of wind protection and rather
topped-out nature of the motor at that speed, it's not much fun for the
rider.
So, to get myself to Ardenvoir, I would take US2 to Wenatchee, then
US97-alternate up to Entiat, then the one and only road which stretches
to Ardenvoir.
On the Road
I started out being very cautious of the huge bulk strapped to the
back of the bike. I had frantically tried to get an alternate seat for
the trip, but the one I made just wasn't done in time, and the one from
my previous bike wouldn't have worked. The bags on back would have
shoved me too far forward, and I would have been very uncomfortable
indeed.
Fortunately, the bags didn't seem to affect the handling of the
bike much, and actually improved the rear shock quite a bit -- it's
sprung and valved just a tad too strongly for me by myself, and the
extra 50 lbs on the back of the bike smoothed it out nicely. I swung
through Seattle traffic without any trouble, and was quickly on 522,
headed for US2.
 |
| First break, near Skykomish
|
The last time I'd travelled this route was years ago, on the Leavenworth ride my friend Jesse and I did.
That ride wasn't planned much, and ended up being fairly frantic
because I had to be back in Seattle for a play. I recall not enjoying
that ride much, simply because of the looming deadline. This time was
much better.
I had a smile on my face as I traversed past Gold Bar and Index,
and took my first break, just short of Skykomish. The weather was
excellent, just 70° F or so and sunny, and I was having a great
time. Attitude has a lot to do with how enjoyable this sort of
endeavor is, and I was soaring far above how I felt the last time I'd
been this way.
 |
| Leavenworth, Bavaria away from Bavaria
|
The trip through to Leavenworth passed quickly. The day was
warming up, and I was pleased by the Underarmor shirt and bicycling
shorts in combination with the Aerostich suit. It was warm, and it was
sweaty, but it was far more comfortable than cotton under the suit.
Lunch
I called Charlie and Nancy from Leavenworth, and we determined that
I had an hour left to get to Ardenvoir. Sure enough, about an hour later
I was pulling up to the ancestral home after a trip through a very dry
valley containing the Rocky Point Reservoir.
I had only vague memories of the place, having last been there
many years ago. Nancy prepared a quick lunch for us, and we partook of
lunch on the immaculate lawn beside the pool. The house looked
excellent, apparently having required a good deal of work after the
previous owner (my memory of all this interconnection is fuzzy)
died. He had been blind for years, and living by himself, and so
apparently the house was the worse for wear because of the these
circumstances.
We passed an excellent hour between lunch, a tour of the house and
nascent Christmas tree farm, and socializing. I excused myself to depart,
and we had a brief discussion of my motorcycling habits (vs. Charlie's,
as he rides a Honda cruiser on occasion).
On the Road Again
 |
| The ancestral home is up on that hill,
amidst those trees |
I finally got rolling around 3:30, only remembering to stop and
take a picture once I was nearly back down to downtown Ardenvoir
(consisting of one building: Cooper's General Store and Cafe --
Ardenvoir was a thriving metropolis of 44 residents according to
the 2000 census). I also took the occasion, as I needed to gas, to
patronize Cooper's for a tankful. It only felt appropriate, as my
great-grandfather used to own and run the store. At $3.24 per gallon,
it was the second most expensive gas I bought on the trip.
 |
| Cooper's General Store and Cafe
|
Leaving Ardenvoir, I made good time along US2, stretching out along
a straight path through rolling hills. There was a little variation,
but Eastern Washington largely consists of desert or farmland, so I
spent a lot of time looking at a landscape of sand-colored features.
Finally, I arrived in Spokane, and after a gas stop achieved the
home of one of "Awesome's" parents, who had graciously offered up their
house to be our waypoint to Helena. They were very generous, having
prepared a huge dinner to feed the hungry crew (over 15 people,
including court and courtiers), including delicious homemade pies.
Really, homemade pies? Amazing. Frankly, "Awesome."
 |
| On the straight and narrow, US2
somewhere in Eastern Washington
|
I got to the house around 7:30 PM, making for a long day, with 9
hours and 30 minutes between start and finish. The GPS said I was
actually moving for 6 hours and 47 minutes of that, and the rest of the
time was made up sitting at stop signs and lights, stopping for
pictures or to rest, or in Ardenvoir.
Post-ride
 |
| Your author, joyfully shouting "I'm
twisting!" as he rides down the zipline |
Dinner was fabulous, and I felt pampered. After dinner (and after
dark), the rambunctious crowd decided to head down to a local park (the
"moose park," so named for the statue of a large moose installed in the
playground). We had a great time in the dark, riding the zipline,
swinging, playing glow-in-the-dark frisbee, etc. There was a certain
amount of sitting around and talking, along the lines that we all felt
like we were back in highschool again, sneaking off to the park to
smoke and hang out with friends. It was pretty cool. In case you're
wondering, no, I wasn't smoking, I was just the nerd doing the
hanging-out part.
 |
| The Moose in question
|
We grew bored with the Moose, and headed down to the river to see
what was up over there (hey, it's Spokane after 9 pm). On the way
there, I realized that my wallet was absent from my pocket. The wallet
with the $200 in cash, my only ID, and my only plastic money. Oh dear.
I had a feeling I knew where it was, so I told the person next to me
where I was going, and that I'd meet them back at the house.
 |
| The parents in question enjoy books;
Basil reads |
I made a hurried walk back to the park. I got to where I expected
to see it lying on the ground, but it wasn't there. No wallet. Oh,
crap. I was just following my path through the park, but I'd really
expected to find it on the ground under the zipline. Then I looked in
the seat of the zipline (one of those flat wide rubber seats they put
on swingsets), and there was my wallet, perched exactly in the center
of it, like a pearl in an oyster. Whew!
I walked back to the house, made a few notes in my journal, and
went to sleep. Plenty enough for one day.
Created by Ian Johnston. Questions? Please mail me at reaper at
obairlann dot net.
|
