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High Pressure Happiness
 10
Northwest Winter Rides Not To Miss
Record-breaking rainfall, heavy duty wind storms, excessive snow
fall... You know what’s been going on up here in the Northwest over
the last several months. Your bike is so deep in moth balls you’ve
forgotten where you parked it last fall.
And then it happens. Out with the clouds and in with the
sunshine. A high pressure front comes along and sits over the
Northwest like an invisible cloud of heavenly wonder. The mountains
are out and you begin to scramble looking for your riding gear, tank
bag… and… the key to your bike! Quick - find it before the next rain
storm!
But where to go you wonder? Too much snow in the mountains and
California is too far out of the way. A simple day ride will do to
break the long stretch of cabin fever. Fear not, we have a few ideas
for you as you plan your day of two-wheel escape.
We’ve assembled 10 Northwest rides for you to ponder – five in
Washington, three in Oregon and two in Idaho. The basic idea,
they’re all close to metropolitan areas, they can be done in a day
and they are all at elevations near or below 3,000 feet. From the
shores of Whidbey to the Lobster Valley take a winter ride!
Whidbey Island – Whidbey Island is a beautiful spot for a
two-wheel getaway. But the trick here is to exit the main highways
(SR 20 and SR 525) and explore the many back roads that will lead
you up and down the island. A good atlas will help you with that or
you can just make up your own ride as you go along. When you get
tired of meandering, you can always make your way back to a main road
and get lunch in any of the three populated areas – Oak Harbor,
Coupeville or Langley. For more detail
click here.
Buffalo Run – A trip into the Cascades. Now that sounds a
little daring. But the Buffalo Run is exactly that and you only ride
to 1,500 feet in elevation. The Buffalo Run is a restaurant situated
along SR 20 at Marblemount and serves up a decent Buffalo Burger.
For more details and routing
click here.
Ready for the Ride?
Dress Smartly – Be sure to leave cotton
garments at home. Synthetics such as Polyester, Rayon
and Thermolite will keep you much warmer. Blue jeans and
cotton tee shirts, even under your riding gear will not
insulate you as well or as evenly as synthetics.
Stay Warm – Use heated clothing or Heat Pax
along with full base layers to add warmth to your ride.
Being cold on a winter ride will steal from your ability
to keep focused on the ride. If you’re using nothing,
consider stopping at least every hour to warm up, relax
and enjoy the day. Eating throughout the day will also
help your body create more heat at the core.
Beware the Asphalt Beasts – There are numerous
road surface conditions you need to pay attention to
during a winter ride. Pot holes are common after
freezing rain and ice have cracked the pavement. Gravel
is commonly sprayed to provide traction during snow
conditions. It routinely piles up in the centerline and
shoulders of the road. If you pull to the side of the
road, go gentle with the throttle as you pull out to
avoid fishtailing the back onto its side.
Frost and Ice – More common than maple syrup
on pancakes at this time of year, frost and ice are
hiding behind every corner – or at least you should plan
for that to be the case. Performance cornering in the
dead of winter should not be a priority, especially on
blind corners.
Can you see clearly now? - Fog shows up when
you least expect it on a sunny day during a winter ride.
Something to do with the air being colder below a warm
layer of air above. Be sure to slow down based on how
far you can see ahead. For better vision in foggy
conditions, use a pair of
glasses outfitted with a yellow lens which reduces
blue light, the light in rain and fog that makes it hard
to see ahead.
Atlas me this – A good road atlas is essential
anytime, but critical in winter riding, especially if
you’re venturing off to a new place. Some atlases like
those produced by DeLorme are incredibly out of date.
Use a reliable road atlas to plan your route like those
made by
Benchmark Maps. |
Olympic Loop – Some of our readers would rather take a
long 300-mile-plus ride. For them, a loop around the Olympic
Peninsula is just what the doctor ordered. Start from wherever it’s
convenient based on where you live and ride. Instead of following
101 through Lake Crescent be sure to use the alternates of SR 112
and SR 113. US 101 along Lake Crescent is notorious for thick frost
at this time of year. Meals can be had at many places along the way.
With our clockwise route, via Kingston as a starting point, we like
to take breakfast at Quilcene, lunch at Lake Quinalt Lodge and
dinner in Port Townsend.
The Palouse – Spokanians have a dream set of twisties in
their own backyard. With just a quick romp down US 195 or SR27 they
can be in the Wheatland valleys of the Palouse. The roads are
endless. Again, this is a make-it-up-as-you-go or lay-it-out-ahead-of-time with a reliable atlas.
Green Mountain Road – Vancouver, Washington is now the
second largest city in Washington state and conveniently located on
the border of Washington and Oregon. This means our friends in
Portland can partake in this wondrous ride. The place is called
Green Mountain, the road is hard to navigate. What’s the big deal,
so you get lost – that’s part of the fun. Green Mountain Road is
located between Woodland and Kalama just east of I-5. Views of the
valley below are stunning at 1,800 feet along the upper ridge of the
mountain.
Lobster Valley Road – A road-less-traveled south of the
Portland area. From Portland, slab it to Albany, then head west on SR
34. At Alsea, turn south onto Alsea-Deadwood Valley road which will
become Lobster Valley road at the Lobster summit. Ride the length of
it, repeat if necessary, then return to SR 34 and head west for a
field trip to the beach. It’s an all-day ride to be sure, but worth
the trek. More details at www.oregonmotorcyclist.com
Historic Columbia River Highway – An old favorite, the
ride from Troutdale to Multnomah Falls provides scenery, history and
plenty of twisties. Much of the road from Troutdale to the falls
area was resurfaced in 2006, but we’d advise you pay close attention
to frost and moss on the roadway through this area. We suggest you
begin with a late breakfast at Edgefield Inn while you wait for the
frost to evaporate, placing you along Vista House about the noon
hour.
Shaniko to Fossil – For those of you out in the ever-growing
area of Bend, a day trip from Shaniko to Fossil
is always a treat. In fact, the more you ride this road the more fun
it gets. But hey – ain’t that true for any road? Our experience says
it’s more true with this one than most, but no one has actually
figured out why. More details about this ride are available in Bruce
Hansen’s Motorcycle Journeys through the Pacific Northwest.
Cook's Two Holer - At least that's what the locals know it
as. Officially it's called Cook's Two Hole. Regardless
of the name and implication, the place is famous for cooking up a
good burger. Located southwest of Boise a few miles, the place
makes a good jumping off point for a road trip along the Snake River
in the afternoon.
Old Spiral Highway - okay - we cheated, this ride is
actually in eastern Washington near the border of Idaho. Why
did we do that? Folks - Idaho is a cold place with typical
temperatures in the teens in the winter months. Most of the
state is above 3,000 feet meaning there's enough snow and ice statewide for Santa to send the reindeer in for spring training. So
we chose a place close to home that's sure to thaw out before Lolo
Pass.
Just east of Lewiston is a nice stretch of twisty road and one
worth mastering with repeated rides up and down it - the Old Spiral
Highway located just off of US 195. Typically you won't find a
lot of traffic on this road, especially in the early morning and
late afternoon hours.
PT/Winter 2007 |
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