sportsguy
searchgeek - author
So, today's ride has been in the planning stages for over a year now.
No, it's not a particularly long ride, nor is it anything really challenging.
When we decided to get the motorcycle when we moved here, we knew we'd be riding 2 up at some point. I wanted to ride for a while on my own to get back into the feel of things. Then we picked away at getting my wife's gear together. Today was the day it all came together.
It had been almost 15 years since my wife last rode on a bike, and almost that long since I last carried a passenger on a bike, so we felt a simple run around town would be the perfect way to ease back into the flow of 2 up riding.
Seems "a simple run" turned out to be 180 miles over 5+ hours!
Clicky for route
We started out at home and enjoyed the run over Novelty Hill to the valley. A quick right saw us enjoying the sights, smells and warmth. A hard right after the bridge led us down towards Carnation; just outside town. I checked with my wife at this point, and her thumbs up saw us cruising towards Stillwater. Figuring this would see us headed back home, we scooted up Stillwater enjoying the sights and smells of farms, wild life and gliders. A few hawks and a bald eagle rounded out the flying show nicely.
Dropping down into Duvall, we grabbed a quick break at the Shell station. A few minutes later, with cookies from a local shop in hand, we bade farewell to sleepy Duvall and I pointed the Black Barge toward Ben Howard Road. Just before we pulled out of Duvall, my wife noted she was feeling great, was nice and comfy and ready to ride. Ben Howard, here we come!
Hardly taken at break-neck speed, Ben Howard nevertheless was it's usual excellent ride. Traffic was light, the sun was beaming and we took time to enjoy the sights. When we rolled into Sultan, I banged a hard right and figured I'd head toward Steven's Pass for a few minutes. We rolled through Gold Bar and I pulled over to check how my wife was holding up. I figured we were close to the turn around point by this time, but as ever, my wife amazed me with her stamina. I suggested Steven's Pass was only about 30 miles from where we'd stopped, and she was game to go take a look.
We were geared up and ready to tackle the Pass, so we pressed onwards and upwards. Running by 3600 feet in elevation, the temp gauge grabbed a number in the high 30's as if to impress me with it's ability to deliver shocking news nonchalantly. Undeterred, I simply shrugged and continued the task of making miles evaporate.
By the time the Pass was conquered, and we stopped at the ski lodge parking lot, my earlier decision to not wear my quilted jacket liner had been proven to be, ah... wrong. I was officially chilly. Heck, I hadn't planned to be way the heck up there on my wife's first ride in 15 years! So, after about 5 minutes of gawking at the snow, we high-tailed it back down to warmer climes. Before we left, though, I took time to admire the snow clinging to the boughs on the evergreens a few hundred feet higher on the mountain side. Truly beautiful, it reminded me of the things I like about winter... then I thanked the Gods I live at a much lower elevation where that fluffy white stuff is, thankfully, limited.
By this time, we were hungry. No denying it, my stomach was eyeing my spleen, so time to nosh.
We pulled into the Sultan Bakery and figured, worst case, we'd have a quick snack at grab dinner at home. MISTAKE!
Now, I'll admit - yes, we are the LAST people to find the Sultan Bakery. I gave up trying to finish my turkey sandwich, and helped my wife with her grilled cheese. To say they slice the bread thick is like saying Everest is high. Minor understatement. With "lunch" finished, we grabbed some baked goods for the road and pointed the Barge homeward. A few minutes later in Monroe, I couldn't bear the thought of droning back on the highway, so we hung a left and booked it back towards Duvall.
Passing Ben Howard Rd., Stillwater and NE Cherry Valley Rd. I had to smile. An amazing ride with my amazing wife. What a great day.
The rest of the ride was the usual route home through Carnation and Fall City, then in through Redmond and back to the house. Our post-mortem of the day saw us high-fiving in the garage, with huge smiles on our faces! For the next 45 minutes we recounted all the things we'd seen today. Never ceases to amaze me that no matter how often you drive a road in your car, riding the same route on your bike gives you a whole new perspective.
After getting all the gear stowed, both my wife and I agreed this was an awesome day! We were hopeful we'd enjoy riding together, and it turns out we both loved it. My wife is all about safety, and she was very pleased to see my riding style makes her completely comfortable. So was I.
Just as the lights in the garage were being turned off, I heard my wife asking "Can we do that again next weekend?"
Damn straight we can! Damn straight!
I wonder if I can convince her to come to the Tech Day in a couple weeks?
No, it's not a particularly long ride, nor is it anything really challenging.
When we decided to get the motorcycle when we moved here, we knew we'd be riding 2 up at some point. I wanted to ride for a while on my own to get back into the feel of things. Then we picked away at getting my wife's gear together. Today was the day it all came together.
It had been almost 15 years since my wife last rode on a bike, and almost that long since I last carried a passenger on a bike, so we felt a simple run around town would be the perfect way to ease back into the flow of 2 up riding.
Seems "a simple run" turned out to be 180 miles over 5+ hours!
Clicky for route
We started out at home and enjoyed the run over Novelty Hill to the valley. A quick right saw us enjoying the sights, smells and warmth. A hard right after the bridge led us down towards Carnation; just outside town. I checked with my wife at this point, and her thumbs up saw us cruising towards Stillwater. Figuring this would see us headed back home, we scooted up Stillwater enjoying the sights and smells of farms, wild life and gliders. A few hawks and a bald eagle rounded out the flying show nicely.
Dropping down into Duvall, we grabbed a quick break at the Shell station. A few minutes later, with cookies from a local shop in hand, we bade farewell to sleepy Duvall and I pointed the Black Barge toward Ben Howard Road. Just before we pulled out of Duvall, my wife noted she was feeling great, was nice and comfy and ready to ride. Ben Howard, here we come!
Hardly taken at break-neck speed, Ben Howard nevertheless was it's usual excellent ride. Traffic was light, the sun was beaming and we took time to enjoy the sights. When we rolled into Sultan, I banged a hard right and figured I'd head toward Steven's Pass for a few minutes. We rolled through Gold Bar and I pulled over to check how my wife was holding up. I figured we were close to the turn around point by this time, but as ever, my wife amazed me with her stamina. I suggested Steven's Pass was only about 30 miles from where we'd stopped, and she was game to go take a look.
We were geared up and ready to tackle the Pass, so we pressed onwards and upwards. Running by 3600 feet in elevation, the temp gauge grabbed a number in the high 30's as if to impress me with it's ability to deliver shocking news nonchalantly. Undeterred, I simply shrugged and continued the task of making miles evaporate.
By the time the Pass was conquered, and we stopped at the ski lodge parking lot, my earlier decision to not wear my quilted jacket liner had been proven to be, ah... wrong. I was officially chilly. Heck, I hadn't planned to be way the heck up there on my wife's first ride in 15 years! So, after about 5 minutes of gawking at the snow, we high-tailed it back down to warmer climes.
Before we left, though, I took time to admire the snow clinging to the boughs on the evergreens a few hundred feet higher on the mountain side. Truly beautiful, it reminded me of the things I like about winter... then I thanked the Gods I live at a much lower elevation where that fluffy white stuff is, thankfully, limited. By this time, we were hungry. No denying it, my stomach was eyeing my spleen, so time to nosh.
We pulled into the Sultan Bakery and figured, worst case, we'd have a quick snack at grab dinner at home. MISTAKE!
Now, I'll admit - yes, we are the LAST people to find the Sultan Bakery. I gave up trying to finish my turkey sandwich, and helped my wife with her grilled cheese. To say they slice the bread thick is like saying Everest is high. Minor understatement. With "lunch" finished, we grabbed some baked goods for the road and pointed the Barge homeward. A few minutes later in Monroe, I couldn't bear the thought of droning back on the highway, so we hung a left and booked it back towards Duvall.
Passing Ben Howard Rd., Stillwater and NE Cherry Valley Rd. I had to smile. An amazing ride with my amazing wife. What a great day.
The rest of the ride was the usual route home through Carnation and Fall City, then in through Redmond and back to the house. Our post-mortem of the day saw us high-fiving in the garage, with huge smiles on our faces! For the next 45 minutes we recounted all the things we'd seen today. Never ceases to amaze me that no matter how often you drive a road in your car, riding the same route on your bike gives you a whole new perspective.
After getting all the gear stowed, both my wife and I agreed this was an awesome day! We were hopeful we'd enjoy riding together, and it turns out we both loved it. My wife is all about safety, and she was very pleased to see my riding style makes her completely comfortable. So was I.
Just as the lights in the garage were being turned off, I heard my wife asking "Can we do that again next weekend?"
Damn straight we can! Damn straight!
I wonder if I can convince her to come to the Tech Day in a couple weeks?
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