Fontanaman
Robin Trower
Living in the Seattle means early season day riding is limited to Western Washington lowlands as several passes (the best ones) over the Cascade Mountains are closed or the passes open have ice or other fugly things like calcium chloride.
Today was the first day of decent riding this year at least for a working stiff like me. Got in about 250 miles today. As the forecast was for showers near the Canada/USA border I road south to some of my favorite roads where it was sunny and in the mid 50's. Not bad for March in these parts.
Head south on to Black Diamond a former coal mining community, now bedroom community, about 35 miles south east of Seattle. It is a nice way to take get to the backroads south of Orting so I ride it frequently.
Black Diamond boasts it is a sleepy town with nice view of Mt. Rainier. Today the view looked like this.
On days with better light conditions you might get a photo like this.
Black Diamond is also known as a speed trap. Been that way for years. State Hwy 169 bisects the town and is a great source of income.
This little mining car has been there for years too. In my youth I thought cutting the car free from it's short rail mounts. This is sort of like jerking the axle from the cop car in the movie American Graffiti.
This shot of Mt. Rainier is near Enumclaw about 5 miles south of Black Diamond.
After this I went through the towns of Buckley, South Prairie, Kapowsin, Eatonville, LaGrande and Elbe before shooting a better photo of Mt. Rainier. The skies cleared as I went south, nice!
I choose Hwy 508 over US 12. It is less crowded and Hwy 508 follows the Tilton River a more scenic option. On the fly I decide to find Fluckinger Road, so I did without help from my GPS!
Other than the name the Fluckinger road is nothing to write home about. It is about 1/4 mile long. Here it is:
From here I went to the towns of Vador and Curtis finding some nice flowering cherry trees along the way.
From Vador I road the Wildwood Road, Curtis Hill Road, Bunker Creek Road, Michigan Hill Road, Lincoln Creek Road, Independence Road (would somebody with a triangular hat and musket take pot shot at me) and in to Rochester.
This is farm land country and each of these roads is a delight. Out here I just ride the speed I want to ride. Honestly I don't know the speed limit, I just ride what the road gives knowing there can be sand or hazards in each corner.
After riding the road from Rochester to Littlerock I gassed up the the Costco in Tumwater, picked up I-5 and slabbed it home. It was a nice day to be on the FJR.
EOF
Today was the first day of decent riding this year at least for a working stiff like me. Got in about 250 miles today. As the forecast was for showers near the Canada/USA border I road south to some of my favorite roads where it was sunny and in the mid 50's. Not bad for March in these parts.
Head south on to Black Diamond a former coal mining community, now bedroom community, about 35 miles south east of Seattle. It is a nice way to take get to the backroads south of Orting so I ride it frequently.
Black Diamond boasts it is a sleepy town with nice view of Mt. Rainier. Today the view looked like this.
On days with better light conditions you might get a photo like this.
Black Diamond is also known as a speed trap. Been that way for years. State Hwy 169 bisects the town and is a great source of income.
This little mining car has been there for years too. In my youth I thought cutting the car free from it's short rail mounts. This is sort of like jerking the axle from the cop car in the movie American Graffiti.
This shot of Mt. Rainier is near Enumclaw about 5 miles south of Black Diamond.
After this I went through the towns of Buckley, South Prairie, Kapowsin, Eatonville, LaGrande and Elbe before shooting a better photo of Mt. Rainier. The skies cleared as I went south, nice!
I choose Hwy 508 over US 12. It is less crowded and Hwy 508 follows the Tilton River a more scenic option. On the fly I decide to find Fluckinger Road, so I did without help from my GPS!
Other than the name the Fluckinger road is nothing to write home about. It is about 1/4 mile long. Here it is:
From here I went to the towns of Vador and Curtis finding some nice flowering cherry trees along the way.
From Vador I road the Wildwood Road, Curtis Hill Road, Bunker Creek Road, Michigan Hill Road, Lincoln Creek Road, Independence Road (would somebody with a triangular hat and musket take pot shot at me) and in to Rochester.
This is farm land country and each of these roads is a delight. Out here I just ride the speed I want to ride. Honestly I don't know the speed limit, I just ride what the road gives knowing there can be sand or hazards in each corner.
After riding the road from Rochester to Littlerock I gassed up the the Costco in Tumwater, picked up I-5 and slabbed it home. It was a nice day to be on the FJR.
EOF
