LOOKING FOR THE SUN
COFFEE STOP IN MONROE, WASHINGTON
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Ok, maybe not “desperate”, but the lack of sunny warm days in the Pacific Northwest this year has been downright depressing. I decided I wanted to find some reasonably sunny, warm weather to ride in, so I met Mike in Puyallup on a recent Monday morning and off we headed toward the other side of the mountains.
It was cloudy, cool, and a little damp as we rolled up Highway 167, then Highway 18 through Auburn. Raced up over Tiger Mountain (OK, not really a “mountain”, its only 1400 feet) and through the small town of Snoqualmie. A left turn took us past Snoqualmie Falls, and through the small towns of Fall City, Carnation, and Duvall on SR203. This is a nice ride, 2-lane road, lots of countryside, and only the occasional slowpoke…speed limit is mostly 55, except in the small towns. We stopped in Monroe to grab some coffee, and then hopped on Highway 2 through Sultan, Gold Bar, and Skykomish on our way over Stevens Pass (4000+ feet). Someone forgot to pay the heat bill at the top of the pass, still snow on the ground and we were freezing! A quick blast (75+ mph) down the other side toward Leavenworth and we could feel the temperature rising.
We stopped along the Wenatchee River to shed the coats, then gassed up in Leavenworth and shed the sweatshirts. Leavenworth was a bit breezy, but mid-70s and sunny as we rolled through just before noon.
A side note: if you have never been to Leavenworth, you gotta go! The town was remodeled in the early 1960s to resemble a Bavarian Village, with all kinds of cool shops, restaurants, bars, and hotels. There are always festivals, concerts, and activities going on.
We called Mark and arranged to meet at their house in Wenatchee, then head out for lunch. A quick 25-minute ride into Wenatchee and we were there, loving every minute of the near-80 degree temperature! Mark and Kathy took us downtown to a place called Bob’s, cool place with a ’57 Chevy sticking out of the roof! Good food, good company and a beer or two, and it was time to head back.
Back at Mark’s, we saddled up and headed out of Wenatchee, then turned onto Highway 97 to go over Blewitt Pass. Blewitt is another 4100 ft pass, nice road, lots of easy turns and twists. About 35 miles later, we came to the junction of Highways 97 and 970, and opted to take 970 west into the town of Cle Elum. Cle Elum HAS to be the windiest damn town in Washington…I have never been there or through there when there was no wind! Stopped for a break and put on the sweatshirt, then rolled out to I-90 for the last leg home, over Snoqualmie Pass. As we neared the pass, the temperature kept dropping, and we could see the dark grey clouds overtaking the blue sky. One more stop to add the coat and heavier gloves, and over the pass we went, catching Highway 18 back down through Auburn and into Sumner. One more stop in Sumner at the Riverside Pub for a cold brew, and we parted company to head home.
Just over 300 miles, this made a great lunch run! Riding in the 80-degree weather didn’t hurt a bit, either!
It was cloudy, cool, and a little damp as we rolled up Highway 167, then Highway 18 through Auburn. Raced up over Tiger Mountain (OK, not really a “mountain”, its only 1400 feet) and through the small town of Snoqualmie. A left turn took us past Snoqualmie Falls, and through the small towns of Fall City, Carnation, and Duvall on SR203. This is a nice ride, 2-lane road, lots of countryside, and only the occasional slowpoke…speed limit is mostly 55, except in the small towns. We stopped in Monroe to grab some coffee, and then hopped on Highway 2 through Sultan, Gold Bar, and Skykomish on our way over Stevens Pass (4000+ feet). Someone forgot to pay the heat bill at the top of the pass, still snow on the ground and we were freezing! A quick blast (75+ mph) down the other side toward Leavenworth and we could feel the temperature rising.
We stopped along the Wenatchee River to shed the coats, then gassed up in Leavenworth and shed the sweatshirts. Leavenworth was a bit breezy, but mid-70s and sunny as we rolled through just before noon.
A side note: if you have never been to Leavenworth, you gotta go! The town was remodeled in the early 1960s to resemble a Bavarian Village, with all kinds of cool shops, restaurants, bars, and hotels. There are always festivals, concerts, and activities going on.
We called Mark and arranged to meet at their house in Wenatchee, then head out for lunch. A quick 25-minute ride into Wenatchee and we were there, loving every minute of the near-80 degree temperature! Mark and Kathy took us downtown to a place called Bob’s, cool place with a ’57 Chevy sticking out of the roof! Good food, good company and a beer or two, and it was time to head back.
Back at Mark’s, we saddled up and headed out of Wenatchee, then turned onto Highway 97 to go over Blewitt Pass. Blewitt is another 4100 ft pass, nice road, lots of easy turns and twists. About 35 miles later, we came to the junction of Highways 97 and 970, and opted to take 970 west into the town of Cle Elum. Cle Elum HAS to be the windiest damn town in Washington…I have never been there or through there when there was no wind! Stopped for a break and put on the sweatshirt, then rolled out to I-90 for the last leg home, over Snoqualmie Pass. As we neared the pass, the temperature kept dropping, and we could see the dark grey clouds overtaking the blue sky. One more stop to add the coat and heavier gloves, and over the pass we went, catching Highway 18 back down through Auburn and into Sumner. One more stop in Sumner at the Riverside Pub for a cold brew, and we parted company to head home.
Just over 300 miles, this made a great lunch run! Riding in the 80-degree weather didn’t hurt a bit, either!
I-90 WESTBOUND
COFFEE STOP IN MONROE
HEADING INTO LEAVENWORTH