Stevens Pass to North Cascades Highway

[Daboo]

I went with a friend on Friday on a 400 mile day trip. We met at the Buzz Inn in Monroe at 7am. As I was riding there with minimal amounts of sleep, I was asking myself why I was doing this. I just retired! I can sleep in. But it was worth it to see him again and ride for the day.

Here's the route we took. The image was taken from the map page on the inReach website. I like the inReach SE. It'll track your location, and even if you're out of cell phone range, will allow you to send text messages or call for help.


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For those of you into "food porn", this is all I have to offer:




A Buzz Inn breakfast. The hash browns weren't really done. But the eggs were good.

We did something that I've never done before. It made an incredible difference in the ride. I had a Sena 10C which is a combination of a Bluetooth headset and camera. He bought a Sena 10S. It took us a few minutes to pair the two headsets together since neither of us had done it before, but once we did...wow! We had a running conversation for hours, just like if you were both sitting in a car together.

It wasn't long before we were out of town and hitting some of the scenery that makes the Cascades so nice to ride on.


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We stopped for lunch at Howard's Inn Restaurant in Pateros. Good food. The fries were delicious! And the hamburger was really nice.


This was looking towards Liberty Bell mountain. That's the area that keeps the pass closed once the snow starts falling. The threat of avalanches becomes too high. I heard they were digging the road out from 45-60 feet of snow.



Farther down the road... We didn't plan it this way, it just happened...and made a nice picture.


Diablo Lake really is that color of green. It happens from the rock particles that break off and float along with the water into the lake.


I should make this into a wallpaper for my cell phone.


When we stopped at the overlook, we met two "riders" from Vancouver, BC. Both were carrying their bicycles on the back of their Suzuki V-Stroms! The picture doesn't do them justice really.



Chris

[Daboo]

This trip was kind of a "dry run" for me. I'm headed south to Utah to ride through 5 National Parks in June. What would I pack? Where was the best place to put it? And most importantly, how well would the bike fare?

The previous owner had added a number of modifications to the bike to make it more suitable for touring. There were a couple I hadn't explored yet. One was a Zega Pro holder for two fuel bottles. The system works with a base plate that stays attached to the case. You then add the specific bracket to hold the container you want. If you're considering carrying extra fuel and don't want it leaving fuel fumes in one of your side cases, this is a way to make it work.



As for the F800GT, I'm impressed once again. I toyed with the idea of upgrading to a R1200RS like Richard230 has for a month or so. And that bike is impressive. All I needed was to find on this dry run ride that I was getting too much vibration, or that my leg was burning in the "heat". Yes, it got into the mid to high 70s on the east side of the Cascades for awhile. But sigh...no new bike for me. The GT just did flawlessly. I have no justification for buying a bike that would cost me thousands more...and maybe not meet my needs as well.

There were times we were riding along at 75 and when passing, up to 80-90 mph. Vibration? Not really. I felt some in my left hand for a few minutes. Ah-ha! New bike justification! Then I realized it was the glove finger that was picking up the vibration and magnifying it. Hmmm...what to do about this? Oh...move your finger to hold it in one place. "Problem" solved. Vibration gone. And for the rest of the 400+ miles, it never came back.

It actually seemed like the bike was smoother up at 85 mph or so, in the 5500 rpm area. I didn't want to leave it like that for long. We were in a 60 mph area and I didn't want a "performance award" for being dumb, but I did file that away in the back of my mind for later.

Seating position...great. I've worked out the Airhawk cushion to where it is comfy. The "secret" lies in letting even more air out than you think is the minimum. There's no rolling feel at all. And you don't even really notice it there. But there is just a wee bit of cushion there...enough to make a huge difference. At the end of the day, my back was a bit sore, and my arm muscles were too. But I don't attribute that to the bike at all. I've been working out each day, trying to build up my core muscles and was sore from that when I got up. If I'd worked out Friday morning before leaving, the soreness would've been gone. (25 push-ups, 50 sit-ups. Nordic Trak for 20 minutes. Then another 25 push-ups and 50 sit-ups. Plus some stretching exercises to start.)

Handling was great. I realize I'm not looking as far out ahead as I normally do in the summer. It makes a difference. The roads have fallen apart in the Seattle area over the winter. Pot holes. Gaps big enough to trap your front tire in the seams of the road. And until recently, sand on the road if you weren't watching for it. All that has left me riding more conservatively in the winter months that seemed to never leave us till a few days ago. And it has led to habits of focusing on the closer up area in front of me to dodge those road hazards. But the bike??? It does great, and leaves me wanting more...and realizing it was me holding it back.

When we hit the freeway...it tracked sure. Around the Everett waterfront there were some strong winds coming off the water from the side. The bike moved a little, but I let it. It was still relaxed, or as much relaxed as you can be with Friday night rush hour in the middle of a million cars.

Bottom line...I could ride this bike all day, and the next day, and the next day. It's a keeper.

Chris

[Futterman]

Great day trip, Chris! Terrific photos and scenery. Love the fuel bottles too.

That sign! "DELAY OF 5 VEHICLES ILLEGAL MUST USE TURNOUT" needs to be a federal law! Brilliant highway engineering. No tolerance for some slowpoke setting the pace for the rest of us trying to get somewhere.

(BTW food pics aren't coming through...)