Hitting a lot of my favorite spots by motorcycle.
Previous rides albums:
More after the break…
Outbound
I started this ride at about 08:00, after dealing with some troubles I had mounting my GPS. The mount I had was intended for normal round cross section handlebars, but the Suzuki Burgman 400 I'd just bought the previous weekend didn't have any exposed handlebars. Between the grips and the plastic cowling, there wasn't anything round and safe to fasten things to. I ended up getting something cobbled together.
The first thing that happened leaving home likely led to me getting a red light ticket at my local big intersection. I'd entered the traffic signal right after it turned yellow, but because of the oncoming left-turning traffic at this double-left light, I hesitated and didn't evacuate the intersection quickly enough. It was also slightly damp out, so gunning it was probably the wrong move to make. Hopefully it won't end up as a nasty mark on my driving record.
Because of the light drizzle the whole morning, I spent the entire first part of my ride with my helmet visor not fastened down, to improve airflow and prevent fogging.
My first stop was at Bothell Landing, where I rested a few minutes and luckily found an open restroom. Since I'd be heading out on the freeway for the first time on a scooter, I thought it'd be a good idea to rest first.
Once on the freeway section of SR-522, the scooter really shone! It was able to do 80 MPH uphill without the throttle wide open, albeit nowhere nearly as smoothly as my motorcycle would. Of course, I wasn't zipping around people: I was maintaining my position in 80 MPH traffic.
After a quick break in Monroe, I hopped onto US 2 and headed into the mountains. I was right behind a guy on a Ducati, riding staggered to his right as is best practice on a motorcycle. His bike definitely had more power than mine based on his acceleration, but I didn't envy how often he had to shift as the traffic constantly changed speed, likely due to the rush hour on the highway every morning and evening. There weren't any full stops aside from at red lights, thankfully.
After passing through Sultan, Startup, and Gold Bar, I made my first stop at the Espresso Chalet. When I first showed up, I tried to find a place to park. The resident of the house beside the Chalet, seeing my plight, came out of his house and told me that there was a spot near the statues at the other end of the lot. After thanking him, I had to figure out how to get over there: parallel parked cars blocked my entrance into the highway, and the drive-thru lane of the Chalet was occupied by two cars. Thankfully, after a minute or two, one of the cars blocking my way to the other side of the lot left, and I squeezed between one of the others and the Chalet's sign and pulled into one of the spots.
Wanting some food and something to drink, I got into the walk-up line behind the Chalet. It didn't move for quite some time, likely because the folks an the drive-thru windows had big orders, but once they cleared out, the line moved as one would expect. I ended up buying a couple of Bigfoot souvenirs, a couple muffins, and an Italian soda. Hoping to find some good photo opportunities, I went into the seating area, only finding it to be fairly simple, but cute.
My next stop was the Baring Store. Last time I was out there and even times before then, it 
wsan't open, so imagine my surprise when it was!
I spoke with the staff member behind the register and she said that it opened back in 2019, not long after my previous ride through the area.
Since I was down to 3/5 of a tank and wasn't sure how the climb up to Stevens Pass would affect my scooter's fuel economy, I stopped at Sky Gas to top off. Just like my my previous motorcycle ride, the pump didn't take my card, though the attendant said it was because the pump itself was bad. Not thinking, I told him I wanted $15 in gas, even though I wasn't filling up a low tank. Thankfully, the difference would be put back on my card
I then stopped at LouSkis Deli on the Sky (formerly the 
Sky Deli) to get some food, which ended up being a Reuben. Even though it took some time, and I didn't end up eating it until I got to the pass, it was still delicious.
It was really nice to finally visit Skykomish again! While it definitely didn't hold the same weight as when I'd be riding my bicycle out there, it was still a pleasant and quiet time.
The old Skykomish Hotel was still vacant, as always.
While walking around, I saw the owner of the Great Northern & Cascade Railway riding along, with a locomotive I've never seen on the miniature railroad leading the way.
When I first pulled into Skykomish, there was a freight train making its way up to the pass. It stopped just uphill of the road through town, so I was able to freely cross the tracks while walking around, but when I starting riding up the Old Cascade Highway, I discovered that it was blocking the crossing on said highway. As I turned around, I saw that the downhill train that had been blocking the tracks had just passed the signal that was blocking the uphill train, so the latter started to move. I had to wait for the downhill train after I got back into town, but by the time I got to where the new highway joined the old highway, the uphill train was still blocking it, meaning I'd made the right decision.
The ride up the pass was fairly straightforward. I stayed in the right lane, only getting into the left to pass an RV. As I approached the pass and the highway's sweeping turns, I slowed down a bit for safety, in addition to mindfully choosing the lines I took.
I first went straight for the gravel parking lot as I got to the pass, since I didn't see the paved one a little closer to the highway, but ended up moving to the paved lot anyway. As I pulled in, a young guy who was among those skiing asked me if it was my first time up, mentioning that he'd noticed my temporary license plate. I told him that it was not only my first time up there on the scooter, but also my first time up there with a motor! I'd later run into him again after taking photos: he asked me if I got some good photos, and he hooted when I said "yes". He must've been having a pretty good day!
There was a lot of snow around, but because the resort and slopes were officially closed, there weren't very many people around. The few who were skiing the slopes were doing it at their own risk: signs all over asserted that no maintenance was being performed. Even the buildings were close, meaning I had to use a vault toilet before leaving.
Inbound
The first thing I noticed when heading back down was the wind: it was slapping my head left and right, which was very unpleasant at 70+ MPH. The 80 MPH from earlier the day was a better time! I thought it would be nice to take the middle segment of the Old Cascade Highway, not only because of the slow speeds solving the wind issue, but also because it was the route I'd taken last time. Thus, I got off the highway at the Iron Goat Trailhead, rested a bit, then cruised down the old highway at 25-30 MPH. The only others I saw were a couple of people riding their bicycles uphill.
After a short stint on the highway again, I turned off at Index. While I hadn't planned on seeing the Index–Galena Road washout initially, I decided that now was the perfect time to head out that way. When I did arrive, I discovered that the county was working on repairing it, and that there was someone guarding the road, preventing me from seeing it up close 
again. However, I did have a nice chat with the construction worker, who took interest in my scooter. He said he had a motorcycle back in the '70s, so I told him about my dad's longtime love of motorcycles. When he asked why I was taking photos, I told him about my bicycle touring, and how the pandemic put that on old. When he said that he though the pandemic was overblown, I took it as my cue to get going. I didn't think it'd turn into an argument, but I wanted to keep the nice day going.
My next stop was at the Index General Store. When I pulled in, a guy with the deepest, throatiest voice I'd heard in a long time said he'd never seen a bike like mine and thought it was cool.
I spent some time walking around town, taking photos as always. I had to avoid a photo shoot starring a girl in a dress on the bridge and a couple I'd assumed to be her parents. I didn't want to ruin any photos!
I left Index via Reiter Road, one of my favorite for cycling in the area. It was definitely a different experience on a motorcycle! The tight turns and slow speeds relative to the highway were very satisfying. There was certainly more car traffic than on the Old Cascade Highway earlier, but I still saw some cyclists on it like earlier.
I passed through Gold Bar, then got on US 2 to head over to Sultan to see the new pedestrian bridge. I'd 
seen 
it being built last time, so it was really cool seeing it come to completion. I wanted to get some shots of the side of it this time, but I didn't find a convenient way to get to the riverbank.
As I got ready to leave, an older woman asked me if there was a "city park" there. She then clarified that she was looking for a swing-set and so on, which meant she was really looking for a playground. This reminded me of how I always thought "park" referred to playgrounds back when I was a kid. I told her that I wasn't from Sultan and that there may be one on the other side of the bridge, before realizing that I'd seen them walking from the other side when I was on it. I really need to pay more attention!
After taking US 2 back to Monroe, I finally was done with that highway for the day. I took the back road to Snohomish, which was a pleasant experience as always. One thing concerned me along that leg: there was a Volkswagen New Beetle puffing a lot of smoke out of its exhaust before the car in front of me. When it started, we both slowed down, but then kept going. I kept my distance and wits about me in case something went south.
My next leg was along SR-9 south out of Snohomish. My scooter had no trouble taking the hill at speed! I didn't stay on it long, though: I had to hang a right and go through Silver Firs to visit Mike, a friend of mine who used to work at my old bike shop.
When I got to his house, he said he heard my scooter and wondered if it was his neighbor on his Harley again. We chatted about things like the scooter, motorcycles in general, bicycle fit, and his work packing up for the move back to Boston in not too long. I was aware of the move, but it still made me a little sad to see him go. As I started to leave, he commented on how quiet my scooter was.
My next stop was my parents' house. I told my dad I'd get there between 14:00 and 16:00, only to arrive at 16:30. I felt bad about arriving late, but he didn't seem to mind too much. I was there to both visit, and so my dad could install one of his spare Battery Tender wires on my scooter. Unfortunately, my scooter with its lithium-ion battery can't use a standard Battery Tender, so I had to order a different one.
The ride home was honestly pretty annoying. I hing a right near Shelton View Elementary school to see if I could find another route to Locust Way, only to discover that it was a loop road that dumped me back onto Meridian Avenue. Later on, after I'd passed through Northgate, a car crash blocked the lane I was in. Since I didn't want to block traffic by getting into the right lane, I made a left onto Aurora Avenue, then a right onto N 85th Street, which had horrible traffic compared to what I'd normally see on Northgate Way. When I did finally get home, I was very glad to be out of the traffic.
The biggest takeaway I got from this ride was this: while I don't feel exhilaration while riding at speed, I certainly feel the "down" after as though I'd done something super exciting. Could it be that I'm used to the speed from riding the bicycle downhill at 40+ MPH? Maybe, maybe not. I'm certainly looking forward to my next motorcycle/scooter ride, though!
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