Headed over Snoqualmie Pass again to check out Roslyn, which had been on my list of places to see for a long time. The town was lovely. I also headed up to Cle Elum Lake and the Cle Elum River, despite the weather turning.
Past ride albums:
More after the break…
Outbound
I'd originally planned this ride to include my partner as a passenger, so I planned to start at 8 AM so she wouldn't have to get up too early. When the time drew near, she said she was too tired, so this was a solo ride starting at that time.
Getting up to the Snoqualmie Pass was quite fun! Back when I had this Bonneville as my only bike, I thought that it was difficult to get on the side of the tire, but it wasn't difficult at all now. Riding my Ninja must've trained me to be more confident when cornering, so I was able to take I-90's curves at speed.
When I did finally arrive at Snoqualmie Pass, I was surprised at how busy it was compared to last time. When I got a pastry and hot chocolate, there was a line at Laconia Market's till.
I was also surprised to see someone taking the pass by bicycle, since the Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel is the usual bicycle route. I'm guessing it hadn't opened yet.
Here we go again! #motorcycle (@ Laconia Market in North Bend, WA) https://t.co/gBETGlWDYf pic.twitter.com/5XYlI7rS2G
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 21, 2022
It sure is busy up here.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 21, 2022
My next stop was in Roslyn, one of the main goals of this trip. Back when I joined the 2015 BQ Un-meeting, I recall some riders heading over there, but my knee hurt too much for me to do much riding at all once in Cle Elum.
I'm at City of Roslyn in WA https://t.co/BYIw2oKP8j
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 21, 2022
A tiny farmers' market was taking place at a little square in town.
And there were a lot of amenities devoted to Roslyn's coal mining history, like a miners' memorial and an outdoor museum.
Oh, and Heritage Distilling has a huge brick building as their location here.
I was surprised at all of the folks I saw riding bicycles out there, though they were mainly mountain bikes unlike back in, say, Snohomish.
The Coal Mines Trail/Roslyn Urban Forest must be fun to explore!
#Cycling is very popular out here! #bicycle
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 21, 2022
In the middle of my photo walk, I got food at the Roslyn Cafe, since much wasn't open yet.
While eating, the server asked why I was up there, and she told me to check out Cooper Lake. Definitely something for next time.
I'm at Roslyn Cafe in Roslyn, WA https://t.co/YZ8yFxrNjw pic.twitter.com/g30PSxSqMa
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 21, 2022
When I left the Roslyn Cafe, the weather was looking a bit sketchy, but I still headed out towards Cle Elum Lake, stopping at the small town of Ronald along the way.
As I went along Salmon La Sac Road, it started to pour down rain, which prompted me to pull over in a driveway where some bicyclists were looking to turn back. I contemplated doing the same, but decided to suit up in my rain gear and continue along my way.
Continuing ended up being the right choice. While bicycling (exercising) in waterproof rain gear is a sad affair, motorcycle riding is only slightly uncomfortable, and only when it's warm!
My next stop was at the old Salmon La Sac railway depot. I spent some time walking around the area and getting some of my kind of photos!
Seeing all of the gravel fire roads stirred up the idea of someday getting a dual sport to check them out.
Inbound
The return ride along Salmon La Sac Road featured a number of photo stops since I was so excited to be out in the foothills again.
And I also finally got some photos of Cle Elum Lake itself at a couple of the viewpoints marked with stone walls.
I then proceeded to head back home, with only making a quick stop in Roslyn for the restroom. I kept my rain gear on since there were scattered downpours throughout the mountains, with the last two being on I-90 on the west side of the pass.
Last stop before heading home.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 21, 2022
There's rain here and there, so I had to put on my rain gear. #motorcycle
Oh, and I also got gas and a some Nacho Cheese Bugles at the 76 in North Bend.
Needed a snack. (@ 76 Station in North Bend, WA) https://t.co/5ORY2rq8ib
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 21, 2022
Things were going reasonably smoothly along the freeways the way home. I latched onto a fast platoon on I-90 for quite some time, likely hitting the 100 MPH mark as I followed. However, things slowed down significantly as I approached the I-90/I-405 interchange. Seeing the backup, I headed for I-405, then SR-520, which turned out to also be a pretty bad idea. Traffic was seemingly fine here, too, until I neared the Montlake Boulevard exit. I decided to try my luck at city streets, but was stuck at the exit for a ridiculously long time that was only made worse by overheating in my rain gear, due to the Montlake Bridge closure that I'd forgotten about. After hanging right on Montlake Boulevard, then doing a U-turn, I went along Boyer Avenue to cross at the University Bridge instead.
I thought things were all clear, until I found a long lines of cars all around the NE 40th Street/7th Avenue SE/NE 40th Street intersection. At one point, a car tried to share the lane to my left, and the driver only gave a fake smile as I gestured "what do you think you're doing?" The strangest thing was that there was almost no traffic on NE Pacific Street, so everyone must've been going some other way through the intersection.
People around the University District are driving especially stupid today! #Seattle
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 22, 2022
Despite all that mess, the rest of my ride home was smooth.
This ride feels like it marked the start of motorcycle season in the Pacific Northwest. I saw all kinds of sportbike riders all over, which I usually don't see during the cold season.
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