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Seattle to MOA Rally Tips

mvscorpio

New member
Good morning, everyone. I am considering the rally in Redmond and looking to combine it with a trip to Seattle with the S.O. My idea is to spend several days in Seattle, then take 2-3 days to ride from Seattle to the rally. (I will probably rent a bike for the trip; lack of PTO means cross-country travel is out of the question.)
So regardless of whose bike it is, I need some tips on destinations and routes between Seattle and Redmond. I will also be at the rally from Wednesday to Saturday or Sunday...any recommendation for day trips?

What sites and routes are on your "don't miss" list? Thanks!
 
Good morning, I rode from Wisconsin to Seattle Sept '08'. A local club member suggested taking U.S. 12 accross. I Had a fantastic ride and was glad I took his advice. Much more scenic than the slab. It joins up with I-90 in Garrison, MT.
As to riding from Seattle to Redmond, I don't have any recommendation other than don't miss the Columbia Gorge if you can help it.
 
From Seattle I would ride south to Tacoma then work down through Eatonville past Elbe (stop to look at the Shays locomotive) and through Mt. Rainer Nat. Park. Then on Hwy 123 pick up Hwy 12 west. At Randal go south on 131 and take the spur to Windy Ridge. This is in the Blast zone of the Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980, and it is still heavily impacted. It was repaved, and there are no pesky trees to shade the road and keep patches wet. The hwy 131 becomes National Forest road 25. It is pretty bumpy, but crazy twisty through very scenic country. Roll on down past Cougar to SR 14 on the Columbia River Gorge and run east to White Salmon for a remarkable loop. Run north along the White Salmon River on Hwy 141 to BZ corners. About ?¢ mile of the BZ Corners Log House restaurant there is a little parking lot where Kayakers put in. Park there and walk down the trail till you see the water. This section of the river is extremely narrow with vertical black rock walls. You can take a few minutes watching extreme kayaking.
Back on the bike and east out of BZ corners to Glenwood, in the lap of our 3rd volcano, Mt Adams, then high above the Klikitat River through broad sweepers punctuated by hair pins, to the intersection with Hwy 142. Take 142 down the Klikitat canyon back to the Gorge and SR 14 again. Roll over the Columbia River from The Dalles up 197 to 97 and into Redmond.

This might be a two day ride.
 
Hmm, Bob stole my thunder! LOL

But really +1 to his route suggestion, it was the first thing that came to my little pea brain when I spied your post. Only caution is to go online and check out road conditions in the Gifford-Pinchot NF just before you depart Seattle. Last time I tried that route the road had been closed due to some new landslides the day before departure. No signs until I was about 5 miles south of US-12, and no good roads for easy detours. You could find your way through the back country IF you were riding a GS and had the USFS road maps of the area. There are connections, but some of them are a bit rough.

If it's open though, it is one extremely scenic route off the well traveled main roads twixt Seattle and Central Oregon...definitely worth a couple of days of riding!

Good Luck! :dance

Cheers, Bill J
 
Maria;

Question in your original posting you say, "lack of PTO" what is a PTO ?
 
Get out of Seattle fast. The drivers are the worst!

Head over the Cascades on I 90 to Ellensburg and take 821 (Canyon Rd) to Yakima picking up US 97 which is the same 97 to the Rally.

This is a nice ride. Even the bit of slabbing on 90 is ok.

But canyon road is aces! :thumb
 
Add to the I-90/Canyon Road route

Hi. If you choose the I-90/SR-821 route, get off I-90 at the second Cle Elum Exit (marked 'Wenatchee'). Go East about 3 miles to the intersection of SR-970 (the highway you'll be on) with SR-10 to Ellensburg. This will give you about 25 more miles of the Yakima River Canyon scenery before you pick up SR-821 (aka the Yakima Canyon Scenic Highway) on the east side of Ellensburg.
If you make the run down the Canyon Road just after dawn, it'll be a little brisk, so dress warmly. At that time of day and year, keep an eye open for bighorn sheep; they come down to the highway and lick the road salt out of the centerline rumble strip frequently at about dawn. I commute that route almost daily, and see them a couple of days a week. Last year there was an eagle pair nesting between the Big Pines and Rosa BLM campgrounds on the river side of the road.

Another alternate route is to simply go south to Tacoma, ride SR-7 past Pac Forest to US-12. SR-7 is quite windy and forested with some open areas, 12 is open but scenic. You can hit Mt. Ranier National Park on a loop that'll take you back to US-12 also.

On either of these routes, from Yakima (Union Gap vicinity) take US-97 over Satus Pass to Goldendale (don't miss the miniature Stonehedge replica north of Goldendale as you start down into the Columbia River Gorge).

For the MOST scenic adventure, you have to go north, either to US-20 (Burlington/Mt. Vernon area), the North Cascades Highway, or US-2 from Everett. If you take US-20, gas up in Sedro Wooley, as services are very limited from there to Winthrop in the Methow Valley. Winthrop has a lot of bed-and-breakfasts, as does Twisp. From there, go south to US-97 at Brewster/Pateros and head south. Alt. US-97 through Chelan is a more scenic route when that choice presents. At Wenatchee, stay on US-97, which joins US-2 briefly through the orchards, then diverges again to cross Blewitt Pass, a nice, winding, scenic stretch to Ellensburg. US-2 is a little less scenic, but not much less, though it is more heavily traveled, and more services are available along it. If going that way, pick up US-97 just east of Leavenworth and take it south to Ellensburg, the Yakima River Canyon and on the Yakima and Goldendale.

"http://wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/ " is the url for WA DOT pass reports web page, "http://wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/trafficalerts/default.aspx " is the state-wide traffic alerts web page (if you have internet access), and " http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/" is the Seattle area real-time traffic conditions graphics page that shows major highways color coded for traffic volume. This page also has a link to Tacoma area traffic.

Do try to clear Seattle/Tacoma ASAP; mid-morning Tuesday or Wednesday are usually the lightest traffic times. O-Dark-thirty to 9 am and 3 pm to 7 pm are almost guaranteed ugly weekdays, as is any time after 10 am on weekend days in the Seattle Metro area (Everett/Seattle/Tacoma/Ft. Lewis/Olympia). Also check the baseball schedule, as any home game will bollux up traffic everywhere from 2 pm on. (Seattle Mariners)

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy selecting from all the great choices for getting scenic routes through Washington. Norm
 
That's my initial plan. Fly in, stay in Seattle area for a few days, rent bike and head to the rally, return to Seattle, fly home.
 
There are a number of things to do and see in the Seattle area, and various island trips in the "Puget Sound" vicinity.

I would suggest a visit to the Hiram Chittendon Locks on the ship canal about 8 mi north of downtown. Just watching the boats come and go is a treat, and at some times of year there are salmon swimming upstream through the fish ladders (with underwater viewing windows)

Downtown, I suggest a visit to the Pike Place Market. (motorcycle parking at the far north end) Lots of shops to wander. Consider the little south american restaurant overlooking the market about at the center.

Below the market on the waterfront, there are a number of shops. I'd point you to the Old Curiosity Shop. There is also a tour boat dock near the ferry terminal. I'd suggest either a harbor tour, or the dinner cruise to Blake Island (if they still do that)

An alternative is to park the bike under the viaduct and catch the WA ferry to Bainbridge Island. Walk into town for lunch or dinner, than back to Seattle with a great view of the city.

In the Pioneer Square area (three blocks s and two blocks e of the ferry dock) there is the Gold Rush Museum, and also the Seattle Underground tour.

At the south end of Boeing Field (5 NE of SEA airport) there is the Museum of Flight, one of the most interesting "airplane" museums in the NW.

If you just want to grab the rental bike and go, consider heading north to Edmonds, taking the ferry to Kingston, crossing the Hood Canal floating bridge, and riding down hwy 101 south along Hood Canal. That could lead you to I-5, south to Olympia, and east via Yelm/McKenna to Mt. Rainier NP. We locals tend to forget that this mountain has something like 12 active glaciers. The old lodge at Paradise on Mt. Rainier is fascinating, and I'd suggest overnighting there if possible.

From Mt. Rainier, you can either head south to Randle and FS 25 etc. to the Columbia R. at Carson; or go through the park and continue east on 12 over White Pass to Yakima, then south toward the Gorge and Oregon on 97.

You could easily spend several days in the Columbia Gorge scenic area. At least find the old highway above I-84 west of Hood River and follow it west back to Multnomah Falls. Have lunch here, and maybe hike the short trail up to the bridge. For information about the fabulous roads in the Gorge, both in WA and OR, get a copy of Tom Mehren's book "Guide to Motorcycling in the Columbia River Gorge, 3rd ed. (go to www.soundrider.com; SR store, books.)

For a coastal alternative to all this, take a two or three day trip around the Olympic Peninsula. For a fun loop, head north to Mukilteo, ferry across to Whidbey Island, ride north to Deception Pass. Return south to Coupeville, head for Keystone ferry, cross to Port Townsend. Spend the rest of the day in Port Townsend. Good high end dinner: Belmont. Cheap dinner: Subway, but take it out to the dock and eat on the pier with a view back toward town.

Then head west on 101. Lots of stuff to see, but at least take the ride up Hurricane Ridge and back, and stop at Lake Crescent Lodge for coffee and a break. Continuing south on 101, consider the side trip to LaPush, or Realto Beach, take a break at Kalaloch Lodge for a beach walk and Lake Quinault Lodge, and overnight somewhere south, perhaps Hoquiam or Aberdeen. You could make Redmond in a day from Kalaloch Lodge, and that would make a great overnight stop--right on the Pacific Ocean with waves crashing in.

From the south end of the peninsula it's an easy one day transit to Redmond via I-5 and 26 over Mt. Hood.

You might think about heading "south" via the Olympic Peninsula, and returning "north" via the Gorge, Mt. Rainier, etc.

pmdave
 
Great feedback, everyone!
Any recommendations on WA or OR wine country?

Per some of the above threads, if you travel via the Yakima area to the rally, you will be passing through some of the prime vineyards of the Evergreen state. The area around Prosser produces some of the world's best red wine in particular. In Prosser you can find Vintner's Village, a collection of quite nice tasting rooms. This is located in a small commercial zone adjacent to the freeway and it's well worth the visit. Couple of miles east of that, off the next freeway exit are a few other tasting rooms, most notably Kestrel and Alexandria Nicole, that are also right up there in terms of quality. If you're really interested in wine, I'd recommend searching out a B&B in the area and staying for a day or two.

A bit further away from Seattle, Walla Walla has a world wide reputation for wine and some pretty fine eats as well. That's a bit of a way outside the shortest routes to the rally, but going this way you could go to Redmond via Pendleton and John Day with some quite nice highways.

The best concentration of Oregon wineries is just a few miles south of Portland in the northend of the Willamette Valley. The region is mostly known for it's really excellent Pinot Noir, but other varietals are well worth sampling. I'd recommend stopping at Duck Pond Cellars on Highway 99 between Dundee and Newburg, then picking up a winery guide from them. Definitely find your way to Domaine Drouhin...it's a fab winery with a great hillside view location and their wines are over the top in quality.

Online I would recommend checking out www.washingtonwine.org for more info on the Evergreen State wine biz...be aware that there is a vast difference in climate in the eastside (dry) side of the our fair state, it's quite warm (okay...hot!) in the summer, so be prepared.

If you'd like more specific feedback on particular wines you're seeking, drop me a note and I'll try to fill in the gaps.

Cheers! Bill J

PS. +1 on Dave's comments above...there's a lot to see and ride in the Pacific NW.
 
There are a large number of wineries in Oregon and Washington, and many produce outstanding wines.

The Oregon winery region is primarily in the Willamette Valley north and south of McMinnville. That's about 120 miles from Redmond, over the Cascade mountains.
An easy morning ride from Redmond (via Sisters) would get you to Corvallis, and a few miles west to 99W. Following 99W north would take you past 50 or so good wineries. Oregon seems to focus on the reds.

The Washington wine region is primarily the Yakima valley running southeast toward Richland. Washington produces some great reds, and also some excellent whites. From Redmond, you could ride north on 97 to the Zillah area. There are many wineries between Zillah and Union Gap, and lots of overnight possibilities.

If the northwest portion of the Yakima Valley doesn't satisfy your wine interests, head southeast toward Prosser. I suggest finding Hogue cellars--in a warehouse setting on the southeast side of Prosser. And for a big working vinyard/winery, ride from Prosser over the hills south to Columbia Crest, up on the crest of the hills above the Columbia River. They may or may not be harvesting grapes during late July, but they have huge vinyards, a tour, tasting room, and park-like setting for a picnic lunch. Or, if you continue down the valley to the "tri-cities" of Pasco, Richland/Kennewick, there are several newer "high end" wineries.

Of course, there are also wineries along the border of Oregon and Idaho, in the Ontario - Boise area. My own personal preference is for Washington whites such as Gewurtztraminer, our favorite winery being Hogue.

pmdave
 
I suppose this raises the question of OR/WA beers. There are a number of great but small breweries in the Northwest, perhaps because we have excellent water, locally grown hops, and grains in abundance.

It would be a shame to drink some mass-produced beer from the east coast when there are outstanding beers made locally. For instance, when in Redmond, look for Black Butte Porter.

My personal preference, however, is Alaskan Amber, from the glacier waters of Juneau, AK.

But, as a diabetic my meds warn about not drinking alcohol, so my wine/beer drinking is very limited. As a result, I'm not a good source of information about OR/WA breweries.

pmdave
 
My personal preference, however, is Alaskan Amber, from the glacier waters of Juneau, AK.

Ooh, I had that several years ago during a cruise stop. Good stuff. :drink

Thanks for the recommendations. I will need to take 30 days vacay for all I want to fit in.
 
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