OfficerImpersonator
Seattle-area Rounder
Washington State highway 542 (also known as the "Mt. Baker Hwy") is ranked as the 8th best motorcycle road in Washington State by the "Destination Highways" guidebook to riding in Washington State. I hadn't been up there on the bike in a while, so I decided to take advantage of a nice day of weather and ride to the end of the road at 5000'. "Artist Point" is usually only open for a few months each year, and the window of opportunity is rapidly closing with the onset of high-country winter in just a few weeks. This was the time to do it!
I left my home in Bothell on Saturday morning around 9:30. I filled up a couple of miles from home on the way to State Highway/Route 9, on which I'd be spending the majority of my day. I reached SR 9 in Maltby and turned north towards Snohomish. I-5 through South Everett had been throttled down to one lane north-bound for an emergency road repair, so traffic along the first dozen miles of SR 9 was fairly heavy. Once passing a construction zone in Lake Stevens, the road opened up and traffic lightened. After riding through Arlington and getting to the more rural stretches of SR 9, things improved even more dramatically. The stretch of SR 9 between Arlington and Sedro-Woolley is also ranked as a "Destination Highway", although nothing close to the Mt. Baker Hwy. It is still an enjoyable and entertaining ride through pleasant scenery with mostly sparse traffic.
After entering Sedro-Wooley, SR 9 jogs east for a couple of miles using SR 20, the North Cascades Highway. I'd done SR 20 early in the summer, so it wasn't too hard to turn north back on to SR 9 towards the Mt. Baker Hwy. The stretch of SR 9 between Sedro-Woolley and its intersection with the Mt. Baker Hwy is also a "Destination Highway" and is fun to ride. It was also "Oyster Run weekend", so plenty of other riders were out - particularly with the weather forecast for the next day - the official day of THE "Oyster Run" - wet and dreary.
The riding between Sedro-Woolley and the intersection with SR 542 was enjoyable. One State Trooper had just stopped a south-bound rider on a cruiser bike just south of the little town of Acme. I felt a little sorry for him, and a little grateful. Had I been a minute earlier, the trooper might have caught me. Soon after crossing the North Fork Nooksack River, I reached SR 542. I turned east towards Mt. Baker.
By this point, I needed my first comfort stop of the ride. The Texaco station in the hamlet of Kendall was the perfect place with a nice clean restroom with clothes hooks for hanging up helmets, gloves, Aerostich suit, etc.. As I was getting ready to get back on the bike, a huge group of loud and mostly American motorcycles went by. I thought to myself "damn - now I'm going to be stuck behind them all the way to the top - there's no way I can get around a group that large!".
I pulled out onto the highway and soon caught up with the large group. About three minutes later, we reached the slightly larger hamlet of Maple Falls. Luckily, Maple Falls has a bar. Guess what all those riders did when they saw a bar?
The ride through the forest in the bottom of the North Fork Nooksack River valley is always enjoyable. The thick tree cover ensures the road never dries out. Everything smells damp and moist. There is a palpable sense of vegetable matter slowly decaying on the forest floor. Every tree has a thick blanket of moss. The road is curvy, goes up and down, and was relatively uncrowded for a Saturday morning. I only had a few cars to pass on my way to the base of the big climb up to Heather Meadows and points higher. Perfect!
Once I crossed the river for the last time and began the serious part of the climb up the shoulder of Slate Mountain towards Heather Meadows, I pleasantly found myself on a deserted road. I took full advantage of the opportunity and enjoyed a spirited ride up the mountain and around the switchbacks.
Soon I arrived at Heather Meadows and the upper operations of the Mt. Baker Ski Area. After following the road through the ski area parking lots, I joined the parade of cars heading up to the end of the road at Artist Point.
After hanging out at the top for a while, I decided to head down the hill and grab lunch at Milano's, a great little Italian bistro in the tiny town of Glacier. Before plunging back down into the forest, I stopped for a few more photos of Mt. Shuksan at Highwood Lake at Heather Meadows.
Lunch at Milano's was better than expected. I was looking forward to the Caesar salad with so much garlic I'd be sweating it out for hours, but I had no idea a simple ham and swiss on dark rye could be so good!
Stuffed and happy, I got back on the bike in Glacier and rode further on down the road. I had two potential side-trips in mind for the ride back - the Mosquito Lake Road and the South Skagit Highway. Not long into my ride down SR 542, I found the sign for the left turn on to the Mosquito Lake Road, recommended as a side trip in my guidebook. The road was a fun romp through the country as it wound through farmland first and then forest as it parallels the Middle Fork Nooksack River. The road crosses the river on a one-lane bridge. I stopped for a comfort break and to take some photos.
Back on the road, I continued to enjoy the Mosquito Lake Rd. as it continued looping its way back toward SR 9. Back on 9, I continued retracing my path back towards Sedro-Woolley. It was now mid-afternoon, and I still had 90 minutes of riding to get home, so I decided to save the South Skagit Hwy for another day.
It was a 253 mile trip in all. I highly recommend SR 9 and SR 542 for great riding opportunities!
I left my home in Bothell on Saturday morning around 9:30. I filled up a couple of miles from home on the way to State Highway/Route 9, on which I'd be spending the majority of my day. I reached SR 9 in Maltby and turned north towards Snohomish. I-5 through South Everett had been throttled down to one lane north-bound for an emergency road repair, so traffic along the first dozen miles of SR 9 was fairly heavy. Once passing a construction zone in Lake Stevens, the road opened up and traffic lightened. After riding through Arlington and getting to the more rural stretches of SR 9, things improved even more dramatically. The stretch of SR 9 between Arlington and Sedro-Woolley is also ranked as a "Destination Highway", although nothing close to the Mt. Baker Hwy. It is still an enjoyable and entertaining ride through pleasant scenery with mostly sparse traffic.
After entering Sedro-Wooley, SR 9 jogs east for a couple of miles using SR 20, the North Cascades Highway. I'd done SR 20 early in the summer, so it wasn't too hard to turn north back on to SR 9 towards the Mt. Baker Hwy. The stretch of SR 9 between Sedro-Woolley and its intersection with the Mt. Baker Hwy is also a "Destination Highway" and is fun to ride. It was also "Oyster Run weekend", so plenty of other riders were out - particularly with the weather forecast for the next day - the official day of THE "Oyster Run" - wet and dreary.
The riding between Sedro-Woolley and the intersection with SR 542 was enjoyable. One State Trooper had just stopped a south-bound rider on a cruiser bike just south of the little town of Acme. I felt a little sorry for him, and a little grateful. Had I been a minute earlier, the trooper might have caught me. Soon after crossing the North Fork Nooksack River, I reached SR 542. I turned east towards Mt. Baker.
By this point, I needed my first comfort stop of the ride. The Texaco station in the hamlet of Kendall was the perfect place with a nice clean restroom with clothes hooks for hanging up helmets, gloves, Aerostich suit, etc.. As I was getting ready to get back on the bike, a huge group of loud and mostly American motorcycles went by. I thought to myself "damn - now I'm going to be stuck behind them all the way to the top - there's no way I can get around a group that large!".
I pulled out onto the highway and soon caught up with the large group. About three minutes later, we reached the slightly larger hamlet of Maple Falls. Luckily, Maple Falls has a bar. Guess what all those riders did when they saw a bar?
The ride through the forest in the bottom of the North Fork Nooksack River valley is always enjoyable. The thick tree cover ensures the road never dries out. Everything smells damp and moist. There is a palpable sense of vegetable matter slowly decaying on the forest floor. Every tree has a thick blanket of moss. The road is curvy, goes up and down, and was relatively uncrowded for a Saturday morning. I only had a few cars to pass on my way to the base of the big climb up to Heather Meadows and points higher. Perfect!
Once I crossed the river for the last time and began the serious part of the climb up the shoulder of Slate Mountain towards Heather Meadows, I pleasantly found myself on a deserted road. I took full advantage of the opportunity and enjoyed a spirited ride up the mountain and around the switchbacks.
Soon I arrived at Heather Meadows and the upper operations of the Mt. Baker Ski Area. After following the road through the ski area parking lots, I joined the parade of cars heading up to the end of the road at Artist Point.
After hanging out at the top for a while, I decided to head down the hill and grab lunch at Milano's, a great little Italian bistro in the tiny town of Glacier. Before plunging back down into the forest, I stopped for a few more photos of Mt. Shuksan at Highwood Lake at Heather Meadows.
Lunch at Milano's was better than expected. I was looking forward to the Caesar salad with so much garlic I'd be sweating it out for hours, but I had no idea a simple ham and swiss on dark rye could be so good!
Stuffed and happy, I got back on the bike in Glacier and rode further on down the road. I had two potential side-trips in mind for the ride back - the Mosquito Lake Road and the South Skagit Highway. Not long into my ride down SR 542, I found the sign for the left turn on to the Mosquito Lake Road, recommended as a side trip in my guidebook. The road was a fun romp through the country as it wound through farmland first and then forest as it parallels the Middle Fork Nooksack River. The road crosses the river on a one-lane bridge. I stopped for a comfort break and to take some photos.
Back on the road, I continued to enjoy the Mosquito Lake Rd. as it continued looping its way back toward SR 9. Back on 9, I continued retracing my path back towards Sedro-Woolley. It was now mid-afternoon, and I still had 90 minutes of riding to get home, so I decided to save the South Skagit Hwy for another day.
It was a 253 mile trip in all. I highly recommend SR 9 and SR 542 for great riding opportunities!
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