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Posts Tagged ‘Gifford Pinchot’

Ah yes, the joys of roughing it in a rustic camp ground. Who needs an expensive hotel room. There were three tents each with a happy motorcycle camper in our campsite. It was $15 of bliss split three ways between me and my riding companions, Jeff and Dan.

Mt. Adams as seen from Takhlakh Lake Campground

The Takhlakh Lake Campground in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest is an out of the way destination of a campground. I call it a destination, because you have to traverse more than 20 miles of winding loose dirt road to get there. Is it worth it? The view of Mt. Adams across the lake at the campground is worth the trip alone. It is truly amazing.

The price of bliss is paid by not one of us having a good night sleep. We made quick work of tearing down camp and loading up the V-Stroms. Jeff was first up and loaded his DL1000 in no time flat. Dan and I loaded up our DL650s and all of us were out of camp by 7 a.m.

Today, we’re taking a series of fire service roads back to Randle; through Mt. Rainier via  US 12, Washington SR 123, SR 410 and finally SR 164 into Enumclaw. In all a ride of about 115 miles which takes nearly three and half hours with all of the stops along the mountain to take in the views. Here’s a map of the route.

I’m still working on my dirt riding skills. I grew up in an area where half the roads were dirt. Riding dirt bikes and ATVs down those roads was second nature to me. I was determined to make a smooth exit this morning along the fire service roads from the campground to Randle. My ride in to the campground the night before was less than graceful.

Dan and Jeff shared insight into how to make the ride smoother. I did as suggested and stood up almost the entire way back to Randle. Stepping down on the inside peg in the corners to turn. I was surprised at the difference the technique made. It was like I was a kid riding my dirt bike again. Funny how we lose skills if they aren’t used.

The south entrance to Mount Rainier National Park on SR 123

After hitting the pavement my suspension felt really soft in the corners. It was soft enough that I decided to pull over and take a closer look at the bike. My suspicions were confirmed. My rear tire picked up a piece of metal and was flat as a pancake. Luckily, I carry a small air compressor and a tire plug kit for just such an occasion. We didn’t plug the tire just yet. A group decision was made to leave the metal in the tire, fill it with air and ride it back to Randle (15 miles) before making a more permanent fix. I nurse the bike back to town and pull into the Chevron Station. Within a half hour the metal is removed, a plug is installed and the tire is filled.

This is where Dan splits ways with us. Jeff and I head east on US 12 and have Mt. Rainier in our sight. A few miles east of Packwood we turn north on SR 123 over Cayuse Pass. This route weaves along the mountain side and affords great views of Mt. Rainier. A great side route is SR 706, also known as Stevens Canyon Road, up to Paradise. I have yet to ride this route, but I’ve driven it and it is certainly on my to-do list. We continue up SR 123 until it ends and we continue north on SR 410.

SR 410 can be busy during the summer weekends. It is a popular route and only has one lane in each direction. Don’t get me wrong, it is a beautiful road with great curves. It just stinks to get stuck behind an overloaded RV that can’t get out of it’s own way up the hills. We were lucky that it was early enough that traffic really wasn’t an issue.

V-Strom motorcycles striking a silhouette in the morning sun at Mt. Rainier National Park

There aren’t many fuel or rest stops along the route. The only one on the north side of Mt. Rainier National Park is in Greenwater. It is a super busy station and the bathroom tends to have a long line. I don’t suggest holding the bladder until you get here. Enjoy the privacy of being in the woods and find a covered spot to pull off to the side of the road. Trust me, you’ll be much better off. The only caveat to that is I don’t recommend a high-visibility Aerostich Roadcrafter suit when trying to hide behind a tree. High-vis doesn’t allow privacy if you get my drift.

The closer we get to Enumclaw the more traffic builds. It has been a fantastic weekend of riding through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Mount Saint Helens National Monument and Mount Rainier National Park. All of which are within eyesight of one another. Do you get why I like riding in Washington State? There’s scenic motorcycle rides around every turn.

The mighty Mount Saint Helens from one of many viewpoints along National Park Highway 99

The Stromtrooper.com crew got together again in late July. We rode some of the most scenic routes that I’ve found to date in Washington State. That is really saying something as Washington is a very scenic state. Our route would take us through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and up to the Mount Saint Helens viewpoint on the east side of the mountain.

We are riding through the heart of the 1.3 million acre Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The forest runs along the western side of the Cascade Mountain range from Mt. Rainier through Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams to just north of the Columbia River. The forest is named after the first chief of the United States Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot. Included as part of the Mount Rainier Forest Reserve in 1897, it is one of the oldest national forests in the U.S.

The foothills surround us as we ride along US Highway 12 from Morton to Randle. We head south out of Randle along National Park Highway 26. This is a wonderful road with mostly easy curves wrapped with tall coniferous forests. The gradual climb as we head south opens new views of the valley below. The trees provide a good deal of shade, however, it also makes it hard to see the dips, cracks and other hazards in the deteriorating roadway.

The Stromtrooper V-Stroms parked at the first viewpoint at the Mount Saint Helens National Monument

Approximately 12 miles into the ride we turn west onto Forest Road 99 and begin ascending to the Windy Ridge viewpoint of Mt. St. Helens. This is a busy two-lane road when it is open during the summer months. There are several viewpoints along the route that provide facts and information about the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. To date, this is the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic eruption in the U.S. The summit is now 8,365 ft. The mountain lost more than 1,300 feet of elevation after a giant landslide caused by the eruption. Despite the nearly two months of earthquakes and steam-venting episodes as warnings that an eruption was immanent, 57 people were killed.

FR 99 twists and turns as it makes a strong climb to the Windy Ridge viewpoint. Along the way you can see the remnants of the eruption. The lateral blast of the eruption stretched as far as 19 miles. Many char-singed trees remain along the route. Even more trees lay on the ground from the blast and point in the direction that it traveled. Anything within eight miles of the blast was completely obliterated.

The climbing and twisty road begs to be ridden hard. The surrounding devastation reminds you that there is a lot to see and learn here. I recommend that you follow the posted speed limit. The mountain is very much alive and frequent rock slides leave the road covered in pebbles. Many of which accumulate on the blind portion of the corners. The debris in the road along with the lack of guardrails in many areas could lead to a quick descent down the many steep cliffs. Not a good way to end a great ride.

After several stops at viewpoints we arrive at the end of the road a solid hour and half after the time that left Randle. The ride is less than 40 miles, but the road is slow and the many views are spectacular.

The log-filled Spirit Lake shows just how many trees this area once had.

We dismount and take in the mountain and its mile-wide horseshoe-shaped crater. Windy Ridge provides the best viewpoint to see the path that the giant landslide traveled, filling in a good part of Spirit Lake. A once busy tourist destination with a grand lodge is now buried deep beneath the mountain. The part of the lake that remains is filled with singed trees to the point that it looks as if you could walk across the lake on a boardwalk.

This is truly an educational trip that shows the possible destruction that can occur on the Ring of Fire. This is a beautiful area with year-round mild-weather, however, a deep scar reminds us of the power of Mother Nature when she decides to show her teeth.

Mount Adams off in the distance as seen from Mount Saint Helens.

The road seems to move past the bike faster on the descent of the mountain. We know the curves and where the debris is in the corners. About a quarter way down we find the best dual-sport and adventure-touring road that I’ve found in Washington so far. FR 26 takes you from FR 99 down the mountain to FR 25, which leads back to Randle. FR 26 shows up on maps as a dirt road. It is in fact a paved single lane road with small dirt sections. Traffic travels both directions using the narrow width of the road. It tightly hugs the mountainside providing ear-to-ear grins all the way down. I’m guessing that this road is an insurance policy to get people off the mountain during an evacuation. In all other non-emergency times it is a fantastic and fairly private scenic route through the park.

We pull into the gas station in Randle and drink gallons of water to fight the heat. It was a warm and beautiful riding day. The five Stromtrooper.com riders spent several minutes recounting the many favorite parts of the day. The single shared favorite was the gem of a road that we discovered in FR 26. I highly suggest taking this road on your way back down the mountain.

From Randle we split into two groups. RedBean and Lonestrom head back to civilization. The three remaining riders including Hoebster, Scrminbansee and WeeMcD (me) ride the dirt down FR 23 to a rustic campsite at the Takhlakh Lake Campground for the night. I’ll include information on that ride as the second part of this article.

Stay tuned.