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Håkan Söderbom planned for an around the world adventure, we hit eastern Washington instead.

My ride companion and I meet up in Monroe, Washington. US Highway 2 provides a scenic, yet quick escape from the hustle of Seattle. The city of Seattle would offer much to riders if it weren’t for that hustle and bustle. The many conveniences are wrapped in all directions with potential adventure. The mountains to the east, volcanoes to the south and north, and saltwater that splashes the urban shores and calls to us who breathe adventure. It is the weekend and we need to take a deep breath of life.

True adventure is the goal of the weekend. I’m meeting with fellow MSF-coach Håkan Söderbom to SEE if we can find a great motorcycle adventure a short distance from Seattle.

Hakan has planned an extraordinary route for us to open our throttles on and exercise the off-road side of our adventure motorcycles.

Up and over Steven’s Pass we climb and descend through the thick evergreens. Their scent is strong in the air. With every mile we escape further into the possibilities of adventure. The broad pavement of Highway 2 continues east as we connect with US Highway 97 just outside of Leavenworth. Up and over Blewett Pass we travel 25 miles to the Mineral Springs Restaurant.

Mineral Springs Restaurant serves up a decent hot meal. My burger was good, but Hakan’s chili burger looked incredible.

Mt Rainier as seen from 6,240 feet on Lion Rock.

Food now down the hatch, we continue a few miles to Liberty Road, Fire Service Road 9718 and FS 35. The route up to this point would leave most riders satisfied. The adventurer comes out and plays from here on out. The road surface quickly changes to dirt and small rocks. Our bikes handle the terrain with ease. The road climbs quickly. With each foot of elevation the views grow in magnificence. We climb up to 2,000; 3,000 and 4,000 feet. As we climb the road becomes a bit more challenging. Our bodies sway gracefully directing the motorcycles’ wheels over slight ruts and avoidable boulders growing in diameter. The road climbs to 6,240 feet. This is the lookout at Lion Rock Spring. The views stretch for miles. The Table Mountains and the rest of the Cascade Range are in full view. Mount Rainier pokes above the mountains far to the west.

The very rocky road could easily eat the vulnerable underside of the Suzuki V-Strom. It is still relatively easy to navigate up to this phenomenal viewpoint. There are a few primitive camp spots at Lion Rock Spring. We pitch out tents to reserve a place to sleep for the night.

It is 2 p.m. by the time that we have camp set and Hakan has replaced his street tires with proper knobbies. This guy comes prepared. We mount up and head down the mountain and into Ellensburg via FR 35 and Reecer Creek Road.

Leaving Ellensburg on Umtanum Road we carve the few miles of pavement to Durr Road. This is the route that we came all this way to ride. It soon becomes double track with two way traffic. This is fine as we only come upon one 4×4 the whole time that we’re out here.

Umtanum Creek water crossing. Bounce, bounce, splash and wahoo!

The road curves around the south side of a hill to allow a view of the canyon below. Just a couple hundred feet down is Umtanum Creek. It crosses the road and will be my first water crossing. The road passes under the water for 25 feet. Fairly large rocks exercise my suspension as I follow Hakan through the water. The BMW 1200 GS Adventure glides through the water. To my surprise, so does the V-Strom. Hakan was slow to pull out the camera, so I oblige him with another photo-op run. It felt great to make it through and make it look so skillfully done. Thanks for the photograph my Swedish pal.

The trail on the other side of the creek quickly becomes filled side to side with the same large rocks as the creek bed. “Clunk” goes each rock under the bike. Each time the familiar terrain meets metal sound makes me cringe. No skid plate under my bike means that the metal noise is likely the center stand hitting, but perhaps the oil filter or worse.

Second gear is too fast. I slow and shift to first gear only to get bounced around even more. Powering on, the bike becomes a bucking bronco.

I used to break horses on our 50-horse ranch as a kid. I can hold my own when it comes to rodeo-style rides. After dropping my eyes and looking for the very next rock and buck thereof, I go exactly where I was looking. Instincts kick in and I muscle the bike down to the rocks as softly as I can as I tuck and roll off into the ditch.

The trail ate my right blinker, GIVI crash bar, body panel, headlight bezel and passenger foot rest mount that day. The views were spectacular, but the roadway brutal. That first fall laid the groundwork for what seemed like a dozen more.

Durr Road and the trail that we jutted onto was made of softball to football-sized rocks. Beware the underside of vulnerable bikes.

The hills rolled up and down with each slope becoming steeper. We arrive at a “Y” intersection and we turn left. Let me tell you, left made for one hell of an adventure. Turning right would have taken us right into Selah. This, by the way, was our intended destination.

Durr Road is a primitive road with minimal maintenance. It runs from Umtanum Road south of Ellensburg to Selah near Yakima, Washington. Durr Road runs through the heart of the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area. This area is as much of an adventure as you can find. It is adventure motorcycling at its best. If you’re going to attempt this journey, then I suggest a good map, GPS and travel with a suitable riding partner. Hakan travelled this route solo a year prior to our visit. Now that I’ve done it, I wouldn’t go back without someone to help lift a bike off of me in a sticky situation.

Back to the adventure. We’re now several hours into our ride and exhaustion is setting in. Our intended route became too steep to traverse. With the sun hanging low in the sky, we turn around and head back the way we came. The more difficult sections are now more complicated by the harshness of the setting sun pointing blinding light directly into our eyes. We would have been just as well off had we shut our eyes completely.

This is exactly what we could see as we climbed the hills directly into the setting sun.

We find our way back, but not before the fatigue catches up to me. Yet again, the bike bounces off of the rocks and concern for the underbelly causes my wrist to react. This causes a chain reaction that ends in the final dirt nap of the day. This time Hakan has ridden up ahead. My ankle stuck between the side case rack and some rocks. There wasn’t any way that I could lift the bike or wiggle my leg free. I was trapped.

After a few futile yells for help, I resorted to honking the horn. Hakan heard my beeping pleas for assistance and came back to lift the 500-pound hunk of bike off me.

With wheels back on terra firma, we make it back to the “Y” intersection, cross Umtanum Creek and head back to Lion Rock Spring campground for the night.

We uncork a bottle of wine and toast to the pursuit of adventure and to sleeping under the stars at 6,240 feet above sea level. Despite a few tumbles, the day was amazing. Stamina and skills were tested and with that comes accomplishment.

Close estimate of our route (had technical issues loading full map to page).

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The hotel room is cozy, but the road beckons. Today promised to be a very memorable ride.

I head south from Grand Coulee on SR 174. The landscape rolls gradually. It is scenic, but I was hoping for more excitement to pull me from the no-coffee fog I was in. The sun rises quickly in the eastern skies as I point the bike directly into it on Jurgensen Road. Luckily, I’m only heading east for two miles until I head north on SR 21.

Highway 21 switchback. One of many.

SR 21 is exactly the excitement that I needed. The short 12-mile ride take you from the rolling fields to steep cliffs that ocerlook the Columbia River. I didn’t count switchbacks, but they are plentiful as the road carries me down to the Keller Ferry. This stretch of Highway 21 will make motorcycle riders of all types very happy.

The Keller Ferry is a 12-vehicle vessel that crosses the 1.5 miles across the Columbia River, which is known as the Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake in this area. The river isn’t naturally this wide in this area. The Grand Coulee Dam is just 15 miles down stream from here and creates the easy-going pool of water known as Franlin D. Roosevelt Lake. This is the only way to connect Hwy 21. Luckily, the ferry is free.

With blue skies overhead I watch the Keller Ferry, also known as the Martha S., approach the southern shores. The basalt cliffs across the river are so big and beautiful that they don’t appear real. It is this kind of view that my meager photography skills can’t do justice.

Silver Creek Road winds up, up and away.

The ferry is light with my Suzuki V-Strom being the only vehicle onboard. We make the short crossing and I climb up from the river on Hwy 21. About 10 miles from the ferry dock, I turn east onto Silver Creek road. This is a gem of a road. Some riders may shy away from the dirt surface of the road. It undulates and wraps around and over itself. The road is loose and requires a slower speed for the hairpin turns. That is completely fine with me. The slower speeds allow more time to enjoy the incredible scenery that fills the valley below. This is yet another scenic route that Washington state hies beyond the reaches of pavement. Everyone looking to make time and simply get from point A to point B misses the splendor hidden in Eastern Washington.

After a few stops, the motorcycle finds pavement and begins to burn it up. The surface heaves and swallows from its age. The V-Strom’s suspension soaks it up as I lean from peg to peg in a dance high above the Columbia River.

The road descends to the Gifford-Inchellium Ferry that carries vehicles across the upper Columbia River from Inchelium to Hwy 25 and the town of Gifford, Washington. This one is slightly larger than the first ferry. It carries several cars. The ferry jostles out from the dock. The moving water pushes the boat sideways almost as fast as the captain can power across the wide river. A skilled captain he was, as I sat on the bike and it hardly moved as he docked on the east side of the river.

From here it is just 25 miles up Hwy 25 to Kettle Falls. Kettle Falls has gas, food, coffee and most amenities that a rider may need. I fill the gas tank on my motorcycle, buy a cup of coffee and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before continuing out of town. US 395 takes me the short distance north to FR 61 or Boulder Creek Road.

The ride along Boulder Creek Road slices through the northern tip of the Colville National Forest. The scenery is again spectacular. There are ample dirt roads that branch off of the paved Boulder Creek Road for additional exploring. This area certainly whetted my appetite. I’ll have to journey back to explore Little Boulder Creek Road and other Forest Service roads around the Deer Creek Snopark and Green Mountain areas.

I continue my westward journey to the small community of Curlew, Washington. It appears that this is a former railroad stop town, but now lives on the few farmers, loggers and miners that remain in the area.

There isn’t much to explore in Curlew, so I leave town on West Kettle River Road following the snake-like pattern of the Kettle River. The river provides ample drink for plant life. The river, trees hugging the shore and mountains combine for an easy place to enjoy being alone on a motorcycle. Some roads are easy to daydream and drift off on. This is yet another road on this ride that demands attention to the quickly changing details.

Along a short straight-away is a historical interpretive sign. It talks about Ronald McDonald. No, not the clown of restaurant fame. This is the Ronald McDonald who happens to have been the first person to teach the English language in Japan. This Pacific Northwestern-born man grew up near Oregon and apparently met some shipwrecked Japanese sailors as a young lad, which sparked an interest in their homeland. Eventually, he travelled there teaching actual samurai the English language. The sign says that his final resting place is just north a mile or two. I head in that direction but soon after crossing a river the road comes to a “T” intersection. A few teenagers swimming at the river didn’t know which direction the burial site was in. I get back onto the main road and chase the sun instead as time didn’t allow for too much added exploration if I was going to make my destination before dark set in.

Black and white treatment seems fitting for the ghost town of Bodie, Washington.

West Kettle River Road connects with Toroda Creek Road which makes a large curve and begins heading south. Just as the sun begins to warm the right side of my body, I notice several old weather worn buildings just off both sides of the road. The Okanogan County historical society is nice enough to place information boards to keep the curious traveler informed of the areas rich history.

The old buildings are the remnants of Bodie, Washington. It is a ghost town now, but it was once the nearest town to the gold mine of the same name that was established in 1896 and helped spur the Okanogan County gold rush. In 1902, the Bodie Mine was purchased by the Wrigley family. You know, the same Wrigley’s of chewing gum fame. They actually started what became the Bodie Mining Company in 1903. At the time, the mine was worth $1.5 million. Here we are, more than a century later and all that is left are several run down buildings that make for incredible photo opportunities right next to an incredibly fun motorcycle road.

The Ghost Town of Bodie, WA is easily viewed and explored from the road.

From Bodie, the road passes through Old Toroda before connecting with SR 20 in Wauconda. My wheels push up and over the great North Cascades Highway and don’t stop turning until I reach home on the wet side of the mountains.

This trip included viewing the largest concrete structure in the United States, climbing dirt switchback mountain roads, two small ferries and finding a ghost town and mine once owned by a famous gum manufacturer. How’s that for a weekend well spent on two wheels?