The name, by the way, comes from a Boy Scout troop called the Mt. St. Helens Apes back in the 1950's. Read more about it here. Unable to properly explore it, I got back on the bike and headed back to camp. I stopped here and there for pictures, the best of which was at Iron Creek Falls which is just off NF25, north of the Windy Ridge turnoff. It's a really short little hike (maybe 200 yards) but a pretty little falls. Probably much more impressive earlier in the year.
I got back to camp around 2:30pm, too hot to want to do any more exploring by bike. I changed into swim trunks, took a dip in the pool, took a nice shower and waited for the everyone else to come back. We had a BBQ that evening, stood around and talked, then went over to Greg's trailer where we watched the DVD on the Idaho Back Country Discovery Route. Now that's entertainment! My brother Dave and I have plans to do the Washington BCDR at some point, but I'd prefer to do it with a lighter bike than the vstrom. We'll see.
Anyways, after the DVD it was time to hit the sack and prepare for the next day's ride.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Getting up at my usual 6am, I got ready a little quicker than the day before. I still chatted with the group before I left, but this time I got away around 7:30am. I wanted a decent breakfast, so I rode into Packwood and ate breakfast at Cruiser's which turned out to be a pretty nice breakfast. Stop in for a bite if you're passing through - it's worth it.
After feeding my face, I hopped on the bike around 8:15am and headed northwest out of town on Skate Creek Road, aka NF52. This turned out to be another frost-heaved road that follows (you guessed it) Skate Creek, and while deserted of traffic, it wasn't deserted of people. There were people camped out along the road for miles. Mostly tents, but some trailers. This road is wonderfully tree-lined, giving a canopy-like feeling and I had a great time riding it. So much so I rode it two more times (read on, you'll understand why). The road winds and winds as it heads generally west eventually connecting up with SR706. This would take me into Mount Rainier National Park, so I turned right and headed east. Leaving early turned out to be a good decision by me. Why? Think about it - National Park, summer Saturday, beautiful weather. People. And I mean lots of them. As it was, because I entered the park early, I didn't really have much of a wait at all.
Upon entering Mount Rainier National Park you find it is everything you think it should be. Immaculate roads with a forest canopy and the mountain looming over everything. It was a really beautiful place, though not one for zooming on a motorcycle. You've got to put your mind in scenery-mode and forget how fun these corners would be at 50+ mph. The initial pavement was brand new, so it was like riding on felt, but it gave way eventually to some construction work and just normal asphalt with tourist wear and tear. There are plenty of turn-outs for people that drive slowly but can pull over to let others by. For the most part people took advantage of this. Very polite, but very surprising at that.
Tom Clark
I'm a Senior Software Engineer at Intellitect, living in Spokane, Washington. I also do a little development work on the side. And I love riding motorcycles all over the country with my friends.
