bcj - road trips

[bcj]

Polywog => Frog
North Kitsap Historical Park.
Near the head of Miller Bay, south of Kingston, WA

[bcj]

Decided to take advantage of the continuing good weather Monday 9/28/15 to launch out on a road trip to do McKenzie Pass (OR 242) in the mid Cascades.

OR 126 up the valley


Not many pictures. Too vanilla down I5 to Eugene then west on OR 126 to Belknap Springs where 242 starts. Then too busy. The smell of the pine and cypress going up the valley was intoxicating.

Roads - OR 242, 126, 20


The road is narrow, but paved well though there are many 4 to 6 inch drops off the edge. Pay attention. Deer, elk and bicyclists may be frequently encountered. I lucked out and only had one motor home that let me by, then it was clear all the way to the top at the observatory.

I took it slowly and concentrated on precision rather than speed. It's heavily forested and most of the tightly linked corners are blind. Never can tell what's just the other side of that bank. Very much worth the trip down from Seattle. Would recommend it thoroughly.

The lava fields are still impressive as ever and the observatory is worth a stop to stretch and have a look around. A number of bicycle groups and singles stopped there as well. Most of them seemed to be riding out from Sisters and back as the road east of the pass is not as steep as the west side and is wider with better shoulders and longer sight lines. From there I continued east to stop overnight in Sisters.

Observatory stop


The Sisters


The Lava Beds


Tuesday, I headed back west on OR 126. Long straight stretches through Lodgepole Pine forests that have had under story fires through them within the last few years. Nearing Santiam Pass the view became more open due to fires that had crowned through and killed many of the still tall trees. Lots of huge peaks and geological wonders including the Hoodoo Ski Area.

Down the west side of the pass I turned off on OR 20 (Santiam Highway). There was a sign warning of 11 miles of 6% grade. They mean it. The roadbed is a little wider than McKenzie, but equally curvaceous. More linked turns through old growth timber nearly all the way down to Sweet Home. My ears were popping all the way. It goes down a lot. Some roadbed sloughing and patches near the bottom with fresh lumpy asphalt. Another one I'd come back to do again. No corner parkers all the way today too.

Once I got down to Lebanon I came back down the valley through Scio, Stayton and Silverton where I picked up OR 213 through more farmland to Oregon City where I hit 205 back over the bridge to I5 and back home.

Great weather, roads and scenery. I've still got Detroit, Aufderheide, Ripplebrook and several others in the area to try out the 86 on. Get some of this.

[bcj]

4-02-2016
The weather finally cleared up and I needed a road trip.
Decided to head out to La Push on the ocean side of the Olympic Peninsula.
On the way up through Poulsbo the highway reader board said that the Hood Canal bridge would be opened for maintenance for a few hours.
Headed south instead. It would be about the same distance either way.

When I got to Forks, I et a Sullys Burger. It's the spot Mick Dodge stops off on the north edge of town for a gut bomb.



After that I headed down the spur to La Push past all the glitter monster stuff and took a panorama of La Push Harbor.



Afterwards I continued clockwise around the Olympics. They were done with the bridge fixings and all went rather smoothly.
Spent about 9 hours all together with stops and poking around.

[bcj]

4-17-2016
Bear Creek Road at the NE Tahuya Blacksmith Rd intersection in Kitsap Co.

[bcj]

Took a drive down to Tumwater, Washington to tag the old Olympia Brewery location.
It's closed down now. Sold off the name and rights. They're trying to rehabilitate the buildings on the site.
Across the Tumwater falls, there's a city park and riverwalk with public parking.
Corporate Headquarters before it was sold in 1983.



Park wastebins are wrapped with the old beercan graphics.

[soulreapersteve]

I have to hit up these roads sometime! I've already done Crescent Lake, St. Helens, and backroads to Satsop Towers that you listed.

[bcj]

Chickencoop Road off of 101 near Sequim Bay




Lower Elfendahl Pass Road southwest of Belfair on the Kitsap Penninsula

[bcj]

The weather was too nice to waste this week (2016/09/13) so I had to take
another Oregon road trip.

Google Map Route: First Day



Stared up Germantown Road from OR 30 up over the top to Hillsboro.
Got stuck in a traffic jam for a while on 217 but finally got to 99W.
Have not been down that road for decades and wanted to see how it had changed.

The whole area has been built up dramatically all the way to McMinnville.
Beyond that it becomes decidedly rural.

Turned off to 223 at Rickreall up against the east side of the coast ranges.
Between Pedee and Kings Valley there are some very nice corners.

At Philomath I turned on to 34 that eventually ends in Waldport on the
coast.
Going over Mary's Peak the road turns into some very tight winding linked
corners, many of them blind.
Watch out for bicycles and log trucks. The trucks are moving fast.



At Alsea the road hugs the riverbank through Tidewater then to the back bay
part of Waldport.



I didn't get the camera out until around here.
The pics I did get are the relatively straighter parts of the roads.
The tight corners didn't get coverage because I was busy driving.

A cruise up 101 to Newport for the evening.
Got some shots at Yakina Head Park of the jetties that show up on the new
Discovery Channel show and the Newport Bridge.









Day two I went north the back way through Siletz up to Lincoln City.

Google Route Map: Second Day




After that more 101 to Pacific City and Cape Lookout.
Lookout had great corners up one side and down the other.











Continued on to Cape Mears. The map shows a loop through the park, but it was
closed at the park, so I had to backtrack a bit to get out to Tillamook.



From there, At Garibaldi, I turned onto Miami River Road which is narrow,
contorted and goes through some great farmland and over the hills to Nehalem.
Part way through I met a double trailer fuel truck hauling balls the other
direction. Whew.
There were numerous log trucks, but those are expected. The fueler on such
a tight road was a suprise.







From Nehalem I got on 53 up to 26.









Turned off 26 at the Nehalem River to Jewel and 202 then Mist. Then 47 goes
over Mist Mt. with more serious switchbacks up one side and down the other.













There's a great view of Mt Hood from the top, but I didn't stop there. Too
many people filling up the available pullouts and gawking.

One tank of gas down to Newport and filled up again when I got home. 9
gallons. I didn't note how many gallons in Newport, but it was about the same.

[bcj]

Nice day out at the 86 Sessions meet at LeMay car museum in Tacoma.
Lots of nice cars in addition to an LFA under glass in the basement.

On the way in I stopped off on S Tacoma Way at the intersection of I5 and SR16 to get a location shot of "World Famous Bob's Java Jive" coffee pot diner. Now closed but not forgotten.

[bcj]

Fat Smitty's at the bottom of Discovery Bay.
Intersection of 101 and 20
They good.

[Ultramaroon]

Looks like a good spot to do transmission lube.

[bcj]

Not yesterday. You'd be floated out the other side before you got the 1o0b in.
Then there's the water contamination.

[Ultramaroon]

yuk

[RallySport]

Great thread, you've provided me with some inspiration.