We started our day with a scrumptious discovery. A squiggly line on the map turned out to be a unique canyon road along the Yakima River. A number of fly fisherman were already out on the water. The canyon walls were shear and the view was breathtaking.
First we needed cherries, Mt Rainer cherries. They did not disappoint.
Our plans to ride around Mt Rainer were derailed by the closure of White Pass on the southern side of this historic mountain. We traveled to the road closure site accompanied largely but fellow motorcyclists who were also lured by the low traffic on the road. It was a pretty ride although Mt Rainer was not visible. We passed along Clear Lake formed by a dam on the Tieton River.
Following this we circled the northern rim of the Rainer Park and enjoyed the vista of the mountain from Chinook Pass. Judging by the crowd we were joined by most of Seattle.
We descended to Enumclaw for a late lunch at a local trendy eatery. The name means “Place of Evil spirits” but they were not in evidence. We had a nice lunch followed again by delicious local pies.
The ride back was on a local interstate since this was the only pass through the Cascades we had not traveled. We are excited about our last day’s ride back to Portland but reluctant to see our trip end.
