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FALL 2016 ISSUE 02 / VOL. 01
Cross the Golden Gate Bridge— take a picture! Even if it’ s a foggy day. The other two bikes were rentals ridden by Australian tourists.
Right: A road shot on the North Cascades Highway shows a pair of motorcycists running happily between Rainy and Washington passes. smaller lakes are accessible from the highway, but if you want to put a boat into Ross you will have to go up to Canada.
The highway, completed in 1972, is well made and has mostly light traffic, not abused by many 18-wheelers. Almost half the vehicles we saw were motorcycles; sensible folk. The three of us managed to stay well in front of whatever car traffic there was and had an absolutely marvelous run from Marblemount to Winthrop, stopping every few miles for stunning shots of the craggy peaks around us.
The sun was shining brightly as we came over Rainy Pass, but a few days later, heavy rains and landslides did cause the road west of the pass to be closed for a week... one more reason to keep my good-luck charm with me. Then it was on to Washington Pass, at 5,500 feet the highest point on the highway, with great views of the Early Winters Spires, a jagged row of rocky granite peaks favored by climbing types who like to challenge disaster.