The weather was sunny and warm, a perfect day for a ride to Mount Rainier.
Distance: 210 miles
Time to complete: 8 hours with group lunch
Ken Anderson organized a group ride to Mount Rainier with members of the Greater Seattle and Puget Sound Motorcycle Riders Meetup group yesterday. Nineteen riders participated, including myself.
There were two places for riders to join the group, a Starbucks in Rainier convenient for Seattle and Eastside residents, and The Claw & Big Daddy’s BBQ in Enumclaw for riders who live south of Seattle.
I met up with the group at Starbucks.
We departed just a little later than planned, not unusual for a group activity.
A few folks needed to gas up, so the initial group stopped in Black Diamond for fuel. At each stop, folks took the opportunity to talk bikes, equipment, and prior rides. I very much enjoyed this part of the group experience.
We were back on the road and headed to pick up the second group of riders at ‘The Claw’.
A few folks introduced themselves, but we were back on the road quickly.
We rode up Hwy 410 towards Chinook Pass, a scenic stop added to the ride up to Sunrise Visitors Center.
We stopped near the summit for an opportunity to take a bathroom break,
and then to the summit for a photo opportunity.
It was a beautiful day. It was in the low to mid 80’s and the scenery was spectacular. The group mood seemed to be mirroring my own – everyone seemed relaxed and happy. With our destination still ahead, we took off down the pass and headed back to the turnoff to Sunrise Road. We arrived at the Park entrance as a group, but the line went quickly.
I recorded the ride up Sunrise Road and posted the following video.
Unfortunately, the snack bar was closed so we all decided to ride down to Naches Tavern in Greenwater for lunch. Since we were all hungry, we didn’t stay at the Visitors Center long.
The burgers were great as was the service, given we were a group of about 16 at that point.
The ride home encountered some traffic for me and a few others. While I-405 was crowded, it was moving quickly, unlike I-90. But the HOV lane on I-90 saved most of the headache and the congestion at the tunnels under Mercer Island was expected and passed quick enough.
It was a great ride, well organized and executed. Thanks to Ken and everyone else for making the day special.