Day Four-Blown Home

The word for this day was =WINDY=. We have never ridden in such wind.

Breakfast was the usual hotel breakfast, but it sufficed. Norman was eager to get going once again. He knew what was coming when we packed bags and Ray started hauling them out. Let's go! Let's go! We agreed, being tired and ready for our own bed and some home cooked food. We thought we'd be home by 3:30 or so. HA! The day had other things in store for us.

We had terrible, horrible, awful gusty cross-winds all the way from Spokane to Cle Elum. At first, the winds were out of the southwest, but we passed under a narrow cloud bank and then the winds came out of the northwest. It was very hard to hold the bikes in the lane they belonged in because of wind power. The way those winds blew, I think we could have powered the entire state from wind turbines that day and had some power left over to sell to California.

It was wierd going down the highway behind Ray and his Guzzi, leaned over into the wind just so they didn't get blown over. I didn't have that problem having 3 wheels on the ground and plenty of ballast but I surely did get shoved around plenty. At one point Ray had to lean hard right in order to turn left and complete the turn in a fairly upright position.

While we stopped often, at every rest area I 90 had to offer, we only took pictures at one place. That was the Wild Horse Monument and Columbia River Overlook. It was hot in this place and there was no wind. I think all the wind was busy rushing down the river. Norman jumped up on the low wall, so he could get a good look. It was the first time he was interested in scenery. I think it was the cool breeze coming up the canyon walls and the smell of all that cool water.



Here's the bridge we will shortly be riding over. Can you see the effects of the wind on the water?



See the white caps on the Columbia?





Aliens have landed!



When we got down to the bridge from this high but windless place, we saw the windsock was sticking straight out, not a wrinkle or sag in it and we said oh-oh. And we were right. That was one difficult bridge to get across. I was grateful there was not any other traffic on the bridge to get bashed into by the wind.

We kept going in spite, stopped someplace to pick up lunch to go and ate at the next rest area we came to. Coming into Ellensburg, there's a flat place with large agricultural fields abuting the highway. The wind there had renewed purpose and set about attempting to pull my helmet off my head. At one point, I could feel the wind blowing over all my head and the helmet was raised up and twisting to the left in the wind. We came to an overpass and in the sudden quiet and wind relief, I heard a shhhhhluuup! noise and that helmet slammed down on my head like a giant had pushed it down. Helmet was still skewed to the left and not too comfy, but we had to stop for gas, so I could fix it. I surely learned what those helmet chin straps are for. Mine was cinched on good and tight but the wind got to it anyway.

In Ellensburg we saw another sidecarist at the next gas station, so we went over there to say hello. It turned out to be an elderly couple with a California sidecar on an aged Gold Wing. He said in 24,000 miles, he'd never seen another sidecarist and so we were both pleased by the meeting.

Just outside of Cle Elum, the Powers That Be decided to use some stimulus money to mess up the traffic. One lane on each side of I 90 was closed for replacement of concrete. While this is an exceedingly grand idea, that road surface being firmly in the ouch, this road sucks camp, I wish they had not been busy that particular day. We were in the back-up for an hour. For a scooter rider with a sidecar, no big deal. I just trundled along at 2-5 mph no problem. But for a motorcycle rider, the clutch hand gets a huge work out. Ray finally pulled to the side of the road and let several cars by and then he'd drive up the shoulder to where I was putting along and wait again. It was easier on his clutch hand than trying to stay in the lane.

When the traffic finally had two lanes again, we entered the cover of a large cloud bank and the temperature dropped. We stopped to put on our Frogg Togg rain gear, which is nice and warm when worn over jackets and clothes. The temp dropped to 61 and with the wind it felt like it could snow. At North Bend, the sun came out again, it warmed up and we decided to gas up, take off the extra clothes and have some supper at a McDonald's with a really nice outside dining area, complete with fountain and pond. Norman wanted to drink the pond, even tho he had nice tap water.

The rest of the way home was fairly uneventful, the traffic wasn't even too bad thru the city. We got home about 6:30, talked to a neighbor with a new Harley for about 10 minutes and carried luggages in the house at 6:40.

While it was a much longer day than we'd ever suspected it would be, we learned more lessons which will stand us in good stead in the future. We can ride in fierce cross winds!

As you can see from the pics, the weather was clear most of the time. It was nasty, cold and dark and rainy on Saturday, but Sunday and today are beautiful and the rest of the week is forcast to be more so. It doesn't really rain all the time. In the summer. I can't believe how fast the summer has gone and how quickly true autum is coming on, turning leaves, early darkness and all. It will soon be time to park bikes for the winter and plan rides for next year.

Those sweepers down the mountain were every bit as much fun this time, maybe more so with a more powerful bike. Mr. Burgman never failed to give me power when I asked for it. However, Mr. Burgman does have a hefty appetite at 70-75 mph. I discovered he'll do 80+ fully loaded but then I decided that 80+ was liable to attract the attention of any wandering LEOs and so I do not know if he'll still do 105.

So we're home. I've seen the doc and the pain and numbness in my hand is carpal tunnel injuries, for sure in my wrists and possibly in shoulder and neck. Treatment is underway and it's getting better. I'm limited to typing in 20 minute chunks. Then I have to get up and do something else for a while to rest my hands and arms. That's another kind of pain for a keyboard junkie like me. In another 2 weeks I can try riding the bike for 1/2 hour a day. If it still hurts, I'm grounded again. Good thing it's going to be Big Wet season and not summer.

Words by Susan, Pictures by Ray, copyright 2009, all rights reserved