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By William "ForceOne" Pantoja. Preparation
RedVixen (DrainFade's wife and my sister) had never been on a long ride before let alone a 2 day ride. We were hoping she would be able to get some saddle time prior to leaving. Unfortunately, she was only able ride about an hour the day before. This should prove to be nothing else if not an eventful ride. We had spent part of the week getting our bikes tuned up. RedVixen's EX250 still needed four valves adjusted and we took care of that on the Monday before the trip. Thursday night, when we went to a weekly ST.N gathering, we discovered that we forgot to reconnect her front blinkers and that the high beam on her headlight was out. Luckily, the bulb in her headlight is a standard bulb and we were able to get a replacement that night. My bike seemed to be performing well after having overheated on the previous trip to Windy Ridge. Monroe Kawasaki had examined my bike and said nothing was wrong with it mechanically but they flushed and bled the cooling system regardless. As the day approached, the weather started looking ominous and RedVixen was starting to get apprehensive about riding down highway 410 after hearing the horror stories about the road conditions. We decided to change our plans to go to Ocean Shores and go east to Winthrop instead. The weather should be much better once over the mountains and the distance was a good 100 miles shorter. On top of that, the pavement was much nicer and the roads less technical. I had the Ocean Shores trip saved in my GPS so we could always do that another day. DrainFade and I wanted RedVixen to feel more comfortable about the upcoming ride. Day 1
Distance: 194 miles
Travel Time: 7 hours We met at DrainFade and RedVixen's house bright and early at 7:30 am. We were planning to leave at 8:00 am but after a few delays (including a tardy nanny) we finally got on the road at almost 9:00 am. It took a little while to convince the kids that they couldn't go with mommie although I was pretty sure I could have fit one of them in my tank bag. It was foggy out and we decided to slab it up I-5 to Burlington not only to avoid the traffic nightmare that was highway 9, but to try to get a little ahead of the weather. Besides, RedVixen wanted to stop at Krispy Kreme for a sugar and caffeine fix. I nearly got squashed on I-5 thanks to a typical cager who changed two lanes without even looking. I was able to accelerate easily out of danger and I gave him a complicated hand signal that both indicated my utter disdain for his tacky choice of vehicle and the fact that he should have his prescription checked by a doctor instead of the DMV. I almost missed the exit because I was too busy gesticulating instead of paying attention to where DrainFade and RedVixen were going.  | | Day 1 route. | |
Apparently, RedVixen has the bladder of a three-year-old because she needed to stop to go to the rest room. At least she choose a rest stop instead of following her husband's example of pulling off the road and running into the bushes stripping as he runs. While we waited, DrainFade decided to check out my GPS and was amazed at all of the information it displayed including our elevation. Too bad it didn't show the temperature as well. There was a huge tree stump that had been made into to a new sort of "shade tree". It reminded me of the giant sequoia red wood trees I had seen in my youth.  | | Now that's a big stump... | William Pantoja |
 | | DrainFade, lost, examines the GPS. | William Pantoja |
We pulled into Krispy Kreme in Burlington. I had never had a Krispy Kreme doughnut before and I hoped that this place lived up to the hype. I selected a couple of original doughnuts and the clerk pulled them from the conveyer belt still warm. They literally melted in my mouth.  | | Nothing like sugar and carbs to start the day. | William Pantoja |
 | | DrainFade discovers his Krispy Kreme doughnuts got jacked--by RedVixen. | William Pantoja |
As we were pulling out of Krispy Kreme, a motorcycle cop pulled over a cager in the Krispy Kreme parking lot. I waved at him and got a nod in return. DrainFade led and I rode sweep as we cruised down highway 20 towards Concrete. RedVixen executed what was to be her first pass on a motorcycle. There was a little chill in the air but over all the weather was turning out to be perfect. When we turned right onto highway 20, RedVixen's rear tire bounced around a little and her bike threatened to low side when she down shifted in the middle of the turn. She was able to pull out of it gracefully without as much as a second thought. We stopped again in Concrete for another bathroom break. Apparently the coffee was going though RedVixen's system like water through a sieve. I noticed that the gas station looked very much like the gas station in Randle. Apparently the architects were in a very unimaginative mood when they designed the gas stations. DrainFade was starting to drool a little whenever RedVixen got on her bike. It was probably a good thing that he was leading or he might have wrecked from staring at her tail end.  | | I wonder what this town exports? | William Pantoja |
 | | DrainFade attempts to blend in with the locals. | William Pantoja |
The roads were starting to get a bit more interesting as we continued down highway 20. RedVixen has expressed her dislike of I-5 and said that she was bored out of her mind. Now that we started getting into some twistier roads, she appeared to be enjoying herself a lot more. She was wobbling a little on the turns from not opening up a little on the throttle as she was going through them. But with each turn, she was indeed getting better. By the time we reached Marblemount for lunch, she had improved noticeably. In Marblemount there is this little "drive-in" restaurant that serves good food and great shakes. It is also the home of a lot of semi-domestic rabbits that are allowed to run around as they please. Inside the restaurant that also doubles as a sort of gift shop and museum, they have memorabilia hanging on the walls that tell the history of this little town including a flag that was hand made in 1890 for the 4th of July celebration that year.  | | Lunch time in MarbleMount. | William Pantoja |
 | | Shhhh! I'm hunting wabbits. | William Pantoja |
 | | I think I'll have this one, broiled. | William Pantoja |
Our next planned stop was to be Washington Pass Overlook but as we were getting ready to leave, a lady mentioned that there was a land slide about 15 minutes up the road. She said the wait to get through the area was a good half hour. On top of this wonderful news, DrainFade warned us that once we get into Marblemount proper we needed to stick to the speed limit because of a motorcycle hating cop that prowled the streets there. Luck was with us when we rode through Marblemount and we didn't see so much as a hint of the cage-lover. The landslide proved to be everything that the lady had promised. Stuck waiting until the construction crew paused to let traffic through, we took the opportunity to relax. RedVixen struck up a conversation with the riders behind us while a lady who was in the car in front of us decided it was a perfect time for a pedicure. The temperature was starting to rise and the water was begining to look very attractive. After about 45 minutes, it was finally our side's turn to go and we got back onto our bikes to continue up the mountain.  | | Stuck at the land slide. | William Pantoja |
 | | They have the same stuff on theirs too? | William Pantoja |
 | | Some folks even have time for a pedicure. | William Pantoja |
 | | I hope it doesn't rain--rocks. | William Pantoja |
 | | At least the view was beautiful. | William Pantoja |
 | | Damn that water looks inviting. | William Pantoja |
We had decided at lunch to switch up the order we were riding in after deciding that RedVixen could more then handle the upcoming curves. So with DrainFade leading and RedVixen pulling up the rear, we zipped through the twisties. At one point, DrainFade and I stopped to let RedVixen catch up and, as I looked over my shoulder, I couldn't help but ogle at the view. At the last minute I decided to take a photograph so I let RedVixen and DrainFade go ahead. Shortly thereafter, I caught up with RedVixen. I had another opportunity to observe her and she was indeed improving every mile that she rode. With each turn she became more and more confident of her riding. I passed her not long after confident that she was riding within her capabilities.  | | Who said waiting for stragglers was boring? | William Pantoja |
By the time reached the Washington Pass Overlook it was starting to get hot. DrainFade, after watching his wife ride for a few hundred miles, could not longer contain himself and like a dog in heat started dry humping RedVixen while I took photographs of the road leading to the overlook.  | | DrainFade can't help but dry hump his biker babe. | William Pantoja |
 | | Awww...isn't that cute? | William Pantoja |
 | | The view from the Washington Pass Overlook sign. | William Pantoja |
 | | The view looking back the way we came. | William Pantoja |
DrainFade had promised that the view from the overlook was breathtaking and that you could look straight down towards the road we were going to ride on. RedVixen, looking a little nervous, told us that she was afraid of heights. That was news to me since I had always thought she was a roller coaster junkie. Apparently, heights make her nauseous nowadays. Regardless, she was more then willing to walk up the little path to the overlook. It was not until much later that I realized that I had totally forgotten to take a panoramic shot of the view.  | | Stopped at the Washington Pass Overlook to have our breath taken away. | William Pantoja |
 | | And it was. | William Pantoja |
 | | I should have shot a panoramic. | William Pantoja |
 | | We found out RedVixen is afraid of heights. | William Pantoja |
 | | Behind us, you can see the road we were about to take. | Allie Daneman |
 | | One last photo while waiting for RedVixen to finish puking. | William Pantoja |
Anxious to get back on the road, we saddled up and took off down highway 20. Once we got into the valley, I noticed that my bike was overheating--again. We pulled over and filled the radiator with water from my CamelBak. I had thought that this problem was fixed but it looked like my bike was still a sickly little beast. Another rider on an old BMW stopped and asked us if we needed help. We had everything well in hand and, as he rode away, we noticed that he was wearing his skull cap tilted back off his head. We supposed that it was his way of giving the finger to the helmet law. Just outside of Winthrop, I saw the same rider being pulled over by a police cruiser. I guess the cops didn't have the same sense of humor. By the time we got to Winthrop, my bike was almost in the red again. We stopped briefly at the combination sweet shop, ice cream bar, hot dog stand, and mini golf course to find out what direction the Best Western was. After getting directions, I decided to stay and let my bike cool while DrainFade and RedVixen went on ahead. I met back up with them at the motel and we stripped off our gear. All I wanted to know is who left the heater on in Winthrop because I was roasting and the heat from my engine wasn't helping either. I was pretty sure my balls were hard boiled by now. After we cooled off a little, we decided to walk back into town to get dinner and drinks. Winthrop appeared to be a popular stopping point for all sorts of riders though most of them rode Harleys. After battling with the waitress who didn't want to serve dinner until 5:00 pm (even though it was 4:45 pm) and loading up on a few drinks, I wandered out side for a cigarette. There were a couple of very sweet looking Big Dog motorcycles parked out front. As I was smoking and looking at the bikes, a couple rode up on a pair of Harleys with a Schnauzer riding in the tail bag wearing a pair of blue Doggles®1. I had left my camera in the motel and I was kicking myself that I didn't bring it with me. After dinner and drinks, we got ice cream and headed back to the motel. On the walk back, I found out that RedVixen will tell you anything after just three drinks. I ended up finding out much more information then I wanted to know about my sister. RedVixen wanted to drink some more but DrainFade and I were able to convince her that riding with a hangover is not what most people consider a good time. Day 2
Distance: 179 miles
Travel Time: 8 hours The alarm in my phone woke us up at 6:45 am. I had forgotten to reset it before going to sleep the night before. I quickly turned it off and rolled over for an hour more sleep. After we finally pulled ourselves out of bed, we decided that we would stop in town for breakfast and, more importantly, coffee. Both RedVixen and DrainFade have the classic grumps until they get their first cup of joe. While they finished packing, I went down to my bike and filled the radiator with all of the coolant that was left in my reservoir. After topping my radiator off with water I was ready to go. I seriously needed a bucket of chicken to sacrifice to the cooling system Gods but none was available so I simply resorted to mumbling obscenities under my breath. I guess I am a little grumpy in the morning before caffeine too. At breakfast we decided that RedVixen would lead our merry band out of town. After taking a few photographs, downing a bottle of coke, and smoking a cigarette I felt ready to hit the road.  | | Day 2 route. | |
 | | They don't allow color film in Winthrop. | William Pantoja |
 | | Who said you couldn't pee in a radiator? | Jennifer Daneman |
We headed out down highway 20 at a pretty decent pace. Even so, DrainFade nearly rear-ended RedVixen after she grabbed a fist full of brakes at the last minute before a turn. With that, after only 20 miles, DrainFade passed RedVixen while I continued to bring up the rear. After we passed the Washington Pass Overlook, I saw RedVixen sort of wobble a bit and then pull off the side of the road. It had turned out that she had gotten a wasp in her helmet. The front vent on her helmet had come off and bugs were finding their way in there with regularity. I offered her my balaclava to wear to at least keep the bugs from sticking to her lip gloss but I discovered that I had left it at home. By this time DrainFade had turned around and come back to see what the problem was. The small emergency over, we rode on--or would have had my bike not overheated just a few miles down the road--so much for making good time on the trip back. We let the bike cool a little and I added more water. RedVixen dug my camera out of my tank bag and started shooting photos like a wild woman. My bike behaved itself when we stopped at the land slide. The construction worker there also rides a motorcycle and he let every bike he could see come up to the front of the line. We spent some time chatting with him while we were waiting for our turn to go. From what he tells us, at least 2 people a month die while riding on highway 20 between Marblemount and Winthrop. Most of them hit the wall right after the grated bridge. A few cagers have been know to buy the farm there as well.  | | My bike takes a leak while we watch like perverts. | Jennifer Daneman |
 | | Jennifer Daneman |
 | | At least I still look like I'm having fun. | William Pantoja |
The ride pretty uneventful until we were just outside Darrington where there was more road construction and we had to wait for about 20 minutes before it was our turn to go. I was now leading because we discovered that as long as I kept my bike moving over about 50 mph it would stay cool. This stopped worried me that it would cause the bike to overheat. As it turned out, my bike overheated again but I was able to make it to Arlington before it hit the red.  | | Stuck because of more road work. | William Pantoja |
 | | Are we there yet? | William Pantoja |
 | | Too bad those clouds didn't come to us. | William Pantoja |
 | | At least we had something to look at while waiting. | William Pantoja |
We discussed whether or not I should let them go on ahead while I took a more direct route down I-5 where I could keep my speed up. We finally agreed that I would be alright continuing down highway 9 with them. I refilled my CamelBak and my radiator and I was able to make it the rest of the way home without going into the red again. Bellevue Kawasaki
It looks like I will have to take my bike in again. This time, I am going to take it to Bellevue Kawasaki. Hopefully, they will be able to find and fix the problem. At least the bike is still under warranty.
1 Doggles® are googles for dogs. They are the very best in eye protection for dogs featuring polycarbonate (shatterproof), anti-fog lenses that block 100% of UV light and keep out wind and debris. The wrap around frames completely enclose the eyes with no gaps for stray light or foreign objects. If you want to take your pet riding, Doggles® are a must.
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