It was 38 degrees overnight, and my sleeping bag is an ultralight down bag rated at 45 degrees. So I was adding clothes through the night as it kept getting colder. Once I finally warmed up I was reluctant to leave the bag, so I read a few chapters in one of the many books I brought along. On my Kindle. ?
When I couldn’t take it any longer, I got up, did some exercises to get warm again, and went for a walk through this ghost town of a campground I stayed in.
Packing up and loading the bike took a little longer as I had to keep warming my hands. It was 40-something when I finally left, so I piled on the cold weather gear (winter gloves, wool leggings, and heated vest). My bike has heated grips with three heat settings, and I’ve integrated the vest with the grips so I can control both with just the grips. Pretty cool!
I set off towards Spokane to find fuel for me and the bike before heading west. I said I’d take whatever came first, and wouldn’t you know it? McD’s! And 92 octane for the bike. At least one of us is eating well.
The route today was a combination of US 2, US 395, and highway 20. Highway 20 was a really nice ride, with some sections that must have been designed with motorcycles in mind.
I still don’t think Glacier can be bested, but when I first saw the Cascade range off in the distance I thought, “Wow, those are some big mountains!” Tomorrow’s ride through North Cascades National Park should be a good one.
I’m camped just outside the Park, and the forecast is for rain through the night, so in the interest of getting off to an early start and not waiting for the tent to dry out, I upgraded to a wood tent, a.k.a cabin, for an extra $20. Hey, I’m old, and on vacation, and on a motorcycle trip, and I have a ferry to catch tomorrow, so don’t hold it against me! There’s still plenty of tenting yet to come.
One observation of northern Washington is that this is serious logging and timber country. Another observation is that drivers tend to pull out into traffic no matter how close the oncoming traffic is, or how fast it’s going.
An older couple just walked by my cabin pushing a stroller. With a dog in the stroller.
Another, younger couple came by, and they were making their dogs walk, believe it or not. The guy started talking motorcycles, and said he once rode from New York to Rapid City, SD in two days. I don’t think I could handle that many miles in that short of time. Too many stops for photos. ?
Photo gallery of day 5
