RideAbout65.4 – Day 17 – Twisp, WA to Burlington, WA via North Cascades Highway

RideAbout65.4

Total distance: 144.53 mi
Download file: Day-17.gpx

 

Today’s Mileage: 145 miles

Total Trip Mileage so far: 3531 miles

I am listening to:  Contemporary R&B: Joss Stone, Black Eyed Peas, etc

 

Just to remind everyone since the actual date vs the Day number is not really always obvious:  Day 17 is August 21, 2014.

As the time crept past noon it was with some reluctance and a lot of foot dragging that I finally  rode away from the Twisp River Suites and the little village of Twisp.  By the way, one more neat thing about this hotel – they have a separate set of rooms that is completely set up for people with pets – brilliant!

The reputation of the North Cascades Highway as a prime motorcycle road is certainly untarnished after my lively journey along its length.  My friends John and Roger live in Seattle and said this was the road to take.  A few sprinkles of rain and a pretty good drop in temperature finally forced me to stop and put on the warmer gear.  Rode with a kid of about 17 who was from back east and camping his way west.  He seemed to be having a great time and had a million questions about my bike.

I put a lot of wear on the sides of my tires today that could be measured in fun.  That is really a good thing since the center of the rear tire is wearing really fast – recall it is the replacement I purchased in Gunnison primary because it was the right size – however it has a sporty rubber compound which means the cornering is fantastic but the wear isn’t.  I should really consider if while I am in the Seattle area, it might be a good time to replace both tires, preferably with a longer wearing sport touring type tire.

I rolled into Burlington earlier than I expected, Route 20 was just too short – but a great road by any measure.  John and Roger were certainly right about this road.

 

 

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Tom Carter
Franklin, Tennessee

Mechanical Engineering Consultant

Motorcycle Rider/ Racer/ Tester

Husband/ Dad/ Grandfather/ Great-Grandfather

Planet Earth Arrival 1947

First rode a motorcycle around 1958

Still riding today…