[doser]

One of my favorite weekends trips: pretty big days, with quite serious riding, but absolutely lovely countryside and an amazing sequence of wonderful, varied, riding roads! And a fine little town to spend the nite in, too...

Vancouver to Colville: 740 kms 10 hours

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/876+West+22nd+Avenue,+Vancouver,+BC+V5Z+1Z9,+Canada/Omak,+WA,+USA/48.1731379,-118.7157084/Inchelium,+WA,+USA/Springdale,+WA,+USA/Chewelah,+WA,+USA/48.288664,-117.4866584/Colville,+Washington,+USA/@48.6179873,-122.5510619,7z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m50!4m49!1m15!1m1!1s0x548673ecd391d191:0xe7d18a0b096fb0d3!2m2!1d-123.123808!2d49.251392!3m4!1m2!1d-122.4997798!2d48.8479508!3s0x5485bba79b66dc5d:0x943f7677d282557e!3m4!1m2!1d-122.2019626!2d48.8110886!3s0x5485aea9efb5f3f1:0x32a2404076bb39ef!1m5!1m1!1s0x549ce9ab48ff5049:0x9e14a2206b28cfae!2m2!1d-119.5275506!2d48.4109853!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x549d9aa365fb9f49:0xc8d7e86bb1808341!2m2!1d-118.197373!2d48.2970435!1m5!1m1!1s0x549df005bf7c9ca9:0x8a19e9f38c35088!2m2!1d-117.7413489!2d48.0573924!1m5!1m1!1s0x5362737d05f98eb7:0x1a897d15d02c8e21!2m2!1d-117.7155207!2d48.276287!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x5362878add7b8c51:0x6fe5d8110f829d68!2m2!1d-117.9009545!2d48.5449971!3e0

'Routine' from Vancouver to Winthrop via hwy 20. Left town at 6:30 am, so light traffic. Winthrop at 10:30; Omak at 11:30. Then east on 155 to Nespelem - deserted and fast, but not 'interesting' except for a few miles thru Disautel Pass.

Thence Cache Creek Road, thru lovely grasslands at lower elevations and many miles of ongoing sweepers up in the forested highlands. It is nearly irresistable to ride 'hard' thru here, but be careful for gravel swept onto the pavement from boat-trailers.

Cache Crk Rd

IMG_1964 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr

Then the Inchelium ferry - a unique highlight of this trip.

IMG_1976 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr

This trip, I wanted to ride the Flowery Trail on the way by, so I took the Hunter to Springdale Rd to get east to US 395. This is scenic and enjoyable, but my personal favorite route between WA 25 and US 395 is Pleasant Valley Rd to Rice-Orin Rd - the countryside is just lovely and the riding is enjoyable.

Springdale-Hunter Road

IMG_1982 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr



IMG_1991 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr



IMG_1998 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr


The Flowery Trail ( east of Chewelah ) is, in the opinion of some, the best motorcycling road in Washington. It is certainly very very fine, but for my taste, it requires a bit more speed for full value than I'm fully comfortable with. Ride well beyond the ski area, btw, before doubling back - the curves continue for several more miles.

Bennie's Colville Inn was my home for the nite, not for the first time! And I ate at a 'new place' on the main street: The Pour House. Not bad, but maybe not quite at the semi-yuppie standard that it appears to emulate.

Day two follows in a separate post.

 

[doser]

Colville back to Vancouver

Northeastern Washington is littered with great motorcycling roads - the challenge is to stitch together the best of them while retaining enough energy to enjoy the riding!


Colville WA to Vancouver 690 kms 10 1/2 hrs incl 45 min lunch stop

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Colville,+WA,+USA/Northport,+WA,+USA/48.6811802,-118.1022074/Curlew,+WA,+USA/Oroville,+WA,+USA/Princeton,+BC/Vancouver,+BC/@49.1457212,-121.9492323,9.33z/data=!4m59!4m58!1m10!1m1!1s0x5362878add7b8c51:0x6fe5d8110f829d68!2m2!1d-117.9009545!2d48.5449971!3m4!1m2!1d-117.6632161!2d48.7499798!3s0x5362f23acf338257:0x2cf178b27fc1f375!1m5!1m1!1s0x5362e9dc507d2afd:0x5964791030547219!2m2!1d-117.7816505!2d48.9160223!1m0!1m15!1m1!1s0x549d5762810a2003:0x2f30e41e7fecc261!2m2!1d-118.5995124!2d48.8835848!3m4!1m2!1d-118.7697296!2d49.0093096!3s0x549d54b4ab05fb09:0x80b96695f80955b3!3m4!1m2!1d-118.8354251!2d48.9349281!3s0x549d5242dc5a9fe9:0xcb04a1d1ad2ccb32!1m10!1m1!1s0x5482ce3d58ff5787:0x6324960b77f5be39!2m2!1d-119.4356211!2d48.9390509!3m4!1m2!1d-119.5929759!2d48.9895014!3s0x5482daf651c6af69:0x7e122ad4b560f2f8!1m5!1m1!1s0x5483b3d161569d83:0xd43ee30a3c1d49a1!2m2!1d-120.5061567!2d49.4589588!1m5!1m1!1s0x548673f143a94fb3:0xbb9196ea9b81f38b!2m2!1d-123.1207375!2d49.2827291!3e0

Despite having explored the area many times, I had somehow never ridden the Alladin Rd between Colville and Northport. in a crisp, fresh cool morning, I got away at 7 to make amends. The road is excellent: scenic, varied, and 'comfortable', a perfect way to start a day. I saw a couple groups of pheasants in fields just north of Colville, and - as per reputation - deer were plentiful in the fields too.

Alladin Road, Colville to Northport WA


IMG_2006 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr


IMG_2009 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr


IMG_2020 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr


From Northport, one doubles back down the west side of the Columbia River to regain US 395. This is highly varied terrain, sometimes down beside the river, sometimes up on grassy ranch benches. Spooking up a black bear was my morning highlight in this section.

Northport - Flat Crk Rd

IMG_2030 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr


A short jaunt north on US 395 brings one to Boulder Creek Road. There are few places where I'm comfortable with travelling at 100 mph for extended distances, but this one of them. The uphill sweepers are perfectly paved and the radii are easy to read, so easing the speed for the corners brings no surprises. Unfortunately, the upper half burned a year or two ago, so the 'scenery' is marred - but at high speeds, one should not be taking in the views!

Boulder Creek Rd

IMG_2044 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr


Deer Creek Rd, descending into Curlew WA

IMG_2051 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr


There is no gas in Curlew on Sunday, so I made a short side trip north across the border to Midway to fill up, then came back to continue my WA peregrinations.

Kettle River, just south of Midway

IMG_2054 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr


I love the roads between Curlew and the Okanagan. Toroda Creek Rd 'flows' nicely, although the pavement is varied ( and there was 5- mile-ish section of gravel where it was being re-paved).

Toroda Creek Rd

IMG_2067 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr


continues in next post ( 10 photos per post max)...

 

[doser]

Chesaw Rd to Vancouver

Chesaw Rd branches off Toroda Crk Rd, and is quite rough in the lower, forested sections. Actually, I rather enjoy having the bike bucking around beneath me while carving thru corners - you sure learn to ride on the pegs, not your bum!

Chesaw Rd


IMG_2069 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr


IMG_2073 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr

IMG_2079 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr

Beyond 'the top' at Chesaw, the road descends towards the Okanagan, with fine distant views of the high mountains in Cathedral park and environs in the distance.

IMG_2088 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr


There is a great section of road along the Similkameen beyond Oroville, on the way to the Nighthawk border crossing.

IMG_2090 (2) by Don Serl, on Flickr


I had a fine Thai lunch in Keremeos at the Benja, then joined the traffic thru the heat back to Vancouver. I'll admit to being pretty 'worked' by the time I got home, and after a soak in a hot bath-tub, 12 hours of sleep came easily. It's hard to find better riding for a 2-day weekend trip from Vancouver than northeastern WA, and I doubt this'll be the last time I enjoy the area.

 

[heisenberg9]

Thanks for the report. Love going through that area. You covered tons of ground! Great place to clear the head.

 

[Talonz]

Remember alot of these roads and Benny's Colville Inn too from my WA loop two years ago. Flowery Trail was a definite highlight! I used addygifford road east though.

Toroda Creek road south was all gravel this year, ugh. I used it to get to WA20 and did not think to check their highways site.

 

[bikeguy]

Thanks for the report. That trip is on the bucket list. Packing pretty light. Everything in a tailbag and a tankbag?

 

[doser]

Packing pretty light. Everything in a tailbag and a tankbag?

Yup. I'm usually "over-prepared", but I even left my raingear and heated vest behind, given a 'perfect' forecast. Not even a sweater - just a longsleeve and a short sleeve T-shirt. It was a bit chilly till about 9am, but fine thereafter.

 

[doser]

Remember alot of these roads and Benny's Colville Inn too from my WA loop two years ago. Flowery Trail was a definite highlight! I used addygifford road east though.

Toroda Creek road south was all gravel this year, ugh. I used it to get to WA20 and did not think to check their highways site.

Gifford - Addy is certainly the most direct of the cross routes between the ferry and Colville - pretty nice too. Actually, I've had thoughts of spending an extra half-day in the area some time, and riding every one of those cross-routes between 25 and 395 between teh Spokane River and Kettle Falls. I remember a couple pretty technical sections on the Wellpinit Rd, for instance...