We left sort of late (for us) at about 9:30 on Sunday, August 23 because we only had to get to a Walmart to re-supply and drive about 70 miles to Mount Rainier. It was a really easy morning. The closer we got to Rainier, the smokier it got. We noted that the weather folks are calling for a reverse of the winds back to the west to east flow that was dominate a few days ago. The change happened when we were at the Beacon Rock State Park. That’s what brought the smoke to the west. We are hopeful that by Monday, the smoke will have cleared Mount Rainier. But for the rest of Sunday afternoon, we just took it easy.
It was a great night! We went to the ranger program, and the smoke was clearing of noticeably. The evening was warm and our morning was a late one! We got up around 8:00 Monday, August 24 to bright sunshine. Once out on the road to Paradise, we could see that the smoke was mostly gone and the mountain was out! We fooled around Paradise for a while and drove the park road to Reflection Lakes to get a good view of Mount Rainier with its reflection in the lake. The view was good but with the slight breeze, there wasn’t much of a reflection. We took the time to go out of the park to Ashford to fill up on some of that $3.98 a gallon gas (they gouge you since it is either the last gas before the park or first gas out of the park (from Longmire that is). Good thing we’re pulling down mileage in the high 40’s (without the trailer).We spent the afternoon regrouping and planning our next steps. We decided to pull the plug for the summer since we really couldn’t make up our minds to go anywhere else (that wasn’t too smoky). We decided to head back east a little ways on WA 12 and pick up I-82 south to I-84 south into Oregon. Not sure the plan after that but probably continue south on some route we haven’t been on right into Nevada.
Tuesday August 25 started out cold but as in the west, things warm up pretty quickly. We planned to just head home via I-82 & I-84 and look for a hotel sometime late in the day. We started off going along the southern part of Mount Rainier passing Paradise and hooking up with US 12 via WA 136. The drive all the way from the campground to Yakima was really pretty! Not only that, the road is smooth and you can buzz along at 65, no problem. We stopped in Yakima for some coffee and then jumped on the superslab (I-82) and set the cruise on 70. By the time we got to Pendleton, OR, the smoke re-appeared and didn’t leave the rest of the day. We made a brief gas stop on the other side of Deadman Pass (another nice area despite its name). We pulled in at Ontario, OR, the same town we turned off at to pursue the John Day fossil beds. Yup, it was still pretty smoky. It was a pretty big day clocking over 400 miles. We’re hoping tomorrow will bring a reprieve as we continue southeast and onto US 93 into Nevada.
Wednesday, August 26 started out good with an early start down I-84. We pretty much kept to about 10 under the 80 mph limit because I don’t like to drive that fast pulling a trailer (though some folks do!). We made really good time and by late morning, we were exiting I-84 onto US 93 in Idaho Falls, ID. That’s when the LONG slog began. US 93 (once in Nevada) pretty much looks the same all the way to (almost) Las Vegas. That’s about 400 miles. The break in the scenery is the White River Narrows but other than that, if you happened to fall asleep for a while and woke to look around, you’d swear you didn’t go anywhere! We set the cruise at 70 and just watched northern Nevada pass by. There was hardly any traffic to distract us. The only interesting thing in that department was a car coming north that, just as we approached, blew something that caused a great big blue smoke cloud and from what I could see, flames coming from under the engine! It happened so fast, we didn’t have a chance to stop but when I spied the car that had been following us, they stopped. THAT would be a REAL bummer- toasting your car on US 93! No cell signal, almost no traffic, gee, if it got any lonelier, you might end up with buzzards circling overhead! We got pretty close to Ely by the time some clouds gathered to rain a bit on us but we pulled into the Hotel Nevada in time to look back north to see a really black sky from whence we came. We really got lucky but I do wonder why after so many days (probably 45 or so) that it decided to rain on us in Nevada (of all places!). We bunked in for the night after another over 400 mile run and watched the rain from the comfort of the hotel.
Our last day on the road, Thursday August 27 was melancholy on that our summer trip was drawing to a close. We left Ely rather early hoping to be in Las Vegas before it got too hot. The drive down NV 318 was lonely and it went quick, quicker than we liked it too, hoping the vacation wouldn’t end. But alas, it did. We pulled in to home without incident around noon in the 100+ degree heat. It is, in a strange way, nice to be home.
The wrap-up of August and our trip went like this- We drove 5,785 miles in August bringing our total for the year to 26,366 or 17,578 since we left Las Vegas on May 12. We’ve racked up 35 parks for the month totaling 178 for our 2015 National Parks Tour. Our state count grew by 8 for a total of 34. Our bike now has well over 72,000 miles and it really feels broken in now and almost a part of us (meaning it fits us better than it ever has)! That’s the cool thing about BMW’s, they take a while to really break-in but once there, they are with you for a LONG time if you so desire! The K1600GTL performed flawlessly this summer producing an average of 42.1 mpg over the whole trip. We got to visit some pretty great places, see lots of interesting stuff and most important of all, visit with our friends and family along the way. They all helped make our trip that much better! Our submission to the Iron Butt Association will be (hopefully) a brand new certified ride. We did a back-to-back National Parks Tour Silver without visiting (counting) a park from last year this year. Maybe we’ll get just that- the first Back-To-Back National Parks Tour Silver! We’ll see!
Some other highlights were:
1. The best camping experience was all of the campsites (besides #2)! But really, we had some so-so spots and some really great ones. ALL have a quality or two that make them memorable to us.
2. The worst camping experience had to be Cliff of the Neuse in North Carolina, hands down. No fault of the park, it was just SO humid and hot that you couldn’t take off enough clothes to bear it! Then it stormed all night which made it hotter and more humid while the bike’s stand sank into the sand and it fell, albeit slowly, onto its side (no damage though). The mosquitoes were Jurassic as were the biting flies. It was a bummer there…but memorable!
3. The best park is always a hard call. We really like Mount Rainier National Park but we must say that the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls was first rate as was Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida. The historical parks and sites in New York City and Boston were equally cool in their own way and both are on our list for re-visiting. The most informative (meaning we had little or no knowledge beforehand) was the George Rogers Clark National Historical Site. He is truly an unsung hero of the Revolution.
4. The best experience (outside of the whole trip) was the bi-plane ride. What a hoot!
5. We had no close calls with any cars or trucks or native creatures (like deer).
Well, that’s the end of our 2015 summer odyssey. It was a fantastic summer! We’re not done yet though! After our 18k service at BMW Motorcycles of Las Vegas, we are planning to get to the Trinity Site in New Mexico (anyone interested in going?) the first Saturday in October. See the EMO site for details. There may be a few parks around we could still squeeze in too. So, look for a Chapter 19 to wrap up the year. Once again, we hope you enjoyed reading of our adventure and that it in some way it has sparked a fire in you to get out and explore the wonderful parks that are in our United States (it seems to have worked on a few folks from last year!). You never know what cool thing you might find in them and in some cases, what you might find inside yourself. Till next year! Greg & Cynthia
P.S. Anyone interested in retracing the Corp of Discovery’s route next summer (or something else)? Give us a call, we’re up for another adventure! We’re ready NOW!