Arriving in Pullman I checked into the WLMoC, and had the same room as last year, even though the motel has a new owner. Not much to unpack for just a few days, so that was quickly accounted for and it was time to walk around Pullman a bit, to see what had changed (not much) and stretch the legs a bit.
Then it was time to head off to the Thompson's Farm for the regular Friday Night Welcome. And it was good to catch up with friends from near and far. Back to the motel for more socializing and drinking and catching up with the later arrivals. And some "planning" for tomorrow's ride.
They're all CtS Riders
A better view of just the bikes.
After a huckleberry shake (pie was out of the question this soon after breakfast!) and some bs, we headed back. I left the group as I wanted to ride the Ahsaka Grade near Orofino. Along the way I met up with Seth, Ken and Reece and we rode along for a while, until they decided to try some dirt roads. I thought about it, but decided to stick with the bitumen and headed towards the Spiral Highway.
The above image is a handheld panorama of some 13 photos, showing the view from the top of the Spiral Highway, looking down on the twin cities of Lewiston (Idaho) on the left and Clarkston (Washington) on the right. Some of the hills in the far distance straight ahead are likely in Oregon. The river coming in from the top is the Snake River, and it flows out to the right, eventually joining the Columbia near Kennewick. The river coming in on the left is the Clearwater, along which Lewis and Clark made their epic journey to the Pacific Ocean.
Not too surprisingly, I found some others of the group here and eventually we rode on to Thompson's Farm for the Saturday night feast.
There's horse power, and horsepower!
And then, of course, there's the classic red barn.
After some hours of enjoyment, it was time to head back to the motel, where, of course, more conversations take place. And more drinking, since we don't need to ride anywhere else for the night, and the garage across the street sells alcohol! Well, beer anyway.
I returned to the motel after Mass to have some breakfast with Ken W, Reece and Steve D. The rain again picked up in intensity, which confirmed my plans to head home today.
The rain remained heavy through Colfax where I filled the bike. But then it eased off and very quickly stopped completely. The ride was dry along the Inner Passage, but there were clouds over the Cascades, and the torrential rain came pouring down over the Pass until North Bend, whereupon the sun came out, and I had a sunny ride the rest of the way. It seems the 'bad weather' had deterred quite a number of Sunday drivers, as there was little traffic the whole way home.
Overall, my last Chase the Snake was every bit as enjoyable as the others. Thanks to Randall and the Thompsons, and my fellow riders for an enjoyable weekend.