Plan:

Leave on August 6th as early as possible.

From Redmond, WA, head north on SR9 to SR20, then East to US 97. Then north to Oroville, WA to visit family. Here's the route.
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Spend a few days in the area riding local roads (I grew up in the area, so I know some fun roads :D )

Head back to Redmond on August 10th.
South on US 97 to US 2 over Stevens Pass.
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I just changed the oil in my bike yesterday, and the wife's bike should be ready to go. We'll do a "trial" run either tonight or Monday. This will be the 3rd time we've done a similar route. But, this is my first ride report ever, so bare with me :)

Since this is still in planning stages, does anyone have any suggestions? Any word on construction? I know there was some near Monroe, but I was hoping it would be done by now...

Tha only advice I can give you is to take it easy while riding and enjoy the journy.

I'm getting excited for the trip. The wify hasn't ridden much since I adjusted the valves on her bike due to training for a triathlon. So, I rode her bike to work yesterday to make sure everything was good for the trip. I'm always amazed how different our two bikes feel, even though they are both 07 250s.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_GR-BtAPOze0/Snefx61_hnI/AAAAAAAABwQ/8RPrPhlkEno/s800/IMG_0249.JPG

My mesh jacket I was wearing is a light gray color, so with my blue bag, blue gloves, and the gray flames on the bike, I realized I was red white and blue :P

I changed the oil in my bike yesterday, so I'm ridding my bike to work today. It's actually cloudy and cool. The first time in over a week... But, I guess a lot of us in the Pacific NorthWet love this weather for ridding. There were more bikes at work today then yesterday.

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Tomorrow we are starting our vacation by hitting the Seattle Sounders vs Barcelona soccer game after work, then home to pack. I'm hoping to leave Thursday morning by 7 am to beat some traffic. Maybe earlier and stop somewhere for breakfast...

I'm starting the day before the trip because not only did our vacation start right after work on Wednesday, but it caused us to be a bit late to leave Thursday morning.

Last day of work, my wife and I ended up going to the Sounders vs Barcelona game. I've been a big fan of the Sounders and this was the first game we got tickets to. Of course, Barcelona is a world class team and creamed the Sounders, but it was still fun to go to. And the Barcelona fans were pretty impressive. They cheered for both teams through the whole game!

Standing out side Qwest Field
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The view from our seats. We were REALLY high up, but it was still fun.
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The teams getting ready to play. Sounders in green on the right. Barcelona in what I can only describe as "Nuclear Salmon". My eyes hurt for about half an hour after they came out on the field. I think they stopped hurting when enough of my retina burned away...
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We got one really good run at their goal right at the beginning of the game. Then they dominated.
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Today was our 4th Anniversary. What better way to celebrate, then to go for a long ride???

We got up a little late due to the Sounders game the night before. But that was okay, as it was Thursday, so we didn't hit much traffic. I checked the route for construction and didn't see any listed. But, I forgot to check within 10 miles of home. The only construction we hit was within that 10 miles, in 2 areas separate areas. Once we got past Woodinville, we were free and clear :)

Here we are all packed up and ready to ride!
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First stop was a lookout over either Diablo or Ross Lake. I can never remember which it is, but both lakes are next to each other. The water is an interesting jade green. High way 20 from Rockport to Winthrop is considered one of the best roads in western WA. I recommend a weekday to avoid some of the RV traffic.
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http://lh5.ggpht.com/_GR-BtAPOze0/Sol6EG070qI/AAAAAAAABxs/cop45sh5hBY/s800/IMG_1975.JPG

After the overlook, the next stop was for lunch in Twisp. We should have made a stop in between to stretch, but we were pretty hungry.
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Finally made it to my Dad's. The ride over was pretty easy. We had a nice wind to our back that would make the trip home more... interesting :rolleyes:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_GR-BtAPOze0/Sol6HCUUlOI/AAAAAAAABx4/Bm6g2nYbLuI/s800/IMG_1985.JPG

Friday, I had to work remotely, then hung around with family.

Saturday, I helped my Dad work on his "new" 1982 Yamaha XZ550. It's quite a bike. V twin and seems to have quite a following on the internet. It's known for having carb issues, though. We got it running and I followed him on about an 8 mile loop. The carbs still need to be synced, though. Hopefully he'll have it working good next time I ride over there. This ate up most of the day, then we went to my in-laws for dinner.

I didn't really take many pictures these days, as I was mostly just hanging out with family. The fun solo trip was tomorrow.

The wify went for a river float with her sister and Mom. Dad had a nice visit with one of my Uncles. So, I had some time free and decided to go for a ride.

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The road out to NightHawk is pretty barren. Hardly any trees on the mountains. That's the Similkameen River down below. The roads are pretty curvy, but you have to watch out for gravel, blind corners, and the cliff drops down several hundred feet to the river in a couple places :eek: There are some nice views, though.
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I came around one corner with a surprise spectator on the side of the road... Fortunatly, the cow wasn't quite ON the road...
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_GR-BtAPOze0/Sol6JR6p1gI/AAAAAAAAByI/OsDqzDGcsAU/s800/IMG_0259.JPG

NightHawk sits in the foot hills of the Cascades on the East side. You can tell when the real mountains start because they have trees on them :)
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There's two border crossings. One in Oroville, and one at NightHawk. When I was a kid, the NightHawk crossing only had one person running both sides of the crossing. I've heard they've beefed up security, so I just kept on my route :)
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Look! Trees!
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I found this nice berm someone had built up at Palmer Lake. It had some nice trees towards the road side, with sun next to the lake. Great place for a quick stretch.
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I was originally going to stick to pavement, but when I saw this sign, I remembered all the swimming I used to do up at Blue Lake as a kid. Well, I've done everything else on this bike... Lets see if it can do DIRT!
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A couple things about cattle guards... If they're horizontal, the faster you go the better. If they're Vertical, good luck! Fortunately, they're all horizontal out here!
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Last chance to keep a clean bike!
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A couple of things I leaned right away... Wash board is a LOT less fun on the bike then in a car. Also, watch out for the "smooth" patches in the middle of wash board. It's deep, and slick!
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Blue Lake. There's a lot more residential then there used to be.
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Looking back down to the Okanagon Valley.
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The difference between a real bike, and a babied bike. I like the grey tire color over the black :D
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What awful scenery and twisty mountain roads. How can you stand it?:rolleyes: JK. It's the jealousy talking. Looks awesome.

Fantastic pics, great writeup! :clapping: