Motorcycle Ride Through the Snoqualmie Valley

On a beautiful August day, there is really no place finer than the Pacific Northwest.  We take advantage of as many of the dog days of summer as we can on the motorcycle.  There are scenic rides to the West, the East, the North and the South from our home.

Yesterday, we headed South.

Some sort of bike/walk was taking place near Machias on the Centennial Trail so we saw trail guards at every place the trail crossed the road.  Lovely day for a bicycle ride also!

We took River Road from Snohomish to Monroe

and then Highway 203 to Duvall

and then through beautiful bottom land farming country

and into Carnation, where we had lunch.

It was a great ride, but we really appreciated all the shade on Woods Creek Road on the way home.  The gauge on the bike said 90 degrees as we left Monroe heading home.

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Enjoying Summer

As our wonderful summer extends into September, we have spent most of our time outside.  It has been too hot to stay in our non-air conditioned home for one thing.  However, the real sun worshippers live in Washington.  When the sun is shining, we're outside!

The PUD has been clearing all the trees around all the power lines in the entire county.  For the past couple of weeks, they've been working on our road.  We lost the tree that held our road sign, but gained

four big dump truck loads of beautiful mulch.  When we haven't been out on the bike, we've been spreading mulch.

One of our motorcycle rides took us across the bridge in Duvall and onto West Snoqualmie River Road.  Then we followed the winding back road into Carnation.

Past many beautiful fields full of flowers, and a roadside flower stand.

Past the Carnation Farms

and Camp Korey at Carnation Farms

Then we continued through the valley enjoying the farms and mountain vistas.

It's hard to say which is most beautiful - the Snoqualmie River valley or the Skagit valley.  Our next trip took us north instead of south, where we followed the roads through the fields of the Skagit. Potatoes, pumpkins, corn, and cucumbers are all currently being harvested.

Many fields of cabbages also look ready for harvest.
It really is a wonderful time of year in the waning days of summer, especially when the clear blue skies, sunshine, and summer temperatures stay with us.

Motorcycling through the Snoqualmie Valley

On a nice day, there is no place finer than the Pacific Northwest.  So when the sun comes out, so does our motorcycle.  One of our favorite rides is the one through the back roads to Snoqualmie.

We took Machias Road into Snohomish, and then along River Road into Monroe.  Although a bit hazy, we could see the whole Cascade Range on the far side of the valley.  The road is dotted with old barns, farms, nurseries, and the occasional McMansion.

We traveled through Monroe, and then out toward Duvall,

along another scenic road. This is high rock, just outside Monroe.

 Many nurseries dot the landscape

between Monroe and Duvall.

Into Duvall, a town full of interesting buildings

and neat shops,

where we saw this unique vehicle.

Down through the valley where we saw more old barns,

more farms,

and our lunch destination, Remlinger Farms.

Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn't open for lunch until June 22, so we continued on into Fall City, where we ate at the Fall City Roadhouse.

I had really excellent clam chowder and green salad.

Then we wound up to Snoqualmie, past the falls, where we didn't stop on this trip.

Past the railroad museum,

and on to our final stop at Snoqualmie Casino, where we donated $40 to the tribe.

Some work, some play

I decided I had way too many flower beds.  So my solution was to expand my iris garden and salvage all the poor iris plants in a small weed bound flower bed on the other side of the driveway.  Luckily, I have a rotovator on a small Kubota tractor, so I was able to till another path alongside the original flower bed.  When I had trimmed and planted all the iris I used the last of my bark to cover the entire area.

While Ron mowed, I weeded the big dahlia garden.  Then I went into the garden, picked raspberries, and weeded some more.

The peas were starting to fall over as they had far over reached the top of where I had string, so I added a couple more loops of string to this raised bed.

Squash are finally starting to put out blossoms.  I discovered a couple of Kale plants that survived the slugs, bunnies and deer also.

Beans in the second raised bed are starting to climb, so I may actually get some beans this year.  I finished off my day Tuesday picking raspberries, leaving yesterday free for a nice long bike ride.

We left early, heading South and taking the back roads to Monroe.  It is a perfect motorcycle road, winding along by a few farms, lots of forest, and rivers and lakes.

For several miles, we looked over Lake Roesiger before we came to Woods Creek Rd.

 Woods Creek tumbles through this pretty farm.

The blueberry farm on Woods Creek Road.

Duvall

Taking the back road between Carnation and Fall City, we enjoyed the Carnation Marsh area, then views of the flower farms and Tall Chief Golf Course.

Final destination - the beautiful park at Snoqualmie Falls.

The park is wonderful - so many species of native flora, 

and lots of interpretive signs.

It was a beautiful day - riding in shirtsleeves all the way back, smelling the smells, breathing the fresh air, and glad to be on the bike and not in our hermetically sealed temperature controlled car. 

Bike Ride to Snoqualmie Falls

Oh what a beautiful day it was!  We left the house around 10 and headed out Wood Creek Road, along Lake Roesiger, through Monroe and Duvall.  We stopped in Carnation at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Ixtapa for lunch.
Then we continued past the corn fields and flower farms along the Snoqualmie River as it winds between Carnation and Fall City.

At Fall City, we headed up the beautiful winding road to Snoqualmie Falls.   

Some nice engineer designed the parking lot with several motorcycle parking places right near the trail to the overlook.  We shed our coats in Carnation for the perfect riding conditions for the rest of the day.

My daughter, Amy, and her husband, Dan, chose the wonderful lodge that is perched at the top of the falls for their wedding.  The grounds are gorgeous with many picnic areas, a nice snack bar, and of course, the elegant dining room at the lodge.

It was such a fantastic day that we decided to take the long way home.  So took the Snoqualmie Valley Road instead of going back through Duvall.  We weren't entirely sure where we would come out at something we were familiar with, but we continued north and west until we hit Highway 9 just south of Snohomish.


It was a perfect day for a ride on a motorcycle in a perfect place when the weather cooperates.