Washington State

Bonnie and the others invited along for a week of laid-back motorcycling  -  cruising Washington's beautiful Mount Rainier and the Cascades  -  had commitments at home in New Jersey. As for me, I was as free as Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson in the 60's classic Easy Rider. Free to soar on a Harley-Davidson plucked from Cruise America's fleet in Everett.

Cruise America paid the $ 34 taxi fare from the Seattle airport to their shop where I strapped 55 pounds of gear to the back of a new Heritage Classic. It was a dry time of year for the Seattle area and the weather ideal for riding. The warmer, eastern side of Mt. Rainier further fueled my enthusiasm to drive 150 miles southeast, through Snoqualmie Pass (I-90), to camp the first night at Yakima Sportsman State Park.

Decked out in a new tee shirt from Owens Harley-Davidson of Yakima, I headed west on the following day to Mt. Rainier National Park, via White Pass (Hwy 12), and had lunch at the park's rustic yet luxurious, log-constructed Paradise Inn. This being July, it was a surprise to find children playing out front in last winter's residual snow. Mt. Rainier was shrouded in a cloud, a common occurence, and the only alternative for closer views here is a strenuous hike to the summit.