I was deadset on seeing Mt. Rainier this weekend. Jumped onto the 5 and headed north. Switched to the 12 heading east and decided that Highway 7 north was a good idea. I had originally intended to take the 12 until the 123, take that north until it turns into the 410, and take that all way around until Tacoma and the 5 again. But I took the 7 instead. The 7 lead me to the 706, which leads directly into Mt. Rainier National Park ($5 entry fee).
I had my first close encounter of the animal kind on my NH on the 706. I was just east of Ashford heading into the park and a doe (though given how big it was - eye level with me sitting straight in the saddle - it could have been a female elk) decided to jet out in front of me. I've luckily ridden enough that my instincts are good: hands immediately grabbed brake and clutch levers, and my feet went to work on downshifting and braking. Not only did I avoid a crash, I also proved to myself that I can react more or less appropriately in emergency situations on my bike.
Anyway, the park was beautiful. Mt. Rainier is a stunning sight to behold that close up. Paradise, WA sits as high up the mountain as you can drive, and provides amazing views of the peak and the surrounding terrain. The roads were in pretty good condition, but were a bit of a drag to ride. As can be expected, the park was packed, and it was easy to see that a lot of people aren't comfortable driving cars on roads even remotely twisty except at very low speeds, and seem to have no fucking idea what turnouts are or are used for. I'm nowhere near pushing my the traction limits on the NH yet, and I take twisties at conservative speeds and angles, but I was getting pissed sitting behind these people. Took some of the fun out of the day.
In spite of that, I heartily recommend checking out the park if you can, on a clear day if at all possible. There are a number places to stop and get great pictures, I notices signs for dozens of hiking trails, there is obviously wildlife in the area.
Because I didn't know the highways and was off my planned route, it took me a couple of extra hours to get home. I didn't realize you have to take the 7 south where it branches to meet back up with the 12. I ended up going all the way to Tacoma, where apparently everyone rides a motorcycle, and where Mt. Rainier looks a few times larger than Mt. Hood does from Portland. Made one stop for food and cider before finally parking the bike for the day. Ended up being about 9 hours on or near the saddle, for probably close to 350 miles worth of riding. I'm pretty tired today as a result, and my ass hurts a bit. A Corbin seat would be wonderful, but I don't have the $350 for it. My newly installed Street Shield EX did make the whole trip a lot less draining than it would have been a week ago though. Very happy with that particular purchase. I'll have to make sure I post a review of that and the saddlebags I bought a couple weeks ago.
Anyway, nothing else going on. We'll leave work, which is causing me a ton of stress, for another time. Think I'll sit outside and get a little sun, enjoy a couple beers. Got my first student loan bill yesterday, which means the drinking and fun times are about to end because of lack of funding. If I don't get a raise with my transition to permanent status at work I'm going to be hurting pretty badly.
Bye!