Christmas Day - a quick ride over three mountain passes

December 25, 2005
Total Miles: 255 miles or so

Click map for larger image

It's a pleasant surprise when you wake up on Christmas morning and the sun is shining. I had wanted to go for a ride the previous day but the gnomes were playing hide-and-seek with my wallet and by the time I found it most of the day had passed. With the wallet in my pocket I proceeded to layer on my gear, which thankfully included a heated jacket and gloves. I was going to need those before the day was through. While the sun shone in Seattle, it was obliterated by the clouds in the foothills of the Cascades. I made my way up I-90 and over Snoqualmie Pass. The rains were steady but not too hard. The temperature at the pass was 39F and the ski slopes looked rather barren. Once over the pass the rains didn't let up but rather came down harder. I could see that there was sun to the north and south of me, but nothing but clouds to the east. I decided to ditch I-90 and head north over Blewitt Pass on 97. Good call. The further north I went the more the clouds opened up and blue skies were revealed.

Hark! Are those blue skies I see??	Following the path to nirvana...

Eventually 97 meets up with Hwy 2, where I turned the bike west to head home over Stevens Pass. But before I got too far I thought it would be nice to stop for some hot cocoa and let my feet warm up (the only part of me that was experiencing discomfort). Unfortunately, even a tourist town like Leavenworth closes for Christmas Day. I could by a t-shirt or coffee, but that was about it. So I got back on the GS and took off into the mountains. Where it rained. And then it snowed. And then rained again. I had some sort of precipitation for the rest of the ride home, just of varying intensities. Three hundred miles and 5 1/2 hours later I was pulling into the garage, ready for a hot shower and some food. It was a good day for a ride.

Looking north across the snow-dappled fields	Leavenworth, Washington's own Bavarian village.