BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

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BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by bigjohnsd »

My riding companion Scott and I leave on Wednesday, September 10th, he aboard his R1300 GSA and me on my DL800, bound for the PNW.

We know where we will be on Wednesday and Thursday: Pterodactyl's (Helena, MT) on Wednesday and Fontanaman's (Spokane, WA) on Thursday.

Who knows between 09/12 and 09/20? Pterodactyls again on 09/21, and Home on 9/22.

We have discussed riding the St Joe River Rd between St Regis and St Maries, the North Cascade Highway, the Olympic Peninsula, the Washington Coast, Astoria, Tillamook (Ice cream!), the Evergreen Air Museum, Mt Hood Lodge, Mt Hood, OR, Columbia River Gorge, "The Box"(NE Oregon), the McGruder Corridor, Hells Canyon, Palouse Falls, and other points as well. WEAX and Smoke will drive our route planning.

SPOTWALLA Link Here - https://spotwalla.com/trip/73ed-37594b7-a19d/view

Shout out if you want to rendezvous and ride along for a little or a lot.

Stay tuned!
Last edited by bigjohnsd on Wed Sep 10, 2025 11:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by fontanaman »

See you Thursday.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by Dan Cooper »

I notice you have the Evergreen Air Museum on your list.
If you're traveling the Columbia River Gorge and would like to see another outstanding Aeroplane and Auto museum, make a stop in Hood River, OR.

https://www.waaamuseum.org/

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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by Hppants »

In my not so humble and completely ignorant opinion, ice cream.

Daily.

With Pictures.

That is all.

(Have a great trip, my friend)
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by bigjohnsd »

Hppants wrote: Mon Sep 08, 2025 8:41 am In my not so humble and completely ignorant opinion, ice cream.

Daily.

With Pictures.

That is all.

(Have a great trip, my friend)
Sorry Joey, my 45# loss on low carb will likely preclude satisfying your request. But I will continue to live vicariously through you.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by fontanaman »

On Cape Flattery is the northwestern most point of the contiguous United States is on the Olympic Peninsula.

State Hwy 112 is a great road on the way to the Cape.

It is a 3/4 of a mile hike on boardwalk to the Cape and the the Makah Tribe charges a $20 recreation fee for each vehicle. It is a bucket list item without the same investment as driving to Prudhoe Bay.

Photos from 2008.

Image

Whale blow.

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Last edited by fontanaman on Mon Sep 08, 2025 4:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by bigjohnsd »

"IN"
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by fontanaman »

From Artist Point near Mt. Baker here is a [https://maps.app.goo.gl/4SBrdJpHFvCrRsYQA] route[/url] to get to the Olympic Peninsula. This is the best way to avoid all the damn traffic in the Everett/Seattle/Tacoma parking lot. Here is the ferry schedule for this route.

After crossing the ferry it is a short ride to Fort Flagler State Park if interested. Likely a $10 fee for Washington State Parks.

Port Angeles would be a good place to spend the night as on up the road the picking are slim both in accommodations and restaurants.

Unlike British Columbia, Canada, motorcycles get priority on Washington State Ferries.

While motorcycles are not, by Washington Administrative Code (WAC 468-300-700), a preferential loading category of users, they are often loaded prior to automobiles for operational and staging purposes. Arrival at the dock after vehicle load has commenced requires motorcycles to wait until all cars have been loaded for the next motorcycle loading opportunity. Motorcycles should proceed while on the dock at no more than 10 mph. Use caution when car decks are wet. The following information details specific staging for this terminal:

Motorcycle Fare Purchase/Redemption
Purchase tickets at the auto tollbooths, at the kiosk inside the terminal waiting room, or online in advance.

Motorcycle Entry/Staging
Bypass line to access tollbooth for staging directions.


Motorcycle Loading
Loaded after bicycles and up to 6 vehicles; late arriving motorcycles are loaded at end of vehicle load as space permits.
Last edited by fontanaman on Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:26 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by fontanaman »

Here is a route from Port Angeles to Olympia Washington. It is nearly 300 miles. Kalaloch for lunch. Olympia is a good place spend the night.

From Olympia ride some local roads that are much better than the coast. Find our way to McMinnville Oregon to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. There are some very nice roads in this part of Oregon, Hwy 6 and Hwy 47 come to mind.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by escapefjrtist »

Let me know when y'all are heading over North Cascades and we'll figure out a rendezvous point!

~G
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by bigjohnsd »

escapefjrtist wrote: Mon Sep 08, 2025 11:42 pm Let me know when y'all are heading over North Cascades and we'll figure out a rendezvous point!

~G
WILCO - and any other Inmates you can gather up.
I've been told we need to stop at Three-Fingered Jack's Saloon in Winthrop, WA, which is about three and a half hours from Jim's in Spokane. Maybe Fred will ride up from Wenatchee, and who knows whom else might be interested.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by juniorfjr »

bigjohnsd wrote: Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:56 am
escapefjrtist wrote: Mon Sep 08, 2025 11:42 pm Let me know when y'all are heading over North Cascades and we'll figure out a rendezvous point!

~G
WILCO - and any other Inmates you can gather up.
I've been told we need to stop at Three-Fingered Jack's Saloon in Winthrop, WA, which is about three and a half hours from Jim's in Spokane. Maybe Fred will ride up from Wenatchee, and who knows whom else might be interested.
What George said.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by bigjohnsd »

I'm not sure what Jim has planned for Friday, local Spokane rides, or heading NW? It will be driven by the WEAX and the smoke. Could be a Saturday Rendezvous at Three-Finger Jack's?
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by fontanaman »

juniorfjr wrote: Tue Sep 09, 2025 11:09 am
bigjohnsd wrote: Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:56 am
escapefjrtist wrote: Mon Sep 08, 2025 11:42 pm Let me know when y'all are heading over North Cascades and we'll figure out a rendezvous point!

~G
WILCO - and any other Inmates you can gather up.
I've been told we need to stop at Three-Fingered Jack's Saloon in Winthrop, WA, which is about three and a half hours from Jim's in Spokane. Maybe Fred will ride up from Wenatchee, and who knows whom else might be interested.
What George said.
Jim plans on taking a route that is more than 3.5 hours. I have to earn my keep on this ride after all by taking the more scenic and interesting roads, no? This route is 5 hours, add time for the free ferry, is it is 5.5 to 6 hours. If you want to see Grand Coolee dam add 1.5 more hours.

I figure it would be good to stay in Winthrop on Friday night at the Hotel Rio Vista for about $174/night. We need to reserve this ponto as it is a Friday night.

On Saturday we can ride the North Crashcades Hwy, the Cascade River Road then to Artist Point near Mt. Baker and stay in Bellingham or Anacortes. There are some nice backroads on Whidbey Island.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by Cav47 »

Take our friend by Palouse Falls. It is by far one of my best memories of the trip out to the NW.

Seafood dinner at Port Angeles was great also. Despite the overwhelming pungent smell of weed wafting across the docks.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by escapefjrtist »

Stand by gang...putting a Friday / Saturday plan together!

~G
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by fontanaman »

escapefjrtist wrote: Tue Sep 09, 2025 11:09 pm Stand by gang...putting a Friday / Saturday plan together!

~G
After talking with ~G will are staying at Best Western Plus Peppertree Inn at Omak on Friday.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by Hppants »

Jim - John's admirable (pun intended) weight loss aside, if your route doesn't include ice cream, then you've learned nothing. There's no crying in baseball, and there's no dieting in motorcycle touring. He can take that shit back up when he gets home. We ride places, and we eat things. That's what we do.

P.S. - I will see Palouse Falls before I die. There - I said it.

That is all.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by danh600 »

bigjohnsd wrote: Mon Sep 08, 2025 9:32 am
Hppants wrote: Mon Sep 08, 2025 8:41 am In my not so humble and completely ignorant opinion, ice cream.

Daily.

With Pictures.

That is all.

(Have a great trip, my friend)
Sorry Joey, my 45# loss on low carb will likely preclude satisfying your request. But I will continue to live vicariously through you.
BigJohn is now MediumJohn.

Glad we got a short visit in.
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Re: BigJohnSD and "Dr Thompson" (Scott) Pacific North West 2025

Post by bigjohnsd »

fontanaman wrote: Tue Sep 09, 2025 11:54 pm
escapefjrtist wrote: Tue Sep 09, 2025 11:09 pm Stand by gang...putting a Friday / Saturday plan together!

~G
After talking with ~G will are staying at Best Western Plus Peppertree Inn at Omak on Friday.
Scott and I have a room booked.
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