10 days
2382 km / 1489 miles

Early August 2017 Jayne and I started on our Washington State motorcycle trip. Due to work restraints I couldn't take two weeks, so we had to make due with 10 days. Also the only time that I could take off was in August, which is not our favorite time to ride, because of the heat and mosquitos. Then the day we took off was the hottest day of the year with a high of 106F (41C). We rode from Portland, Oregon east through the Columbia Gorge and soon made our way north into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. We stayed at Takhlakh Lake and rode north to Mount Rainier. From there we went east to Yakima and north again. In Ellensburg we couldn't stand the heat anymore and decided on an early stop at a Motel with pool. The next day we continued north to the fake Bavarian town Leavenworth, where I had a really good Schnitzel. We had planned to visit a few ghost towns a bit further east, but due to the unbearable heat we skipped them and went north instead to the North Cascades National Park. After crossing the mountains and coming back to civilisation  we took a ferry to Port Townsend and continued to the Olympic National Park. From there we continued south along the coast, and believe it or not, not only did it rain, but it was really cold. So cold actually, that we decided to get a motel for the last night on the road.

The road conditions are generally good. Even most of the gravel roads are in decend conditon.

In terms of safety wild animals and wildfires are probably the greatest thread. Not only bears can be dangerous, but mountain lions and even racoons can be dangerous. We always left our food in locked aluminum panniers when camping. In regards to wildfires it is advisable to ask at ranger stations about current conditions and expected fire direction.