Different year, different ride

Back again.  I'm on a relatively shorter ride. I left Issaquah this morning, heading for the Black Hills. I was there last year for the Sturgis Rally. A few hours on a Monday morning was more than enough. But the region's scenery and roads were spectacular. I told myself I'd return when there weren't tens of thousands of (mostly) Harleys clogging up the roads. 

I'm on my Triumph Tiger 800. This is the second long, multi-day ride I've taken on it.  It doesn't have the creature comforts that my departed Goldwing had, but it's much more my type of bike. I rode about 340 miles today, south through Mount Rainier National Park (kicking myself for not taking photos) east through Yakima, the Tri Cities, and through the Palouse. The last is one of my favorite areas anywhere, not just in Washington State. I love riding through Eastern Washington's wide open spaces in low traffic roads.  

Though it was in the mid 50s when I left, it was in the 90s by the time I got to Richland. Tomorrow promises more of the same. I'll have to get an early start. 

Lesson learned: Just because there's a Thai restaurant within walking distance from my Lewiston, ID motel doesn't mean it's a good idea to eat there. 

The Palouse

Highway 12, Garfield County, Washington