2010 June 21st:
Mark:
This morning we woke up at a decent time and went to get breakfast at the hotel. The complimentary breakfast was not very good with only carbohydrates and no proteins. We ate what we could and then went back to the room to pack up and leave.
The weather wasn’t being our friend this morning. It was rain hard and steady. Niko and I were getting soaked just getting things loaded up on the motorcycles. When we were ready we pulled out of the hotel and hit the interstate immediately. We rode about 30 miles and then had to stop for some fuel. We had escaped the rain by then, but we were wet and the temperature was a chilly 50°F. We rode for another 30 miles or so and then stopped at a Starbucks and got warm with a decaf coffee. Since we were now dried out and warmed up, we were able to ride for some real miles.
We stopped one more time for gas and another time for a short break, but main we kept going so that we could get to Touratech in Seattle Washington. Touratech specializes in parts for adventure rider type motorcycles. I wanted to order some parts from them before we left, but I was impatient and decided to just stop there on the trip and pick up what I wanted. They had several machines outfitted with their specialty parts in the showroom. This made it very easy to see what they had to offer.
When we left Touratech, we rode through Enumclaw Washington and then out around Mt Rainier. It was a very cloudy day and we couldn’t see the mountain until we came to this one viewpoint. It was like the clouds knew we were coming because they parted just long enough for us to see the pristine beauty and size of the mountain. We stopped for fuel in a small town called Packwood Washington. As we were leaving I was thinking that it was getting a little late and that another hour or more of riding was going to be very late for us. We came across this nice looking lodge and I pulled in to see what they charged for a night. The price was reasonable and the place was top notch so we stayed.
The day was productive since we made it to Seattle and then down around Mt Rainier. Our goal for tomorrow is to make it to Portland after stopping at Mt St Helens.

Niko:
This morning began with the sound of rain. A typical northwest day… rainy with no sun. After being ripped from my strange dreams, we walked over to breakfast and noticed they lacked anything to do with protein. Only doughnuts, waffles, juice, sugar oatmeal, fruit loops, and cold gravy. The bikes were loaded and we got on and left.
My jacket was soon wet from rain and my helmet fogged. The wind shot up my sleeves against wet fabric, making my arms freeze. I pushed through anyway, and we soon stopped for gas shortly after we broke past the rain cloud. We rode on and the wind was my blow dryer. We stopped for a couple decaf caramel macchiatos at Starbucks to warm up. We then got back on the freeway and ate up several more miles.
We stopped a couple more times on the way to Seattle, one being a rest area where we met a nice lady and her excited puppy. When we rolled into Seattle, a gravel road led us to Touratech’s Seattle location. Touratech had many fancy bikes on display and we purchased a few parts and a catalog -- and snagged a couple stickers for the bikes. A guy at Touratech complimented my helmet as we were leaving, and on we went towards Mt. Rainier.
Mt. Rainier National Park was beautiful, and full of wonderful forestry. I was wondering which peak was Rainier, until we rounded a crop of trees to a view of the majestic volcano. It towered over the other mountains near it, and was coated in ice. The gorgeous sight was soon gone again, and we wound the road down to a town called Packwood. We fueled at the local Chevron, and decided to head towards Centralia. As we rode out, I saw dad suddenly pull off into the lot of a hotel. I attempted to follow, but overshot. I thought to myself, “This is why my bike has knobby tires” and drove over the gravely grass on the side of the road. When I pulled in, dad remarked at how late it was and that this looked nice.
We checked in and found a nice pizzeria to eat at down the road. We had a medium veggie with pepperoni, and found it to be delicious and filling. We got ourselves back to the room and unpacked in minutes and watched “Gone in 60 Seconds” on Spike TV, then sat down to blog with an apple. I’ve taken so long typing this due to my talking, that dad has already gone to sleep. And there is no service out here for T-mobile, so I’ve got only sleep, myself. I must go now and do just that, and this will have to be posted tomorrow. Goodnight, all!