Day 9

Coeur D’Alene, ID to Seattle, WA

I had not been on Grand Coulee Dam in years, and it seemed smaller than I remembered.  In the visitor parking lot, we met an FJR rider and his Harley rider friend from Vancouver, BC.  One look at the GTS and they were asking “how does it work?”  They were out for a weekend ride and chatted for a while about the FJR and GTS, the FJR’s grandpappy.  Besides the high price of the GTS, there really is no comparison.  The suspension on the GTS is amazing and takes bumps with no fuss.  The 1000cc 5-valve Genesis engine from the FZR is smooth and despite warnings otherwise, does not drink oil. 

Gas stations are few and far between, but gas in Grand Coulee was expensive.  Plus, I had over half a tank left even after 120 miles on the trip meter.  65 miles later, the fuel light went on in Douglas, WA, and there was not a gas station in the town of Waterville.  However, I remembered from previous fishing trips to Lake Jameson that there was a gas station here.  A local pointed us further on down the road just outside of town where the wind was blowing hard enough to push us over, even when we were standing still.

Blewett Pass was sunny and still windy though there was some police presence.  As we went further west, Snoqualmie Pass was wet, cold, and still windy.  Even though we were about a half hour from home, the conditions warranted a break.  At the Snoqualmie summit, there was a broken down Honda CBR600 F3 with an electrical problem.  Though he had started out in Shoreline with the eventual goal of Richland, it was clear that a call to AAA was in short order.  We tried to help find why the bike had no electrical system despite a fully charged battery.  An old fogey with a 2 foot beard showed up with a voltmeter, but he only had the same suggestion to call a buddy with a truck.  Hopefully, he made it home safely.  The bike had a severely bobbed fender which probably allowed water under the seat where the ECU and R/R are located.

By 6:30pm, I was at home sweet home where my cat Max greeted me at the door with a questioning look.  Is this an apparition or is the long lost Stray Cat finally at home?