Archives for September 5th, 2008
Over the Green River Gorge
Late Labor Day afternoon I decided it was finally warm enough to go for a motorcycle ride. I wanted to head towards the sun shining in the east, but I did not want to end up driving through the holiday traffic I would likely find around Issaquah … so west I went.
I headed out to Black Diamond and decided to check out the Green Valley Gorge. I had seen the sign to turn left on the way to Enumclaw many a time, but I had yet to venture out there. As I started down the road, the large yellow sign that warned, “MOTORCYCLES USE EXTREME CAUTION” was a little disconcerting, so I proceeded warily. The “rough road” promised was almost disappointing. I did hit a couple of dips camouflaged by the shade of trees that launched me (half-intentionally) off of my seat, but I did not come across anything that really could not be avoided. It was a pretty cold ride, though - even at 45 MPH, and I was very happy to have worn my “new” chaps.
At some point the road began to slow and curve … and I noticed a smile growing on my face. Then I came to a stoplight in front of a one-lane bridge. While stopped, I “admired” the closed Resort building to my right that looked like it had been shut down for years. Then my eyes drew downward, and sitting not 10 feet away from me was a peacock. He stood perfectly still with his feathers down, and I wondered if he hoped I could not see him. It was then that I realized I had forgotten to grab my little camera before I left.
The light turned green and I drove slowly across the Franklin Bridge over the breathtaking Green River Gorge. I vowed to return soon to stop and enjoy it on foot … with my camera, of course. On the way back, I went all the way down US 169 to Renton, where I turned around before hitting I-405 and headed back to Maple Valley via Cedar Grove Rd.
I kept my promise on Wednesday after work, heading out to Enumclaw to gas up and back through the Green River Gorge again. This time I stopped to take photos and enjoy the solace of hearing nothing but water running far beneath the bridge. It is an incredibly green and inspiring place with only a few cars passing through every so often, and it is definitely worth a side trip if you are ever in the area.
The Franklin or Green River Gorge Bridge is about 4 miles off of US 169. A loop starting and ending at US 169 at Lawson St in Black Diamond is 12.4 miles. The loop as I did it heads south on US 169 and exits left/east onto Enumclaw-Franklin Rd SE, follows the road over the bridge , and continues back to the highway (via the SE Green River Gorge Rd and Lawson St). It is any easy loop with little traffic … and little chance to get lost.
Motorcycle mileage (as precisely as possible on Google Maps):
09/03/08: _34.3 mi - Maple Valley; Green River Gorge
09/01/08: _51.5 mi - Maple Valley; Green River Gorge; Renton
08/23/08: 132.0 mi - Maple Valley; Sunrise Point (Mount Rainier)
08/17/08: _45.8 mi - Maple Valley; Mud Mountain Dam
-
Motto
-
Search
