2008 GWRRA WA-F “One Crazy Ride” Ride Review
Saturday, May 10th, was GWRRA WA-F’s “One Crazy Ride”. This ride follows a different format than others in that there is no set route for this run. A series of destination cities are provided and each participant is only required to return with a receipt (dated on the day of the run) from one of those destination cities. This year’s destination cities were Mt. Vernon, Port Townsend, Westport, Packwood, and Roslyn (all in Washington State). The run started and ended at Crazy Larry’s Motorcycle and Service shop in Lakewood. Crazy Larry and his staff threw open their doors and their arms to all the bikers in attendance.
My “crazy ride” started with a 4am alarm to meet up with my riding buddy, Mike, by 5am for the 135 mile trip to Lakewood. Scattered showers and temps from the high 40’s-mid 50’s dogged us all day. Once we pulled into Crazy Larry’s, we registered and decided to ride out to Roslyn, WA which was the setting for the TV show “Northern Exposure”. We followed SR-18 from Lakewood to where it connected with I-90 East. Snow was still prevalent on the landscape at the summit of Snoqualmie Pass as we passed through, but the roadways were clear. We continued on I-90 East through the Cascade Mountains to the Roslyn exit and the town of Roslyn. Roslyn is still a small town with small town charm, including what we figured was the “community dog” which greeted us in the middle of the street and met up with us again in the local coffee shop. After relaxing a bit, we continued our journey by exploring the town of Cle Elum, before turning on I-90 West back through Snoqualmie Pass and stopping off at Snoqualmie Falls. We figured Snoqualmie Falls would be pretty impressive with the recent rains and the melting snowpack and we were not disappointed. By this time, we’d worked up quite an appetite, so we headed back down SR-18 to Famous Dave’s BBQ in Puyallup before heading back to Crazy Larry’s. In addition to coffee and doughnuts being provided in the morning for participants, freshly grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and snacks awaited their return. When bellies were filled and bodies rewarmed, it was time for awards. This is where the surprises started early and often. First, it was announced that Metzler had donated a set of GL1800 tires and anyone with an 1800 was given a ticket for this drawing. Next, the 50/50 tickets were used for additional door prizes which included such things as gift certificates, an alpinestar jacket, and a Kuryakyn bag. Finally, the 50/50 and pre-registration raffles were drawn. Unfortunately, neither Mike nor I won anything this trip, so as the event was breaking up, we turned our bikes onto I-5 South and returned to Vancouver.
This is my second year attending this run. I enjoyed it last year and enjoyed it again this year. The door prizes, raffle prizes, silent auction items, facilities, and food offerings were all generous and useful to bikers. The WA-F folks were very friendly and Crazy Larry and his staff were unquestionably top-notch. If you enjoy the atmosphere of a motorcycle run with the freedom of a day trip, this is the type of event for you.
Total miles for the day: 523.4
Allen
‘02 1800 Ka Uila (Lightning)
Vancouver, WA
