September 18: Great Day with Paradise

What a glorious day on the road. Kevin Dillinger’s Sunset HOG ride from Paradise Harley did it all – amazing backroads, great food, beautiful views, and of course great roads! Today’s trip to the Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mount Saint Helens was one ride I’m glad I didn’t miss.

Although I absolutely love riding solo, it’s a real treat sometimes to sit back and enjoy a ride that someone else figured out. I’ve been to Mount Saint Helens several times by bike but never on all the fun backroads that I went on today. From 217 north we exited at Barnes Road and took Skyline Drive much of the way north to highway 30. It was so pleasant and serene to cruise around the curves and admire the fields and farmland instead of battling traffic on Interstate 5.

After crossing over in Longview we headed to Winlock Washington for some great food at Boss Hogg’s Barbeque. With about 15 bikes and even more people it was great to sit and talk, meet new people, and share tales of motorcycle adventure. The brisket was moist and flavorful, and the ribs had just the right amount of char. Kevin went above and beyond as a road captain and treated us all to lunch. Wow!

I particularly loved the curves on highway 505 and then 504 on the way to the Johnston Observatory. They were tight enough to enjoy but wide enough to stay in fifth or sixth gear. The road followed the North Fork Toutle River as it wound its way to the Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument with great mountain and ridge vistas all along. The views from the observatory were stunning – you could see both the volcano itself as well as the crater, lava dome and blast zone. I also enjoyed seeing pictures of how the landscape has changed in the last thirty years. Another great day on the bike!