Snoqualmie Riders 2008 Poker Run

The Snoqualmie Riders, otherwise known as the American Legion Riders Chapter 79, hosted their first poker run fund raiser on May 10, 2008.  It was called the "Over the Hill for Lunch Bunch".  That’s because the route would take us over Snoqualmie Pass and into Eastern Washington. The kick off point was at American Legion Post 79 in Snoqualmie, WA. 

Riders started collecting at around 7:30. The weather was predicted to be mostly cooperative with only a slight chance of rain.  The morning was overcast and cool with temperatures in the low 40s.  As people signed in they were give the route instructions and the run information.  There were some rider options as to how to route some parts of the run, after all we only needed to hit the check points.  I mostly followed the recommended route.  The following is the route I rode for the poker run.

 
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The start and end point for the poker run overlay each other so the "A" marker is hidden under the "E" at the NW corner of the route. 

Here is Brutus and a few of the other bikes that were parked at Post 79.  Riders would start heading out between 8:00 and 9:00 after they got there route sheets signed off for the first check point.   Of course coffee and baked goods delayed a few of the departures .  A couple groups had already left and I eventually hit the road at about 8:30.

I headed out of Snoqualmie on WA-202 and pick up I-90 East at North Bend.  Traffic was light and I was moving along nicely.  I expected Snoqualmie Pass to be chilly so I had my Gerbing jacket liner on.  As I-90 climbed towards the pass the temperature dropped below 40 and a little 12V energy was all that was needed to keep me snug as a bug . 

I passed both the groups of riders that left before me before reaching the pass.  I was running solo at about 3-4 mph over the speed limit, at least that was what my Garmin Zumo 550 GPS was telling me when it wasn’t serenading me with music spanning 50 years of Rock .   I was just keeping pace with the main traffic flow.  I think that both the groups had some new riders with them and they were probably just maintaining a speed that they would be comfortable with.  Either that or they just preferred a little slower pace.  When riding in groups going a little slower is a good safety precaution, especially with less experienced riders. 

The second check point was in the parking lot of the now defunct Homestead Restaurant in Cle Elum.  Not that it mattered but I was the first rider to the check point.  It was a pretty lonely post at the deserted restaurant.  I stopped just long enough to get my checklist signed and have a brief chat.

So far the route had run on the super slab but from here to the turn around point it would be on state highways.  From Cle Elum I followed WA-10 which wanders along with the Yakima River all the way to Ellensburg.  I don’t ever remember riding this road so it was actually a new experience for me.  It is a scenic run along the river valley and much nicer than running on the interstate.  I will probably go back at some point because there were a number of good photo opportunities I would like to take advantage of.

At Main Street in Ellensburg I turned South.  This works it’s way through town and becomes S. Canyon Road and WA-821.  Canyon Road follows the Yakima River all the way to the North side of the city of Yakima.  This used to be the primary highway between Ellensburg and Yakima.  I was raised in Renton but much of my family lived in Yakima.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve traveled the Canyon Road. 

Interestingly enough, even though my family was from Yakima they had called this the Ellensburg Canyon Road for as long as I can remember.  Folks from Ellesburg generally called it the Yakima Canyon Road.  Regardless of the history of what the locals had referred to it as it had always been named just Canyon Road.  Over the years the river along the Canyon Road has become a recreational area and that area is now referred to as Yakima Canyon.  Anyone confused yet ?  We used to water ski and fish parts of the Yakima River many years before there was any official recreational area. 

There are parts of the Canyon Road that would be quite fun if it were not for the 45 mph speed limit through the whole of the Yakima Canyon. At least one rider in our group seemed to be having fun anyway as he passed me on his BMW K1200LT and disappeared on the curves ahead of me.  The State Patrol cruise this road regularly so I kept my speed at a less fun but also less likely to incur a hefty performance award pace.

I arrived at the third check point which was the Shell Station at the intersection of I-82 and WA-821.  The poker run crew was enjoying the sun that was just starting to warm things up.  It was about 60 degrees at this point, practically a heat wave .  There were a few light sprinkles of rain when I had come through Ellensburg but it was pretty nice on this end of the Canyon.

I checked in, joked with the ladies, took off my Gerbing jacket liner and then fueled up at the Shell Station.  From here I could either just reverse my route or take I-82 back to Ellensburg.  Because I was in front of all but one of the poker run riders I decided to ride back through the Yakima Canyon. 

The next check point was American Legion Post 8 in Ellensburg.  This is a very interesting structure that sits on a bluff overlooking the Ellensburg Rodeo Grounds.  I guess that’s why it is named Vista House.  It was a little off the beaten path but I found it after a couple of tries.   I managed to crash the wedding that was being held upstairs and then found the poker run folks downstairs .  I got checked in and dressed down to get comfortable.  They had set up a soup and sandwich lunch line for us.  I finished my lunch just about the time the first group of riders came in. 

From here the route was a straight shot back to the American Legion Hall in Snoqualmie.  I had plenty of time so I rode back the exact route that I rode out on.  The trip back was uneventful and traffic was again light.  There were just a few scattered drops of rain coming back over Snoqualmie Pass.  Back at the town of Snoqualmie, there was still coffee and snacks left over from the morning to tide us over until the remainder of the participants returned.  For me the total run ended up being 225 miles.

Eventually everyone made it back to Post 79 and we drew our poker hands for the run prizes.  I had a miserable Jack high hand so I wasn’t even in the running.  All the prizes found happy winners and the group began to disperse shortly after.  It had been a nice day of riding and a successful event for the Snoqualmie Riders.  I even managed to join the American Legion before I left .  All of the pictures I took during the poker run can be seen in this gallery.