The final Saturday of winter this year was sunny and warm in western Washington, where the mollusks are plentiful and … Continue reading

Thirty years ago, I was regularly sailing a Bill Shaw-designed Pearson 32 out of Elliott Bay Marina in Seattle. I was … Continue reading

I keep an eye on the monkeygrass (liriope muscari) in our garden in late summer waiting for it to blossom. Continue reading

My wife and I until very recently had no idea that the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden existed a short drive away … Continue reading

Not for the first time, I am in our front yard pondering the uses to which I might put a decoction of mole. The garbage truck … Continue reading

I have driven past the Winsome building in Woodinville, Washington, many times, admiring the monumental art facing … Continue reading

Ground travel from one side of Washington State to the other requires crossing the Cascade Mountains or tracing the … Continue reading

The present age of the Earth is estimated to be 4.54 billion years (give or take), a figure so mystifying that were it … Continue reading

Skamania County in Washington State has enshrined its status as a Sasquatch refuge in a local ordinance. Killing … Continue reading

In these La Nina winters, those of us in the Puget Sound basin who hope to see at least a bit of snow in the back yard each year … Continue reading

We have grown weary of sitting indoors waiting for the plague to abate. It has been raining, and that means the rivers … Continue reading

We have tried to be responsible members of the community during the pandemic by remaining close to home. Cabin fever … Continue reading

Forest fire smoke has blanketed our region. Parks, beaches, boat ramps, and playfields have been closed in Seattle. Continue reading

Highway 20 through North Cascades National Park opened to traffic on May 12. My brother John and I took our motorcycles … Continue reading

I wandered into our back yard to tidy up after the latest windy afternoon and was pleased to find a wild daffodil … Continue reading

My brothers and I grew up first riding mini-bikes and then graduating to larger dirt-bikes and small-displacement … Continue reading

I lived in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle for many years, and, while I do not miss the traffic since moving to the … Continue reading

Family business called my wife and I to the eastern purlieu of North Cascades National Park last week, where, after … Continue reading

Near our home is a 110-acre lakeside park. It is a neighborhood gem that escapes the notice of most, despite being the … Continue reading

In September 1959, a U.S. Navy Martin P5M Marlin aircraft was ditched in Puget Sound off Whidbey Island in Washington … Continue reading

Snow in Seattle is an infrequent event. The Pacific Ocean and Rocky Mountains combine to moderate winter temperatures … Continue reading

There we were, my brother John and I, eating dinner at The Orchid Grill, having reached the end of a day on the road. We had … Continue reading

As a male of the species, I take the usual measure of pride in not reading instructions for things. No dwelling of mine has … Continue reading

Washington State ferries have ensorcelled me since I was a child. Continue reading

My first look at Las Vegas was from the back of a Volkswagen camper van in the waning 1960s, on a road trip with my family … Continue reading

A few years ago while riding through the Black Hills, I made a stop at a view point to stretch my legs and check my map. A … Continue reading

We traditionally have a meal out with family on New Year’s Eve, and in this season of reflection and expectation, we were … Continue reading

After the wettest spring and driest summer in the recorded weather history of the region, we were due for snow on … Continue reading

Despite having seen evidence that it is not necessarily altogether trustworthy, my brother borrowed my BMW to take a … Continue reading

The first snow of the season has begun decorating the Cascade Mountains in Washington State, and my brother John and I … Continue reading

There is a low-clearance train trestle in Durham, North Carolina, with which inattentive drivers of overheight … Continue reading

Seventeen years before Lewis and Clark arrived with the Corps of Discovery at the mouth of the Columbia River, the … Continue reading

When it opened on the bicentennial of the independence of the United States, the Brutalist masterwork Freeway Park in … Continue reading

My wife and I took a road trip to Spokane, Washington, this past weekend to celebrate a wedding in the family. Continue reading

Yamaha equipped my FJR1300 with many of the doodads that make life on the road not just worth living but downright … Continue reading

As long as I can remember – that is, a long time – I have admired the Chevrolet Corvette and believed that one day I would own … Continue reading

Thunderstorms in western Washington are uncommon events: the dew point is rarely high enough and the Pacific Ocean … Continue reading

This is shaping up to be the wettest rainy season on record in western Washington, and, although as a native I am expected … Continue reading

We have returned home after a ten-day visit to Puerto Rico, spending the first few days being pampered by the staff of the … Continue reading

When a good friend visited from out of state this past weekend and wanted to get some lures wet, I thought it sounded like a … Continue reading

I was studying the calendar a few weeks ago, whereupon I realized that Father’s Day was just a turn of the page away. As I … Continue reading

My wife and I spent the weekend in Bellingham, strolling around eating double chocolate chip cookies dusted with sea … Continue reading

My brother John and I have been planning for months to ride our motorcycles to Deadhorse, Alaska, and back. Along the … Continue reading

I really dislike shopping for shoes, which is one of the reasons I wear whatever is in the closet until they begin to … Continue reading

During the colonial period of European exploration of our region of the world, the British came to control what is today … Continue reading

Even though in our household the motorcycles are listed in the Expensive Toy category for budgeting purposes, it is … Continue reading

I have had an accessory fuse block wired into the FJR for several months, but have had it more or less tossed into the … Continue reading

The FZ1 and I recently tried to occupy the same time+space as a Toyota Prius but were not successful. Continue reading

Mount Baker, the fourth highest peak in Washington State, first appears in written history in a map rendered by Spanish … Continue reading

I spent the weekend of Father’s Day with my favorite daughter, and we found ourselves in San Francisco. I recall many … Continue reading

Inspired by the migrating birds of spring, I thought I would take a motorcycle ride and see some of the country. It is a … Continue reading

Another spring, another season waiting for Highway 20 through the North Cascades to open. Continue reading

I have long been fascinated by bits of machinery left to rot where they stand. Continue reading

Our winter to date has been relatively dry, and some concern about the coming summer’s water supply has made its way into … Continue reading

Those of us living in the Puget Sound region have a ready view of the most topographically prominent mountain in the … Continue reading

The weather the past several days has been amongst the coldest in the region for a couple of years, and each day the yellow … Continue reading

I stepped onto an elevator in a local retail mall’s parking garage and spotted a Low Oil button. Continue reading

Being a curious great ape in the land of Manifest Destiny makes the planning of road trips a joy. Names such as Big Sky … Continue reading

Today was sunny and warm, and a great day for a ride to Mount St. Helens and back. Continue reading

Virtually without exception, any trip I take on the motorcycle that requires my leaving the driveway leads to … Continue reading

Several years ago, I set off on a week-long hike of the Washington coast from Oil City Beach to Shi Shi Beach wearing a pair … Continue reading

The first automobile trip through the Cascade Mountains in northern Washington State via what would become Highway 20 … Continue reading

My daughter and I have developed a ritual salutation over the years. I most look forward to the perfectly world-weary … Continue reading

Even as an old fart, I embrace the holidays: decorating the Christmas tree, hanging stockings, and scattering … Continue reading

Every autumn for several years, I have said to myself, “I need to get a picture of the leaves on the ground along the … Continue reading

I am generally the one who fetches our mail, and I typically toss the junk into the recycle bin without glancing at it. Continue reading

Here is my latest video composition. Continue reading

A lap around the Olympic Peninsula on the Yamaha has been on my list of things to do for a couple of years. Continue reading

The record dry August in Seattle was in 1974, when 0.01 inches of rain fell. Continue reading

The weather during the last week in Washington has presented us with an unusual number of thunderstorms, lightning … Continue reading

The opportunity to visit the Sacramento, California, area presented itself, and I decided that the best way to get … Continue reading

A day two years ago riding north to south through Colorado left a lingering desire to return and see more, so two weeks ago … Continue reading

A series of highways stretching from Chile to Canada known informally as the Pacific Coastal Highway has its northern … Continue reading

Having spent a year with the work I did on the Yamaha to add plugs for my heated jacket and gloves, I reached a point where I … Continue reading

The vernal equinox occurred this week, and so it was time to make sure the route along Samish Bay had survived the winter. Continue reading

When it is snowing at sea level in the Puget Sound basin, there is good incentive to get on an airplane and go somewhere … Continue reading

Low pressure to the south pulling cold air out of British Columbia, onshore flow blowing moist air in from over the … Continue reading

The weather this last weekend created a cold but dry spell during which a sprint on the bikes to Whatcom County and back … Continue reading

I’d had a trip through the North Cascades in the back of my mind since April, so when the call went out last Saturday for a … Continue reading

I have saved up several hours’ worth of video this summer and have finally found some time to piece the interesting bits … Continue reading

My wife’s car has almost every conceivable button and doodad available in the market today, and after playing wheel man … Continue reading

The occasion of the Lentil Festival in Pullman, Washington, a brilliant weather forecast, and the opportunity to take … Continue reading

The family held a reunion outside Harrison, Montana, for three days this month on the ranch that its forebears … Continue reading

Last year while blasting through northwest Montana on the Yamaha, the landscape and tempo of living whispered that I … Continue reading

It was 84° in Seattle on September 3, 2010, and took 301 days before the temperature would again cross the 80° boundary. Continue reading

The featured ride this year was a seven day, 3,200 mile outbound trip through British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon, and … Continue reading

This year’s kick-off to the long-haul riding season was a three-day trip around Kootenay Lake in British Columbia. Continue reading

I was watching several sloops depart Drayton Harbor this morning for what later formed up as a round-the-buoys race … Continue reading

Having reached the age where comfort is nearing parity with speed as the first thing I think about when I think about … Continue reading

Two words: sun and shine. When Cliff Mass says those magic words this time of year, well … a guy has gotta believe. Continue reading

Ever since the mid-’70s Eldo convertibles, I have wanted a Cadillac. Continue reading

I have been wishing I had a GoPro camera on the bike since about the midway point on the Golden Gate Bridge. Continue reading