Yosemite National Park - 2016 Trip - Day 09

Start Location: Bend, OR
Ending Location: Everett, WA
Miles Today: 377
Trip Miles: 2293
States Visited: 4
Provinces Visited: 0
Low Temp: 48.8° F
High Temp: 96.3° F
Min Elevation: 24'
Max Elevation: 4520'

Route Map:

It was pretty chilly when we left Bend so we donned our heated vests and headed for home. The weather was clear and cool until we descended to the Columbia River at the Oregon/Washington border where it warmed right up. Then, as we climbed away from the river, it cooled down again. As we approached Ellensburg, we got some light rain but not enough to have to put on our rain gear.

That all changed as we got to the Indian John Hill Rest Area outside of Ellensburg. We started to get more rain then and by the time we got to the pass it was raining very hard and was very windy. It stayed rainy most of the way home. We entered the Seattle/Everett area at about the high point of rush hour traffic. Thus it was a slow ride home but we eventually made it around 6:00 PM. The only issue on the trip today was gas mileage. We planned to stop in Yakima and fill up so that we could make it all the way home without another stop. We did this but not without a little concern. Because of the rain, wind, and cold we got very poor mileage and our reserve light came on well before we finally made it home. The fill-up once we got home took 5.658 gallons. The bike has a 6.3 gallon tank and I don't think we want to push it any more than we did this time.

It's nice to be home and we are already looking forward to the next trip.