Tual06s2k

June 25th -- Twin Peaks Drive POSTPONED UNTIL JULY 16

This post will not be as fancy or pretty as other drive posts. I just don't have that kind of time.

What I do have, though, is a need to get this up so you all can decide if you really want to do this. It is going to be a LONG day of driving. I want to be clear on that up front. It is 328 miles, so a pit stop or two will be necessary, especially for you turbo/supercharged folks. Right now, with out a lunch stop we are looking at 7 hours and 49 minutes of driving time.

I know that might scare a few people away, but rest assured, my goal is to not scare anyone away. I want each of you to enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and this trip provides ample opportunity for that. Plus, if necessary, there can be a contingency break off point for those that don't want to do the whole loop.

We haven't attempted this trip for several years and I think it is a beautiful area to go cruising through. The scenery, once out of the Vancouver area is spectacular. Windy Ridge is a must stop to see Mt. St. Helens if you have never been there. The road up to Paradise Inn on Mt. Rainier is a marvelous example of the Pacific Northwests natural beauty.

Now, to get on with the details. The Mt. Rainier portion of the trip does have a fee associated with it. This is a part of the National Parks service and the fee for a private vehicle is $25. Make sure you understand that to get to the Paradise Inn portion of this trip, you will have to pay a $25 fee. The pass you receive will be good for 7 consecutive days, so you can always go back up to the park during the next week for free!

I am planning an early morning departure, around 7:30am, to give us plenty of time to get to Windy Ridge and enjoy the view before heading on to our lunch stop at approximately Noon. It is this point where we will have our contingency break off point. There is also a gas station nearby for fill-ups before leaving.

For those wishing to go on the rest of the way, we will leave lunch around 1:00pm and head to Paradise Inn. Once there we will enjoy some time taking in the sights, get a light snack before heading back down the mountain and on to civilization.

If for any reason the weather or road conditions are bad on Mt. Rainier, we will abandon that part of the loop. That decision will be made the week leading up to the drive!

Let me know if you are going and if there will be +1 (it is very crucial for our lunch stop).

I will send the starting point to all of those that are going by Wednesday of the week of the drive! If you want to eat breakfast before we go, plan on being to the meet point by 6:30am at the absolute latest!

Thanks,
Doug

Driving: 4 out of 5
Scenery: 4 out of 5

Mt. St. Helens Weather
Mt. Rainier Weather

In:
Tual06s2k -- Doug (non-driving)
Sabre -- Aaron + (Doug mandated to ride shotgun!)
S2k_RN -- Huy & Sandi
Ken1997tl -- Ken
deanr -- Dean

Sabre

You know I'm in!
Cant say for sure that Shonda will want to be up that early so my +1 is tentative at this point

S2k_RN

I'm in +1

cdelena

I thought some of the forest roads are not scheduled to open until 7/1 and some (probably not the ones on this route) not opening this year. Check with the forest service.

Tual06s2k

I checked the road closures, that I could find, last week and they still had tentative opening dates in early June. I will be monitoring all available information, as well as pre-driving it in the near future to verify conditions and availability. As with any drives, there are dependencies on weather and road availability.

Ken1997tl

I'm in !

Sabre

DRIVE POSTPONED UNTIL JULY
Watch for the replacement Lost Lake official signup coming tonight!

Aaron

AP1_jesse

I would go but I'll be in cali have fun!

deanr

I'm in! Even more so if there was an option to stay at Paradise Inn overnight with a return on Sunday. Breakfast maybe at the Mt Ranier Railroad Dining Co? (Anybody want to second that motion?)

Dean

Sabre

Bumping this to double check interest.
Since it's the new date, roads should all be open and clear based on our recent checks.

Please post up and confirm if you're going to go!