The 2024 PNW Ride - Day 7

September 17, 2024

I was a good visit but it was also time to hit the road.  I had breakfast with my mom and then got things packed up and loaded.  I was on the road about 9:15.  My mom took a photo of me pulling away.

I rode to Port Townsend’s ferry terminal for an 11 am sailing and got there plenty early.  Here’s some photos of my bike before I lined up.

I’d made a reservation although it probably wasn’t needed and when I pulled up to the ticket booth I said I had a reservation but he probably didn’t hear me and just said $5.50.  OK, but I got an email later that I was being charge $3.00 for not unsling my reservation.  WTF?  OK, whatever.

[Update: I replied back to their customer service and told them what had likely happened and included a photo of my bike on the ferry and they are refunding the $3.00.]

I got in line.

I looked around and saw a 1928 Packard getting ready to cross too. 

I chatted with the owner and he said that it’s all original except for the wire wheels but he had the original wheels and puts them on for car shows.  It has a nice patina.

I walked back to my bike just as 3 woman pulled up on theirs.  They were Canadians from Vancouver and were on a tour of the “Cascade Loop” which they said runs them down to Leavenworth, WA and then they take Hwy 20 to the west over the mountains.  They were a fun group and not too much younger than me.  One rode a Yamaha Star, another one was on a Honda, a Rebel, and the third was on a Royal Enfield.  It was quite the mix.

The ferry docked and the pedestrians disembarked first followed by the cars, semi-trucks, and RVs.  

Then we loaded up.  Like the last time I rode this ferry they put us all the way in the front to the left so we don’t take up space for a car.

When we got underway I did a walking tour of the boat.

I went back to my bike and shot a short video.  It was really calm out today.

I headed north, sort of taking the main road until I saw that I was on Hwy 20, the road that would take my into the Cascades later.  I stopped for gas and then continued on, stopping to take a few photos at Deception Pass.  The tide was coming in.

It took a bit to get out of the city but I eventually got into the mountains.  Unlike previous trips, on this journey I’m stopping less for photos partially because of the weather on the first couple days and now because I want to ride.  Suffice it to say that the roads are full of curves and twists and the scenery is lush with evergreens and it seems like there are lakes around every corner.

This is near Marblemount on the Skagit River.

I made a brief stop at the North Cascades Visitor Center to adjust my layers of clothing and to have a snack.

There was a very scenic vista point at Ross Lake and I pulled in to take a look.

Not too far from where I would camp was another scenic viewpoint.

The campground I selected was Lone Fir and I was surprised how busy it was.  When I pulled in I looped the place and saw that about half the sites were occupied. I went around again and picked a site that had a nice place for tent and was relatively close to the water.  I thought that the parking area for the site looked rather large and then noticed that it served two sites.  Hmmm, maybe later arrivals won’t notice and think that I’ve got the whole thing and I won’t have neighbors.

I walked back up to the registration sign and booked the site.  $7.50 with my Inter-Agency Pass.

I went through the ritual of getting things set up and took a few photos.  I walked to the river to see what was there.

Not ready to settle in I took a walk around the loop and found a trailhead.  The map indicates that it is paved to the washed out bridge but there is a dirt trail that goes beyond that. 

I felt like a hike and wandered along reading the plaques that talked about the local ecology.  I walked as far as the missing bridge and was able to get across the river on rocks and logs.  Then I turned around and went back.

I found my way back and made my dinner.  While it was soaking I talked to another camper who came by with his dog, half shepherd and half huskie.  The dog’s name was Luka, 7 years old, and I was told that he was a foster dog and they had failed at fostering as they decided to keep him.  They have fostered over a dozen dogs over the years.

After I ate I settled in to read for a while before sleeping to the sound of the river.

It was a 201 mile day.

The 2024 PNW Ride - Days 4-6

September 14-16, 2024

These three days were about visiting family here in Sequim, WA and my motorcycle sat, awaiting its next outing.  I stayed at my mom’s place and visited with her and my sister during my time here.  We did some sightseeing, ate some meals together, and, generally, just caught up.

One of the outings took us to Port Williams County Park.

Protection Island is across the water.

I did get out for a few runs. Here’s some scenery from Sunday morning.

This is where my bike has been hanging out.

We visited a nice brewery in Port Angeles.

They had really nice restrooms.

Monday morning I did a run to the Railroad Bridge.  This area is now a nature preserve and has some nice trails.

During the afternoon my mom had an appointment and the provider was coming to her so I cleared out and sat out in front and worked on a sketch.

On Monday evening my mom and I went through a box of really old family photos.  Lots of history there.  She’s made notes on the backs of most of them and I’ll get them at some point to scan.

And that’s it.  During the day I made a reservation for the ferry that will take me from Port Townsend to Fort Casey.  I scouted out camping locations and though I am too near my arrival times to make reservations it doesn’t look like finding a spot will be an issue.  My plan after the ferry is to ride north to pick up Hwy 20 and take that east across the Cascades.  I rode that highway westward two years ago and it’s worth doing again.  I’ll camp on the east side of the mountains.  It will be a shorter day, about 200 miles, but I won’t be off the ferry until noon so that should work out fine.

On Wednesday I’ll head north into Canada and ride Hwy 3 to the Cranbrook area where I’ll camp in a provincial park.  The next day, Thursday, I go south into Montana and ride as far as Harlowton where I’ll meet my wife at city park campground and we’ll stay there that night and do the last 90 miles to Billings on Friday.

The weather looks reasonable with maybe a few showers today but no big storms that I can see.  It should be a nice few days.

The 2024 PNW Ride - Day 3

September 13, 2024

What a beautiful morning.  After reading a bit and waiting for it to get light, I went out for a long walk, covering the trails along the river before venturing across the highway where I found the visitors center for this part of the forest.  I took a nice walk along an interpretive path that provided information about the history of logging, the various types of trees, and the benefit that natural fires have had in the area.

The highway beckons…

I got breakfast going, my custom oatmeal mix and cocoa, and then got the packing up process started.

Loaded up a ready to roll.

Hwy 410 is terrific.  It’s along a heavily forested route that then climbs to Chinook Pass.

Up on top I pulled over for some photos and saw a VW club.

Looking back.

The road I’d just climbed.

On the way down, I had a good view of Mt. Rainier.

From the bottom of the route it was now just a ride through cities and towns to get to my destination, Sequim, WA.  I wanted to miss Seattle and Tacoma so picked a route that avoided those places but still hit lots of traffic.  I did ride across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge that had sections of steel grating but the type it was didn’t effect the riding.

I was getting hungry for lunch and my plan was to get something healthy by stopping at a grocery store and picking up a salad “kit.”  I stopped in Silverdale for gas and the map app told me that a Safeway was nearby.  Like many places here, it was packed and I was hoping to get a motorcycle parking place near the door rather than leave my bike and gear out in the lot somewhere.  There were no spots like take BUT, wait, there is an empty place on right in front.  Ok, it’s reserved for veterans.  Hey, I even have my VA card on me should I get asked so I parked there.

I got my salad and rode a block to a city park where I could eat while overlooking the water.  It must be a tough neighborhood as the public restrooms were locked and there was a needle disposal box on the outside.

But the lunch was perfect.

I continued on the last leg and about 15 miles from Sequim I pulled over to don the rain gear again and rode the rest of the way in downpour.  

It was a 196 mile day and I’ll be here for a few days.