Better Late Than Never

23 Aug Better Late Than Never

Alright I feel bad I’ve not kept up with this, but somehow life has managed to get in the way. Before I get too far along with the report, I figured I needed to sit down and write out all the gaps in the story up to now.

Flashing back to day 8 of my trip…

After a few days of hanging out at Matt’s place, doing laundry, and writing up the first week of the ride report, it was time to move on. I left the hammock and straps there as I realized it would be too wet and buggy for me to enjoy them.

We hit a few cool spots in Tillamook during the day, then I rode off into the forest to find a spot to camp that night. I must have been excited to get back on the road, but I had a quick reminder to not exceed my riding skills when I came up on an unmarked sudden sharp turn leading into a bridge crossing… A quick smack of reality to get you grounded again. I couldn’t slow to make the turn in time and didn’t quite commit enough to a tail slide to get through so it was a glorious high side.

Luckily no real damage to me or the bike and now the crash bars have battle scars for that extra respect at the coffee shop.

I picked up my bike and dusted off my gear and self confidence. Kept on riding and luckily found a cleared logging area with a nice panoramic view on the edge of a mountain. That’ll do for tonight.

The next morning I packed up and rode up the coast to get some miles in.

I stopped by Fort Clatsop to stretch my legs but it’s just a Lewis and Clark fort reconstruction that’s nothing special. I pulled into Astoria looking for food, picked the top hit off Yelp, and enjoyed a great bowl of seafood chowder down at the harbor. Shot the shit with some other riders for a bit then rode off into Washington.

After a few hours of riding it was time to find a spot for the night. There’s surprisingly little camping available along the southern Washington coastline, so I did a bit of research and picked out a few possible options. The first few spots I checked to boondock didn’t work out with locked gates blocking the dirt roads I had scouted on Google satellite view. My fall back option was a rest area near Elma I found on freecampsites.net. I pulled in around 9pm and set up for the night. That’s the first time I’ve set up a tent at a rest stop. It’s not my favorite, but it’ll do in a pinch and the price was right.

The next day delivered the goods with beautiful weather to explore Olympic National Park. I rode back out west and up through Quinault into the NP. Before I even get into the park I cruise around a tight corner and surprise a black bear munching something on the side of the road. He panics and runs along the road right in front of me for at least a hundred feet until he gets to a gentle enough slope on the side to clamber up into the forest.

Then a few minutes later I notice two bald eagles soaring above the riverbed next to me. Pretty sweet!

I putzed around this area for the rest of the day: rode out to the Graves Creek trailhead, checked out the World Record Sitka Spruce, hung by a creek and chatted with some locals.

I did a little Google satellite research and picked out a few promising forest road turnouts just south of Quinault. The first site I checked was a bit exposed, but sure enough the second one was a nice secluded campground with a firepit at the end of a forest road sideshoot. I set up for the night, channeled my inner cordon bleu skills and cooked a so-so meal of pepper steak from Mountain House. It was clear I was now in a rainforest, and after a disappointing attempt at starting a fire I retired for the night.

I awoke the next day, broke camp, and rode off to the coast again. I stopped near Kalaloch and hiked out to the beach to stretch my legs and check the views but it was pretty overcast.

I had read about the Hoh Rain Forest as a must-see part of Olympic NP, so I pointed my compass that direction. After a quick lunch stop at the only restaurant in the area, I continued towards the park entrance only to run into a parade of vehicles idling away in line.

I debated my options for a bit, but after a few minutes of sweating it out I bailed. I later realized it was a Sunday right before Memorial Day, hence all the traffic. I had become so accustomed to life on the road without work or schedules that I hadn’t been paying any attention to the day of the week, ha.

Instead I set my sights on Cape Flattery, the northwestern-most point of the contiguous US. I enjoyed the cruise up the coast through little bays and towns, through the Native America reservation and out to the tip of the peninsula.

I also caught my first glimpse of Canada on the way. Those mountaintops are on Vancouver Island.

It’s a short easy hike out to the point with absolutely beautiful views every direction.

After soaking it in, I headed towards Port Angeles and figured out where I was staying that night.

You might remember Dave and Jill from Norcal. Well, when I stayed with them a week ago they made sure to introduce me over the phone to their good friend Russ who lives in, you guessed it, Port Angeles. I got into town and punched his address into the GPS.

A short ride later I pulled in to meet him and the whole family. It’s funny what a small world it is. I soon found out that Russ used to run the El Camino Store based out of Santa Barbara, and wouldn’t you know it, I sold my ’69 El Camino right before this trip, and went to school in Santa Barbara! So we actually had a lot in common to shoot the shit over. And if that’s not enough… then he showed me the man cave he built in his backyard shop and offered to let me stay there!

I’ll leave you hanging with that for now, and I’ll try to get the rest of the story out in less time than this one took.