Day 5 - Aug 10 Sands to Slopes

The place we stayed in Long Beach is out on the peninsula.  As we were rolling in last night so was a mist.  It wasn't raining but the parking lot was wet.  This morning the bikes were wet and the mist hung heavy in the air.  Despite wiping the seats minutes before we pulled out, they were wet again at 8am when we left.  It was not raining.  It was like riding in a rain forest or a wet sauna without the heat.  It was 55 degrees at departure time which sounds cold, but really was quite pleasant. 

 

Within 30 minutes of riding on 101, we were out of the mist and onto dry roads.  Not a single other car on the road way.  The water gently lapped the sandy beach of the bay as we rode away from the shore and inland toward the wooded forest.  As has been mentioned over the past few days, 101 has been an amazing experience.  So far we seem to be hitting the weather just right and as a result have enjoyed clears skies and picturesque scenery.  Our first stop for the day was at Montesano, WA for fuel, hydration and to tighten the passenger foot peg that Shannon was now holding on with her foot. 

Next we set our sights on Port Townsend where we planned to catch the ferry.  Shortly after passing through Shelton, we rode nearly 60 miles along water so calm and glass like that I was convinced it was a lake. Tim, of course, argued with me that it wasn't a lake, and few things are as painful as admitting to Tim that he was right.  We parted ways with 101, which had been so good to us,  and took 20 into Port Townsend.  We arrived with enough time to grab lunch before we loaded the bikes onto the ferry that would take us over to Coupeville. 

 

Upon debarkation, we again joined 20 into Burlington, WA to visit North Cascades HD.  This Harley store visit holds the special significance of being the furthest northwest dealership of the contiguous United States and therefore is 1/4 of the checkmark on Torrey's list.  His special request for the ride was to hit the Harley Davidson dealers in the "4 corners". 

It was south out of Burlington on the 5 to get us to the 2.  Our introduction to what will be our home address for the next several states, days and thousands of miles lasted about 100 miles.  The state highway is such a treat to ride, especially where it runs along the river.  It's wide open with sweeping curves and at times it seemed as though we had the road all to ourselves.  Our grand finale of the day was to climb Steven's Pass (elev 4056) and then descend into the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth, WA. 

 

Stats for the Day - Total miles today: 383;
Time to travel that distance: 11 hours
Cumulative Miles = 1978
No poker today
Tomorrow - Finish WA, cross ID (last chance to bail), get to MT