Oregon

June 2018 and got the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles at 10:30.  There were 20 plus bikes so I chatted with lots of people including Mike from Alberta who is  a pretty smart guy and referred to the masses as I do  -- as another species...  As a bike I was first on and first off.  Lots of the bikes were Spyder's and they were arranged after the "normal" bikes.  Arrived in the US at noon.  Waved bye to Mike and customs was quick.    Port Angeles has some spectacular views.  Headed west on 101 .  In the Olympic mountain range and state park.  Very lovely traveling around Lake Crescent  which has a beautiful blue colour.

Crystal Lake, WA

 Great ride --very twisty with trees over shadowing the road.   Some construction but it is SUMMER.   Stopped in Fork. WA for $8 in gas and lunch.  The town looks somewhat deserted and I see only one restaurant (not including fast food). With this being a forest area some talented people have carved large Big Foot/Sasquatch sculptures. At 2:30 back on the 101 until Myclops Hwy.  There are lots of big trucks carrying timber and bits of bark on the roads.   The smell of the trees is so nice and  fresh.  There are areas next to the road that are clear cut.  Some nice warm areas but also was cold in parts of the Olympic mountain range.  53 klms south of Fork stopped for a picture of the Pacific beach.   Put my stretch gloves under my bike gloves to keep warm -  Janet would be proud I had accessories. .   Lots of gated communities along the coast.  The gorgeous beaches were mostly empty.   There was a fine mist in the air so close to the Pacific.

53 klm S of Fork, WA

 The highway swung east to go around an Indian reserve. Arrived in Ocean City at 5:30 at  Quality Inn.  Headed out for dinner across the street to Pirates Cove Pub. Chatting with a young man  about my motorbike  ride he asked if i needed a husband.  NO  ! !
Headed out of Ocean Shores at 10 am.  Back on the 101 to Aberdeen.  This is where all that timber I have seen is milled.  Not a pretty city.  There are also miles of trains carrying all this timber.  The hwy heading south  is treed and not very busy so I love it.  I am feeling confident about the bike and can go through curves in the road with one hand while my  other hand keeps warm behind the tank bag.  Ride through Raymond and the hwy follows the ocean heading south. Stop at a rest area where Lewis & Clark  were stranded during their expedition over 200 years ago.  I chat with a couple from Boston, MA who remember seeing me on the Hwy.  I have no idea of ever seeing them.... There is a huge bridge over the Columbia river to get to Astoria, OR.   I am not happy about big bridges and it gets really high before entering the city.  7 Barges are traveling through the area.  In Astoria there is a Bosnia restaurant.  On hwy 30 going east, I see a Kinder  Morgan plant.  Stop at 2:30 for lunch.  Then stop in Rainier for gas.  I have now put $23 of gas in since Victoria, BC .  Arrive in Portland at 6.  It is rush hour..ugh!   After a stop for directions I make it to my motel.  There are homeless with their tents on the hill right next to the highways.  I walk to Mississippi  Street which has lots of restaurants and shops. I get my grand babies cute socks.  Then have beer and grilled brussel sprouts at the Rambler.  I was on this same street two years  ago.  It has been gentrified...
Walk out for breakfast at 7:30 am.   Then head downtown on the light rail transit.  Do some shopping. There are "pies" filled with chocolate instead of fruit...could explain the many weight issues in this country. ..?  There is a big Norstrom and a Norstrom rack.  Portland has 4 Whole food stores. The city is very bicycle friendly and has a nice trail next to the waterfront.  There is a tram that takes you high up a hill. I walk to Washington Park where the Rose garden is.  There was a free  bus to the zoo but it is not operating right  now. The area is on a incline and there are some large homes engineered on steep slopes.

 I head back downtown. There are a lot of bridges in Portland!  Some really big ones and I have avoided them so far.  Stop in the NE Portland at a brewery area for lunch.  Then walk to Chinatown.  It has all but gone and the homeless have moved in... See Voodoo Donuts with a line  up 30 deep, so I am out, but they must be good.   I do find an Irish pub and sit outside.  It is very warm.  I see a restaurant called Tangiers that has couscous on the menu.  Damn - I already ate.  There is a lesbian bar  called "Locale" nearby my motel that I sit on the patio with a pint.  But it is only 6:30 so not many people out yet.

Washington Park

It is a bit cloudy this morning but here on the west coast that can change quickly.  I head out at 9:30 on Interstate #5.  In a few minutes I am back in Washington state.  Near Kelso I get off the highway onto a scenic drive - 411.  It is lovely and two bikes are just ahead of me which  for some reason makes me feel better.  Turn on to hwy 506 but it ends so I have to turn onto a road.  It is all farmland and those hwy miles have drained my fuel.   But I come across this tiny general store with gas.  I get directions and head north on #6 into Centralia.  Back on Interstate #5 I see the Great Wolf Lodge where we should take Avander and Charlotte.  Arrive at Olympia at noon.  Have lunch at an oyster place right on the water.   My bike jacket is 12 years old and people are still commenting on it. 

Olympia, WA

                                      The South Puget Sound was known for its oysters until water issues and over fishing took most of them.  Efforts are being made to restore the population here.