The Roads Less Taken: TENMA Return

The Route

Today started early with my girl heading for the airport at about 5:30 AM. Breakfast, packing, retrieving STella from the parking garage, loading, etc. all took until about 9:30 AM...and then there was the requisite getting lost in the construction detours and the wait...before finally loading up on the Bainbridge Island Ferry. Fortunately the decks were dry, so no problems with slips or falls.

The view on the ferry was great. The ride was very smooth and remarkably short. Those things are pretty fast. I met my second set of German riders this trip on the ferry; this time two Lufthansa crew who had rented bikes for the day. Pretty cool.

By the time I was off the boat and crossing the island my stomach was growling, so I grabbed Fish and Chips at a pub in Poulsbo, WA and then hit the road.

As you can see, the ride was very pretty, crossing in and out of Olympic National Forest. The area around Crescent Lake was especially pretty.

After a couple of hours I made my first turn south towards home. Almost immediately I was rewarded with my first view of the Pacific Ocean, the western limit of my Northwest Adventure.

The roads were almost all perfect...and none were bad...but as the hour approached 6:00 PM, riding between stands of forest and heavy roadside cover began to seem less and less smart. This is how motorcyclists hit or get hit by deer and other animals that start to wander in the evening.

A quick check on-line for prospective accommodations ahead showed my intended destination, Astoria (90 miles further), pretty booked except for some $175 - $225 per night sorts of places. A KAYAK search around nearby Hoquiam, WA revealed an Econolodge. A phone call revealed that they were not willing to let a room go for less than $70. KAYAK had them at $59, so I tried a $50 bid on Priceline and got it...so here I am. (Nice to have wireless data on this part of the trip. The Smart Phone is so much smarter with a network connection.)

The place is roomy and clean, the proprietors are pleasant and helpful, the pub across the street had a Stout Burger with Guinness gravy and breakfast is served starting at 6:00 AM. Perfect.

Or at least it will be if the forecast morning fog does not show up...