I got up a 5:30 with every good intention of leaving the house for the ferry to take me across the Olympic Peninsula at 6:00 but got sidetracked with packing and coffee and talking the dog in from outside and actually got out the door at around 6:45. It was a cloudy morning but the weatherman had promised partial sun breaks. I stop and put 5 bucks in my tank to top it off because I hate leaving without a full tank and am at the ferry in about 15 minutes. The kind lady at the ticket booth informs me that if I prepay my fare online and get a motorcycle card, I can skip the WHOLE line and go straight to the front next time. Thank you Ma'am, that is a worthwhile piece of information.
I get to the front of the line and am the only motorcycle in line for about 12 seconds and a gent on a Harley on his way over to Rich's Custom Seats pulls up and we chat for a few minutes and get inundated with Goldwings - all of whom seem to know Dale (HONDABIKEPRO). A pleasant ride on the ferry and the sky opens up to a gorgeous blue and the sun smile kindly on my ride.
The ride to Port Angeles was uneventful except for the stunning scenery and south I turned and headed up the mountain. At the bottom I stopped and stretched my legs as I had been riding well over and hour and needed to get rid of my morning coffee. About a mile up the road, it was clear that the elevation was going to effect the temperature inversely so I pulled over and put on another layer. Another few miles and I paid my entry to the park.
Then the road got fun. Twists and turns with few straights and light traffic. Every once in a while I would see a sign that warned of curves for the next 1 or 2 miles, which was somewhat like finding a warning that pasta might occur in your bowl of spaghetti. There was plenty of wildlife by the side of the road and constant pullouts so driving fast was simply not an option. The speed limit however was just fine. A a hundred or so meters of elevation below the summit and I found the snowline and while the roads were wet in some places, there was little danger of ice.
It was a magnificent ride that I would recommend to anyone and that I will definitely ride again, maybe soon.
The video below is not mine but the only difference with my experience is that the snow is gone at the summit. (I really need to get a GoPro) The stills are mine. There are few more in an album on my profile.
[video=youtube;DEqCAJQMnn0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEqCAJQMnn0[/video]
I get to the front of the line and am the only motorcycle in line for about 12 seconds and a gent on a Harley on his way over to Rich's Custom Seats pulls up and we chat for a few minutes and get inundated with Goldwings - all of whom seem to know Dale (HONDABIKEPRO). A pleasant ride on the ferry and the sky opens up to a gorgeous blue and the sun smile kindly on my ride.
The ride to Port Angeles was uneventful except for the stunning scenery and south I turned and headed up the mountain. At the bottom I stopped and stretched my legs as I had been riding well over and hour and needed to get rid of my morning coffee. About a mile up the road, it was clear that the elevation was going to effect the temperature inversely so I pulled over and put on another layer. Another few miles and I paid my entry to the park.
Then the road got fun. Twists and turns with few straights and light traffic. Every once in a while I would see a sign that warned of curves for the next 1 or 2 miles, which was somewhat like finding a warning that pasta might occur in your bowl of spaghetti. There was plenty of wildlife by the side of the road and constant pullouts so driving fast was simply not an option. The speed limit however was just fine. A a hundred or so meters of elevation below the summit and I found the snowline and while the roads were wet in some places, there was little danger of ice.
It was a magnificent ride that I would recommend to anyone and that I will definitely ride again, maybe soon.
The video below is not mine but the only difference with my experience is that the snow is gone at the summit. (I really need to get a GoPro) The stills are mine. There are few more in an album on my profile.
[video=youtube;DEqCAJQMnn0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEqCAJQMnn0[/video]
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