July 1 - Olympic National Park and Port Angeles.
Woohoo! I am so happy to be on the road. What a fantastic day. Today was wonderful beyond my expectations. Outstanding food, great company, and water, water, water everywhere. On top of that, thanks to the generosity of Teresa Ballou and Bunk a Biker I was able to get free lodging and a great dinner in Port Angeles, Washington.
Leaving home today I headed west on highway 26 and then north on Oregon Route 103 and west on 202 to Astoria. Turning north on route 103 seemed like entering a new world – narrow, windy roads, lush vegetation, farmlands, fields, and no traffic! Swooping around one glorious curve after another I felt like I had really left on vacation. After getting gas in Astoria, I crossed the 4-mile long Astoria- Megler Bridge over the Columbia River to Washington. Continuing north on highway 401 and then 4 and then 101 I had one view after another of the Columbia River, Salmon Creek, and the Pacific Ocean.
Grant Myers accompanied me as far north as Raymond where we ate lunch at the Pitchwood Alehouse. What a treat! Homemade onion rings and a flavorful burger topped with grilled onions, blue cheese, and homemade burger sauce hit the spot and provided ample fuel for the rest of the day’s trip up the coast. I took highway 101 through Forks and on to Port Angeles, stopping at Lake Quinault and Lake Crescent for more spectacular water views. The smooth, clear lake waters surrounded by the towering hills and trees of the Olympic National Forest seemed worlds away from home.
The funniest thing happened at Lake Quinault. I was talking with a friendly campground guest at the boat launch and a woman came up to me and said, “are you Kathleen Terner?” I asked her how she knew, and she said she recognized me and my bike from Facebook. It turns out one of her daughters was a student of mine last year and the mother is following my story. She was so kind to introduce herself and was so encouraging about my trip.
After leaving the Olympic National Forest I headed west on East Beach Road to my first ever night’s lodging through the Bunk A Biker host program. Teresa Ballou welcomed me to her home and then took me out for an evening ride and a wonderful dinner of fish and chips at the Next Door Gastropub. Tomorrow’s plan? Hurricane Ridge and one of my four “corners.”
