May 29 — North to Sound Harley Davidson with food, food, and more food!

Food, food, and more food. What a delightful day! This week has been crazy busy and I really needed some two-wheeled wind therapy. Tony Clawson and I rode up to Tacoma with a pit stop in Kalama at Willy Dick’s First Street Tap House. What an unexpected treasure — and I don’t mean the name!

This family owned and operated establishment offers a wide selection of flavorful beers and brats created with homemade toppings. I ordered the Jindo dog – a smoked beer brat with spicy kimchi and Korean BBQ pulled pork. The pork was smoked on premises and pulled fresh the night before. My side of chili was rich in flavor and included home grown and crushed peppers. The highlight of the meal for me was the “Cheesecake Shot” – a shot glass filled with homemade lemon cheesecake topped with blueberries and syrup.

After leaving Tony in Tacoma, I decided to head north up to Sound Harley Davidson in Marysville. Since this is the Harley Dealership furthest north in the US, I was hoping to find someone there to ask about a book signing on my four corners trip this summer. The staff there was very friendly and I was able to touch bases with their events manager about a possible signing this summer. They also gave me a fantastic lead on an AMAZING barbeque place – Jeff’s Texas Style Barbeque. The meat there was off the charts delicious. I couldn’t decide between the ribs and brisket so I ordered both. The brisket was moist and soft and melted in my mouth. The ribs were flavorful and falling off the bone. Both came with homemade original barbeque sauce. The beans with briskets were so delicious I ate all of them. I have eaten a great deal of barbeque in the United States and I have to say this place was definitely one of the top. Thanks, Tatum Oerth for the lead!