Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Everyday for 7 Weeks–Day 30–Olympia to Port Townsend

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

We barely made the noon checkout. Between trying to sleep in and lazing around, we were moving at a snail pace. We had intended to go out for breakfast but it turned into lunch instead.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

We like the rules at the café

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

After lunch we headed north on US-101 towards Port Townsend 97 miles north. The weather was warmer than most of my trip, but cooler than the past couple days. I was a bit cold in my mesh riding gear, but again the heated coat came to my rescue.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

While I enjoyed the twists and turns of the road, my wife was enjoying the view of the Hood Canal and all the flowers. We saw brief glimpses of the mountains far in the distance, and they remained that way throughout the day.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

Random statue on the side of the road:

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

Lots of flowers blooming:

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

My wife couldn’t get enough of them. Taking photos with class – both pinky’s out! hehe.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

They were very beautiful and we both enjoyed looking at the. This stuff is called Scottish Broom. It is an invasive species and is doing a good job taking over the countryside. The roads are covered with them.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

Port Townsend is a small town of 7,000 people in the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula. It was out destination. Our new friend Max told me that in 1896 it had more residents than Seattle, but never took off. Many of the downtown’s old buildings didn’t have the top floors finished until recently. It is a charming little town with a very strong art community. There are lots of activities happening from music, art, and movie festivals. If you were retired, you MIGHT have enough time to do it all. We enjoyed our time in Port Townsend visiting family, and we hope to come back soon.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

We saw a movie in their historic Rose Theater. It was called The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. A British comedy about retiring in India. The director chose to film most of it with hidden cameras and cameras on vehicles to capture the chaos of colors and sound that is India. He did a great job. The acting was well done as well. We both enjoyed it.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

We had a cute room with a great view of the harbor. We fell asleep listening to the waves.

Everyday for 7 Weeks - Day 30 - Olympia to Port Townsend

 

 

 

Day 30 Full Flickr Album

 

Today’s Route:


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Video: Day 30 – To Port Townsend

20 comments:

  1. Darby's look like a good food place to visit. I like the rules, too. How do you like the slower pace of your trip?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. feels almost the same as the rest. we get going much later in the morning than I would solo, but the rest feels the same.

      Delete
  2. YES! When in doubt, pinky out! :lol:

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  3. Pinky out, I like that!

    Now see, you should have taken the Ural...plenty of storage space!

    dom


    Redleg's Rides

    Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the ural has less than my bags on the sv if I have a passenger I'd have add some mounts or something.

      I'm not regretting my bike choice at all :) you take your fave bike on a long trip like this.

      Delete
  4. Chris:

    If you have a chance you should go to Cape Flattery, the northwestern most point of the contiguous United States.

    There is a neat house to photograph
    http://www.trollhaven.org/

    there are statues holding up the barn. You could also relax at the SolDuc Hot Springs. Voted one of the most romantic places in the Pacific North West.

    One of my most favourite places is Rialto Beach. It is pristine virgin beach area, the last of its kind in North America where you can see the power of the Ocean. Near Forks, take Hwy110 towards LaPush. You won't regret it

    I like the Pinkys too. I'll have to try it

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks for the suggestion Bob, but we'd already passed that spot by the time this post was written. maybe next trip.

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  5. Replies
    1. I dunno about that, but this has been a great trip so far.

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  6. Heather's new hobby is photographing wildflowers she's not seen before and then identifying them. She can't get enough of the flowers either. I'll have to pay closer attention to see what she does with her pinkys.
    ~k

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoy the flowers too. So what does she do with her pinkies?

      Delete
  7. Great pics there Chris.

    The picture of your wife taking the pic is so cute. She is taking pictures of California Poppies. They grow wild and spread like crazy. And they don't make you sneeze like Scotch Broom.

    I agree with Sonja, that breakfast looks tasty and I too like the rules at Darby's. I think more restaurants need signs like that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought it was cute as well.

      We asked the server at Darby's if the mean people actually leave. She said the mean people usually don't realize they are mean.

      Delete
  8. You really do seem to have a knack at finding very tasty looking dishes. And the unusual restaurants. Did you know about Darby's ahead of time or did you just run into it?

    "When in doubt, pinky out!"

    I like that...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. nope, we found Darby's after we found our place to sleep. We found our place to sleep while sitting in the park of the city using the GPS and our phones.

      Not much planning ahead of time if any other than a general route/direction

      Delete
  9. I spent a day and night in Port Townsend in 1993 when exposed rebar tore up my rear tire just off of the ferry. I tried repairing the tire, but couldn't get the patch and plug to stick to the Michelin radial. Ended up buying a new tire at a shop there the next morning. I think I blew about $400 in Port Townsend. I avoided the whole experience the next time I was in Washington. Pretty place, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wow, sucks! We enjoyed our time there, and luckily didn't spend anywhere near that much money. The family connection there probably helped bring up the enjoyment factor too.

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  10. I never made it that way in 2010 on my cross country tip, only went to Mt St. Helen, looks very nice, cool roads.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hehe, we skipped Mt St. Helen. funny how we end up seeing different things.

      Delete