2013 09 12 Wing Washington Ride to the coast

I signed up for the Wing Washington tour this year and have hardly ridden to any of the locations for photos.  My friend Lloyd and I early on zipped out to the coast and did a big loop around the Olympic Mountains, out by the town of Forks n stuff but that was darn near 4 months ago.  I need to get on the ball here as the end of the time for finishing up is closing fast.  I figured I can hit some locations after work. 

Sooooo….. I decided on a loop or down and back ride Thursday Sept 12^th.  Get off work, blast home, toss my V1, GPS, tank bag on the bike, throw on the new helmet with my new SENA bluetooh headset and zip on down the road.   If early enough I’d zip over to the Edmonds ferry and bypass the Seattle, Tacoma, Fort Lewis traffic and boring ride, which I’ve done a bazillion times.

So lets back up a minute.  You know the drill, you haven’t ridden in a long time so 3 nights before you finally look at your gear, weather forecast, etc.  When was the last time I changed the oil?  Is it topped off, tires, wires for everything, tank bag, set up spotwalla, are batteries charged for cameras, phone, etc?  How the heck does this bluetooth thingiemabob work?  Read the manual, it pairs up perfect with the phone, now how about that other expensive unit I had to purchase so I could hook up the V1 and GPS?  Now I’m reading that manual and trying to pair that, 2 nights before.  It’s hotter than heck and I’m walking around the house, garage, etc wearing a stupid helmet for a couple hours trying every button combination and just can’t get it to work.  Lights are flashing, the headset says multi-pairing blah, blah, blah.  I get on line, search.  All to familiar territory to all of you.  After emailing the folks I bought the headsets from I fiddled a few more minutes and through sheer luck got it to pair with the helmet.  Forget the GPS, I’ll plug it in, it if doesn’t work I’ll just watch for the changes and try to keep up.  Enough of all that crap, lets get riding.

Thursday rolls around and It was a beautiful day, perfect for a ride.  I take off early from work, as I know it’s going to be a 450+ mile day and since my day starts at 4:15 AM it will be a long one.  I’m home by 12:50, start tossing stuff on the bike, changing into shorts, etc, bike loaded, kiss the wife goodbye and zip out the driveway at roughly 1:20.  I get down the street a block and determine my dang helmet isn’t strapped on = crap!  I pull over in the shade and fiddle with that for 5 min.  I’m burning precious time here as every second I’m late traffic gets worse by the logarithmic scale. 

I’m finally out on I-5 heading south, to late to make the Edmonds Ferry at 1:40 so I press on down the road.  Just a 2 miles down the road I see red/blue flashing lights at a typical police sting area and the moto cop on his ST1300 has a victim.  I am in the HOV lane making some pretty good time when the overhead reader board says there has been an accident just past Northgate mall, expect high traffic volumes, congestion, etc..  I never trust them as I never know when the incident happened?    Will traffic clear up by the time I get there??  I keep on going and of course you pass an exit to find out that right around the next curve traffic comes to a stand still and there is no off ramp for another 2 miles and no way to turn around… Grrr…  Did I mention I was all geared up and in stop & go get hot REALLY FAST!  Well that’s what’s happening.

All of a sudden my headset breaks from the music and starts beeping.  I tap the phone button (I think) and the music stops I say Hello but just have silence, a few seconds go by and I hear Hello and I start a conversation with a sales guy back in Michigan, we talk for a while which helps pass the 10 mph crawl for the next mile or so and I take the next exit like hundreds of others but this is a bypass type exit where you can get back on easy.  I was going to use it to get by the traffic on the right to take the following exit.  I see it’s all gummed up ahead but the break is before the next exit.  I’ll play a sheeple and abide as I know traffic will be excellent just after that mess.  Sure enough I’m going 70+ in no time, zip through Seattle, then Boeing field, traffic volume is picking up but everyone is still in the 70+ range blasting on through Tacoma, Fort Lewis and am getting close to my first Point - Norma’s Burger place.  As I head down the Nisqually delta area (a known police hangout) I see the famous red/blue flashing light and as I approach, the cager cop has a guy on a sport bike pulled over. 

I get off the freeway and low and behold Norma’s http://www.normasburger.com/ is right there.  I thought it was up the hill a mile or two so I’m pleased.  I pull in, take my photo, look at the next point, set the GPS and am back on the freeway  (after running the light) and heading on down towards Olympia.  Even though I was off the road for about 10 min I see the same cars/trucks I passed earlier.

Well I’m really jazzed, I‘ve cranked out 82 miles so far and I feel I’m doing good but I haven’t been out to the coast in a long time and figure it’ll take another 4 hrs.  I’d like to visit Mario Winkleman of LD Comfort fame but don’t know if I have time.  If I can make it out in time it’d be a nice visit.  I don’t know if Mario gets many or any visitors during the middle of the week but I’ll see when I get out that way.  The highway (101, 8, 12 take your pick, is the same dang road with 3 different numbers) is nice, I’m continuing to make good time and can’t believe my eyes that I’m out to Aberdeen before I know it.

The coast is socked in by the clouds and the temp has cooled down considerably.  Hoquiam is just like a suburb of Aberdeen to the west.  I see that it’s only a bit past 4 so I decide to try and find his place.  I’d looked at the map and had a good idea where it was the night before so I keep going and going and going through town and finally cross the last big bridge, hang a quick left, and see some of the nice little town, home of the world headquarters of LD Comfort undergarments (made for and by Long Distance motorcycle riders)  http://ldcomfort.com/   As I park the bike Mario comes out and greets me.  I ask if he has time to chat and a quick 20-30 min stop turns into an hour.  I got a tour of his facility, learned all about fabric, different kinds of sewing machines, marketing ideas with his ambulance, etc.  I wanted to pick up some items but the gal that ran the books had just left so I’ll order online.  After a great meet up I had to jam as I had only hit 1 stop and I wanted to hit 3 more before home and it was 5:30 already. 

 

Gas was next on the agenda so I filled up, had to go inside to get my receipt and then the Tokeland Hotel (haunted?) was my next stop, 40+ miles down the coast.  I’d never been out this way so it was fun seeing the bogs, short trees (compared to our 60-80+ foot trees) and the cranberry coast.  I unfortunately got behind a bunch of folks heading home from work and the two laner was curvy and hilly with a lot of double yeller lines.  After about 10-20 miles I decided the poking along had gone on long enough and decided to start spanking these guys with impunity.  A couple here, a couple there and then I was zipping along at my typical “Brian nominal pace” which is I don’t look at the speedo and ride with the force, get in the groove and let Zen take over.  An occasional glance at the instruments indicates 70, 80, ++ (oops).  I stop and take a few photos here and there, see half a dozen pelicans in formation cruising 10’ above the surf. 

I finally get close to the Shoalwater Indian Reservation http://www.shoalwaterbay-nsn.gov/ and the V1 barks to life.  I spy a dark blue Charger w/lightbar parked in the dirt lot waiting for victims.  I drop anchor and putt through to my turn off and around the next bend the V1 screams again.  I notice another really cool looking police Charger really hidden this time across the street from the police station.  I continue putting along and make it out to the Tokeland hotel  http://www.tokelandhotel.com/home.html  In the yard is a spike & doe deer.  Also in the yard is this incredible Horse made out of driftwood.  I take a few photos and plug in the next place (Long Beach WA).

I head back out to the main drag and take a few photos of the cool cop car.  As I’m trying to pull out my horn hits the tank bag and I’m honking away – sheesh, try to be indiscrete and what happens…..

Ok I make it out to the main highway 105 and head east.  A few seconds down the road and I spy another dark blue Charger.  Is it the same one or another?  I don’t know but putt along, wave and he waves back and I slowly get up to speed (55 that is) about a mile down the road as I’m soaking in the sites.  Coming at me at a high rate of speed is a truck with a house trailer behind, I motion to slow down and see in my mirrors the brake lights come on so I hoped I saved that schmuck a few $$. 

It’s now getting close to 7 or later and the sun will be going down soon.  Crap I have at least this one more stop I’d like to do before it gets dark.  My next victim is Marsh’s free museum  http://www.marshsfreemuseum.com/ in Longbeach WA.  Roughly 60 miles away so I put the hammer down and enjoy dispatching cagers & trucks along the way.  There were 2 road construction areas where I had to stop with others as the bridges were being replaced and it was one of those 1 lane crossings where a photo camera detects you and makes you wait while the others cross, then lets you go, etc.  Well I made it to LongBeach and found the Museum, took my photos and called my friend Lloyd.  It’s now about 8 or later and I had to get back home 200+ miles.  I wanted to stop at a school in Kent but don’t know if I want to do it too late at night, especially since I’m going to get home around 11 and will have to be up at 4:15 for work tomorrow……

I’ll decide later on the school, meanwhile I’m going for the fastest route towards the Seattle area and unfortunately it’s basically the same way I came down here.  I head down to Hwy 101 then start north.  I get stuck at a light and watch the cars go across the intersection.  I noticed one is an all white crown vic, a motorcycle struggles to get across and a few other cars.  Finally a green and I start zipping up the long straight away.  Soon one car turns off and there are a few more in front of me as I slowly approach them.  Then one more decides to turn off – woohoo I only have one more car to catch up to and then I can start screaming.  I twist the grip and am on the guys bumper in a heartbeat and all of a sudden I see on the plate XMT!  Crap it’s that crown vic and I’m getting ready to blow him away!  I drop anchor and fall in behind.  It’s pitch black and I can’t see any markings, any light bars inside or nothing but I’m not taking any chances.  I follow this person for a while and he/she starts picking up the pace, pretty soon we’re both flying around the marshes and curves 10+ over the limit.  I’m wondering if he is toyin with me or what?  I’m happy that we are over the limit and making time.  We get up to another intersection with Hwy 4 and crap he turns north just like me but pulls over to the “slow” lane going up the hill.  I’m tempted to blow by but he’s going above the limit so I sit tight.  A few miles up the road and we come to a one lane bridge and there are about 4 other cars in front but it’s green and we slowly make our way across.  I’m having a little deja vu here as some of the cars turn off here and there.  Pretty soon it’s just the car in front and another white car.  We get on a nice long straight and we’re going about 50?  What the heck?  Why isn’t the guy in front passing???  I decide I’ve had enough and bring the bike up to 60 and slowly overtake the crown vic then slowly catch up to the other white car and decide to speed up and pass before the solid stripe gets on our side.  I zip up and don’t make it.  I pass the car on the solid and notice it’s an XMT plate too!  SHIT!  I’m totally busted!

I stay at 60 and slowly pull away from both of those cars, I get in a few curves and can still see the lights, a few more curves and then I’m back to Brian nominal blowing the dust & cobwebs off the bike. 

I am finally getting close to the town on Monsanto and decide I need to get gas so I can make it all the way home.  As it was I’ve gone about 180 miles on the tank.  I get close to the Chevron station and notice a few Police SUV’s in the lot and a Police Charger pulling out onto the road I was on.  I then whip in to the front pump and start filling the bike. I look ahead to a cop walking around his SUV, back drivers side door is open, I pump, I look, I pump, I look, and all of a sudden I look and he’s taking the cuffs off some gal.  Hmmm….  The next time I look she is totally gone, and another SUV is going in circles around the lot, stopping to talk to the one cop walking around his rig and then around and back to talk again.  I’m like WTF is going on?  I’m done, button everything up and head out to the street so I can get back on the freeway east.   Before I can pull out the Charger with all the lights & sirens going is screaming down the road so I stay put.  After he passes I pull out to follow but see in my mirror another SUV with lights flashing and he is approaching my 6 really fast so I pull over and he goes by.  By now I’m thinking every frickin cop in the entire county id right HERE!  So I blast up the freeway ramp and wick up the speed so I can follow (a good distance back of course) and I think everyone else on the road thought the same thing as all of us were just flying up the freeway. 

Well always wanting to push the speed envelop just a little bit further – HEY the BMW was built for the autobahn right?  I push up to my nominal and start overtaking cagers, trucks and leave their lights in the darkness.  I keep pushing and am keeping 1 eye on the V1 and the other scanning every nook and cranny for anything reflective with red & blue lights on it.  I blast for miles and miles like this and am by myself.  I get to another long straight and WTH is that in my mirrors?  Is that a red & blue flashing light way the heck back there?  I keep up with my speed until I come up on an all white Impala w/ XMT plates (what the hell is going on with all these plain white cars w/exempt plates)?  This cat has an orange light that flashes on the top of his car so I don’t worry about him and blow him away.  A few min go by and the flashing lights finally are getting close enough so I slow down and start to pull over but the cop blows by me like I’m standing still and right behind him is Impala boy.  Sheet!  I’m all over this so I wick it back up all the way to Olympia and finally pass Impala boy before I get on I-5 north. 

The rest of the way home was more 80+ fun.  I called management around 10 to let her know I was heading home.  I bagged the school for another day and pulled in the driveway a few min before 11 and 465 miles.  Not bad for working 7+ hours and then going for a little ride.  :-)