Riding with my friends: 09/08/23

Day 3: Clallam Bay, Washington (I can see Canada across the Juan de Fuca Straight!

Distance traveled: 233.9 km

Cumulative distance: 750.4 km

Maximum speed: 112 kph

Moving average: 61 kph

Temperature range: 14.0 – 25.8 but at times, when it was the low 20s, it felt 10 degrees cooler.

Editor’s note: Somebody said “hello” to Rob in the comments. To whomever, Rob says “hello” back!

This morning, despite being relatively organized, it was a 10:30 am departure from Rob’s place. We spent the morning visiting and discussing the best way for me to get to the Edmond – Kington Ferry and whether or not his cat was a male or female. I had picked up the ferry schedule and I was targeting the noon sailing and I didn’t foresee an issue as it really wasn’t terribly far; maybe 30 km through Seattle traffic so I figured I was safe to skip the interstate… and stay safe.

To my surprise, it was surprisingly warm at 21 degrees after it had been only 13 a few hours before. I was dressed for a cool ride with jeans and a Canadian Olympic Motorcycle Touring Team jacket. I enjoyed a fairly civil ride through Seattle side streets and at one point, again I was riding alongside the interstate but I wasn’t feeling too anxious. However, at about 11:30 I checked the anticipated arrival time at the ferry and the GPS forecast 11:50 am. I wasn’t going to make it. Nonetheless, I remained pretty stress free about it all. It would mean an extra hour wait so I started to consider one of my other tasks, which has been to pick up a domestic SIM card for my phone. I was bound and determined not to get bent out of shape about the time and just allow myself to take it as it comes. But I didn’t see a suitable place to get the SIM card, so before I knew it, I was arriving at the ferry terminal LINE about high noon. This looked gross, like a two sailing wait, so I dutifully got in line and turned the bike off. Within about a minute, the driver of the car behind me was standing beside my bike and helpfully told me that motorcycles don’t need to wait in line, I could just drive to the front of the line and buy my ticket. Suddenly, the departing ferry was becoming more of a possibility so I raced ahead, hoping I understood his directions correctly.

I rode up to the gate and the attendant told me I had to go inside the neighbouring building to buy a ticket so I left my bike parked in the motorcycle lane, raced inside and looked frantically around for the place to buy the ticket. There were two unattended machines there and I thought, “great, now I have to figure these out in a hurry” but then I spotted a wicket at the far end of the terminal. I hurried down to the wicket and the attendant deducted US $9.20 from my retirement savings and told me I was going to make it.

By the time I got back to my bike, cars were already loading so I wasn’t sure if I was going to be allowed but I loaded last and was sent up a ramp that would lead me to the front of the ferry. I guess all the cars in line were waiting for a different ferry, likely Whitby Island. Unlike BC Ferries, there were no signs indicating for which ferry cars should line up. Or at least, that I could see. Departure time ended up being about 12:20 or even later so I am not sure if it was late or I was just wrong about the schedule but it all worked out.

I just stayed on the car deck and tended to my electronics. Making sure I had a good battery in the camera and that I had the correct things charging. Honestly, I am not OCD about the electronics, I am just making up for not having my photographer along.

There was a fair amount of fog about this morning. Despite it being sunny in Seattle, there was fog all the way across Puget Sound and the ferry’s horn was frequently sounding to warn other craft that we were likely way bigger and they would be better off getting out of our way.

After a respectable crossing time, which I believe was accelerated due to the late departure, I was crossing into Kingston and once again, looking for a suitable place to buy a SIM card, in part, because I had no other real destination in mind. I wanted to go through Port Angeles but other than that, I really had no idea where I was going.

I was a little disappointed that there was not much beach front to see once I had been through Kingston and it was fairly straight forward riding until I got to Port Angeles, which, as it turns out, was big enough to have an AT&T store. So if you have been trying to phone me, don’t bother because I have a different phone number for the trip. However, I’ll save about $200 from the Bell Media thieves.

After Port Angeles, the road got a little more interesting and when I passed an intersection of Highway 101, upon which I was traveling and Highway 112, I stopped the bike and looked at Google Maps just to double check where 112 went and on a lark, turned the bike around and went down 112. Immediately, the road became much more interesting so I was promptly rewarded.

As the afternoon wore on, (I had exited Port Angeles about 2:30 pm or so) it was becoming increasingly clear that this was not going to be a big mileage day. In fact, by about 3:50 pm, the sun was getting lower and the thermometer was doing the same. Along 112, the road definitely hugs the coastline more, so I started thinking about just camping rough – on a beach or on a logging road, both of which were in plentiful supply. The only problem with that is that I would not have any water to cook some dinner and it would result in a short meal of protein bars and roasted almonds. Unless I found clams and cooked them in sea water. With a side of urchin roe.

Then I happened upon an intersection and I stopped the bike to look up where the respective roads went and what prospects I might have for camping. Turning left would take me back to the famed Highway 101, which will ultimately take me down the coast, and right would be to No Man’s Land BUT, also Sam’s Trailer Park. I bet THAT would be a good place to camp and it is probably on the water.

Well no, it does NOT look like a good place to camp. It looks like a homeless camp so I kept going a little further and into Clallam Bay. There is a sign that says Visitor Information and I figure it is about time to ask for some guidance. However, it is not clear where the Visitor Information is located so I go into the co-op store there and a kindly elderly (“older than me”) lady working in the store tells me that the county hasn’t bothered to move the visitor information sign and the store likes it that way because more people come inside.

I ask about camping and the store clerk is a wealth of information, pulls out a local map and points out where I could camp and even which beaches would be suitable. Then a shopper offers her suggestion of the place SHE is camping so I think that sounds pretty good. There are both giving me directions at the same time and I am not sure they are giving me the directions to the same place or different places so the shopper offers to lead me there. I carry her groceries to her car for her and first, she drives down the road in the opposite direction so that I can see a trail to a nice beach then she leads me to her campground, drives me through a “loop” in the “campground” and ends at the place where the owners of the campground are going to put a serious strain on my retirement finances. I’m thinking at this point the homeless camp is looking pretty enticing. My new found friend, Sally instructs me to visit Neah Point and be sure to hike down to the beach. She has a park pass and offers to lend it to me because it would otherwise cost me US $25. It’s 5:30 and she makes it sound so good I contemplate getting set up in my THIRTY FIVE DOLLAT CAMPSITE (see attached picture) and going out to the point before having dinner but I quickly realize that that would be foolhardy since it would likely be dark by the time I get back.

The Co-op store where Howie met Sally.

With my tent site established and dinner consumed, I wonder down to Sally’s camper. She and her husband Ernie camp here all summer then go down to Arizona and camp there all winter. He is a keen fisherman. She is not. They have other family there in attendance but it is not clear to me if they are all on the same schedule but they are a nice family. They even offered me clam chowder and to come back tomorrow night for the neighbourhood pot luck. I decline because I am a man on a mission.

As I finish this off tonight, the fishermen and women are all tucked in their beds. It is 9:20 pm and the people across the road have shut off their music. My next door neighbour, all of 5 feet away, tells me they will be up at 4:00 a.m. to head out to fish for Coho salmon tomorrow. I’ll try to sleep in.

BTW, it’s 11 degrees our here. Pictures will have to come Saturday morning since my computer was too tired to go on.