A Good Time Had by All

Lake Quinault loop

Note: This is Part Two of a Three Part Series today. 

The Trip. In this, the creme filling part of the Oreo blog cookie today we’ll take a somewhat binary and objective look at wheat we did, where we did it and how it worked out. 

Monday, June 3. Acting alone as advance scout I left home in early afternoon, pointing Whitey North. The primary objective was to gather intel on the road construction bordering Lake Crescent, the main connector of our rides on day’s two and three. As chronicled in Part One, that simple mission was augmented by my failure to pack a sleeping bag and external storage device for captured media. These two omissions cost me $9 at Goodwill (the bag) and $79 at Walmart (the drive). Road construction would be, they said, nothing more than 45 minutes, centered at about the half-way point between our rides. Nothing like the 4 hours delays of prior weeks. After my shopping and a small pizza I scouted a nice spot to park Whitey and camped almost at the top of Sol Duc. 

Bright and early I filmed some of the Elwa road before heading back to Hurricane Ridge for the meet-up with the others. 

Tuesday, June 4. Under near-perfect conditions we rode the 17.5 miles to the summit, posed for the obligatory photo ops and sped back down. Since I ride these days sans any electronics other than video, the unofficial times were 2:40 up and 38 back down. Very casual and very cool. We ate at Oz’s favorite bistro in PA, and then the gals and I headed out for the Sol Duc hot springs. We hiked to the falls and then soaked in the medicinal pools before jaunting back to 101, waiting out a short delay and getting into Forks around 9. They slept in a cozy room (with a gruff exterior) while I kept a security watch detail in Whitey 10 feet from the front door. 

Wednesday, June 5. I got a late start at 0430 and sped out to La Push where I filmed time lapse of the bay, rock stacks, surf and eagles. On the return I went up to Rialto Beach to shoot more stacks, rocks and the serene road connecting Forks to the Pacific. By the time I got back to town a decent amount of usable footage was in the can so, despite my best instincts, went into the town’s only cafe for a cuppa joe and toast. I remember chuckling to myself that this place is so greasy you need vice grips just to hold your spoon in one hand. By 10 we were back in the road, 101 South, towards the day’s ride up the Hoh Rain Forest. By the half-way point I was chuckling again as it dawned on me how appropriately this forrest was named. Wet, wild and wonderful. We managed to ride into a scene right out of National Geographic, where we watched a bald eagle, hunt, stalk and eventually dine on a duckling in one of the many small ponds along the route. I am hoping that I can cull some decent video from this ride, but not holding my breath as we did get a consistent amount of rainfall. After the thaw and ride we took off for Lake Quinault, with a stop at Ruby Beach. The Lodge dinner, blueprint approval meeting, foosball tournament and wine we all superb. 

Thursday, June 6. Breakfast in the Lodge main dinning room of pancakes, oatmeal and fruit. Plus two pots of coffee. Then the ride around the Lake, 30 miles of adventure. My plan was to ride my road bike as long as possible, turning back when the road conditions dictated that as the better part of valor. Never happened. Yes, the loop went from asphalt to chip seal to hard pack to pea-gravel and finally to pure rock, but never foul enough to even consider a U. My fearless companions set a pace more suited to seeing than racing, where it was again demonstrated that yes, one can traverse more miles the faster that one rides, but one sees more the slower one goes.  Seeing was believing that day as we caught the wettest part of the planet on a good, no, a great day. Rivers, giant Sitka Spruce, bridges, elk crossings, sunshine, mountains and waterfalls made it feel like we were riding in the museum of natural art. It may have been the slowest 30 miler of my life and simultaneously the most picturesque. Lunch back in civilization on 101, Lodge check-out and time to hug the gals adieu as they headed home and I onward south. 

Friday, June 7 (today). I drove further south yesterday exploring a coastal section between Moclips and Ocean Shores. In the rain the best video captured was driving on the beach at Pacific Beach. At Ocean Shores I finally made that U and headed back with an unknown destination for the evening’s camping. Which ended up being at the Seal Rock Campground near Brinnon. Manages some footage of 101 at dusk that was exceptionally lit by the setting sun. This morning I again shot video under perfect lighting conditions along 101 near Quilicene and up Dosewallips Rd. 

Home by 0930. 

Total of almost 675 miles, in 5 days. Rides, hills, canyons, lakes, routes explored and captured to video. I believe that I can speak for every one of us when I say that a good time was had by all.