I left Boise on 7/28, and before I returned on 8/7, I accumulated 3000+ miles, mostly in Washington and British Columbia.
The first thing I usually get asked: "Did you get rained on?"
Yep - for maybe an hour, on Day 2, in Mount Rainier National Park. (Sadly, the great mountain was obscured by clouds.) That was the only time I put on my rain gear... it sprinkled a couple other times, but not even enough to make the ground wet.
Day 2 was also the day I had a fairly significant setback... when I had a U-turn mishap and set my motorsickle down on my left leg... with my foot facing backwards. (Ouch! I hate when that happens!) That took place in the shadow of Mount Rainier, and some kindly Good Samaritans helped me get out from under my ponderous beast. (Thank goodness they came along or the bears and coyotes would've had me!)
Fortunately - amazingly - I didn't sustain any major damage, although I had a nasty ankle sprain and my foot was purple and painful for a couple days. And my motorsickle sustained ZERO damage - my foot and leg provided cushioning. (Ha!) I'm glad I decided to ride on and complete the trip.
The scenery was dominated by beautiful water - oceans, lakes, rivers, creeks - lush foliage, and snow-capped mountain peaks.
Highlights:
- Riding on the beach near Hoquiam.
- Hoh Rain Forest, in Olympic National Park. (I've never seen so much "moose moss"! Since the sun was shining through the trees, it didn't seem too rain-forest-like.)
- Hurricane Ridge, also in Olympic NP (just out of Port Angeles).
- Vancouver Island. I rode to Strathcona Provincial Park / Gold River one day, and Tofino the next. Awesome!
- Highway 99, from Vancouver to Lillooet. The road is narrow and twisty in places; the scenery just keeps getting better.
I carried my passport with me (which I usually don't), and left my gun at home. Crossing the border in both directions was problem-free.
Click on any of the photos to see bigger views; click HERE for more photos and/or a slide show.
