With rain (finally) in the forecast for Seattle, (following a very dry and warm winter), we decided to take the last two days before the rain returned to ride our Moto Guzzi motorcycles to the Olympic Peninsula. I wanted to put some miles on my new bike, (a 2013 white V7 Stone 750), and Josh wanted to take his 2007 Griso 1100 for a non-Seattle ride (i.e. long stretches of open road with less city stop-go traffic).
Our first stop was the local Moto Guzzi store,
(Moto International in Seattle), to pick up spare oil for the bikes, and the new license plate for my bike. We cannot say enough good things about Moto International, as everyone there is always friendly and helpful with all things Moto Guzzi.
Next we headed to downtown Seattle to catch the Washington state ferry to Bremerton, on the Olympic peninsula. One advantage of riding motorcycles in Washington is that motorcycles can always cut to the front of any ferry line, bypassing all cars in line. This is especially handy on a sunny day when the ferry lines are notoriously long.
After arriving in Bremerton, we headed north along the eastern side of the Olympic peninsula, past Poulsbo and Kingston, and crossed the
infamous Hood Canal Bridge, one of the longest floating bridges in the world. The view of the Olympic Mountains was spectacular, and it felt great to be cruising along on our Moto Guzzis in the warm weather!
Following the Hood Canal Bridge, we continued north along the Olympic Peninsula to Port Townsend, where we decided to spend the night and explore the small town on foot. We stayed at the historic Waterstreet Hotel, a Victorian style hotel with quirky rooms, friendly owners, and motorcycle parking out front.
Port Townsend is rich in wooden boat history, so we took time to walk through the active shipyards in town. The wooden vessel seen in the above and below photos is the
Western Flyer, the vessel used by John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts in their infamous trip in Mexico's Sea of Cortez in the 1940s. Their book,
The Log from the Sea of Cortez, remains one of our favorite books, and to see their vessel in Port Townsend, being restored after sinking at least twice, was one of the highlights of our trip to the Olympic Peninsula.
To read about the restoration of the
Western Flyer, please click
HERE. I cannot wait to see what she looks like a few years down the road. Port Townsend is definitely the place for her right now!
