Saturday, 5AM the alarm clock goes off. Ready for the road at 6AM, arrival at Peace Arch border shortly before 7AM. The waiting time is already at forty minutes. By the time we reach Bellingham we are in serious need of breakfast, and that's what we get at the
Skylark's Hidden Cafe.
It was fantastic!
With renewed strength we rode down the
Chuckanut Drive, one of the most scenic coast routes in Washington.
There were still layers of fog over the water, and it was getting a little nippy, so we had to put on an extra layer.
On
Whidbey Island we were surrounded by veils of white. Traffic to the island was crazy and dense, and we were pushing hard to keep the Vespa's going with the traffic flow. They did well, but is wasn't fun.
After the fog lifted, we were a little disappointed. The island is a tourist trap, and a race track. Meanwhile we were doing an average of 55/60 miles to avoid being run off the road. However, we couldn't figure out where everybody was racing to, and so we headed straight to the ferry back to the mainland.
Gotta love the privilege. Last come... first vehicles to board, and first to leave the boat.
Getting a break on the twenty minutes ferry ride. It warmed up, and we enjoyed the sun rays.
Our refuge for the next two days was the
Woodmark Hotel at Lake Washington, close to the venue we would be visiting later the day.
Valet parking didn't work for us, but we got once again designated motorcycle parking spots.
The hotel is located directly at the waterfront, and we thoroughly enjoyed our sojourn.
At the
Redhook Brewery in Woodinville we had beer, pretzel and bratwurst with sauerkraut in a bun. Just the right stuff after a long ride.
The main event of the evening was the concert at
Chateau St. Michelle in Woodinville.
Bella Fleck and later on
Bruce Hornsby. Two genius musicians, a feast for the ears, and a great show.
The chateau is surrounded by vineyards, alas we couldn't get good pictures in the fading light.
It wasn't allowed to take pictures at the event, so after this one, (and a friendly reminder from the gentlemen in the red shirt on the left) there were only a few more crappy cellphone pictures that won't do the show justice.
It was already after dark (our first night ride with the Vespa's) when the performance ended, but the scooters took us back to the hotel safely. What a gorgeous day.
Sonja
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you are riding a scooter now has not diminished from the culinary and visual experience!
I was wondering whether if we rode scooters in Greece the food would improve?
Hooray for multi-day adventures. Great pictures by the way.
ReplyDeleteIt is unfortunate that Whidbey island was not as great as anticipated and a racetrack at that. Good thinking heading back on the ferry and having a relaxing ride instead.
The concert looks great. Long time since I've heard Bruce Hornsby. Don't think they've ever played him on the radio down here.
The beer, braats,and kraut looked good but I'm afraid I would have needed antacids!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that Chateau St. Michelle was as close as Woodinville. Katie loves their Reisling. Hmmm, do I see a trip coming up?
Great pictures of your adventure. I stayed on Whidbey Island last summer but didn't run into crazy traffic.
ReplyDeleteRichard
Great pictures! Looks like you had a nice little trip! The food. Looks excellent! Love the picture with the side of the bridge in the fog.
ReplyDeleteSonjaM:
ReplyDeleteif you weren't in a hurry, there are some great roads that follow the eastern coast near Oak Harbour, then you could visit historic Coupeville for a meal along the boardwalk. You could also take the ferry from Keystone over to Port Townsend for a weekend. They have a thriving artists community there and lots of things to see. Whidby Island, as a road to get to Seattle is not the greatest. If you left a day earlier you could have taken the Port Townsend route south down Hood Canal
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
@Nikos: Food and scenery is always high on my priority list. Not sure if scootering would help with the Greek cuising. But give it a try and use a Vespa!
ReplyDelete@Trobairitz: Brandy, we were just irritated with the traffic. There must have been a major event that we were not aware of, and will give the island another chance later the year, when general summer vacation is over.
@irondad: Dan, certainly a great place to take the missus to. Very impressive, and decent selections of wine.
@RichardM: We gonna give it another try later the year. Couldn't believe the rat race.
@Dar: Thanks Dar, especially the Chuckanut Drive is a scooter paradise, you should try it one day.
@bobskoot: Days extra never come easily. We tried to squeeze at much as possible into three days, but next time we will concentrate and maybe do some island hopping.
Wonderful trip! I was shocked by the statement of needing to add layers due to cold. Cold? What's that? Will it ever be cold again?
ReplyDeleteSonja, What a great trip! Funny, no pics sez the red shirt guy, so you get out the phone instead, lol. :)
ReplyDelete@BeemerGirl: Lori, believe it or not, but 'hot' seems to be happening somewhere else but not at teh Northwest Pacific Coast area...
ReplyDelete@bluekat: Well, he only mentioned cameras...