In which Nick hits the road (Nick)

Punctual rendez-vous with Andrew from Eagle Riders. Took us a long way across Seattle to Eagle HQ. Collected Harley (excellent) and GS 1200 BMW (ruthlessly efficient) for J. Off to Bainbridge ferry from Seattle Port, docking cross the archipelago at Bainbridge around 11.00. Good start heading north and then onto Highway 101. But at the junction with Route 20 calamity. I had second thoughts about a right turn off Highway 101 to Port Townsend, pulled in onto some gravel and on stopping I lost the balance of the bike and dropped her.

A bike standing on some gravel, looking a bit ashamed of herself.

A tell-tale patch of oil....

...and a snapped brake lever, all tell the sorry story.

 We got her upright after all the oils had spilled out and a brake lever end ( cosmetic and plastic) had snapped off. J drove off to find a garage, and I took refuge at Fat Smitty's burger bar opposite.

Fat Smittys was our first exposure to the idiosyncrasies of American eateries.

 Back with the oil, oil in engine but, the Harley refused to start up, despite many tries. We got through to Eagle Riders. When I wrote this note we were waiting for Mike to arrive with a replacement or a fix. not a good start, but at least we could wait for our help to arrive with the sustenance that Fat Smitty could provide. No sign of jet lag yet - something of a miracle. We'll be late to bed tonight methinks.


11.15pm Quinault River Inn, Amanda Park, Route 101
Late? You betcha. Eagle Rider had promised a man with a van in an hour but it wasn't until 1645 that the charming Mike arrived, who made no fuss about my mistake.Unloading the new Harley and pushing in the old one took half an hour and we were away by 1730.

We decided to do it without the Satnav and use map-memory. We got lost. One moment we were on R101, which started promisingly enough but then we found ourselves going through leafy suburbs and housing estates, eventually rolling up to a barrier across the road. Well we found R101 hiding the other side of a forest. So joyful were we about this that we turned onto it the wrong way. If J hadn't begun to question why the sun had decided to start setting in the East instead of the West, we would have been pulling into the outskirts of Seattle by now.

Eventually heading the right way down 101we checked our Motel at Quinault. Late was fine by them. They collected the same fee even if we didn't arrive at all. We made up for some lost time, but dusk was approaching quickly.

What a beautiful State is WA! As we turned SW on R101 towards a one-horse town called Forks the narrow highway twisted and turned. I became appreciative of the speed warning signs at every bend that was judged to need one. And then we found ourselves in a beautiful mountainous area descending to a huge lake that reminded me of a Scottish loch. We followed the RH edge of it for miles, rounding every little inlet. A man in a boat was at least a mile out there enjoying his solitude. We had to keep going though. J was getting cold having only a light jacket. Forks would be a fuel stop and an opportunity to grab warmer clothing.

Back on R101, it was on the way to nightfall. It had been an eventful day for the surprisingly un-jetlagged me. But the Almighty had another test for me up his sleeve. Through my intercom I heard J point out a deer that he had seen race across the road behind him. I slowed, having seen a little bit of him disappear into the undergrowth on my left. It was as well that I did. As I passed where he had disappeared, the animal shot back out into my path. I braked from about 45 to 35 and skidded slightly. I missed it by a whisker. Lucky deer. Lucky biker. So we arrived at the motel just before 10.. Alas no food, but Fat Smitty had taken care of my appetite. Sleep now...