Day 68: Olympic Peninsula and Port Angeles
FROM-TO
217.73 Miles | 4:21 Riding Time
It’s Monday, June 17, 2024, and it’s Day 68 of my cross country motorcycle trip.
Today, I headed up to explore the Olympic peninsula of Washington. I went along RTs 8 and 12 to Aberdeen, where I picked up RT 101 again. It’s a bit inland, and it goes through the Quinault, Queets and Hoh rain forests on it’s way north, which surprised me. Although I did manage to miss the rains that day.
The road goes back to the coast by the Kalaloch Lodge in the Olympic National Park. I stopped there to grab some coffee, take some pictures and stretch my legs for a bit. It looks like a great place to stay, with amazing views (next time).
A little further north, at Ruby Beach, I met Connor from Australia, who was riding his GS on a 4-month trip to visit the west coast national parks. His friend was joining him for a while along the Oregon and Washington coasts. Connor and I have been to so many of the same places at similar times, it’s a bit surprising that we haven’t met before. Hope you have a great rest of your trip!
The most beautiful part of the ride though, was along Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Park. I remember saying, “wow” in my helmet when I first saw how clear and blue the water was, and the mountains surrounding the lake. Go there, if you can.
In Port Angeles, I checked in and went to explore the town. Got some Pizza for a late lunch at Barhop Brewing and Artisan Pizza, and had nap. Dinner at the Next Door Gastropub was also good.