The Twilight Vampire Tour (Dad & Daughter)

This is a family friendly Ride Report that the kids can enjoy with you. (In other words keep it clean).

A couple of weeks before the labor day weekend my wife told me she and her friends had made plans and that I should entertain the daughter.

Well Mag what we gonna do? Wanna do a road trip with your pappy?
Uhhhhh OK. Can we go to Forks?
Uhhhhh OK. What's in Forks? (I was there last year and I can say, not much).
That's where Twilight is......
Uhhhhh OK. What's that?
It's the Vampire Book series. It happens in Forks and La Push.
I didn't see any vampires when I was there.
Ooooh, Daaaad Let's just go there.
It rains up there.... a lot....like 400 inches...a lot....I'm telling ya.....a lot.
I was up there last year I didn't see any vampires just rain... a lot...I'm telling ya lots of rain... and trees.
We going or not?
Your gonna need some riding gear.
I am not driving there..... we need to ride this trip.

Read about Twilight here http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilightseries.html

Checking the weather on several sources it looks almost do-able. It would be a little cool and maybe just a bit wet but do-able.

My wife bought these 2 bags in Vegas for $5 each that just fit into my Caribou cases. That and a pair of shoes and it's full.

That's all the clothes that your going to need and it will all fit in the this bag.
We are traveling light and burning up the road.
Dad you are such a Goober!

Since we weren't camping we didn't need the tent but brought our sleeping bags just in case. I knew we would be staying at a friends cabin twice and didn't want to mess with dirtying the sheets.

Heading North to Longview and over the bridge into to Oregon I thought it would be cool to ride the ferry from Westport to Puget Island. It was $2 cash for a fun ride and a good look at the river. The fishermen were catching steelhead (I think) just up river from the launch.
Below the brown sign on the other side of the blackberry bushes.


The wait was short and the ride was only about 20 minutes. Highway 30 to 409


She's right.....I am a goober....but not the only one.


It felt like we were flying over the water.....then the ferry turned around and made us a little sick to be looking backward. On the Mighty Columbia river

Don't worry they turn the boat back around so you can ride right up the ramp and off.

We landed on Puget Island and then crossed to Cathlamet. That is a cool little town and we decided to visit it again again on the way back if we had time.

We made it down to LongBeach the home of Jake the alligator man and stopped at Dooger's for some clam chowder. We were famished!

Read about Jake here http://www.marshsfreemuseum.com/pages/jake.html

Mag, Dooger's is gonna be hopping... it's the holiday weekend.

I know this great pulled pork place in Astoria just across the bridge....

I want the chowder!

Uuuuuh OK.

It was about an hour wait but felt good to get warmed up inside the building. It had cooled down quite a bit by the time we got to Megler.
She was glad for the new riding coat and pants. (The coat I got off the clearance rack and got a smoking deal on... the pant's were no such deal and are much nicer than mine) Thanks Dad.

The chowder is worth waiting for.

Are clams just rubber bands that taste good?

We arrived at the cabin just after dark and started reading to settle in for the night. It would be a long ride the next day and we were both excited about seeing the coast all the way up to the top of the state.


Bet you can guess what she is reading about.


I am reading the manual for the microwave.

More to come....

It's traditional to get breakfast at Bailey's bakery in Nahcotta when we are staying near there because they have incredible tasty home bake goods and homemade granola. It shares the building with the the micro-town's post office and was once the train station.


Mag out front. 103

Historic Oysterville is just up the road from here a couple of miles and is one of the oldest towns on Washington and a great visit. They have a few Geocaches there also that we have found.

Read about Oysterville here http://www.funbeach.com/attractions/walk_oysterville.html


I messed up my parfait before she could snap a pic of it. "Ain't nobody don't like a parfait"
Good coffee too.
We also had a ham/egg/cheese thingy that we wolfed down before we got these.

Full tank and full bellies it's time to hit the road....


Off of the LongBeach peninsula and up 101. There are bears in this area as well as elk and lots of deer.






Near Raymond there are a lot of these steel 2-D sculptures. They did a good job on them and it adds to the scenery. 101 North

Mag near Grayland and looking like Randy from the movie a Christmas story. 105 North

They call this area the Cranberry Coast and Ocean spray has a big cannery along the road.
We saw berry bogs with nearly ripe berries along this stretch.


The sun is trying to burn through but it is still not warm out.

We stop in Aberdeen and ask a local about the Kurt Cobain tribute sign and he tells us it it on the opposite side of town so we decide to catch it on the way back. We were looking and didn't see it. That's because it is on the side coming from Olympia.


I told her when you see the sign for Humptulips we are just about in the middle of nowhere.


Goobers are where you find them. 101 North


She took several pics of my finger pointing to signs. 101 North

Big Trees? Notice how many on this chart are in the Olympic National forest.


Read about big and old trees here http://encarta.msn.com/media_701507573/record_trees_of_the_united_states.html



I stayed at this place last year and have one thing to say about it. Don't.
101 North 20 miles south of Forks


She is getting giddy now that we are so close to Vampireville (Forks) 101 North



More to come.......

The chamber of commerce and timber museum are just as you enter the city limits. This is Twilight
central. They have T-shirts and stickers for sale here. She bought both.
101 North

Read about Forks here http://www.forkswa.com/HomeofTwilighttheBook.html


She took a pic of this sign. I thought Ed and Bella were volunteers at the museum or something.


Evidently I was wrong about the volunteer thing.....



The guest book had 5 binders full of people who had come to see the town where the series takes place.
We saw a couple of groups of Japanese tourist who had come just for it.


The host was native and she tried to tie native tales to those of the vampire and werewolf strain.




A fence post held the camera. We are not that chubby we are just wearing all the clothes we brought to keep warm.


There is a cool little nature trail at the south end. It felt good to walk around and stretch after that near 300 mile ride here.


One word to describe most good things. It actually means robust or strong or well made or built.


This is a memorial to all the locals that have died in the timber industry. It was sobering to see how many and how young most of them were when they died.
I worked as a sawyer in a sawmill when I was in my early 20's and saw first hand how dangerous this kind of work is.



More to come.....

Great post!! I've finished book #1 in the series and have #2 ready to start. I've not been back to Forks since the series got popular, but I may just have to venture out that way.

We decided to check into the motel to jettison some gear so we could check out the sites and beach.
We weren't really sure where first beach was so we did a little reconnoiter.

First and as per ADV MO we had road food and took pics of the local fare.
This is at the In Place restaurant in town.



Homemade tomato soup. Mmmmm tomatoee



Chicken strips but not on a bike tire.



I had this and a huge salad. I was so hungry I ate like a teenager.

We then cruised by the high school. In the movie they filmed at Kalama high school about 40 miles North of Portland/Vancouver. Guess it filmed better or something.

I can sense that Spartan spirit.


The scrap book store/florist had caught the Twilight buzz.



Time to see the beach.....

Heading West toward La Push. That is were Jacob the Werewolf is from. 110 West (upper Y)



This is one beautiful place when the sun is out. Ooooooooh Yeeeeaaaaaah.
Like the forest speeders in Star Wars.


Rialto really is a world class beach and the photos we took do not do it justice.


"Touristas" (Dads....treasure these times with the kids)


I'm an ol softy... but I love this shot.



The sign on the tree is about 1-1/2 miles from the parking area and is really where the "Wild coast" starts. It is as close to civilization that you are allowed to camp.
You can hike all the way up to Neah Bay along the coast. It's wilderness area. Very cool.
Read about it here http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/rialto-beach.htm


We saw plenty of Elk tracks among the humans...but no werewolf...or is it???......




The end of a terrific day.


Mag in her element.
Her Mom says we are two of a kind, we are both like a couple of dogs.....scratching at the door to get out.

We headed back to the motel but found out First Beach is down further South. Guess that will have to wait until tomorrow.

More to come......

There really is a lot to see when the sun is shining.

The natural beauty of the pacific Coast is an emerald. great report

We stayed in a motel out side of Beaver and I think there is a store and a sawmill in Beaver and not much else.
The Hungry Bear Motel.
Ever notice how they always look better in the adds online?
We brought our sleeping bags for just an occasion as the beds were not fresh.
Better than a tent in a rainstorm and it had a hot shower and satellite TV.
(Got to watch that show about the Giant Squid....cool)

Packing up for a long day from the top of the country to the bottom of the state. Sponge Bob going on the telly in the background (sophisticated travelers for sure) 101 East just past 113

Door locked on #8 and it's time to check out and get some breakfast.
I told Mag to load up because it would be a long time till we get to eat again.


BIG LOGGER FOOD at the Hungry Bear Cafe. 101 West

Mag is amused at her tiny 1/2 order of biscuits and gravy.
Her Pop is trying to keep his heart from clogging up.

We are so close Mag we have to go up and see the Makah in Neah Bay.

We were warned by the waitress that the road out there was very twisty and slow......Yesssss!
(It is about 42 miles each way from Beaver and an awesome ride at that)


Got a pic with 'Rosie' in Sekiu on the way to Neah Bay. She is the mascot for Clallam Bay.
(aliens and fish-people...alert the National Enquirer) 112 West


They do not allow cameras of any kind in the museum so no pics. 112 West
Cape Flattery, a couple miles West from here is the furthest North West corner of the lower 48 of the USA.
Do yourself a favor and check this out if you are in the area. It's a special place with a lot of Coast Indian culture.
Mag was excited about being able to see Canada from here.
The Native Peoples of Vancouver island are kin to the Makah.

Read about them here http://www.makah.com/mcrchome.htm

Heading back and out toward La Push again to find First Beach.

Shaping up to be a nice day with great riding. 110 West (Lower Y)


La Push means 'mouth' from the Native language (Not French) and is a fishing village on the Quileute reservation. End of 110 West

Read about them here http://www.quileutenation.org/index.cfm?page=qnr_home.html


There were flocks of pelicans cruising around the bay and we watched them for quite a while. Second favorite birds next to puffins.


Looking North.


First Beach. Something romantic happens here in the books.


Ate at a little cafe at 3 Rivers resort on the way back towards Forks. 110 East
Most of the holiday travelers have left or are bugging out.

I would love to have a month to explore all these little forest back roads we keep seeing on the Strom.

We visited a funky/cool little surf shop in Forks called West End Surf. You should visit when in town.
Mag bought some bracelets and wanted to buy more stuff. The owners were nice and we chatted for quite a while.

Read about it here: http://forkswadailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/08/west-end-surf-shop-sidewalk.html


Just outside of town on the North end there is a timber scale one of the locals told me about when I was through there last year.
It is always on so you just have to peek in the window and read the scale. So we ride up and see what the Wee-na-bago might weigh.
580 lbs.= Bike gear and gas.
960 lbs.= 2 riders and bike loaded.= Nearly 1/2 ton of rolling thunder ha ha.


We about got killed trying to get a shot of the Welcome sign to Aberdeen. 12 West
(Grooved pavement and jerky local drivers)

I am not really a fan but some in my family are and I know that some inmates are.

Read about Kurt here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Cobain

We made it back to Long Beach well past dark and I was very nervous about deer and elk along the roadway. We saw several deer but they kept on the side. I was very glad to be parked for the night.
342 miles that day.

I had to work swing on Tuesday so we got up early and did some cleanup around the cabin and packed to leave.


Got to stop in Cathlamet for breakfast on the way home. 4 East


Nice town.


We ate here and I came back and ate here again during the PNWet Fest.

Between here and Longview a car hit a deer a few minutes in front of us.
Guess we are lucky.

Had a great ride and saw some beautiful country.

930 miles (pretty good for a weekend)

Best MPG was 54.7 worst was 47.2 (I run Premium only 2 up)

Hope you enjoyed the report.

Take care,Thor

Great pics, nice report. I can't wait til my daughter's big enough to get on the bike!

--chiba

My girlfriend says your the coolest dad ever! She is a huge Twilight fan too.

Great RR enjoyed reading it. I t sounds like you had a very good weekend with your daughter. Thanks for sharing
Darryl

Great RR. I can't WAIT till I can go on a ride with my daughter!!

Since she is 11 months, it will be a while. [sigh]

But here is a teaser pic for an up and coming ride report - that is if the world does not end in 2012.



Good Job Thor!

I have lived close to the Olympic Peninsula for years now, but never spent any time up there. Your ride report might change that here soon.

Thanks...good job.

Nice RR. I'm going to have to add that part of the PNW to the list of places I want to see next summer. And I'm going to have to check out Twilight.

Hi Daryl,

Great report and good to see pics of the Magster enjoying time with dad.

Dan

Start your planning Now. I have added road #'s in Bold to the report.
Pack good rain gear, they get 400+ inches a year up there.
Last year we came back down through Hood's canal after spending 3 days in the San Juan's. That is a terrific trip also but you need at least a week to do it properly.
Get out there, Thor

South Florida?
That certainly is on the opposite end of the country.
This will be an eye opener for you. Enjoy it.