Squampton to the Rose City

[Marksil]

Great reports! - And now the small world part...

I'm Mark, the husband of Trish (the lady in Puyallup) - nice picture of a lovely lady. I'm the guy with the GV 250. Maybe the best investment I've ever made - use it during the nice weather days in Puyallup (that's really not an oxymoron!) for commuting and taking my 11-yo daughter to school (about 7 blocks away from the coffee shop where you met Trish), and just getting out in the country. Longest day-trip I've taken is from Puyallup to Cathlamet (halfway between Longview and the coast) and back in a day.

Also, where you took the pic after crossing the Lewis and Clark bridge, just outside Rainier, Or.? - that's my hometown. My folk's house, the house I grew up in, is just up the hill from that spot. I know the SW Washington / NW Oregon area well - IF you ever get down that way again, great riding in the hills out of Rainier, towards Vernonia, Mist, Apiary, Clatskanie... Smooth road, winding roads, little traffic, just riding heaven.

Anyway, have a great trip - but it looks like you already are...

Marksil

[Scooterchick]

Hi Mark!

So nice to meet you and your wife Trish..... Thanks for the tips on where to ride next time around.

My husband said ; Yes, that was just outside of Rainier where we took that picture.

Smooth roads work for me! We hit a long stretch of highway before we made it to Portland that was a two laner with a sign "Motorcyclist Use Extreme Caution". Not what I was desiring to see, but glad we did. They should have torn that thing up a long time ago and started over! However, coming back on the opposite side of the road proved to be a better ride.


Thanks for coming along on our road trip. This is the first time either of us has ever done anything like this. So, it has been an EXPERIENCE......let me tell ya!

We only have a couple of more days left of riding before reaching home again. That is if Scootard's health hold up. He currently has fever, but wants to be closer to home if we have to spend a couple days regrouping in a hotel before making the final stretch home. So, I guess we will see how long it really takes us.

[Scooterchick]

I woke up in the middle of the night to a very sick man. Fever with coughing and congestion accompanied by the look of someone who had just come from the deep.

He took a pre-breakfast "snack" of Day Time cold and flu med as he was insistant on pushing on toward home....
I, on the other hand would have been perfectly fine with sitting it out another couple of days.....

[bESS]

Skootard:

it's not good to be sick far away from home. Hope you are feeling better soon for your ride back

bob(skoot) vancouverscootering.com

[Scootard]

Hey Bob:
Sitting in a Starbux in Everett right now. We are going to Mukilteo to catch the ferry to Whidbey Island. Have done it in a cage but never on 2 wheels. So looking forward to the ride. Staying tonight in Oak Harbor. Keeping the sickness at bay with drugs!!!

[bESS]

Skootard:

If you have a chance you should go to COUPEVILLE and check it out

too bad you're heading home, You could take the ferry from Keystone over to Port Townsend and spend a day recouping

bob(skoot)

[Scootard]

Scooter Chick woke me up in the middle of the night to give me more drugs, she said I was talking in my sleep and groaning. Fortunately she loves me and takes care of me when I'm sick, and like most men I am next to useless when I have the cold or flu. I managed to stagger downstairs, eat some breakfast, heavy on the protein, and load the bikes. We rode for about an hour, checked out some saddlebags at Seattle Cycle Center.

[Scootard]

We rode for another 1/2 hr. up to Everett and stopped for a coffee at Starbux. While there, I proposed taking the ferry to Whidbey Island, so checked accomodation on the wi-fi. Then we rode down to Mukilteo and lined up for the ferry.

[Scootard]

Caught the ferry to Clinton and chatted with a fellow named Roger who rides a GS1200. He demonstrated some of his toys to Scooter Chick and man is that thing loaded with options. He has lived on Whidbey all his life, lucky fellow.

[Scootard]

Rode off onto Whidbey Is., and let all the other ferry traffic go first, so we could just mosey up the Island at our leisure.



Took a quick drive through of Freeland and got a few pictures, then headed towards Coupeville, where we had a shutter geclicken fest and got some lunch at a local joint.

[Scootard]

The entire Front Street of Coupeville is on the national register of Historic Places. Talk about scenic.....whoooa! Having fed ourselves on excellent chow we headed for the motel.

[Scootard]

The entire Front Street of Coupeville is on the national register of Historic Places. Talk about scenic.......... Having fed ourselves on excellent chow we headed for the motel.

[Scootard]

Scooterchick looked at her gas gauge and noticed that it was on "E"! Mine was pretty low as well, so we stopped for gas at the first place we came to in town, and then checked into the Auld Holland Inn.







Cheap and clean and oh yeah, euro-sized room. There is a reason the TV was mounted high on the wall. There was no space to put it on any other flat surface in the room.







The hostess offered us a king room "upstairs". We declined as the thought of lugging all that heavy gear and "us" (also heavy at this point) didn't appeal to either of us. Besides, Scooterchick felt it best that I am able to take my meds and stretch out for the night.

[Scootard]

Never mind we are tired, I am still very sick and feverish and ready to rest for the night. Starting fresh tomorrow. We might skip dinner and munch on a caramel empanada from Taco Bell that we stashed, some "emergency" cream cheese (which we also stashed from breakfast this morning), and some Hall's cough drops washing it all down with some Brita purified water from our trusty cups! That ought to do it!

[Scootard]

We will just take in some TV, enjoy the "view" from our window, and start again tomorrow!







Stay tuned folks!