Highway Number 1 - What an experience
24 Aug 2012
As we start the Highway One Tour in Seattle, all tour members and the 2 Tour Guides are very anxious to go riding. We leave the Emerald City and head over to the Olympic Peninsula. There are 2 couples, a Father and Son, 2 brothers, a single Aussie and another who enjoys cigarette breaks.
The lush green forests and beautiful mountain streams cover Washington State. The Hoh Rain Forest is a great stop for a picnic after being turned around in a construction zone. The Astoria Column and its 164 steps to the top does not keep us from sitting on our motorcycles but rather finds us climbing all the way up. After a long ride day, it is time to "crack open" some cold ones as Ramon is waiting for us by the support vehicle upon our arrival into Newport.
A beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean, looking out for our nice hotel in Newport:
The sand dunes of Oregon are very special, but it is also not easy to climb up in motorcycle gear and boots:
It's time for some lunch:
Later on - isn't that breathtaking:
The rest day in Newport is quite relaxing. Some go shopping to the Outlet Malls just north of town while others go whale watching but everyone is tired enough not to ride. This means the Tour Guides are doing their job! The next day finds us amongst the redwood trees. These trees grow to an average of 50 meters in height and can live up to 2,500 years old. I don't think that a koala bear from AussieLand can climb this tree.
Even though we all fit inside of the tree, we have to continue south to Fort Bragg. The curvy roads through the redwood state parks are spectacular. It's chilly in the morning and warm in the afternoon. Time to shed some riding gear but wait.....it'll get chilly again. We get a chance to get off the bikes and go exploring in this huge grove of trees. The stretch of road from Liggett to the coast is a motorcyclist's dream. It doesn't get any better than this. Off we go to San Francisco.