MAY 1, 2011
I was astounded.
My day off, and it wasn’t raining, hailing, snowing, windy, or freezing. I looked out the window, and saw......BLUE SKIES! The weather report actually said sunny and highs in the 60s----one of the few (like 2?) days that had happened this year!
BLUE SKIES!!!!
A lunch ride sounded good, so I met up with Mike in Tacoma at 10:30, and we headed up I-5 to the Highway 16 cutoff, then headed west across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. There was still a chill in the air, but it felt good to be riding without the heated gear, heavy sweatshirt and face masks. Once over the bridge, we sailed up into the town of Port Orchard, then headed out Bay Street and Beach Drive along the shores of Sinclair Inlet. We had beautiful views of the inlet and the Naval Yards across the water in Bremerton as we rode lazily along the 6-mile route toward Manchester State Park, then past the park to the village of Manchester, another mile or so down Beach Drive.
BREMERTON SHIPYARDS FROM PORT ORCHARD
KODAK MOMENT
Manchester sits on the shores of Puget Sound, with a view of downtown Seattle across the water. A nice waterfront park, shops, boat ramp and our destination---the Manchester Pub. I had seen their ads in the local “Quick Throttle” magazine, advertising itself as a biker-friendly bar with a patio overlooking the water and views of downtown Seattle. The patio is nice, but Seattle is visible only through the trees and past the houses---the pub is actually about 2 or 3 blocks up from the waterfront. That being said, this is a cool little bar, and the bartender was a lot of fun!
Mike and I grabbed a beer and went outside. The pub menu is simple: mostly gourmet hot dogs and pizza, but we opted for their Philly Steak sandwich. $5 gave us the sandwich, chips and a pickle, not a lot of food but grubbin’!
Mike and I grabbed a beer and went outside. The pub menu is simple: mostly gourmet hot dogs and pizza, but we opted for their Philly Steak sandwich. $5 gave us the sandwich, chips and a pickle, not a lot of food but grubbin’!
HAZY SEATTLE SKYLINE FROM MANCHESTER
MANCHESTER PUB
BEACH AT MANCHESTER
ALONG BEACH DRIVE, PORT ORCHARD
After an hour or so, we saddled back up, dropped the bikes into gear and rode back out to Port Orchard, rolling onto Highway 16 and then Highway 3 south toward Belfair and the Hood Canal. The sun was up in full force by now, and the temperature had climbed to about 65 or so, and the ride down Highway 3 through Belfair and Allyn into Shelton was nice and relaxing. The Hood Canal along either Highway 3 or Highway 101 is one of my favorite runs, with the views of the water and very little traffic (especially on 3…101 tends to be a bit busier).
Once into Shelton, we jumped onto Highway 101 and cruised on into Olympia and got to Mike’s house about 3:30 or so. Time for a beer!
This wasn’t a huge ride, I clocked about 180 miles or so since leaving the house, and it is one that's definitely worth doing again!
Once into Shelton, we jumped onto Highway 101 and cruised on into Olympia and got to Mike’s house about 3:30 or so. Time for a beer!
This wasn’t a huge ride, I clocked about 180 miles or so since leaving the house, and it is one that's definitely worth doing again!
HEADED HOME...