Sound to Coast, And Back Again

Saturday morning we left on an overnight trip to the coast for Norman's first overnight sidecar trip. He thought we left a little early and Ray caught him mid-yawn.



First we went to the Edmonds ferry terminal to catch the ferry to Kingston, on the West side of the Sound. Norman thought waiting in the ferry line was a good time to take a nap, until people started coming over to see him and talk. Many pictures of Norman and the sidecar ensued.



You can see he is safely harnessed in his 'car. We tried several configurations of harness, belts and tethers during the weekend and finally settled on one that works for all of us.

We rode on 4 of the 7 best motorcycling roads on the Olympic Peninsula this trip, and had ridden on one of them on previous trips. So we've got only 2 great roads to explore. The only trouble with the great m/c roads is a distinct lack of a place to stop to take pics. But here's one:



And another:



Some of the roads were not autobahns, but they were beautiful and much fun. Yes, twisties can be fun even for sidecarists. A lot more work for the sidecarist, but just as exhilarating as for 2 wheelers.




We got to Pacific Beach and settled in time for supper. We didn't do much other than have supper and walk the dog a few times and watch some reruns of NCIS. Then it was time for bed.

Sunday morning we had a tasty breakfast at the Windjammer Restaurant (biscuits and gravy!) and took several roads less traveled back to civilization. On the Moclips Highway I think we saw 5 cars. It was a great road but no one is there because the Olympic Peninsula is one of those rare places where you can feel truly alone. We hooked up with another road, one which runs past Olympic Prison and it was truly out in the back beyond of the back beyond, not maintained in the winter and only semi-maintained in the summer. We saw even less traffic on this road, but the scenery was great and the cedar aromatic. Norman could not figure out all the smells and apparently heard a lot more in the woods than we did, because his ears were twiching and he was on alert the entire time we were stopped by the road for a break. All we heard was the breeze whispering in the trees and some birds.






There were some roads we left untaken....



We stopped in Forks (home of the Twilight books, and they do not let you forget it) for a snack and soda break in a nice little park and ride/rest area. Norman practically sat in Ray's lap hoping for a share of jerky.



At this stop, a German couple touring the US took a picture of Norman in his sidecar. They had never seen such a thing and were fascinated that I rode on my own and not behind Ray. I am not sure which thing interested them the most.

Lake Crescent was our next stop. The roads there are worthy of many repeat rides. I think a person could stay in the area and just ride around the lake all day. Fun! And beautiful.







Here's the ferry coming to take us back to Edmonds.



Motorcycles are lucky, we get first of the line priviledges in the ferry line and also getting on and off the ferry. Much better than sitting in the ferry lines for 2 hours or more. And safer. And more impressive, because all the motorcycles roar off the ferry in a pack. It's fun! More pictures of Norman in the sidecar are now in other people's collections.



We saw many other riders out over the weekend, although not too many on roads other than Highway 101. We did see one rider down on the side of the road not too far from the place we took the 3rd and 4th pictures you see here. There were some people waiting with him for the ambulance and a couple of men had volunteered for traffic control. I had nightmares of Ray or I pinwheeling thru the air all night long. It was very sobering and a stark reminder of the need to exercise all we have learned along with good sense and to ride within our abilities, especially in remote areas.

It turns out Norman especially likes motorcycle riders. And he certainly can be a charmer when he wants to and he wanted to this weekend. Norman made friends where ever we went. Little kids to grownups walked up to him in his sidecar and started to pet him. They would never do that if he was on paw. We've discovered that even people who don't much like dogs like Norman. He knows how to be a gentleman and he knows how to pose for pictures. He sits in his sidecar like a little Prince and is happy watching people watch him. We heard more of, "Mommy, look at that dog!" this weekend than we've heard our entire lives.

He seems to really like riding in the sidecar. He's always ready to jump in and hit the road, and in fact, opted to stay in the sidecar on the ferry ride back, rather than wander the boat. When we go over 45, he curls up in the dog bed in the 'car and snoozes until we slow down. No one even knows he's in there until he pops up like a dog-in-the-box. He'll watch Ray thru the windshield for a while when we go faster, but he most likes going slower, and then he sticks his head around the windshield and does that dog in the wind thing or if there are alot of people around, he sometimes does his best Prince of Dogs imitation. Not as dumb as he looks, our Norman.

As for weather, Saturday was cold and misty (heavy to light) and we ended up wearing nearly all the clothes we took. We had sunbreaks toward the middle of the riding day but it was too little. Still, it was not wet enough to deter and we had a good riding day. It was sunny and dry in Sequim, where we found a Jack In The Box with outside tables for lunch, which was a relief from the heavy humid nasty air here at home. More sog after we left the Sunbelt behind.

Sunday, once we got inland from the coast, was glorious, cloud free and spectacular, as you can see from the pictures. We had a great time although toward the end of Sunday our butts felt like they had melded with the seats. My shoulders ache from pushing and pulling on the handlebars to get round the curves, and my right bicep, probably from throttle twisting. It turns out that with a scooter with power I have a lead hand. After this weekend, I am certainly more confident in the curves. Ray said he was suprised at the speed at which I did the curves on Sunday. Practice makes perfect. Although I am far from perfect, I'm more experienced now than I was on Saturday morning and on the way to being ready for the Grand Tour next year.



I am sorry for all you flatlanders who don't have such beautiful mountains, roads and scenery. Ride out or come out and rent bikes and we'll give you a tour. We've got a route all planned for you!

Name Change and A Ride!

Having been badgered about drifing from motorcycling, I decided it was time to change the name of the blog. After all, it will soon be too wet and cold for the likes of this old lady to be out riding. It's always too something around here. But the Big Wet is upon us altogether too soon.

Tomorrow, Ray, Norman and I are riding over to Pacific Beach. We'll ride the ferry across the Sound, go over the top of the Olympic Peninsula and catch Highway 101 around Forks and head down the coast. On the return trip we'll take a slightly different route.

It is a route full of hairpins, squigglies and twisties and it will be quite a challenge for a beginning sidecarist. But the Sidecar Dog should enjoy it because quite alot of the trip won't be speeds out of his comfort zone.

So this name may turn out to be temporary, or maybe not. Ya gotta keep up to find out!

Here's a picture of some fat lady and our huge tomato plants.



We had such good luck this year. The first tomatoes of the season were around a pound apiece. We've eaten alot of BLT's and I made a batch of tomato sauce. We have lots of tomatoes left!



Ray's T-Clocking and we're both checking our bike supplies. Some little stuff like the hand cream, wipes, kleenex, sunblock, hand sanitizer, bike lock, flashlight, plus some tools are stored in the 3 gloveboxes Mr. Burgman has. There's still room in the center one for my sunglasses.

Not sure yet what I'll do with my purse. My bike purse doesn't fit in any of the gloveboxes, so I'm not sure...perhaps under the seat.

I've put some stuff in a canvas bag and put it behind the sidecar seat with my rain gear.The gloves, glove liners, mini tp rolls for those woodsy unstocked porta potties, knit neck warmers, 2 chemical hand warmers and my microweight windbreaker are in the bag. Shield cleaner and microfiber cloth are in their own bag behind the seat in the "trunk" of the sidecar. My tail bag is going in the toe of the sidecar, along with Norman's travel bag and water. I think after we get the sidecar painted some year, I'll add a trunk rack for the luggages.

There's room under Mr. Burgman's seat for both my helmet and Ray's or my helmet and a jacket or two.

Trying to decide which jacket to wear. We live in such an odd weather area and going to the coast is nearly always much cooler. Hmmm. 80 degrees here, 65 degrees there. Which jacket? Solid jacket or mesh jacket? Windbreaker under mesh? Long or short sleeves? So many things to think about getting ready for a ride.

Whoopie! My van is finally fixed! It's been in the shop for a week waiting for a new transmission. Finally done! We can go get it! Yay!

Chicken Sittin'

The people across the back yard are gone again and since no one seemed to be coming over to take care of chickens, I went over to check yesterday. And because I like the chickens.

Yesterday evening they had a full bucket of food and water. There were 3 eggs in one of the nest boxes. I left the eggs, because I thought someone would be coming for them and to take care of the hens.

Today I went over about 7 just to check and those chickens had eaten all the feed and drunk all the water...like 3 gallons of water in one day. But it was hot today so I suppose they were thirsty. Chickens are sensitive to the heat, did you know that? The hens came clamoring to the coop door when they saw me coming and could not decide whether to eat first or drink first. All the hens didn't fit at the feeder, so I threw some feed around the run, so everyone could get a quick bite. Or peck. They seemed to be truly starving.

There were 2 eggs in a nest box and 3 eggs on the dirt just outside of the boxes. So I brought them home and put them in the fridge and will give them to the owner when they get home.

And I guess no one is taking care of the chickens, or not very good care, so I'll go over again in the am and make sure they have enough food and water. Maybe I'll take some lettuce leaves, they like greens.

Somebody is either molting or getting pecked. There are feathers all over the place at one end of the run.

A couple of hens would be fun to have...but I can't convince Ray. Fresh eggs are so tasty! And the hens are so cute! I've even got a cute little coop design picked out....but I can't convince Ray. And Norman seems to think chickens are major prey. That could be a problem...but I can't convince Ray.

Much Effort for Not Many Curves

Ray, Justin, Norman and I set out to try Chuckanut Drive on Saturday. Chuckanut drive is a set of curves plastered on a road plastered on a cliffside. It's just too short. Only 11 miles long, it takes way too long to get there.

Norman was excited to be offered a chance to take a sidecar ride. Perhaps he remembered the hamburger from the last ride. We took I-5 north to Marysville and discovered Norman really does not like high speed motorcycling. He might like it a bit better if he'd consent to wear his Doggles, but he won't. He likes under about 45 just fine. Above that and he sits hunched behind the windscreen, studying his feet and looking miserable. Ever see the poster of the wet cat? He looks like that cat seems to feel.

Although we took a coastal road quite a ways, we couldn't see the Sound and there were not many curves. We got stuck in traffic once when the road was undergoing repairs, but not for long.

After an hour and a half, we reached the famed Chuckanut Drive. I don't know why they call it that, but my guess is the real reason involves squirrels. It is very curvy, but it is also slow and as I said, short. You just settle into the curves and it's all over. Sigh.

For some bizarre reason, out in the middle of nowhere farm country, the state saw fit to plunk a traffic circle. Aargh, I hate those things!

We stopped in Bellingham for gas and lunch. We opted for a McDonald's because they had outside tables and Normie likes McDonald's fries. Then we hit the freeway again because we needed to be home to clean up to go to Brett & Alayne's for dinner. (which was yummy and the games were fun!)

I'm open to any suggestions on how to improve Norman's attitude toward fast rides. I just know he looks like a most miserable dog who's riding sidecar against his will when we're going fast.

We forgot to take any pictures, sorry! But Normie and I were in several other people's pictures. Cell phones are everywhere and most of them take pics these days. People think it's fine to pace along side me in their huge SUVs until they get a good picture of us. I find it unnerving.

Going the Long Way Round

Today we took the back/residential roads north to Everett and then rode thru Marysville to the Commissary Store.

The speeds, for the most part, were in the 30-35 mph range, but the roads had loads of curves. Ray said it would have been more fun if the speed limit was higher, but it was challenging enough for this sidecar driver.

It wasn't until we got into South Everett (which, by the way, is really pretty on the roads closest to the Sound) that I actually enjoyed a sequence of curves. I think I began to relax into the ride a bit. And I remembered my training at last, outside, inside, outside. I was so focused on muscleing/steering around the curves that I forgot to use what I learned. Perhaps it was because this is a new ride and because it's been so long since we rode anything other than a straight line with a couple of 90 degree turns.

The back roads along the Sound are definitely the long way round, but it's much more enjoyable than the freeway or Highway 99. And lots of practice curves for me, which is also a good thing. But it did take us for ever to get up to the store.

We bought groceries at the commissary and some few things at the exchange and loaded up the sidecar. We had room for more, but didn't need more. Too funny when people realize you're loading that heap of grocery bags in a sidecar!

We came home on the freeway and that was fast easy riding except it was SO COLD. I could have worn my spring jacket instead of my mesh. The sun didn't come out the entire trip. It didn't even threaten to come out.

So handy to back the scoot into the garage and have the groceries so close to the house. Lazy woman's shopping. No, wait, that's Amazon Fresh, which I love and highly recommend to anyone who lives in the delivery area. Beautiful fruits and veggies, they put the stuff from the commissary (or Safeway or Albertson) store to shame. Imagine waking up to all the groceries you need on your doorstep! It's heavenly but it isn't exactly cheap.

Yesterday we took Norman out to dinner in the sidecar. He really seems to enjoy it, the breeze and watching all the passing scenery. He never tried to jump out, or even threatened to until we got safely home. We went to Red Line Burgers and sat at the picnic tables out front. Norman climbed up on the bench and sat there like a little hairy gentleman. They brought him a burger patty on a little paper plate and a paper cup of water. I broke up his burger into reasonable sized pieces so he didn't gulp it all down at one big bite. He ate a few pieces of burger, took a drink from the cup on the table, watched the traffic passing by, had a bite of onion ring, ate more burger, had a drink. Repeat patiently. He was so funny and seemed to think he was King of the World. When it was time to leave, he hopped right in the sidecar and off we went for a little ride.

People don't seem to notice the scoot and sidecar much, but put Norman in the sidecar and you get loads of attention.

Hot

The past several days have been so hot, it's unbelievable. On Wednesday, the hottest day, my little city officially hit 101. Now people, that's hot for folks without air conditioning. There were cooling centers all over the place and the baseball stadium set up some of those fans that circulate a cool mist. It has been way hot. There was a picture in the paper of a woman cooking on the dashboard of her car. Fried eggs and cheese quesodillas, which she said tasted good and were done in no time.

It's much too hot for the likes of this cool weather person to ride. It's been darn hot even for Justin even tho he has to ride every day. It's been a string of 2 and 3 fan nights, although last night felt so cool we didn't use any fans. I think it might have gotten into the low 60s, which compared to 101 feels cool indeed.

This morning Ray harnessed up Norman and took him for a short sidecar ride. Norman seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit, sticking his head around the side of the windscreen, letting his tongue flap in the breeze, drooling in the airstream. He even hopped in the sidecar on his own, but tried to hop out too soon when they got home. He landed upside down dangling from the harness and leashes like a bungee jumper, yowling and screeching like he was being beheaded. Ray grabbed him quick, turned him upright and sat him back in the sidecar. He was none the worse for wear so Ray took the harness off and Norman jumped out like nothing bad had just happened. But I bet next time he doesn't volunteer to get out.

We're still trying to figure out how the doggles can work. He has no forehead to speak of and the "bridge" of his nose is so broad. They slide around and he ends up walking around with his eyes shut because the doggle frames are over the middle of his eyes. Fun to watch, not so fun to do.

I wonder what will happen when we offer him another chance for a sidecar ride! Maybe we'll have to hunt him down in the basement under Ray's desk which is Norman's favorite place to hide when it thunders or there are firecrackers. Or when the Evil Sinister Vacuum Cleaner comes trundling out of it's closet ready to fulfill its lifelong desire to suck up a large hairy dog in one vacuumy gulp and fervently hoping to find just such a large hairy dog hanging about the house. And of course we do have a large hairy dog hanging about the house. The appearance of the dog-eating vacuum is cause for great canine panic and instant flight to the Safe Place way under Ray's desk. Where, apparently, there are secret boundaries that an aged Electrolux cannot pass and a good sturdy desk top to keep the thunder and firecrackers at bay.