Met up with Duck on 101 to hand him some leftover pannier keys and had a nice little burn through the lightly trafficked twisties. Here, stopping near Duckabush for a quick piccie. Apropos place name? Or was that stop nearer Dosewallips?
The commanding but serene view from Fort Duck, overlooking Puget Sound.
The Olympic Range is looking Wintery even as Spring approaches. It got to near 10c (50f) yesterday, though snowbanks from our recent storms linger along the roadside in Brinnon and Hoodsport, and even more further on in Skomomish, Union and Belfair, it felt like a Winter ride.
Returning home near five o'clock, I stopped to don another layer as the sun left the north-facing slopes along the Skokomish River, here at low tide. This part of the Puget Sound is known as Kitsap Peninsula and there are some excellent sweepers as the road hugs the inland sea's coast. It's best on a weekday but for some reason this Sunday arvo traffic was light.
On my way up I decided to stay on the major roads so I'd have the twisties to return home on. I stopped briefly at the entrance to the Hood Canal Bridge, a water level crossing of approximately a mile and a half length. When I returned to the bike the ramp was closed. After waiting 40 minutes a fisherman told me a sub was passing under the bridge. Moments later a Coast Guard vessel appeared, along with two tow barges, and then the conning tower of a sleek, grey submarine - just skimming the surface - came into view in the distance. I attempted to snap a photo of it but it was grainy and too far off. You'll have to satisfy yourself with my description, and this pic of traffic, stopped, waiting, waiting.
It was a fine two hundred-plus mile arvo ride. Today is warmer, might just have to get out on the road again, but unusually for this region, there's a large amount of sand/grit on the road surfaces due to the recent snowfall. Riding with caution, I'm reminded of springtime in the New England states of the north east US: potholes, salt and sandbars mid corner.
The K1300GT is a good, spirited riding beast with manners when required. A heated backside warmer and cruise is a nice feature, too.