JACT on WA & OR - HWY 101

Highway 101 along WA & OR states' coastlines is one of our favorite drives in the Northwest. We traveled to the OR Coast in 2020 with our truck & camper, but we wanted to experience the scenery by motorcycle. So, at the end of Sept 2022, we loaded up with our camping gear & headed out on a 1,600-mile 9-day journey. We mapped out a giant loop from Northern WA, down the coast all the way to CA, & then back home again through central OR. This is Part 1 of that adventure - scroll to the bottom to skip right to the video!

We started this trip with a short ride to Edmonds, where we caught a ferry to Kingston. From there, we traveled about 40 miles on Hwy 104, which led us to our hearts’ desire, Hwy 101. We turned towards Discovery Bay & then on to Port Angeles & the Olympic National Park.

It was a bright blue-skied day & perfect riding weather. Yet as we came upon Lake Crescent, following the curvature of the shoreline, my mind wandered into the depths of its dark history & notable death toll. Along with the morbid facts come many paranormal tales as well. I did not encounter the Lady of the Lake or any other ghosts, but I do not doubt they are there!

No ghosts… nor any vampires to be found either, even as we followed HWY 101 south & through Forks WA … we must have missed the “Twilight” hour! We pressed onward to our first night’s destination, landing us 194 miles from home & at the only first come-first served campground in Olympic National Park - South Beach. It’s more like a camper-van beach party vibe than a campground, which suited us just fine!

On Day 2 of our adventure, we rode over 250 miles out of WA & into OR state. The states are divided by the Columbia River & Hwy 101 takes you over the Astoria-Megler Bridge the longest continuous truss bridge in North America! From there, we followed the coastline, passing through memorable OR beach towns like Seaside & Cannon Beach & stopping at various lookouts.

We set up camp that night at Nehalem Bay State Park. We did not make reservations for any of our first 3 nights on the road but had researched campgrounds beforehand. There were many to choose from all along our route & since we made such a small footprint with just our bikes & tent, we weren’t worried about finding space along the way.

My favorite part of each day was definitely the sensational ocean sunsets. We would pull into our campsite, set up the tent, cook dinner on either fire or our MSR propane cook stoves, then sit on the beach listening to the waves & watch the sun go down. Each morning we would prepare our coffee to drink while packing up.

Day 3 was full of motorcycle issues. The electronic / computer systems on these bikes are insanely complex but remarkable. However, I started the day by putting my bike in gear while the kickstand was still down, which stalled the bike. It restarted with multiple codes that I ignored because I didn’t want to keep James waiting. Well, that turned off my adaptive height feature which lowers the bike while stopping. Without it, I get stuck in the raised position, causing me to balance on tip-toe at red lights. It was irritating but manageable, & I cleared all my codes & reset it when we stopped for lunch in Newport.

I also ignored a low tire pressure alert for two days but addressed it when James finally chose a gas station. Our bikes were no longer giving us a range & we were running on fumes, so I fueled up & then parked by an air pump. I paid for the air & kept trying to pump up my bike tire, but I couldn’t hear the compressor kicking in. Turns out it was broken & I was just letting more air out. So then I googled Les Schwab & insisted on the slight detour where they quickly aired up both tires.

Over 200 miles later, we set up camp at Bullard’s Beach State Park. Our blue skies disappeared in exchange for grey coastal mist. It was still warm, just a little wet. We bought our nightly bundle of firewood to warm up & dry off. By now, we are getting into a good routine of riding, setting up, eating, packing & riding again. All while taking in the immense beauty of the OR coast, & of course, hitting all the essential selfie spots!

On Day 4, we crossed over into CA, & into the Redwood National & State Parks. James reserved a two-night campsite at Gold Bluffs Beach as our halfway resting point for our vacation, a short jaunt of just 150 miles for this day’s ride. I was ready for a break, though & so was James. Both of our butts were getting sore! This is where I’ll end this blog to be continued with our return home. Watch the video below to recap our trip so far!

I would like to express our sincerest appreciation & gratitude to all our readers. Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey, and we look forward to having you join us for Part 2 in our next blog coming soon! #JACTventures