Monday, 02 August 2010 – a small ride around Seattle – 21.4 miles

Helaine headed off to work and I slept in. (lucky me!)
I didn’t want to risk breaking the trophy the Westenders awarded me so I went to the post office to ship it and other rally goodies home. Afterwards, I rode to Lake Washington and enjoyed a picnic lunch. Nicky and Helaine had shown me this area yesterday and I was glad to have a chance to come back.


I packed up my lunch and walked the few steps to the Museum of History and Industry. I was surprised to see Robert there. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who got to take advantage of the free pass was included in our rally packs. Yay - love free stuff!



The museum had room after room of interesting and informative displays. I especially liked the recreation of the town in it’s early years. It was just like a movie set. And the exhibit about salmon workers and fisheries was fascinating. I also enjoyed the Women’s Votes, Women’s Voices celebrating 100 years of women obtaining the right to vote in Washington. It’s pretty amazing what these women were able to accomplish!
Here’s a photo of an early UPS truck for my brother-in-law, Thomas.


I headed back to Helaine’s. I tried to fix the zipper on my riding jacket while she prepared a delicious meal of grilled salmon, rice, corn on the cob, and salad picked fresh from her garden. It was fantastic! BIG Thanks to Helaine, her daughter Naomi and her puppy Sam for their warm and gracious hospitality. I hope to see you again soon!

Sunday, 01 August 2010 – rode around Seattle – 74.5 miles

Nicky and I left Brad behind to pack for their trip south to northern California. I was sorry he wouldn’t be joining us but I completely understand the last minute rush of packing that he was trying to avoid. We met Helaine for a leisurely morning coffee and a nice chat. The three of us left in plenty of time to join up with the rest of the Westenders for brunch at Café Revo. Freight trains thwarted our route and our timing. We did just barely make it to the café for a delicious brunch of fresh fruit, egg scrambles and potatoes. Unfortunately, both Nicky and Helaine had other plans for the day and would not be joining the group ride. Thanks to their excellent knowledge of the city and crack navigation skills, they did a stellar job of escorting me to meet up with the other 30 or so riders at the park. The group briefly explored nature center at Discovery Park and said a quick good-bye to Nicky and Helaine. We then proceeded to the lighthouse.





We left the park and rode a short distance to the locks.



The fish ladder was cool. I don't remember seeing that when I was here about 25 years ago. Maybe it was 30 - eek!



We stopped at another park with a great view of the Space Needle and downtown Seattle. Bob generously allowed a bride and groom to be photographed with his scooter. I bet they're gonna love that photo!




A few of us ended the day with lunch at Ale House. Another fun day spent with the Westender Scooter Club.


After lunch, I rode around, got flustered and frustrated by my lack of reliable information in finding a local campground and finally decided to take Helaine up on her very gracious offer to stay at her home. I enjoyed meeting her neighbors and their visiting relatives. We swapped travel stories before calling it a night.

Saturday, 31 July 2010 – rode around Seattle with the Westenders Scooter Club – 92 miles

Met at Skylark Cafe to sign in for the rally. I had to laugh when Bob asked to see my ID. (He wanted to verify that I really was from San Diego.) I can only imagine the scooter shenanigans that lead to him requiring ID. :)
I received a useful reusable shopping bag filled with lots of swag, including a free pass to the Museum of History and Industry and a 25% off labor coupon at Big People Scooters. These are going to come in handy!


Doc lead a beautiful 75-mile long ride around the city and outlying areas. There were several fuel and rest stops along the way (plenty of time for me to take pics of the variety of scooters and accessories).









The ride ended at a park with a fantastic meal of assorted sausages (bangers), meat on a skewer (everybody loves meat on a stick!) gyro fixins, salads, desserts and drinks.
We were able to put our raffle tickets in a cup with a number that corresponded to the prize we wanted. Even though I put at least 20 tickets in the cup for the set of tires, I got skunked!
I did win a nice set of vintage Italian post cards and a very cool trophy for furthest traveled. Thanks, Westenders!


Dang it! I forgot to take a photo of the trophy before I shipped it home :>(
Here's a photo of the award winning scooter instead.


Here's the gorgeous P200 that so many of the Westenders worked on - they did a great job! It was the grand finale of prizes. I didn't get to take it home (skunked again!). I'm glad that it stayed "in the family" by going to a Westender.


I'd been aksing around for referrals on local campgrounds. Instead of camping out I was lucky enough to bunk in the guest room of Nicky and Brad. We ended up gabbing for hours and before I knew it, it was time for bed. Many thanks to my new friends Nicky and Brad. Hope to see you in San Diego soon so I can return the favor!

Friday, 30 July 2010 – rode from Oakland, OR to Seattle, WA – 386 miles

My plan was to arrive in time for the kick-off of Tour Di Mari 3, a rally hosted by the Westenders Scooter Club. A nasty traffic accident , resulting in all lanes of traffic being diverted onto secondary roads, made that an impossible goal. The upside is I got to see many small towns that I would have otherwise missed.

No lane sharing / lane splitting caused many other 2-wheeled vehickes to overheat. I confess that some of us did occasionally resort to splitting. It was the only way to make any progress!

Thursday, 29 July 2010 – rode from San Francisco, CA to Oakland, OR – 499 miles

It was cool and foggy when I left San Francisco and I was very happy to have the heated grips installed just before I left. (Thanks, Jeff!) I took this photo after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.



This Blue Star Highway sign was posted at a scenic viewpoint of Mt. Shasta near the Oregon border. Posting it for my fellow PGR riders.


Lastly, there’s the view looking back at Mt. Shasta.

Wednesday, 28 July 2010 – rode from Santa Maria to San Francisco – 273 miles

Stopped in San Luis Obispo for lunch and a few photos of Bubblegum Alley.


I love the kids' reactions: usually something like "Eeew! Gross!" quickly followed by running to one of the bubblegum machines that line the block, chewing as fast as they can, and adding their mark.

Arrived in San Francisco just in time to see Jess dismounting his lovely BMW. Met Kent from New Zealand, a fellow Cannonballer and his daughter Corrine (sp?), Francis, Ian, Patrick, Lisa, and Oscar. It was fun to see old friends and meet new ones.

finally underway

Tuesday, 27 July 2010 - rode from San Diego to Santa Maria – 280 miles

The bad news is I left much later than I expected. The good news is I’m pretty sure I’ve got everything I’ll need for the next six weeks.