Only about 20 miles to go this morning, so no rush. We looked up the hot springs at Sol Duc last night and were disappointed to realize that they have been re-created to look like pools. That’s not the feeling we were looking for so we’ll find a set of hot pools somewhere out in the forest that we can hike in to and explore in their natural setting.

Just a few miles down the road we come to Lake Crescent. We can’t resist pulling over to enjoy the view. The water is clear, so we watch fish swimming by and catching fish. I make coffee before coming out to sit on the shore with Ashley so that we sit and enjoy the view for a longer time. The water’s so smooth that the mountains and sky are reflected perfectly in them.

Along the road a bit further we stop at Port Angeles where we’ll be spending the rest of the day until meeting up with Cole and Elizabeth, the Switchback Kids. We visit the Park Visitor Center, watch the video and check out the nature trail behind the facility. Then it’s lunch time and… something else. We head to a nearby park to sit and enjoy the beautiful day. Then it’s time for an afternoon snack so we head to Renaissance coffee/tea shop. Great drinks and delicious snacks enjoyed while taking in the view of Canada over across the strait.

Back to the RV for a bite to eat before meeting up with Cole and Elizabeth. Fortunately, parking’s easy and convenient and we have a fabulous time chatting with them. They’re definitely our kind of people – a few hours pass as we chat about travel, parks, fellow visitors, future plans and more!

It’s a bit after 10, so we decide to camp out at the WalMart and head on to Jackie’s tomorrow morning.

Got up and headed north on the 101, stopping at Ruby Beach, a “don’t miss” in our park guidebook. It was definitely a beautiful location. Unfortunately, with Ashley’s ankle we weren’t able to venture very far. We walked down to the first landing along the stairs. I scouted further on but with the additional steps and the beach littered with a cross-hatch of logs it wasn’t sore-ankle friendly. We sat and enjoyed the view for a bit before heading back up. I carried Ashley up piggy-back.

Further along the road we stopped in the NFS station in Forks. Got a couple of recommendations for tonight’s stop. Short drive from there, so it wasn’t long before we were settled in for the evening in a great little turn-about with flowers growing everywhere. Weird to have to level – the last few days have been simply a matter of pulling in and ready to go.

We hop on the motorcycle and head back to the park. On the way we pick up some stamps at a Post Office and send along the most recent post cards (and Mother’s Day cards!) We explore the nature trail and then head to the visitor center to park and hike more. The forest is beautiful!

At one point we stopped to see the World’s Largest Sitka Spruce. Lots of big trees here recently!

Back on the motorcycle, we head on into the park (we’ve only been in forest until this point) and stop along the road to scramble up to the foot of a waterfall to enjoy our lunch.

Further along, we decide to head a mile up a trail to check out a lake. Along the way Ashley steps wrong or slips off a log or something and twists her ankle pretty badly. She must have stepped on a branch that “cracked!” loudly and first caused concern that she had broken something. That ended up not being the case, but our hiking was put on hold until she heals. We headed back to the RV for the night.

Saturday we’ll be meeting up with Cole and Elizabeth (the Switchback Kids) in Port Angeles before heading on to Jackie’s!

After breakfast we continue along the road, meandering along the coast. It’s not too much further until the town of Tillamook, home of the Tillamook cheese factory. Free self-guided factory tours, samples, and all of delicious cheese! We can’t wait to explore….

There are two parking lots, one for cars and a separate one for RV’s. How convenient! We pull in and easily park, then head into the factory. It’s fascinating to read about the history of the company, which includes history of the whole area and the development of the dairy industry from pasture creation on to currenty day computerized cheese making. After reading everything and watching the cheese being sliced and packaged, we walk through the sample line, tasting a variety of delicious cheeses. Though we manage to not pick up any cheese blocks this time, we can’t avoid the ice cream line. What a delicious treat, extra creamy ice cream made from local milk. Mmmm….

Time for grocery shopping, we stop at Fred Meyer (which is Kroger) and stock up for the week. Then we continue on north. Along the way we pull over in a view point for a mid-afternoon snack. Once we finish our popcorn we step out to enjoy the view and a gentleman in a Smart car pulls up. He’s a motorcyclist and wanted to check out our set-up. Pat is a delightful fellow and we have a great conversation with him about travel, motorcycles, life, and more.

Just after supper time we cross over into Washington. Another state! We feel like we’ve shorted Oregon, as we’ve greatly enjoyed the landscape and scenery. It’s made it to the list as a potential future home. Pull into a rest area for supper and decide to spend the night.

Ashley isn’t feeling great, so I head into town on the motorcycle to pick up some items that she hopes will help stave off a UTI.

We pack up and head north to Eugene where we swing left to the 101 and work our way further north along the ocean. Using information from other travelers’ blogs we find a pullout that allows overnight parking. We’re parked just off the road, overlooking the ocean.

The sun hasn’t quite set yet, so we walk the trails that lead from the parking area down to the water. There’s a unique feature here, the Spouting Horn, which is most impressive during storms or high tide. As the waves roll in, they press into a cave in the rocks that has a crack in the ceiling – forcing a spray of water to shoot up out of the rocks. Apparently we hit high tide, as it really does look like a whale’s spout coming from the rocks!

We continue along the trail until it loops back to the parking area and then head back inside the RV for a bit of reading before bed.

I bicycle in to town to pick up a switch from Napa. Back at the RV I get that installed and everything works as hoped. Now the key just serves to lock the handlebars instead of starting the bike. But it’ll get us on the road until I can fix it properly while we’re at Jackie’s.

We go for a test ride into town to check out Rogue City. It’s a cute little town. We stop and peruse the museum yardsale but don’t see anything we can’t live without. Ashley does spot a really nice white and baby blue 55 Chevy Bel Aire that she took a liking to.

Bike is working fine, so we layer up and head back up toward Crater Lake. I top off the gas in Medford and we head on our way. It’s very clear today so we see Mount Hood. No idea how in the world we missed it yesterday – it’s a big, snow-covered mountain that towers over everything around it. But we were both surprised to see it.

We arrive at the visitor center with 93 miles on the odometer.That’s awfully close to the 100 that I aim to refill at. Find out that the park’s gas station doesn’t open for another month or so. Blech… The closest gas station is about 35 miles away, either direction we head.

The center is small and snowed in. They have a covered, closed in hallway that serves as a tunnel through the snow leading in from the parking lot. We watch the park film, pick up post cards and then head up to Rim Village (2 more miles).

What a view! You just can’t go wrong with mountain lakes, and this one is surrounded by the rim of the old mountain, snow everywhere, and even has an island inside it! We scramble across snow along the edge of the rim, careful not to get too close. Unstable edge (according to the sign) and a 900′ slide down into the lake – it would be an amazing sled ride, but not something we want to have to scramble back up this afternoon.

Into the lodge, we pick up a coffee to share and then walk back out onto the snow to find a seat. We split the coffee and I sketch Wizard Island, out in the lake.

Coffee gone, toes chilly, and sketch done, it’s time to head on down the mountain. Fortunately, it’s mostly downhill and we coast for much of the trip. I go pretty slowly, letting everyone pass me. This slow speed is a welcome change – a little more relaxed. We pull into the gas station still running, 133 miles on the odo. Took quite a bit of gas to fill up – I don’t remember the exact capacity but I think we pushed it pretty close.

On home from there, uneventfully. Ashley puts together supper and we eat. I visit with our neighbor and then we settle in for the evening.

We wake with our alarm and get ready for the day. Lots of layers, we climb on the bike and prepare to set off. It doesn’t want to start, as if the battery is dead. Ashley gets off and I duck walk it closer to the RV to hook up the charger. One more try and it starts right up, so off we go.

About 40 miles later we stop at Lake of the Woods resort/marina to refill the gas. Whew! Mid-octane, no ethanol, boat gas. But we’re awfully low and need the fill up so we buy our most expensive tank of motorcycle gas ever. And then the bike won’t start. The key won’t turn and when we force it nothing happens.

Pull over into a nearby parking space and start fiddling with it. The conclusion that I come to is the ignition itself has given out – perhaps from all of the salt mist from being so close to the ocean for so long. Whatever the cause, it won’t start and I don’t know how to hot-wire it.

Fortunately, we have signal so we’re able to call our bike insurance for a ride. They cover up to $250 of towing fees, which will get us to the nearest mechanic shop. I call them and, if I’m right and the ignition simply needs replaced, they can get the part in by Thursday and work on it the next week. Um… no. We confirm that the tow truck can take us back to the RV, ok that we’ll pay the additional $240 on top of the insurance’s portion, and sit to wait for them to arrive.

Ashley calls and lets the park know that we won’t be making it for the snowshoe walk.

There are certainly worse places to be stuck… we head into the restaurant and get some fries for me and coffees for both of us. Use their wifi to get online – Ashley updates facebook and I research some potential fixes for the bike. With food and beverages finished we head out to the picnic tables overlooking the lake and enjoy the view. Beautiful blue lake surrounded by wooded hills and fluffy clouds passing by in the sky.

Dan arrives in the tow truck and we set about getting loaded. He gets everything strapped down securely and we pile into the truck and head down the mountain. Quite a delightful conversation we had – he’s from the area originally and points out quite a few features along the way. We also talk about travel – he lived in Hawaii and then worked as an over-the-road truck driver for 9 years. Very interesting.

Back at home we unload and take a break to relax. I head out and start working on the bike. Our neighbor comes over and sees what I’m doing. He has a couple of suggestions and offers any number of tools in case I might need them. Bypassing the ignition allows me to get the bike started, but the temporary jumpers are just that.

It’s after supper time, so we eat. Tomorrow I’ll head into town and get a switch.

We wake early and compare our options for the day. The trails that draw our interest leave us getting back to the RV after our check-out time (so that we can move one spot over). After some debate we decide to head on back so as to not risk any sort of disciplinary action, saving the trails for another day. We pack up and re-load the motorcycle before heading north once again. A quick stop at the visitor center nets us post cards for the park and we mosey along.

Once again in Oregon, we stop for gas. The whole no-self-serve thing seems weird. A fella comes out and pumps gas for me. “No, there’s still room, keep on adding.” Half a gallon more doesn’t seem like much, but that’s not only an additional 25 miles, but also roughly a quarter of the tank!

We get back in time to move spots. After migrating and laying out our gear to dry in the sun we grab lunch and showers. Ahh… Nice to be home.

We stroll about the campground and prepare for tonight’s at-home date. Have a fabulous time together while enjoying our supper.