Another Spring weekend, means another series of construction zones!  I would suggest anyone planning to drive through Seattle, do exactly what I did last weekend; avoid I-5 through Seattle at all costs!

We decided to dust off the motorcycles last weekend.  When it came down to choosing a destination, I automatically wiped a large portion of the state off our list of possibilities, because I didn’t’ ‘want to deal with any part of the Revive I-5 project.  I wanted to head south and hit the coast, but our neighbors were joining us and the guys decided Hurricane Ridge would be a good destination.  I reluctantly agreed.

Now, the quickest way to get there, would mean using I-5, but I absolutely would not budge on avoiding it, so we found a creative, back road-filled, scenic way to get up there!

From Burien, we headed North to the Fauntleroy Ferry to sail over to Southworth.  Once we exited the ferry, over on the Kitsap side, we headed south to Belfair, picked up State Route 106 to State Route 101 and then headed North all the way up the West side of Hood Canal.  It’s a beautiful drive past Alderbrook, through Union, Hoodsport and Lilliwaup, passing by so many family cabins, docks and boats on the water.

Before we reached Dosewallips State Park at Brinnon we stopped off at our favorite lunch spot, The Geoduck.  We got there just in time (at 11:00 am) to snag the last table out on the deck, overlooking Hood Canal.   Our bikes were the only ones parked at the time we got there and soon after about another bikes lined up next to ours, bikers filling the tables inside the restaurant.

After we feasted on our lunch, we hit the road again.  We continue up through Quilcene, Sequim and Port Angeles and made the turn off to Hurricane Ridge.  Almost immediately after the turn off; construction!  I was slipping and sliding and bouncing over gravel patches on the road.  I was just about to say, let’s turn around when we hit the entrance to Olympic National Park.  I verified with the park ranger that we had come to end of the construction mess, before paying $20 per bike to get in.  Thank goodness!

So we start up the winding road to the visitor’s center when we come upon a bunch of cars pulled over the side of the road and people with camera lenses trained up the gully.  What is everybody looking at?  Then I see them!  Two bear cubs up the hill, their mother positioned between us and them!  How incredible, to see them so close, just eating and minding their own business.  It was very interesting to see momma bear turn and look toward the road at one point.  Someone must have made a move or a noise that caught her attention, but after a brief glare, she went back to eating.

My husband snapped some great pictures and we moved up the visitor’s center.  There were still a number of large snow patches, even a big area of snow on the back patio of the visitor’s center.   I couldn’t resist running up into the snow and making a snowball to play a super short game of catch with myself!  We walked around, took some pictures and were headed back to the bikes, when we spotted a bunch of deer grazing on the hill below us.

Then a guy walked up to me and said, “it is you!”  I responded, “I don’t know, is it?”  He then explained that he recognized my purple seat and helmet, that he follows me on twitter and Facebook and my blogged adventures.   Gavan let me know he lives in Tacoma and that his wife wanted to go to Hurricane Ridge for Mother’s day, so they went.  So many families and couples up there enjoying such a gorgeous day!

We then hit the road home, crossing the Hood Canal bridge this time, headed back down through Bremerton and Port Orchard, to the Southworth ferry terminal.  Because it’s mother’s day, the boats are running way behind schedule.  So we sit on the dock, chatting with other motorcycle riders.  After leaving the house at 8:00 am, we arrived back, 12 hours later.

It was such a perfect day weather-wise!  It was not too warm or cool at all.

Thank goodness the guys picked Hurricane Ridge and I had the patience to go with the flow, or I would have missed those bears!  Oh and there are still 3 more weekends of Revive I-5 work ahead this summer, so plan your adventures carefully!