Morning came and what a GLORIOUS one it was!! BLUE SKY -
WhooHoo!! I was only 16 miles out from Cape Flattery / Makah
Nation - also along a nice smooth asphalt curves along the shoreline
road. Load up a frest tape for the video... The road was a bit wet in some sections but much of the surface as dry already. Some blue sky sure is good for the attitude factor. Knowing I had some time I also hit another location - Koitlah Point. This location has a good northerly, easterly to south easterly vantage. DeLorme's "Street Atlas" is a bit more "generous" as to what is a road than is Microsoft's "Streets & Trips." Often what is listed as a road in DeLorme's app is nothing more than a very overgrown two track. I'm all for exploring but on this trip (alone with a heavy bike) I wouldn't want to get caught on a narrow single tree lined track and have difficulty turning around. That said - both programs showed a loop road around the Makah Nation. Most if not all of these "marginal" roads originated as forest logging roads - many of which have not been used in years. I was hopeful to 1) find the road and 2) to find it in usable condition. I found it! but sadly it was not in usable condition. From either end I stopped when it went to overgrown two track / single track - rats. Perhpas if I was on a lightweight dirt bike I would have trekked forth. After Koitlah Point I headed directly over to Cape Flattery. Knowing what was ahead I made sure I left the jackets back at the bike - the walk down and out results in a walk up and in - each way taking me about 15 minutes of steady pace. Pictures were aplenty. Shot I headed back to the bike. After talking with a few folks there I checked out one more spot. If you take the road to the right - just before entering the parking lot - it winds up the hill about a mile. Up there it spills out into an impromptu vista point. This vantage is about the same as from the trail end - but a few hundred feet higher. Being higher gives some depth to the Tatoosh Island with the lighthouse. From there I traveled back down in search of something to eat - destination the Warmhouse restaurant. Since the day was so nice I wanted to drive down the western portion of the coast to see what was there. Not too much actually but I did see a campground. Nothing like a nice day to think about camping - even with a forecast for rain in the morning. Well - Hoback campground it would be - Pacific Ocean / Mukkaw Bay, some sand, some trees, then me. The signs through the area nicely shoulted out that I was in a Tsunami Danger Zone - great - hmmm - what're the odds - OK - I'll give it a try even with a chance of morning showers. The evening went fast. I spent it with David & Jenifer who are visiting from England - touring via RV. HI!! In the morning - yep - a light rain. I stayed in the tent for a bit but finally made my way out and it let up. I packed and headed East. Instead of hugging the coast all the way back to PA I dropped down to 101 then shot east - about 5 miles longer of a trip but perhaps 45 minutes shorter. My goal was a hotel to settle into - work on video and pictures and dry the tent. |