Day 4: Olympic Peninsula

2024-08-26 — Part of PAX 2024 — ← prev next → (to be written)

Start of day: Neah Bay, WA
End of day: Seattle, WA
Distance: 275

Neah Bay, WA
09:00

Last night, Neah Bay was very quiet after the centennial Makah Days celebration that ran from Friday to Sunday. This is a major event in town and on the reservation, which I, a big dummy, had no idea was happening. When I arrived the festivities were long since over. All that was left were the detour signs, and a blanket of heavy fog covering the quiet town.

This morning the fog somewhat lifted, though it’s still very quiet. First, I’m going to head up to Cape Flattery. After that, back to 101, around the Olympic Peninsula, all the way down to Olympia, and finally into Seattle. Today is a shorter day and I’m eager for it.

Cape Flattery, WA
10:52

I walked the Cape Flattery Trail out to the very tip of the land. Neah Bay is called “The Beginning of the World”.

Like something out of Myst
Vancouver Island, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca
The northwesternmost tree in the contiguous U.S.

It started to rain lightly as I returned to the bike. I put on my gear (with rain liners in already) under a shelter in the parking lot, and headed off. The parking lot was full and cars were waiting for spots, so I’m glad I got here when I did. Onward to the east.

Meldrim Point, Lake Crescent, WA
13:46

After lunch at a forgettable restaurant with an unforgettable view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, I returned inland up WA-113, to resume my coverage of US-101.

101 makes straight lines along the winding Sol Duc River, then drops down to Lake Crescent. The old Olympic Highway snaking along the lake shore was probably the nicest road of the day.

Meldrim Point on Lake Crescent, looking toward the intimidatingly-named Mount Storm King

After Port Angeles, everything is kind of a blur. Most of it was highways. There were a few nice miles from Quilcene down along Hood Canal.

Olympia, WA
18:21

Here it is: The very end of U.S. Route 101 in Olympia, Washington.

Achievement Unlocked: I have now driven the entire length of US-101.

By Google Maps, I’ve followed this highway for 1,137 miles, from the Golden Gate Bridge to the last connector to I-5 in Olympia. I was going to cite the distance according to mileposts, but it turns out to be complicated.

To keep myself honest, I’ll note that I didn’t drive every single meter of asphalt: I allowed myself a few minor divergences that I think stay within the spirit of driving “all of 101”.

  • Scenic routes closely paralleling the highway, such as the Avenue of the Giants, or Beach Loop Road in Bandon
  • When stopping in towns like Cloverdale, Crescent City, or Otter Rock, I continued forward and rejoined the highway at a later exit
  • I took the US-101 Alternate to cut off Ilwaco and Seaview.

However, I did not take alternate routes that would skip significant portions of 101. For example, from Clallam Bay, I backtracked up WA-113 to resume driving on 101, instead of taking WA-112 to the east WA-112 that would eventually intersect 101 in Port Angeles.

I can fill in these minor gaps the next time I drive all the way up to Seattle (ha)

Seattle, WA
18:21

I did it! I rode my motorcycle all the way to Seattle!

Emerald City Skyline