Welcome to Washington - here's your umbrella...

8th May

Today I’m going to meet up with a load of the guys from ADVrider at a barbeque at a place called Joemma Beach, near Tacoma in Washington State. Jorge has been away from home a lot recently, so is going to take me over to the local Starbucks, where some of the guys are setting off – he’ll then come home to the lovely Sheila – I don’t blame him a bit



We meet up with Knary & Deacon & set off, picking up Raindog in the geographically accurate, but uninspiringly named Seaside…



We then set off on what turns out to be a very wet ride through north Oregon and Washington…



…just when it seems it can’t get any wetter, we get stopped at a railway crossing



We arrive as the sun starts to come out at the Joemma Beach State Park – I go off and find a motel on Purdey, about 18 miles away, dry out a bit and then return, bearing beer. The BBQ is well under way, with a fantastic seafood dish…



…or should I say – bucket



It’s full of shrimp, crab, red snapper, corn, mussels, clams etc – and it’s EXCELLENT!

I meet loads of people from the ADVrider site – can’t remember most names, so I apologise to those whose photos appear here for not naming all of them…



MaxMoto, looking like Bruce Springsteen…



KNary, on his specially made seat for short people…



Various ADVriders chilling (& bullshitting, of course ).



As the sun (& beer) went down…



…the discussion moved up the hill to a firepit in the campsite. I rode back to the motel – another good day…

9th May

After waiting over an hour for a breakfast of unparalleled mediocrity in the diner next to my motel (it’s Mother’s Day today – in America), I pack up and pay another visit to the Joemma campsite, to see how the survivors are doing – there are still a couple of characters there. I say my farewells and head off south towards California and the warmth and dryness it promises…



This part of Washington is beautiful – there are massive clusters of vividly coloured rhododendrons lining the road and the vegetation is lush and green – as it has every right to be after yesterday’s rain



I ride south, following Betty’s directions towards Sequoia National Park, over 1000 miles distant. I see a sign for Mount St Helens and decide to divert there. The weather (as ever ) starts to close in and the cloud is low on the horizon. The scenery is spectacular and stark…



On 8th May 1980, the day got off to a bad start for any living thing within 17 miles of Mt St Helens. The eruption, the largest landslide in recorded history and the pyroclastic flows laid waste to 150 sq miles around Mt St Helens. The after effects of the event are clear to see as you ride up to the visitor centre. There is an excellent presentation on the event, including some chilling film of the eruption and transcripts of radio transmissions from scientists whose bad luck it was to be on the mountain that morning. The scale of the eruption has to be seen to be appreciated…



The ride would be worth it anyway, for the scenery…



…plus they have a great bridge…



I’m tired and cold, so I get back on course south, towards the surf bunnies, and, pausing only to read a really odd sign outside a church...



...check into the Best Western at Vancouver (Oregon, not Canada )…