Our Great Northwest Adventure of 2011

Ruby Beach, WA - August 2011

Trip Summary

After many years of bicycle tours throughout Europe and New Zealand, it was time for an extended combined minivan and bicycle trip throughout the Northwestern United States.

Our great northwest adventure began on Aug 2nd driving from our home in Colorado Springs, CO to Jackson, WY for two nights at the Elk Country Lodge. After two wonderful days of bicycle touring Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole, we continued journey northwest to West Yellowstone, MT. We stayed three nights in West Yellowstone touring Yellowstone National Park by minivan and tandem. We continued our northwest journey on Aug 7th by driving to Spokane, WA through Missoula, MT. We spent two nights with our good friend Norm Howard. He gave us a personal city tour which included Namito Park & Gardens, a concert at a vineyard and a bike ride around Hayden Lake near Coeur D'Lene, ID.

On Aug 9th we drove to Seattle, WA where we met up with our Bicycle Adventure Club (BAC) group (including our good friends Diane and Vic Villhard) for a bicycle tour circumventing the Olympic Peninsula. On Aug 11th we were on our tandem riding away from our boutique Seattle Hotel to board a ferry for Bainbridge Island to begin a 12 day cycling adventure that included Port Townsend, Port Angeles, Sol Duc Hot Springs, Forks, Kalaloch, Lake Quinault, Aberdeen, Shelton, Tacoma and returning to Seattle. John McManus and Brenda Cole of Dallas, TX were our BAC tour directors.

On Aug 23rd we were back in the minivan traveling south through the Cascade Mountains to Mount Rainier National Park for a single night stay at Paradise Lodge. On Aug 24th we continued south for a visit to Mt. Saint Helens and Cascade Locks, OR. On Aug 25th we toured the Bonneville Dam, Crown Vista State Park Vista Point driving and riding segments of the Historic Columbia River Highway (Historic US Route 30) along the Columbia River Gorge. Later that day we drove to Klamath Falls, OR before pushing onto Lake Tahoe on 26th . We spent four nights in Tahoe Vista, CA relaxing and riding our tandem along the northern shores Lake Tahoe to Tahoe State Park, NV; Squaw Valley and Sugar Pine State Park.

In 30 days we traveled a combined total of 4600 miles bypassing most interstates through nine states. We rode our tandem 800 miles in seven of those nine states. We experienced first-hand gorgeous scenery, numerous natural wonders, witnessed the rebirth of forest at Yellowstone and Mt. Saint Helens and stayed at four National Park Lodges. Click here to read more about our great northwest adventure.

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