Due North to Mary and Sandy’s

May 26, 2025 to May 27, 2025

Travel day 1

After what seems like weeks of details (my packing list alone had 77 items on it), we’re finally ready to go. It’s a gorgeous day, and I’m looking forward to the drive. We’re taking two days to get to Mary and Sandy’s, driving only about 6.5 hours/day and stopping in Canyonville for the night at the Seven Feathers Casino and Hotel.

Rich, putting on the finishing touches, getting everything loaded.

Turns out that Memorial Day is a great day to travel with very little traffic on the road. The drive north is uneventful. I-5, which carries us nearly all the way to our destination is not the most scenic of highways, but I did attempt to capture a little of the scenery along the way.

We arrive at the Hotel around 4:30 and get checked in. Jim and Gen will meet us later for dinner. In the meantime, after we schlep our bikes and stuff up to the hotel room, which is pleasantly spacious, Rich and I take a walk around the casino (inside and out) to get the lay of the land. I’m not personally a big fan of casinos. I don’t gamble, and the smell of cigarettes really bothers me, but in the hotel area it’s not a problem.

We meet Jim and Gen in the lobby at 7:00 and settle on the Stix, one of several restaurants in the Casino. The dining is informal, the prices are not too bad, the food surprisingly good, and our very chatty waitress keeps us entertained. All in all a good travel day. Tomorrow we head for Bremerton.

Travel day 2

After a solid night’s sleep and a so-so breakfast of eggs and toast at an in-hotel cafe, we’re on the road again. Jim’s having an issue with a leaking valve on one of his tires, so they’re going to stop at a bike shop in Roseburg to get it fixed.

The further north we go, the greener it gets.

For a variety of reasons, we end up stopping a number of times. We’re not in a hurry, so bathroom and snack breaks are in abundance. We also enjoy a nice picnic lunch at a rest stop in Oregon with towering redwood trees providing shade. Rich and I agree that between California , Oregon, and Washington, Oregon has the best and most well-maintained rest stops. This one is even manned by a rest stop supervisor.

Anyway, the result of all these stops and slow traffic getting through Portland and Tacoma, is that we arrive at Sandy and Mary’s only about 20 minutes before Gen and Jim. We are greeted warmly, shown to our rooms and given a tour of the house, complete with instructions for how to use the Nespresso coffee maker — a vital skill in my humble opinion.

After, our hosts take us out for a view of the Hood Canal and then for dinner at the Brewery Restaurant in Silverdale, a charming little historical town a few miles from their home.

The sun is low in the sky over the canal, creating a hazy sense of mystery.

Big Beef Harbor, a fresh water creek outlet just on the other side of the road from the ocean canal.

We arrive at the Brewery Restaurant in the middle of Tuesday Trivia night, attended by quite a few locals. It feels festive to me. The food turns out to be unique and delicious. I have a lovely dry hard cider and Thai peanut tacos (you read that right) with shredded chicken in a peanut sauce, shredded papaya, and peppers in corn tortillas. It sounds weird, but it is amazingly tasty. Rich and Mary opt for the Shrimp tacos, Sandy for a burger, and Jim has a quinoa carnitas bowl (if I’m remembering correctly).

After this feast, we take a walk across the street onto the pier at the waterfront park.

At the Brewery Restaurant - from left to right: Sandy, Rich, Gen, Jim, Mary, and me.

You can just make out Mt. Ranier in the distance, bathed in Alpen glow.

We’re all trying to capture the sunset colors on the water.

Tormorrow we’ll get organized for our tour and maybe get in a shakedown ride and a little more sightseeing.

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