Seattle 2

So, last time you tuned in, I had just arrived at Kennewick and had FINALLY found the arena, which apparently in Kennewick is called the convention center. So, that noght, I got everything set up and working by about 3AM. So, since I didin't have to report to work until 4:30PM Fri., I had planned to take the week riding up in Seattle. That afternoon I left and made the 220+ mile ride up to my aunt and uncles place in Seattle. I have to say, that I thoroughly enjoyed my week up there. It was nice to be out and about and travel a bit. The ride wasn't too cold with the new coat purchased only 2 days before the trip, but the most grueling part of the trip was actually the seat on my bike. You se, there to types of riding positions on bikes, the sport or the touring. Well, since mine is of the sporting variety, lets just say that my gluteus minimus was not too happy by the end of the ride, but I got there safe and sound and there were no close calls, even with the moderate rain in the snoqualmie pass. So, got there monday night, had a great baked chicken dinner (prepared by aunt Lynn of course) and also had the pleasure of seeing my long lost west coast cousin Janine and her significant other known as Dan. Now, Dan is an IT guy at a company, but not just any company....a COFFEE company. So, needless to say, I always something to talk about with anyone in the coffee industry. (and he had lots of insider info!) All this I file away for my future coffee house business aspirations........you see, I've been taking notes at all these coffee houses I've been visiting around the country. The way I see it, most people experience coffee in its various forms and creations in their native town, plus one, maybe two towns in any given year. Well, I've averaging about 1 new chain/mom&pop coffee joint a week, that combined with my international coffee travels and amateur baking status makes me a potential triple threat coffee entrepenuer........although I should learn how to roast the beans first I suppose. Ok, back to Seattle; Tues. was the day Janine showed me a native's perspective of this northwest city. We spent most of the day in the expeience music project, wihch was quite the experience. We only paid half price with a coupon to get in, and I'm not sure I would have paid the full $25 admission, but it was something to experience. With the digital audio guide we got to see hand written being described by the artists themselves, the history of hip-hop, the history of guitars, and even learned to play a guitar. A lot of hands on stuff and info, but once agiain, not sure if it wold have been worth the full admission. The rest of our day consisted of checking out the Pike Place market (even though it was closed) Buying a pumpkin spice latte at the first starbucks in the world, saying hello to the freemont troll, checking out a nightime city vista, perusing used CDs at a place called the Warehouse, and dinner at the local Red Robin. It was a good day. Wednes, I spent catching up on sleep and practicing, (since it was rainy anyways) and also visiting the local Ducati dealership, which is where I finally.....finally found some saddle bags for the bike. You see this purchase became necessary when I shoved everything for my road trip into my backpack, and on the ride up the weight of it on my shoulders gave me nice numb tingely feeling in my wrists. Plus, I never have enough storage for laundry and groceries. Then that evening I arrived at the Seattle youth hostel and checked-in followed by a delightful cafe mocha and apple pie at Cafe Ladro near by. It was a disorienting experience staying in a hostel in the US, all my previous hostel experiences have been in Europe......so it was interesting to see how the US does it. In any case, the bed was clean and there no smelly people in my room (you're laughing, but that happened to me one night in Berlin, and it's not a pleasant experience.....trust me) The next morning, woke up, checked my mail and such on their in-house wireless, and then left to check out the pike place market followed by a day-trip around the local islands. So, here I am walking in the market, when this girl offers me an apple sample after which she asked if I was with my bike (I had my riding jacket on) and we got to talking, well it turns out her boyfriend was working at a coffee shop down the street and was an avid rider. So, after a bit walked down there, got a great cafe mocha and the down low on where to ride around the islands. In the few years he's had his bike he's put 40,000 miles on it, and it's a sport bike! There are definately 2 kinds of riders, I consider myself in the 2nd. Anyhow, finally got on the road and top the 1st of 3 ferries for the day. It was such a beautiful ride over. In some ways it was very similar to the Surrey ferry in VA, but these ferries are much bigger and have larger and more luxurious passenger compartments. Anyhow, it was a short 30min hope over to Whidby island where I basically just set out in a direction and rode. Just beautiful scenery, everything coastal you picture when you think of the northwest. Although, I had to be very careful because there was actually a fair amount of moss and wet leaves on the road, which on a motorcycle is baaaaad news. So, after some exploring my gastric acids were sending me messeges I couldn't ignore and I stopped in a little hamlet named Langley. It was a quaint little town with a summer tourist spin on it, but was able to find a hearty no-frills local lunch at the Doghouse tavern. After ordering lunch I put a good dent on their in-house puzzle until the food arrived. I have to say, the locals in the bank I knocked over were right, (ok, so I didn't knock over the bank, just took some cash off of the plastic leech, since I'm STILL living off of it) they do make one heckuva burger and fries. Following this gastronomic adventure, I wandered the town, snapped a few pics, and mounted the bike to ride up the island toward the Greenbank farm where, island rumor has it, is the best pie on the island. Well, upon arroving, the first thing I noticed was that it looked like the pictures AND it had nice landscaping (something that anyone who has worked in this field can duely appreciate) After doing a mini wine tasting of the local varietals, I tried some the pie, and yes ladies and gentleman, there is good reason why it is famous..........it's not Pennsylvania Dutch, but it was good. So, by this time is was getting cloudy and cold and I needed to reach Seattle befire it got too late, so I headed up to catch the Pt Townsend ferry, after which was a beautiful ride down the peninsula to catch the Bainbridge ferry. I stopped in Paulsbo, a little Swedish town which good coffee. Ok, dead battery= more next time.....