WESTPORT LIGHTHOUSE RIDE

Departed Bend in a haze of smoke from the numerous forest fires that plague the state of Oregon.  Once I was across the river into Washington, the smoke subsided and continued to wane as I approached the coast.  Unlike years past of lousy weather, Westport enjoyed a beautiful sunny weekend of remarkable weather.  I setup camp, along with my NORWESTAR friends from Canada and US, at the Coast Guard campground at the tallest lighthouse in Washington.  The small fishing village was celebrating their seafood festival, and we gorged on seafood all weekend, save for one night at El Rancho Mexican down the street.  It was great seeing all those that made the journey, although age had reaped its rewards on us as most of the members hauled campers instead of motorcycles.

The booze and camaraderie, the banter of a family get-together, were the order of business.  I was thankful Jeff (retired BMC, USCG) arrived so that I was not the sole cigar smoker, and the whiskey flowed as we solved the world’s problems and ridiculed each other with jovial undercurrents.  We walked the beach and the town, watched Rose and Ike’s e-bikes cruise around camp, and ate seafood!  Almost every meal was a smorgasbord of prawns, clams, oysters, and Dungeness crab.

I rode back to Bend on Monday early to try and get ahead of the holiday traffic, which save for I-5 was a successful under taking as the majority of travelers were going in the opposite direction.  Until next year…….