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I worked a shorter day today and decided to
dedicate the couple hours to another ride. My initial intent was to
ride southward but the Over cast skies in that direction pointed me
north in the direction of the sun. I received a tip from a viewer (vashongirl), mentioning allot of twisties around Vashon Island. Apparently
vashongirl rides the island daily and who better to know.Thanks vashongirl! Since I really liked my last ride
across Vashon Island and the Zommie burger, I decided to ride the back roads of the island
in search of these twisties.
My plan was to stay off the main Highway as much as possible and try
and stick to the back roads. I sat
down in front of my PC and mapped it all out. In the mix would be a
stop at Point Robinson Park to see the light house and a ride through
what looked like some very tight turns on the north east side..
My first stop was at the Point Defiance Ferry
terminal where I paid my fee and obtained a pass to board the ferry.
The wait was about 20 minutes but I had plenty of company. One of the
Ferry workers (Craig) just happened to be a rider. He seemed to be
a great guy and we exchanged ride stories until the ferry approached.
Two other riders showed up as well. One riding a 1980's RT100 and the
other riding a 2005 Silver Goldwing. I was really impressed with
the Goldwing and it was the exact color I would want. A couple key
points about riding the Ferry are you get to board first with no wait
for another boat or run and when waiting to board you get the
opportunity to chat with others. In this case both riders were
Islanders. I always like to get the perspective of others so I had to
ask how the wait for the Ferry each day worked for them. They had a
great way of looking at it. The wait was a way to visit with others
unlike my wait in traffic each morning. They were right. As I thought
about it, I too would prefer daily Ferry rides over I-5.
As the ferry embarked on it's crossing I couldn't
help but miss my cabin cruiser. Gas prices and cost of Moorage forced
sale. It wasn't long and we were docking at Vashon. I was really
jazzed about this ride because the forests on Vashon and Maury are
loaded with beautiful Madrona tree's and there are plenty of water
front views. Riding the side roads of Vashon and Maury is like riding
through a national park. In fact this is one of those rides that are
perfect for hot days. As I rode on I was in and out of the Madrona and
Alder tree canopy as well as in and out of sections of Twisties.
I made several stops for pictures as I made my way to Quarter Master
Harbor. The tide was out and the harbor was just gorgeous. My next
stop was Point Robinson on the south east side of Maury Island. This
point has always been a favorite of mine as I used to photograph the
light house and surrounding from my boat. It was a treat for me to see
it from land. If this were on the main land it would have been crowded
with people. In this case, there were only 2 other people in the area.
One of the first things you will notice riding around the islands is
that everything seems to be low key. No one seems to be in a hurry and
everyone seems to be friendly. I say this because as I made my way
around the island several locals waved as I went by.
My
route soon took me back on to the main highway heading east into the
town of Vashon. If your looking for a really good hamburger then look
for Zoomies on the left. It's a small clean little burger joint that
makes a killer burger. If your an ice cream lover then they can help
you with that as well. Every time I have eaten their the employee's
seem to be in great spirits. Vashon is a small town with a hand full
of small shops, eateries and a theater. Don't blink, you might miss
something.
As I neared the east end of the island I made my
left turn heading to the north east side of the island. If you make
this ride it's at this point you will like me or hate me. There are
allot of tight twisties that wind endlessly beneath the forest canopy.
You won't get any speed out of them. We are talking one narrow lane
and tight but fun. I was really amazed as the scenery was spectacular.
It wasn't long and I departed the twisties on to some straighter roads
heading south west. I stopped to watch a couple horses playing in a
pasture. I was hoping to get some close ups of them but they didn't
like my presence at ran further into the pasture. Thank god for the
zoom lens!
I mentioned deer as a riding hazard and this is
no joke. There are allot of deer on these islands. Proof of this was a
dead deer laying on the roadside. It appeared the animal was struck by
a car probably the night before. I wasn't riding much longer and the
road turned on to the Vashon Highway. A few more miles and turns and I
was making my last 2 turns on to the ferry landing. As luck would have
it, I pulled up just as they were boarding. I'm not sure if that
was a good thing or not. The wait for the boat usually provides ample
scenery and the opportunity to chat with others. A short but
great boat ride across and I was heading up Pearl street in Tacoma
towards home. I can't say it enough... If you have not ridden Vashon
and Maury island, it's a must do. I would make this ride on a hot day
and take advantage of the breeze coming off the salt water and the
shade from the forest canopy. And bring your appetite because Zoomies
is worth the stop.
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