I'm no PBR but I'm going to try and share our Easter weekend ride with you.  Hope you enjoy.  I will also post a few pictures from the trip in the gallery, so, be sure and check them out.

Saturday's weather finally cooperated and gave us a whole day for riding without getting wet.  The wife and I started out about 9:45 from Puyallup in mid 30 temperatures that soon warmed to the 50's.  The first 80-100 miles was mostly interstate type riding, at 60-75 MPH north from home to Burlington, WA.  We made one short stop at a rest area where we met a couple riding seperate Harley's.  We done the polite thing and ooohed & aaahed over their customizations and they returned the favor by asking lots of questions about our Vision and seemed pretty impressed.  During the northern half of this leg we were blessed by spectacular sun splashed views of the North Cascade mountains.

The fun really began when we left I-5 at Burlington.  The rest of the journey would be on smaller state roads with plenty of sweeping turns and rolling hills.  Deception Pass was our next destination with a short detour to take a spin around the town of Anacortes, WA.  Deception Pass is a strait between Whidbey Island and Fidalgo Island that connects Puget Sound with the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  More info here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deception_Pass.  Whidbey Island is the largest Island in Washington and the 5th largest in the US.  It is also home to the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station(NAS), our next destination.  See more about Whidbey Island:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whidbey_Island.  My retired Army ID allows us entry to the NAS and I'll tell ya; the Marine guard at the gate was practically salivating over the Vision.  On the NAS we took our first photo ops and they will be posted in the gallery.

Outside the NAS is Oak Harbor a small quaint Navy town.  We stopped there at Franks Place to have a late lunch.  A family was leaving as we arrived and their two small boys just had to sit on the Vision.  They were mightily impressed.  Franks place serves breakfast all day and has huge burgers and even advertises serving spam if you're so inclined.  Every inch of the walls are covered by military memorabilia from all services not just the Navy.  There is also a large memorial wall in front of the Diner with the names of Whidbey Island residents lost defending our freedoms.  Oh, I almost forgot, Elvis with guitar stands outside Frank's front door to welcome all that visit.

By now the skies aren't quite so sunny but there is still no threat of rain.  We headed south to Keystone at the middle part of the Island where we took a ferry across the Admiralty Inlet to Port Townsend on Washington's Olympic Peninsula.  Had a great conversation with a fellow rider on the ferry.  He was on a new Yamaha but he was feeling the effects of the cool temps more than us.  He had no windshield and of course no heated gizmos.   

From Port Townsend we made a non-stop trip home.  This leg took us south to the Hood Canal spanned by the worlds longest saltwater tidal basin floating bridge, the worlds 3rd longest overall.  The bridge connects the Olympic peninsula with the Kitsap peninsula.  We passed the town of Silverdle, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Keyport, through Bremerton, home of the Puget Sound Naval shipyard, and on past Port Orchard and Gig Harbor.  We left the Kitsap peninsula by the new Tacoma Narrows bridge.  The Tacoma Narrows bridge now actually two bridges spans a narrow portion of the Puget Sound between the Kitsap peninsula and the rest of Washington.  The older bridge repalced the original, which became know as Galloping Gertie, after it crashed into the Narrows Nov 7, 1940 just four months after it opened.  See more:  http://www.nwrain.net/~newtsuit/recoveries/narrows/gg.htm, http://www.ketchum.org/bridgecollapse.html.

After crossing the bridge it was only a short 25 minute ride home to complete our 260 mile day with huge smiles and not an ache or pain anywhere. 

No Praxman,the Suzuki isn't an Intruder.  It's a Boulevard C50T.  Its now on the showroom floor at the Lynnwood, Washington Victory dealership.  I really enjoyed that bike, but not like I do the Vision.

How late in June are you headed down the 101?  My wife and I are doing the 101 down to the Bay area starting the 9th or 10th of June.

Breaker - 2008-03-25 2:42 PM Innkeeper, I am so jealous I can't stand it. That is an outstanding loop you made, and Sunday was a beautiful day to do it. Don't you love riding a bike onto the ferries? You get to wave at the cars as you pass, park at the front of the ferry, and are first off when they dock. It doesn't get any better than that. Thanks for the write-up.

It was a great trip and the ferries are awesome for bike riders.  We didn't get to be first from Keystone, maybe for weight distribution, but they stopped everyone after ten cars had boarded to lets us board.  Don't worry, you won't be jealous long since yours will be in soon.  I was in Hinshaws earlier this week and they said they had a Cherry Tour due in soon for a customer.  Is that yours?  I see you also have a Suzuki C50T.  That's a pretty nice ride as well.   I would have liked to keep mine but had to make room for the Vision. 

space_cwboy - 2008-03-25 7:29 PM We will be riding WA State (concentrating on the National Parks), Vancouver Island (Victoria, Tofino, Nanaimo), Whistler, Lillooet, etc., in early to mid-August this summer. Sounds like you covered some of our planned route back to the Seattle area with Whidbey Island. Never been to WA state....looking forward to it. I may want to pick your brain for ideas before we depart from CO to start the trip. Sounds like your Easter ride was great, doesn't sound like the lower temps affected you negatively at all on the Vision, which is great to hear. We live at 7900' elevation, so our summers are short, and mornings are cool. Looking forward to the extra protection of the Vision in cool weather. Ride safe, enjoy the scenery, and don't smile TOO wide while riding (bugs in teeth!). Thanks for the great write up!! Ted space_cwboy on Saturday, picking up '08 Midnight Cherry Tour Comfort

Would be happy to let you "pick" my brain before you head our way.  May not be much to pick from though; ha ha.  I'd love to ride your neck of the woods someday too.   My wife's niece lives in Conifer and we have a family get together there every second or third Christmas.  We were just there three months ago. 

Only one and a half more days till you'll be riding your new Vision!