Having postponed this ride last week; to go diving instead, today, I did go down to Seattle, WA. I have been craving some oysters (I know oysters are also available locally!), and I haven’t done much day-rides this Summer, I thought that riding down to Pike Place Market, would make for an enjoyable day. Also, as the warm weather is over, and I haven’t purchased any new heated gear (having destroyed most of my previous motorcycle gear in a crash last year), and rainy days are upon us, I figured that this could be the last warm & dry ride of the season. The plan was to ride down to Seattle, WA, through the quick and boring I5, then come back up through the I5 again, but to go trough Chuckanut Drive, for total of ~440Km.
Border wait times at the Peace Arch crossing, going into Washington weren’t that bad, ~15-20 minutes or so. I would say that this would be the limit of enjoyable riding without being too cold. Heated gear, I think would be necessary, going forward in the season.
So, I get to the market place a little bit past noon. I had heard about Pike Market, and I thought I’d give it a visit. However, once there, I realized that I have been to this place before. I was down in Seattle a couple of years ago, to visit some friends who where there for a few months for work. While I was visiting them (on one of the weekends), they took me to Pike Place Market. I just didn’t know of it before, and I have completely forgotten about it. When I had heard about Pike Market, a few months ago, I just didn’t connect the two places being the same.
I walked around the market, went through some shops, there is almost a shop for everything that is typical of a market place. One could spend the whole day in any one of the shops. This place is filled with little treasures.
I have been craving some oysters (that’s how I came upon Pike Market, while searching online). So, naturally I was looking for a seafood place, or an oyster bar or something. I must say I was a little disappointed in the small number of seafood restaurants in the market, while comparing it to the Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco; for example.
Nevertheless, the oysters were delicious. I ought to go to Granville Market or Steveston Fish Market more often! After my lunch, I snapped some photos (including one of the original Starbucks), then I went back inside the market place, as I saw a shop selling lemon (mini) doughnuts. I got me half a dozen. I was expecting better. They weren’t lemony enough! The cream spread needed more of that lemony/sour flavor. Anyways, I call it a day, and head back to my bike, swing by a gas station, and off I go.
Two of my pet peeves (while on the road) is people who DO NOT signal, when turning or changing lanes, and people parking their@$$ on the left lane! The signs clearly state “Slower Traffic Keep Right” or “Keep Right Except To Pass”. I was all mellow and chill, enjoying the ride, until I had reached my first encounter of a left lane being slowed down by an idiot (and several more all over the route) that wouldn’t move to the right lane to let me (or others) pass! Often when I ended up passing them on the right, I would signal to them with my hand to move to the right. In some instances, we’d happen to pass by a sign that states to keep right, so I point at the sign, when I get ahead of them! Why aren’t traffic officers enforcing these laws, instead of always going after speeding? And don’t even give me that “speed kills” argument that the masses have been fed by government agencies to justify the slow speed limits here in Canada! Anyways, at least she agrees with me!
On the way back home, I rode through Chuckanut drive. It’s rather a nice short highway, with a back-roads feel to it, with a couple of twisties, just by the waterfront.
I make it to the Peace Arch crossing, and there’s a massive line-up. Furthermore, I chose a lane (#8) who was slower by a ratio of ~2-3 to 1 vehicles, compared to the other lanes. I think I was there for about an hour. I should look into the other near-by crossing next time. Actually, I remember now that in one of my previous crossings, there was this chick in a sports car (that had passed me by on the highway), whose car overheated (from idling for too long), and smoke was coming out of the engine while the radiator was leaking all over the place. Sucked to be her, as she was going nowhere now, without a tow truck! Try to get a tow truck through that pile of cars, and still on the US side!
I’m back home now, looking at some heated gear online; for the few remaining long rides of the season.
