1- Leaving Seattle, is it worth the miles to head Northwest around Olympic NP out to Neah Bay? If not, I could just head out of Seattle south and hit Mt Ranier followed by Mt St. Helens. Two very different routes to head south. I could hit Mt Ranier as a day trip from Seattle, but that sounds like an old day thing.

Towns like Port Townsend and Port Angeles are great to walk around, but I would not include Neah Bay for the extra time traveling to get there you still will have to hike to get to the western tip. I might suggest looking at a island hopping with the ferries, done correctly, you could still hit Mt Rainer in the late afternoon. That would allow you to hit Deception Pass which should not be missed. This would have you exploring Whidbey Island.

 

Skip the desert parts. Too hot in August. There is lots else to see on the West Coast.

 

Sounds like a great trip, I have to agree with the posters advising against the desert, during August the temperatures average 110, however they exceed that regularly during the afternoons and late evenings. If you are riding it will be extremely uncomfortable and hydrating will be a problem, as stops for water are far apart. It can be done, but it will exhaust you like no other riding, even on flat, wide open highway.

 

1 No . IMO You will not see much of the ocean. As Ranfrol said Island hopping.http://www.visitsanjuans.com/transpo...-state-ferries
Maybe head N on I 5 to 20 east to Anacortes. Take the ferry to Orcas for the afternoon.
Or run down Whidbey Island and take the ferry to Port Townsend.From there south on Hwy 101 along Hood Canal. Then Hwy 8/12/105 to Westport. South on Hwy105 to Grayland and Raymond. Then 101 to Ilwaco. Longbeach ,Wa has some great restaurants. Shoalwater ,42nd Street Cafe,Pickeled Fish Restaurant at the Adrift Hotel ++. By the time you wind around the canal and through Westport this might be a good stop for day 1. Longbeach is a cool little beach town where the Hwy is actually on the beach.
2. We always stay in Florence,Oregon at the Old Town Innhttp://old-town-inn.com/. Park and 1 block away is the Zebra Bar. Then cruise the quaint town of Florence you are right on the river.
The Oregon Coast from Florence south is outstanding!
Eat at the Porthole in Gold Beach . on the right after you cross over the Rogue River.
Head north on The Redwood Highway from Crescent City to Grants Pass. We stay at the Bestway inn in Grants Pass. It's a modest place but right across the street from the Alibi Tavern that has really cold Blue Moon.
A great way to reach Crater Lake in 5 south to Gold Hill Hwy 234,then up Hwy 62 . Make sure you visit the East Rim.
I would the backtrack and ride the Redwood Hwy back to Crescent City. It's so cool you'll be pumped seeing what you missed .
In Cali Avenue of the Giants is right off I-5 ride past the tourist stuff and stop by one of the Groves. They are right on the road. Magnificent.
Hwy 1 is awesome but really slow riding 2 up and fully loaded. Patience is the key and allow extra, extra time.
e.g. Point Arena to Mill Valley a good day . The roads wind up back down back and over. Just allow time and you'll be ok. This is the coolest part I think. Point Reyes is really cool.
Have fun. What a great trip.

Hwy 62




Crater Lake

 

This is spot on.

 

Now we are getting somewhere, thank you for all of the detailed responses.

How do I convince the wife that the desert and LA are not part of this trip???? And if I get rid of the southern most portion, I will be giving up the Dam Tour!?!??!

 

Dam if I know.
Are you shipping the Roadie?
PS on the ferries in Washington check ahead for reservations on the Pt Townsend and Orcas Island. Walk ons are first bicycles second and motorcycles are third. Move to the head of the line.

 

Yes bike is getting shipped to Tacoma. Will be picked up at my house on the 31st of this month to be in Tacoma for the 14th of August. I have the entire front end apart right now changing the steering head bearings!?!?!?!? Plenty of time to get her back together and road test her.

Wife still wants to go through the desert, I still want to go to the Dam. I checked availability of gas per my route, looks more than doable. We are going to talk more this weekend, but I think we are going to give it a shot. Gonna be hot!!! That first beer in Vegas is going to be soooo good.

 

Woodman, two specific questions, both Mt Rainier and Mt St Helens are on the bucket list to be seen. But we are not looking to go hiking or anything like that, just a good spot to see and take pictures of these two mountains. What do you have? Mapping program wants to take me all the way into the park etc, seems like they are big enough to see from a good spot without spending all the miles to get to the Ranger station.

 

While I have done Death Valley at 126 it is no fun. Good luck!