I rode to Portland and back this weekend. Over two days I logged 520 miles. Under normal circumstances not a big deal. But this is the most significant riding I’ve done this year. I could not have picked a better weekend for it.

I left Mount Vernon at 6 am Sunday morning. The trip down was a straightforward blast down I-5. Early Sunday morning traffic was non-existent. The VTX was humming and I quickly fell into “the zone.”

The skies were overcast and the temperatures cool as I sailed through Seattle. Around Olympia the sun finally began to break through. By Centralia the sun was out in full force and I pulled over to switch gloves and lose a layer.

I arrived at my daughter’s campus at 11:00; just in time to have brunch with her in the cafeteria. It’s finals week and the cafeteria staff provided a few “stress distracter” for the students. Finals brunch karaoke and a mountain of ice cream with toppings among them.

Freshly fed we caught a shuttle bus to downtown Portland where we browsed Powell’s and did some window shopping. The sun was shining brightly and it was easily 70 degrees. Then we headed over to Portland Center Stage to see their production of Ken Kesey’s Sometimes A Great Notion. My daughter and I both rank the book among our favorites.

The production was amazing and fully captured the intensity of the book. The show runs through May 10, so there is still time to go see it. It is truly fantastic.

After the show we walked around the corner to get dinner at Thai Peacock (which we ate outdoors) and then back to Pioneer Courthouse Square to wait for the bus back to campus. She had studying to do and I was ready for a nap.

I loaded up the bike around 6 am on Monday morning and quietly motored off campus and back onto I-5. Portland traffic was non-existent at this early hour and I was back in Washington in no time. I stopped in Woodland for breakfast; choosing the restaurant on the basis of Daniel Meyer’s criteria: look for the farmer’s trucks. In this case, they were logger’s trucks but the rule still works. Rosie’s Restaurant offered great coffee and a nice breakfast special of biscuit and gravy, links and hashbrowns.

Since I had all day to get home, I decided on a different route to see some less-familiar roads and scenery. I turned off I-5 at Olympia and onto 101 North. I rode north along the western shores of Hood Canal. Savoring the smell of salt water and soaking up the sunshine.

In Union I made a visit to Gerbing’s and after spending about an hour touring their soon-to-be-former facility, more on that in a future article, I continued my journey North. The weather clouding up and temperatures dropping as I pressed on.

I left Gerbings at 11 and was hopeful of making the 12:45 ferry from Port Townsend. I knew it was going to be tight as it was 75 miles to the ferry terminal and 101 is not the road for making rapid miles. Luck was with me as I made the ferry with literally minutes to spare.

I munched on a PowerBar on the car deck during the crossing. Then it was back to familiar Whidbey Island roads. I stopped briefly at Flyer’s in Oak Harbor for a sandwich and made it home a little after 3 with 520 miles on the clock for two days.

My new highway pegs were a blessing on this trip; allowing me to stretch my legs while riding. (Thanks to Shel at Scooter Stuff for having Kuryakyn stuff in stock!) Also, my recently-modified seat, while not all-day comfortable, made 75-100 mile stints in the saddle do-able. (Mean City Cycles did the modification; the stock seat was killing me after 40-50 miles.) I feel like I finally have a set-up that will make long riding days less taxing.