three old guys on bikes

A friend from church, Mike, dropped me a note a few days ago asking if I’d like to take a spin around the area with him. I’ve been riding my Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter 1500 motorcycle back-and-forth to work all Winter, so I jumped at the opportunity to take a recreational ride with friends. Mike, Gary (a friend of Mike’s), and I departed Lynnwood at 9 a.m. for a drive through the back roads.
Our first stop was in Stanwood to defrost at the Starbucks. It was a very cold start (in the 30’s), so we took a little while to warm up. A special “thank-you” to the folks at the Stanwood Country Store who found a bandage after I cut my finger on the door latch at Starbucks! Gary picked up some warmer gloves from the Country Store and we were on our way. After a stop in Mount Vernon (where I picked up a neck warmer at Skagit Harley-Davidson - my only piece of Harley branded stuff) we were soon crossing Deception Pass. We stopped and played tourist for a bit – gawking at the view and snapping some pictures. We departed the park to motor down Whidbey Island. Some 30-odd miles later we had a late lunch at the Tyee Restaurant in Coupeville. The fish and chips were pretty good, but I think I still prefer the Ivar’s in Edmonds near Firdale. Soon we were back on the bikes and down the island we went. We made one quick stop for fuel, in Freeland, where I discovered I was managing over 45 miles per gallon – wowzers. It wasn’t long before we were crossing to the mainland on the ferry Cathlamet. I suspect we’ll be doing more riding very soon – all bundled up!