| Motorcycle rides and riders in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia | |||||||
| |||||||
 |
| | LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
| |
03-29-2007, 11:11 AM
| #1 |
| Slow Eric  | WA - Hwy 112 - Neah Bay Highway 112 to Neah Bay by Eric Anderson The Road Twisting and turning along the Pacific in the general direction of Neah Bay, highway 112 is a must ride for anyone on two wheels. From fast sweepers to sharp up and downhill corners, there's something for everyone here.  For most, the ride will begin with a ferry ride from either Seattle or Edmonds. A perfect time to grab some breakfast and plan route for the day before hitting the highway to Port Angeles. After arriving in Kingston it's a little over sixty miles to Port Angeles where highway 112 (and the fun) begins. Before you leave Port Angeles be sure to fill up, it may be your last chance to grab premium. Twenty miles of open straights and fast sweepers await you as you head out of Port Angeles, but go easy as you approach Joyce, local law enforcement is often waiting (especially on weekends.) Moving past Joyce the road winds up the hill before twisting back towards the coast as you ride through the first hairpins of the day. From here the road begins to alternate between hairpins, sweepers and straights begging for throttle.  Thirteen miles after Joyce the straights are gone replaced by ten more miles of some of the nicest stretch of twisties in the state. Smooth pavement, well-marked corners, switchbacks and chicanes. This section will keep you on your toes with blind corners; the more familiar you are with the road, the more fun you will have here. A few gentle corners and a couple more straightaways bring you into Clallum Bay and Seiku, the last towns before Neah Bay. Passing through Seiku leaves you with only 13 miles to Neah Bay but they are fantastic! Sharp elevation changes and even sharper switchbacks are non-stop as you come to the end. The road drops away precariously into the ocean on most of the corners with little run off. Look through the corners!  The last few miles of the road are a bit bumpy as you transition from highway 112 to tribal-owned roads. A few last sweepers and you arrive in Makah Nation as Neah Bay opens up before you. Take it easy through the town, law enforcement isn't often around but they don't appreciate speeders. Neah Bay is the perfect place to stop for lunch. Seafood is the obvious choice whichever restaurant you stop at as it is consistantly fresh and tasty. You may want to remember to bring cash also, only one restaurant in town takes plastic.  Highway 112 is twisty and smooth... and begs you to push your limits but this highway demands caution. The first danger is wildlife, elk roam the peninsula and often cross the road, particularly on weekdays when there is less traffic to scare them away. The elk in the photos on the left took us by suprise as we came around a corner. Another danger on 112 is logging trucks. Logging is big business on the peninsula and the tight corners force the trucks to take the corners wide. When riding this road it's a good idea to start the corner wide and avoid hitting the apex of the corner until you can see through it. Another thing to look out for is law enforcement. Washington State Patrol is on 112 frequently and most are just concerned with keeping the road safe but speed traps are often present, especially by local police in the small towns you pass through. But the biggest danger is the road itself. In dozens of corners here, running wide means running off the road into the ocean. Take it easy and don't ride over your head. The road itself is mostly in great shape but the remoteness of this road means debris is often in the corners. For more on this road, including more photos, maps and downloads, please click here. Getting Here From Seattle to Arlington it's quickest to catch the ferry in Edmonds for a quick 25 minute ferry ride to Kingston, just enough time to grab some breakfast because you won't want to stop once the fun begins. After exiting the ferry in Kingston just follow traffic which takes you to hwy 104. Follow 104 across the Hood Canal Bridge and it will eventually merge with hwy 101. You will stay on hwy 101 for nearly an hour until you come into Port Angeles. From here just follow the signs to stay on 101 for a few miles past Port Angeles where you come to the turn-off for hwy 112 where the ride begins. North of Arlington it's quicker to take highway 20 onto Whidbey Island and take the ferry to Port Townsend. Continue on hwy 20 to 101 and head west to Port Angeles. South of Seattle it may be quicker to catch hwy 101 where it intersects with I-5. Just follow it north all the way to Port Angeles. Alternate Routes It takes awhile to get to hwy 112 so stretch the ride out a bit if you have the time. When you reach Port Angeles take a detour up Hurricane Ridge. This 17 mile stretch is well worth the $5 it costs to get into the park. Great corners and the road is generally well cared for. The road does get a bit busy on weekends and the rangers in the park don't appreciate bikes passing cars too much. You can make a little bit of a loop out of the ride if you continue on hwy 101 out of Port Angeles instead of turning on 112. Follow 101 around Crescent Lake until you reach hwy 113, take a right on this and you will meet back up with hwy 112. The route around Crescent Lake has some great twisties but I would steer clear on weekends. Traffic gets heavy and there is little room to pass trucks towing boats. Distances Hwy 112 - Port Angeles to Neah Bay 65 miles Hurricane Ridge Road - Port Angeles to Visitor Center 20 miles Total distance from Seattle to Neah Bay 150 miles More Photos   Blind corners are common on hwy 112... ...As are s-turns   Many of the corners can be treacherous, with steep drop-offs punishing those riding mistakes. Google Earth Image . Last edited by eric; 08-24-2007 at 07:38 PM.. |
|
| |
| |
| | |
| |
|
04-20-2007, 07:08 PM
| #4 |
| Investigates Alternative Destinations   Joined: Jul 2005 From: Stanwood I Ride: Faster 2-up than most by themselves | These roads are pretty much our favorites.. 112/113, hwy 20 and Johnston Ridge.. Good stuff eric... Need more pics though. |
|
| |
| |
| |
|
05-15-2007, 09:19 PM
| #6 |
| Training Wheels Joined: May 2007 From: Port Angeles, WA I Ride: TL1000S | Read and heed First off, yes 112 and 113 are badass roads. Second they are riddled with law enforcement. why might you ask? I'll tell you. Becauase numerous groups of people come over from the other side of sound to ride. Not just because they coem to ride, that is not a bad thing. There is no reason anyone should not ride these roads. Why, is because large groups of retarded squids come through doing stupid shit liek riding wheelies and doing speeds well over the posted limit through Joyce and the likes. If going fast and trying to show off the fact that you stand on two pegs while on one wheel is what you think is the best thing since sliced bread, then stay home. We dont want it. While it is fun to watch people doing these things, noone from Joyce like nor appreciates it. I personally am not from Joyce. But I am from Port Angeles. And all of us from here who frequent these roads as a home court track, do not appreciate the heat that is brought down on us because of a bunch of idiots that like to tear through the areas that they know nothing about. Anyone person out here would be more than happy to have you out here. Take you for a ride to show you the do's and donts of the area. Number one: There is no such thing as any riding area that is in the clear. Local law enforcement, mostly state patrol, is thick out here. And I know of one personally that will have your bike on the back of a tow truck faster than you can imagine. Hurricane Ridge, Joyce, Crescent Lake. None of these places are for ridiing like you are Matt Mladin or Ben Spies. They are heavily enforced and especially Crescent Lake area is beat from slides and falling rocks. Not to mention littered with boats being hauled by SUV's stuffed with families on the way to a fun day at the lake or seashore. Number Two: Doing anything but the speed limit through Joyce, with both hands and feet on the bike is a huge no no and will surely get the local authorities called on you. Noone out there thinks it is cool to see a guy doing wheely at a buck thirty. Revving and zipping around doesnt impress anyone out there. So save it for all the squid buddies back home to film and put on YouTube. Number Three: There has already been one death and two other riders hit. We have only had at best maybe two weeks of riding weather. Nobody out here is looking for you and just because they look DIRECTLY at you does not mean that they see you. They will pull out in front of you. Like George Zimmerman of the Mens Warehouse, I gaurantee it. I myself have already nearly become a hood ornament. And that is just riding locally to the bike shop. If were not for the sixth sense kicking in I surely would have been nailed. Think of this more as a reality to the area, than a scolding of sorts. I do not intend this to be a deterent or anything of the sort. All I am saying is seek someone out that is from here. We ride every Sunday, meetiing at 1000 at the park and ride just before the 112 turn off. There is everyone who is from here that knows the roads here. They can help you become familiar with the roads and the ins and outs of the places. |
|
| |
| |
| |
|
06-19-2007, 09:43 AM
| #7 |
| Zone Head  Joined: Jul 2006 From: Kennewick WA I Ride: GSXR 1000 2004 MM ed | I Lived in Sekiu and went to Clallam Bay High school for 3 years. I love that area and that road to Neah Bay is way twistie. In fact I am planning a camping trip at Lake Ozzete in July and doing a road (bike) in August. One thing I would mention is that is a National Rainforest area. It's plain frikin beautiful so check out the scenery as much as possible. Especially Cape Flattery. There is no reason if you made it up to Neah Bay not to take the thirty minute hike to see it. You'll never regret it. |
|
| |
| |
| |
|
06-19-2007, 10:10 AM
| #8 |
| MotoGP Champion  Joined: Sep 2006 From: protesting at the mall I Ride: faster than I should, but slower than you. | Yup - definitely take the hike out to Cape Flattery. Standing on the NW corner of the lower 48 is pretty cool. |
|
| |
| |
Linear Mode
