Ian Curtis
Senior Member
On the beach near Neah Bay
This past Sunday, a friend was getting married in Poulsbo on the other side of the sound. So, my wife & I used it as an opportunity for an “A”dventure all the way across the Olympic Peninsula. It was in a 4 day trip (partial Friday/Monday, all Saturday/Sunday) of at least 360 miles. The longest single day was about 150 miles, which has given me a new found respect for folks who go long distance touring and do 250+ a day. We had a box full of spares and enough oil for an entire oil change, but in the end we only needed about a quart of the oil.
Map of the 350+ mile trip
Day 1
Easy 80 Miles Day 1, Plus a Ferry
We left Snohomish around 1:30 PM on a Friday and made our way down to Edmonds to take the ferry across the Sound. Ferry wait times can be extensive at peak travel times (like Friday afternoons), so we ended up waiting in line for about 1.5 hours. We were one of the last vehicles to make it on board that boat, which was nice because it let all of the traffic get out ahead of us at Kingston on the other side of the Sound.
All packed just prior to departure. We did later adjust the rope so all the rain didn't drip into the bed!
Ferry Traffic
On the Boat!
From Kingston we drove along SR 104 towards the Hood Canal bridge (the world's longest floating bridge!). After we made it over the bridge, we took side roads north along the coast until they merged back into the main road. These side roads were much hillier than I had assumed looking on the map, but on the plus side there wasn't much traffic and none of those obnoxious hidden stop signs on steep downhill slopes. We made it to Port Townsend around 5, and after sampling some local brews & stopping at the grocery store we made our way to a local campground where we spent the night.
Camping in Port Townsend
Day 2
130 Miles
The stretch of 101 from Sequim to Port Angeles is delightful. The speed limit is 55, but the road is relatively flat and two lanes each way. In Port Angeles we stopped at the Rangers Station to get a permit for overnight camping at Shi Shi (pronounced Shy Shy) Beach, and to rent a required bear/raccoon canister to keep the critters away. There was just a short jaunt more on 101 before we got off on SR 112, which follows the coast along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The beginning was a very pleasant drive, not too much traffic & an incredible number of classic cars driving the other direction, including another Model A Pickup! When we reached the town of Joyce, it looks like they were having some sort of fair/festival, so probably they were leaving a car show there. We continued along 112, which drops some occasional views until we reached Clallam Bay, where we stopped for gas. After that, the road gets real fun! It snakes along the water's edge, with a twist and turn what seems like every 200 feet.
Screenshot from Google Maps of the typical curves on SR 112
After what seems like an eternity with no power steering, you burst out onto the Makah Reservation into the town of Neah Bay. We stopped in town to pick up a Reservation required parking pass (the beach itself is part of the National Park, but the parking near the trailhead is on the Reservation). Then, we were off to Cape Flattery, which is the north-western-most corner of the lower 48. After a short hike down and back to the viewpoint, we hopped back in the A for a 10 mile drive to the parking lot for Shi Shi Beach. The overnight parking lot is actually someone's lawn, and there is a small fee for them watching over the vehicle over-night. We talked for a while to the guy manning the booth, he said we were the oldest car he'd ever seen parked there (he'd seen '50s stuff before), and had actually gone to school in Snohomish back in the day. Then, we donned our packs for a ~3 mile hike down to the beach.
All of our stuff in the back at the parking lot.
The beach itself is truly out of this world. My phone was dead, so I've included a picture a much better photographers than me took. There was some rain over the evening, but we still got a small fire going with collected driftwood and had some S'Mores.
Shi Shi Beach
Day 3
150 Miles
The next morning we got up early (6:30AM) to look for water to make coffee with. We didn't find the source (it was farther down the beach than we ventured), but it was still a gorgeous walk. Then, we packed up camp by 8 and started hiking back towards the trailhead. We made it out by 9:30, and were on our way out of Neah Bay by 10. We elected to take SR 113 down to US 101 on the way back. This turned out to be a mistake. SR 113 was hilly, but traffic was very light so the drive was still pleasant. Once we were on US 101, traffic picked up significantly, the weather went downhill (a very heavy drizzle), and the speed limit was 60 MPH on a two lane highway. Conveniently for us, there was an even slower camper behind us that kept traffic back.
We made it Lake Crescent, where the road gets windy and the speed limit slows to a much more enjoyable 35 MPH. The scenery is gorgeous, but the road is so twisty I spent most of my time staring at the road in front of me.
Someone else's picture of 101 along Crescent Lake
After Crescent Lake, we continued on 101 into Port Angeles, where we stopped back at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center to drop off our bear canister & grab gas and lunch. Then it was back on the road towards Poulsbo, where our friends' wedding was at 5 PM. Again, the stretch of 101 between Port Angeles and Sequim was quite pleasant, as was the rest of 101 towards SR 104. Between 101 & the Hood Canal Bridge, SR104 turned out to be a road not designed with a stock Model A in mind. The hills were long and steep, and the speed limit was 60 MPH. The first hill climb had two lanes, so we chugged along at 35 or so while the modern cars flew by in the passing lane and the temperature on the MotoMeter steadily climbed. At the top of the hill, the MotoMeter was pegged but it cooled down on the way back down the hill. A few hill climbs later we hit a traffic back up from the Hood Canal Bridge, and from there it was smooth sailing to Poulsbo. The wedding was fantastic, and the next morning we drove to Kingston to take the ferry back to the east side of the Sound.
Day 4, 50 miles to home!
I had brought a plethora of spare parts, and in the end all that was required was a bit of electrical tape & a quart of oil. I will be replacing the headlight socket on the right side, as it is intermittently shorting as the contacts touch & must be separated with a bit of electrical tape.
Previous Trips
Sauk Mountain
Chuckanut Drive
Spada Lake
Mountain Loop Highway
