Going Nowhere Fast on The Olympic Peninsula
Our bikes were loaded with everything we needed for three days when we set out from Taylor Burk’s home. We rode along the quiet Lochside Trail and through the bustling streets of Victoria to catch the Black Ball Ferry. The Blackball Ferry Line operates the M.V. Coho. This vessel was first launched in 1959 and has maintained much of its mid-century aesthetic while operating between Victoria and Port Angeles. We spent much of the 90-minute ride across the Juan De Fuca strait wandering around the boat, making photographs. We soon found ourselves pedalling our bikes into the character-filled town of Port Angeles and, not long after, through the rainforest on the Olympic Adventure Route.
The Olympic Adventure Route is a single-track lover’s bike packing dream—kilometres of smooth trail wind through mature temperate rain forest, with periodic views of the surrounding Olympic Mountains. The route consists of tight switchbacks on the climbs, mellow traverses, and flowy descents. We took our time stopping to take pictures and taking breaks whenever we felt like it with the goal of getting the SKT (slowest known time) while re-affirming the motto of the trip: nowhere fast.
Our first day of riding ended at Lake Crescent, where we met a stranger-turned-friend, Nathan Starzynski. He offered to let us share his camp spot with him and went on to share stories of his adventures cycling across the world. The sun set over the teal-blue lake and we slept well after a long day of slow riding.
The following morning we awoke to blue skies and a light fog rising over the lake. We took our time getting ready and pedalled our way along the paved rail trail that skirts the shoreline of Lake Crescent to a swimming hole known as the Devil’s Punchbowl. At this swimming hole, a little bridge crossed the clearest, deepest, dark blue water I’d seen in a long time. We stopped and enjoyed a swim before saying bye to our new friend Nathan, who was carrying on to La Push. After spending about an hour moseying around the lake, we turned around to start our journey back in the direction we had come the day before.
On our way back, we twisted off the main route and detoured to the ocean to take a peak at the Juan De Fuca Strait from a less familiar angle. We then ascended a heinously steep logging road to return to the beautiful single track of the Olympic Adventure Route. Our efforts for slowness were working, and we had to throw our lights on to finish the trail in the dark before finding a place to camp for the night.
The following day, we made no haste to return to Port Angeles. We detoured to see a salmon hatchery and went at a pace that allowed us to take it all in. When we eventually arrived in the small town, we stopped to get a bite to eat, checked out a cafe, and pedalled around the streets, looking for interesting scenes and moments to capture.
Our journey ended where it started, on the Black Ball Ferry and through the streets of Victoria, where we made a quick stop for a burrito before riding the Lochside Trail in the pouring rain back to Taylor’s home.
