A first ride on the 2024 Harley-Davidson® Street Glide® on the edge of America: Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.
Words by Scott G. Toepfer
Photography by Aaron Brimhall, John Ryan Hebert, Steven Richards, Buddy Will
Even at first light with bleary eyes, the view of Lake Quinault is striking, with a morning mist hanging in the air above the glassy water, as quiet and as still as a painting. It is but one of the many moving and provocative scenes provided by the Olympic Peninsula, which is a naturally occurring terrarium where diverse creatures cohabitate, new growth thrives atop decay, and the realization of our mortality has never seemed more beautiful.
The “Last Wilderness” has seen a lot over its centuries, and today it is a capsule of history and preservation, navigable only by following the care-free, two-lane interstate, 101, that wraps around the entire peninsula and takes you past every major landmark you might like to see. On the primordial coastline of Lake Quinault, on the southwest corner of the peninsula, we meet two lovers, Leticia Cline and Mike Wolfe, who are in awe of their surroundings, in awe of each other, and riding side by side on all-new 2024 Harley-Davidson® Street Glide motorcycles.
“It’s like no other place,” Cline says. “It's vast and makes you feel small, and it humbles you because the trees are so big and so dense, and then the ocean is so far and wide.”
The Olympic Peninsula is home to America’s largest rainforest, which should tell you that it gets a fair amount of annual rainfall, and as such the roads never seem to completely dry, but that didn’t pose issue for Cline or Wolfe, who felt confident in the handling and braking of their 2024 Harley-Davidson Street Glide motorcycles; as a curious as it is to describe a touring motorcycle as agile, the weight savings of the resigned chassis cannot be understated when riding tight corners on damp roads.
The more sparsely populated northeast corner of the peninsula was calling, and we headed directly to Neah Bay. Considered too out of the way for many loop rides, it is a soothing place to hang your helmet and enjoy the sights of whales and eagles in the calm water. Tribal lands are often some of the most spectacular and preserved, and we recommend visiting the Makah Cultural and Research Museum for a chance to learn about the native Cape People’s history on the bay.
With the sun dropping behind our backs, we headed to Port Angeles for the night. The fast twisty roads felt commonplace at this point, and our heads were so full of memories from the day that it didn’t feel like we could handle much more than a hot meal and a soft bed. Just as soon as those thoughts appeared, Lake Crescent appeared to our left. This postcard of a view was only superseded by the road ahead of us. Newly paved with brief sweeping corners and the occasional third-gear tight left, it was as fun a road as you can experience on a motorcycle. Where else can you be surrounded by a landscape more accustomed to European alpine vistas, and solely be focused on how fun the next set of corners is going to be? The adrenaline from this five-mile stretch was enough to put pegs against pavement as the light faded and we entered the town of Port Angeles.
Pack it: H-D Flex Layering System
From one stop to the next, changes in weather and elevation require adding or removing some clothing to keep your ride as comfortable as possible. With an armored base layer, windbreaker, and trucker riding jacket, the H-D Flex Layering System allows for flexibility with unexpected climate shifts as well as added protection.
Eat. Sleep. Drink.
EAT
Hama Hama Oyster Saloon | Lilliwaup, WA: Waterfront seafood spot with a rustic feel and outdoor picnic tables.
Blueberry Café | Joyce, WA: The $33 Sasquatch burger has a 20-ounce beef patty with bacon, barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato, and onion.
Fat Smitty’s | Port Townsend, WA: Enjoy a greasy burger as you look through the hundreds of dollar bills hanging from the ceiling.
SLEEP
Lake Quinault Lodge | Quinault, WA: Cozy accommodations supply everything a rider could need from a genuine disconnection from everyday mundane.
Five SeaSuns Bed & Breakfast | Port Angeles, WA: A traditionally intimate bed and breakfast that stands out above the local roadside motels.
Palace Hotel | Port Townsend, WA: A historic building in downtown Port Townsend, with old world décor and spacious rooms.
DRINK
Bar 9 | Port Angeles, WA: Karaoke goes down well with some pub-perfect hot wings, and the locals appreciate wayward visitors.
Finistère | Port Townsend, WA: A high-concept modern eatery serving oysters, locally sourced wines, and small plate American cuisine.
Roosevelt Dining Room | Lake Quinault, WA: Within the Lake Quinault Lodge, the dining room and bar look out to the lake and forest beyond.