It took two months of hard riding from the North Pole, but I’ve finally made it back to the USA’s lower 48. Ferry-hopping from the bottom tip of Vancouver Island onto Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, I’d initially planned on taking it easy and following Highway 101 straight to the coast. My adventurous side took hold once again.
2,000 miles ago, someone I’d hitchhiked with recommended the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, a beautiful lodge with posh pools & cabins that charge for dips in 90-minute increments. Instead I opted for something a little less manicured.
West from town I veered off-road to hike the bike into the Olympic National Park Wilderness. A massive washout to the usual route has rendered these alternate hot springs inaccessible except to cyclists and backpackers, reminiscent of an earlier trek across Denali. Laying in wait was a brutal but picturesque 10-mile climb over an unmaintained mix of pavement, gravel, and pine beds into a remote paradise of natural baths. A challenging detour no doubt, but worth taking every time.
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It took two months of hard riding from the North Pole, but I’ve finally made it back to the USA’s lower 48. Ferry-hopping from the bottom tip of Vancouver Island onto Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, I’d initially planned on taking it easy and following Highway 101 straight to the coast. My adventurous side took hold once again.
2,000 miles ago, someone I’d hitchhiked with recommended the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, a beautiful lodge with posh pools & cabins that charge for dips in 90-minute increments. Instead I opted for something a little less manicured.
West from town I veered off-road to hike the bike into the Olympic National Park Wilderness. A massive washout to the usual route has rendered these alternate hot springs inaccessible except to cyclists and backpackers, reminiscent of an earlier trek across Denali. Laying in wait was a brutal but picturesque 10-mile climb over an unmaintained mix of pavement, gravel, and pine beds into a remote paradise of natural baths. A challenging detour no doubt, but worth taking every time.