USA/Canada Pacific Northwest, May 2026
A great trip.
Paul and I had been talking about doing the Pacific Northwest tour for several years. Now the time had finally come.
John lives in Seattle and planned the whole thing for us. Paul had his motorcycle shipped from New York to John and plans to ride the entire way back to New York on it. So he’ll be leaving us along the way.
I’m flying in from Berlin and renting a motorcycle. All three of us are riding BMW GS 1250s (Paul and I each have the big Adventure version).
The Pacific Northwest of the U.S. (and the Southwest of Canada) lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire. There are some very impressive volcanoes along the coast. Inland toward the east, the landscape changes to rolling hills. It’s all very beautiful, and there are occasional hot springs.
We ride a total of more than 2,000 miles in changing weather: rain, sun, temperatures ranging from 40 to 98 Farenheit.
John is an excellent host. He shows me around Seattle and feeds my interest in anything that can take to the skies. An absolute must-see in Seattle is, of course, Boeing, and we take a factory tour there. We also fly by seaplane to an offshore island.
He also finds me the best view of the nearest volcano, Mount Rainier, and a great view of the Seattle skyline.
This is a trip I will remember for a long time.
This is a real hassle. I decided to fly British Airways. I can’t recommend them. The delays, in particular, make the trips a real pain. Plus, there are some strange booking issues.
I’m flying via London. On the outbound flight, the plane from London arrives in Berlin already delayed. The delay builds up to almost an hour by the time of departure. But I only have a two-hour layover in London. Further delays pile up. We have to circle over London because we aren’t allowed to land. Then the gate is occupied. I only have half an hour left until my next flight. No directions, no help. At London Heathrow, I push my way through the extra security checkpoint. Then I realize I also have to take the train to Satellite Terminal 5a. And of course, the departure gate is at the very far end. I run and arrive just before the gate closes, as the last passenger. That was really close.
Once on the plane, it turns out that my specially booked and dearly paid window seat has no window. Great. A flight attendant finds another window seat and moves me there after takeoff. Then it’s peace and quiet for nine hours.
I’m interested in anything that flies. That’s why a highlight of the trip is a visit to the Boeing plant in Everett at Paine Field. Everything there is geared toward the production of the new 777-X, which hasn’t received its airworthiness certification yet but is already being built in large numbers. Unfortunately, photography isn’t allowed in the production halls. I would have loved to take a photo of the first Lufthansa 777-X, which is currently under construction there.
We also watch a Lufthansa 787 take off for its acceptance flight. It’s all very impressive.
After that, more sightseeing with the Space Needle, the monorail, and of course a Seattle hot dog with cream cheese.
When John heard about my passion for flying, he suggested we take a seaplane ride. I was immediately on board. John knows the owner of Friday Harbor Seaplanes in Renton. I’m free to walk around there and look at everything.
There’s another Boeing plant at Renton Airport where they manufacture Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Many planes are parked on the tarmac, and you can already tell who the future owner is by the partial paint job.
We fly by seaplane to the offshore island of San Juan, which lies between Vancouver Island and Vancouver. We land in Friday Harbor, drive a rental car to the Lime Kiln Point overlook with a great view of the Olympic Mountains, and then continue on to Roche Harbor, where the pilot picks us up again and takes us back to Seattle. Of course, we fly along the coast of Elliott Bay with a magnificent view of downtown Seattle. An unforgettable experience.
(It wasn't possible to align the panorama perfectly)
The tour begins. We’re driving all the way around the Olympic Peninsula. The first highlight, however, is the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, whose very famous predecessor had a rather dubious reputation.
It’s raining heavily. The sun comes out briefly on the Pacific coast, and then we get drenched all over again.
In the evening, we’re at Sol Duc Hot Springs in Olympic National Park, warming up in the hot spring waters. But that’s all the place has to offer. No internet, no cell service there.
Karte 2026_05_25
Today was ferry day. First, we drove north along Lake Crescent to Port Angeles. There we took the first ferry to Victoria on Vancouver Island in Canada. Then, in fair weather, we drove north on fairly straight roads to Nanaimo and from there took the second ferry across to Vancouver. From there, we made our way north past Vancouver through very heavy traffic. That was pretty exhausting. Afterward, we drove through increasingly beautiful mountain scenery on roads that grew emptier and narrower all the way to Harrison Hot Springs. It’s a small, lovely town on a magnificent mountain lake.
Karte 2026_05_26
Today was an amazing day. It was dry, and the temperature rose to 90 degrees Fahrenheit as the day went on. We started by riding east on some pretty fast roads in Canada and crossed two mountain passes (around 1,300 m). Then we headed south toward the U.S. border. After that, we rode on narrow roads through incredibly beautiful scenery and a lot of open space. In between, there was a long stretch of unpaved road. For me, as someone who usually only rides on paved roads, that was pretty wild. I was sweating buckets, and most of it was cold sweat because I didn’t want to crash on that heavy motorcycle. Everything worked out, and in the end, it was just a great adventure. I was rewarded with lunch at a saloon in a small village. It looked just like you see in the movies. The day ended in Winthrop—also straight out of a Western, with a boardwalk and Main Street featuring shops that looked like a movie set, if you ignore the cars.
Karte 2026_05_27
Another day full of highlights but also challenges. We basically drove south to Richland, Washington. We started by driving along several rivers—notably the Methow, the Columbia, and Lake Chelan. Then we headed to Leavenworth, a town built in the Bavarian style. Many things are just as you’d imagine Bavaria to be here. Very charming and definitely a tourist attraction. It was getting increasingly hot, and we then drove over Blewett Pass. After that, we passed through a lot of fruit-growing country, just like we had earlier along the Columbia River. The next highlight was Canyon Road through the Yakima River Canyon. Great scenery, rocks with basalt spires, and a beautiful drive. But then it got a bit tedious. The land turned into rolling hills, the roads were very straight, and the heat was almost unbearable, reaching up to 98 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius). Huge empty expanses stretching to the horizon. Just grass and nothing else. In Richland, we quickly jumped into the hotel pool to cool off.
Karte 2026_05_28
Today is Three-State Day. We’re leaving Washington State behind, then heading across Idaho from west to east, and will be in Montana by evening. It’s a long day with over 300 miles. At first, we rode through beautiful countryside characterized by vast agricultural fields. The terrain became hillier, and we rode through green hills at first, then brown ones later on. Most of the time, we rode along rivers. Along the Clearwater River, it was more than 150 miles. The route took us up to Lolo Pass, which marks the border between Idaho and Montana. There’s also a time zone change here. I’ve never done that on a motorcycle before (I went to Romania with a trailer and to England by ferry).
Karte 2026_05_29
It rained all night. In the morning there was drizzle, and after breakfast it started raining again. The two gentlemen decided to take the day off. I wanted to see at least a little of Montana’s beautiful mountains, so I set off on a short ride to the east. At first, things looked promising. The roads dried out and the mountains came into view. After 50 miles, it started drizzling again, and later, during the last third of the ride, it rained pretty hard. Oh well. The mountains are beautiful, gentle, and green. It’s quite different from back home in the Alps. At an altitude of about 4,500 feet, I came across a plateau. Everything was green and covered in pastures. The descent was actually quite winding, and I had to concentrate on riding in the rain. That’s why I didn’t take any photos from there.
Karte 2026_05_30
We part ways—as planned. Paul continues east for 2,500 miles to his home in New York. John and I head back, driving just under 500 kilometers west toward Seattle. We leave Montana and drive through Idaho to Washington. By the end of the day, we reach Othello, a small town in the countryside—supposedly the French fry capital of the world. But there was no sign of that.
The weather wasn’t great at first. But the rain was limited to the west. After 50 miles, the road was dry and temperatures rose to over 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Things looked different for Paul. He’s dealing with temperatures belpw 40 and rain.
The landscape has changed dramatically again. For the first 150 miles, we drove along the Clearwater River. Then brown and green hills and lots of green nothingness. It was a beautiful, if long, stretch.
Karte 2026_05_31
The last day and one more highlight. We’re heading to Mount Rainier National Park. Like many other tall mountains here, Mount Rainier is a volcano and snow-capped at the top. It looks amazing, and the drive up (toward the mountain) is full of incredibly beautiful views. Before that, we drove from Othello through endless expanses, past endless orchards and fields. It was surprising that we could also see Mount St. Helens in the distance. Unfortunately, the access roads are closed due to landslides, so we couldn’t get any closer.
Karte 2026_06_01
My flight doesn't leave until 8 p.m.
There's still time for some sightseeing. I'd love to get an unobstructed view of Mount Rainier in all its glory and take one last look at the Seattle skyline. John makes both of my wishes come true.
First, we drive to Tacoma. There’s a spot by the water there with a great view of Mount Rainier. Then we drive to Alki Beach across from Seattle. We have a lovely seafood lunch outside with a view of Seattle.
After that, John takes me to the airport.
Too bad. I would have liked to stay longer, and I hope I can come back someday.
Another bad experience with British Airways. The flight is delayed again. This time, I had more time to transfer in London. However, they had already rebooked me onto a later flight to Berlin during the flight. And this despite the delay of the original flight to Berlin, which I could still have made. So I had to wait four hours in London and didn’t get home until midnight.
What else caught my attention—aside from the extraordinary hospitality John and Linda showed me?
Of course, the cuddly cat. And then there are the many traffic warnings, the fact that there are hummingbirds way up north, the sometimes oversized main streets, and the nickname of the state of Washington.
Karte 2026_05_usa