New years day was overcast, not too cold and with not much threat of rain. Considering that many were up late celebrating New Years Eve, the turn out of 21 bikes was quite good. After breakfasting at the Wagon Wheel, we headed up the road thru Purdy and on to Allyn, where we visited Leonard K's Boathouse Pub. Those who didn't get to the Wagon Wheel early enough to eat were in luck because Leonard did breakfast till 2:00 PM. From there we headed south thru Shelton and made a stop at the Mud Bay Bar and Grill. Good Bloody Mary there.
Consensus was to proceed to the Haven for the last stop, but only 4 of us actually made it. All the rest basically took the most direct routes home so as to avoid darkness, coldness and any more exposure to beverages. The official In-the-Wind mileage for those who made it to the end was 104 miles. The rest got miles to the point where they left the run. We call it "Start the Year Right Ride". Mission accomplished.
It was a gray, drippy day, and not unlike many of Earth's inhabitants, appeared a bit hung-over. Even so, a group of six riders, dedicated to the principle that riding is the best way to start the new year off right, met at the Wagon Wheel for breakfast. We were joined by three others who were dedicated to starting the new year neither hungry nor wet.
At the crack of noon the stalwart six mounted up and hit the road, bound for the Steilacoom Pub & Grill, passing through picturesque villages such as Roy, Yelm, Nisqually and DuPont. The timing of the stop was perfect, as the heaviest rain of the day fell while we were inside arguing Hillary vs. Obama vs. McCain vs. Edwards.
Next, we saddle up and travel north along the ever-beautiful Puget Sound to the world famous Gold Fish Tavern where the fire was burning warmly in the fireplace, a very pleasant surprise.
None of our group being big fans of riding at night in the rain, we left the Gold Fish and, after riding the Ruston Way waterfront, went our separate ways, to do our separate things, the year having been started right. Around 50 In-the-Wind miles were gained.
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