Despite knowing we were going on this trip for some time, I was still booking things relatively last minute for our recent motorcycle trip around the Olympic Peninsula. I should have known better– we were planning to go for my birthday, which is around 4th of July weekend, and things are always busy, no matter where you go.

That was especially true of the Olympic Peninsula, where every campground, B&B and hotel was booked for the holiday weekend.

I wanted to stay in Forks, Washington a couple of nights because it’s a perfect spot to hit so much of the surrounding area. Unfortunately by the time I went looking for a room, there was almost nothing available. And by almost nothing, I mean there was one room available in any accommodation in the entire area. So, of course, I booked it!

We stayed in the executive suite of the Pacific Inn Motel and it worked out perfectly. Not only did we have plenty of room to drop off our gear, we had a small kitchen where I could make coffee each morning, a private entrance so we could easily come and go without running into the foot and vehicle traffic at the hotel entrance, and a PERFECT front porch where we could store the bikes out of the weather!

We couldn’t have asked for a better setup given our bikes and gear. If you’re considering a motorcycle ride around the Peninsula, I highly recommend you consider this arrangement. Our bikes were safe and out of the way, and we didn’t have to spend a bunch of time wiping off the morning dew each day.

In addition to enjoying our lodgings, we really enjoyed Forks itself. I was initially a little concerned it would be too touristy, thanks to Twilight, and while the shops did carry some Twilight gear and there was a Twilight walking tour, etc., it was appropriately campy and not overwhelming.

The town reminds me a lot of little towns in Ohio where everyone knows everyone, people come together to eat and talk in the local diner for breakfast (and maybe lunch and dinner), and everything moves at a little slower pace.

We would eat breakfast at the Forks Coffee Shop, head out to explore nearby La Push as well as area beaches and rain forest, come back and change out of our gear and into more comfortable clothing, and walk around town until we were ready for dinner.

Our first night there was a little street fair going on that we walked through on our way to El Pescado Loco, where we had good food and great margaritas, and the next night we walked to South North Gardens and took our Chinese food to go so we could enjoy our evening in our suite and store the leftovers in our kitchenette.

If you’re looking for a place to stay during a trip around the Peninsula, I’m another voice in favor of Forks. We really enjoyed being near so many sights without having to deal with too much traffic or too many people. Perfect overnight on our long weekend getaway!