Day 24

Today we achieved another one of our goals on our odyssey, we got into Canada!!

Yes, they let me in!!

We left our overnight boondocking site at 8 in the early o’clock, and proceeded in a Northerly direction, and promptly got stuck in the rush hour traffic around Seattle and Bellevue.

We had forgotten what you poor mortals have to endure each workday!

We got to the border at around 11 am, and it took us 30 minutes to go through, coz of all those tourists!!

We drove up Highway 1 and decided to have lunch at a rest area.

Lesson # 1. Canadian rest stops are slightly different from American ones.

We followed the signs to a rest area, actually following an RV in front of us from Pennsylvania, obviously looking for the same rest stop, and we traveled about 10 miles, and ended back on the freeway, 4 miles back from where we started, no rest stop in sight, and thinking, OK we’ve missed it. So we carried on, past the exit we had just got off at, and eventually found the rest stop, 2 miles further on.

I must hold my hat up to the Canadian Porta Potti makers.

Inside, there was a mirror, and a super clean hand washing section, complete with soap, water and towels. A far cry from the graffiti ridden smelly construction toilets of Houston.

British Columbia comes a close second to Montana for scenery, beauty and mountains.

The road we traveled North on went up, over and through Fraser Pass, the wiggliest and uppy downiest yet. And narrow. We were told at the gas station later that there are lots of wrecks at one particular point, where the road does a double 90 degree zig zag under the railroad bridge, where people think they have room side by side with oncoming trucks, and they don’t!!

Needless to say, Captain Cautious made no mistakes. It is difficult to make much of a mistake at 25 mph! Sorry, 40 kph coz Canada is metric.

The mountains seemed to be more rugged than previous ones, and we went through numerous landslide areas, in some cases there were rocks and stones over the road.

But, I don’t really have to say it, Captain Cautious came through unscathed as usual.

Now, more shock horror news.

Marlipops went into a store to replenish the liquor cabinet, and Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum is TWICE the price it is in the USA.

So, we are driving all night to get to Alaska ASAP!!!

That brings me nicely to my punishment, ale sampling. Tonight’s delight is Kitsilano Maple Cream Ale, brewed by Granville Island Brewery of Vancouver, BC.

Slightly too much emphasis on the creamy part for your hero’s delicate taste buds, but a refreshing brew nonetheless. I’ll give it 3 out of 5.

We are overnighting, after 425 miles, ( I’m knackered) in a town called 100 Mile House. Why it got miles in the name when the country is kilometerized, who knows, but a pleasant little burg, set in some wonderful rolling farmland, in the valley, with the Rockies away in the distance to our right.

Wildlife watch today was just a bunch of alpacas in a farm, so they don’t count, and we saw roadsigns for badgers.

The boring picture of the sea with the island in the distance is Vancouver Island, where Big Mark’s brother Jonathon lives, so please all wave to him like we did!!

Also, just for your info, once again, while in a foreign country, Marlipops nealry got into trouble for taking pix where she shouldn't, namely the border crossing.

Bad Marla!!!

Day 23

Good Morning, or evening all you readers out there in the real world, greetings from Never land.

Today your heroes left the delights of Big Fir campground, and the gourmet barbecue grills and headed north to Tacoma, only about 120 miles.

We landed at Camping World parking lot, junction 137 of Interstate 5.

For the uninitiated, Camping World is a nationwide chain of stores and service departments dedicated to RVers like wot we is. So, they welcome us and our money with open arms and let us boondock on their parking lots. All very civilized.

We then had lunch, consisting of cranberry cookies, coffee and ice cream, all courtesy of Camping World, while we strolled around the store and bought precisely nothing!

Off we went up the freeway to Seattle, that jewel of the Northwest.

Seattle is famous for coffee and the Space Needle, a huge ugly protrusion into the sky built about 50 years ago for some exhibition or something.

So, being tourists for the day we paid the ridiculous entrance fee, traveled on the exterior elevator for 42 seconds and walked around the top taking the obligatory pictures for a few minutes, and then spent another 42 seconds traveling in a downward direction and that was it.

Marla wanted to sample the culinary delights of Chinatown, so we went, along 5^th Avenue, to Chinatown.

Downtown Seattle is very clean, some lovely buildings and reminded us a lot of San Francisco, (only Scott McKenzie wasn’t there )

However, if you have never been to a city, and have absolutely no idea where to eat, and you are in a part of town where all the signs are in Chinese, where do you go for information? Yes, you guessed, the bank.

We ended up at a restaurant, and I use the word in the loosest possible fashion, called The Honey Pot.

Pooh Bear would have been out of there in a heartbeat.

In Marlipop’s words, what we were served was definitely not fit for human consumption.

In my words it was F………S…..!

Anyway, not to worry, your fearless twosome found the car and proceeded to leave Seattle, we thought.

Traveller’s tip # 45. When the Seattle Mariners baseball team play at home, all roads in the city lead to the stadium.

It took us over half an hour to get on the freeway, the one we could see a few blocks to our left.

We did see Starbuck’s Corporate Office, which I know you were all waiting for.

I nearly forgot to find a local brew, because it is such a hassle drinking a beer or two every night, but I found one, it is called Pyramid Hefe Weizen Ale, brewed by Pyramid Brewery of Seattle, surprisingly enough. It says on the label that it is “refreshingly unfiltered”

I take that to mean it is full of S…., coz that’s what it tastes like. A big 1 out of 5 for this.

A P.S. to that, after 4 of these, they begin to taste quite nice!!!

The picture of Safeco Park baseball stadium is for our son Michael, who is a diehard baseball fan. Though, he supports the Houston Astros, which kind of contradicts the baseball theory, a bit like me supporting the Wolves!!!!

The pic of the seaplanes is coz I thought you would like to see planes!!!

We have received a comment or two, not to mention any names, Geoff Wooton, that it would be nice for all you geographically challenged out there, and those of you too piggin’ idle to pick up a map, that it would be nice to see where we’ve been so far.

So, attached is said map.

To make it really simple, so none of your brain cells have to kick into action, the green line is our route and the red crossy things are where we stayed.

Wildlife watch today non existent, we are in a city!!

Day 22

Typo, or correction, or retraction, or whatever the newspapers do.

Yesterday’s pix included what we thought was a otter.

Anyway it was a Nutria, and they make good eating, so I’m told.

Today was a very positive day, from a business point of view,

I had a very important phone call to handle, which was the reason we stayed in America until today, and it went very well.

Enough of the boring stuff.

We found a different type of supermarket today, where thousands of assorted items were in huge bins, spices and rices and herbs and flours and dog food and bird food and candies, and you weighed out what you want, put the code on the bag, and off you went to the checkout. Much, much cheaper than paying for all the packaging and crap.

It was called Winco.

Apart from that we did SFA

Found another local beer, this one is Ropewalk Amber Ale, from Bridgeport Brewery, Portland.

It is so far the best beer of the trip, an excellent little number, with a twist in the taste after the first sip. 9 out of 10

Tomorrow we leave and head North to Seattle.

Today’s wildlife watch was a rabbit and a beautiful Steller’s Jay, blue and black and blue spots on the head, doing what we thought was some form of courtship ritual, although it may have just been farting for all we know!!

PS, please let us know if y'all are still enjoying the travelog, and good luck to my old school mate Dick Gatley in his quest for eternal glory in the Round The Isle Yacht race.

Day 21

A lovely, relaxing day, catching up with some minor coach and car maintenance, some reading and paying some bills.

After lunch, and thrashing Marla at Mexican Train, we went to a wildlife refuge. We paid the astronomical sum of $ 3.00 and spent a delightful 2 ½ hours wandering around this place, full of all sorts of birds and otters and things. So peaceful, and unexpected, in this mountainous area.

We then went in to the little town of Ridgefield, in an attempt to pick up some supplies. ( See how I slip into the local, 1800 speak easily!)

Marla…….nearly heart attack………….Captain Morgan Rum……………….$35.00 per bottle!!!! ( $19.99 in civilization)

So it stayed on the shelf.

We was told of a local fish wholesaler, so we went and purchased for dinner, some Alaska King Salmon for me, and a nice piece of Sturgeon for Marlipops.

Expensive, but very tasty, with some grilled corn and fresh salad.

Now, an admission. I did something today I haven’t done since we left Tampa. I put on a watch. I had to time the fish grilling to perfection, so I had to have something more than the sun to rely on.

For all you readers waiting with baited breath for my next foray into the unknown ale world, fear not, Captain Cautious was at it again.

Today’s local samplings were Henry Weinhard’s Special Reserve, brewed in Hood River, Oregon, which was very smooth, and went down without getting my throat wet, and Dad’s Little Helper Malt Liquor, which is brewed by Rogue Ales, of Newport, Oregon. This was a very heavy brown ale type, and a full pint bottle, but I managed to force it down, and very good it was too. The only slight mistake I made was to drink before I cooked, so I think the salmon was done, but who cares??!!

Check out the grill, supplied at all the sites in this campground.

As I said, a relaxing day, no whizzing around like tourists, just a lot of nothing.

Wildlife watch today was a yellow headed bird, and red winged black bird, a heron, a nesting blue swift chick and a otter.

Day 20

We drove down Interstate 5, the main North South artery in Washington State, past Vancouver, and over the Columbia River through Portland, and then turned right, heading west.

On the way, we stopped to see the biggest living spruce tree in the country, it was between 500 and 750 years old, but it was dying, so we could not get too close in case it fell over!!

The entire trip to the coast and back was filled with so many different types of pine trees, as far as the eye could see, up and down all the hills and mountains.

Fabulous shades of green.

Also, it seemed like millions of humungous logging trucks, whizzing along all these narrow roads.

We had no clue as to what we would find, just wanted to paddle in the Pacific Ocean.

We came to the delightful little coastal town of Cannon Beach. A very touristy town, but there wasn’t the gaudiness usually associated with these types of places, and the buildings, mostly single story, were all wood shingle construction, and very quaint.

The beach was huge, with the Pacific rollers crashing in, all the way from China!

( seems everything comes from there these days)

The sky was a wonderful variety of blues, and the view from the beach, looking back over the town, with the pine covered mountains rising all around, was stunning. Look it up on the internet for a better idea of this place.

On the way back, we went North on 101, the coastal road, to Astoria, and over a bridge across the mouth of the Columbia River so high we was looking down on the seagulls!

We saw a sign for a fish hatchery, so we thought, mega salmon and free dinner.

No such luck. All the fish were about 2 inches long, and were pumped through a pipe onto work tables where loads of women clipped a piece off one of their fins, and then they were pumped back into different holding tanks, to feed up and get big, and eventually get released into the wild blue yonder, or somewhere.

We were told that the fins were clipped so that when they are caught by anglers they can be kept, but unclipped fish must be put back. Anyone who can work out the logic of that can go straight to the top of the class!

The seagull in the picture attached had somehow got into the holding area, which was supposedly completely bird proof, and was gorging himself on all the fish, so much that he couldn’t fly out, only waddle with a limp!

We then took another detour to a wonderful old covered bridge, made entirely of wood, even the bit you drive on. Where are Merril Streep and Clint Eastwood when you need them?

The best views of the day were late on, when we got off the freeway near our campsite. It is called the Tri Mountain area, and the weather was so clear we could see all the three mountains in question.

They were Mt. St. Helens, the one we didn’t get to see yesterday, Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood.

In no particular order, they are 12,000 ft, 11500 ft and 8500 ft.

10 points to the first reader who correctly identifies all 3, together with their respective heights!!!

Wildlife watch today was pathetic. One chipmunk and a street sign warning of elks.

Day 19

After traveling ten million miles yesterday, we got up late, did the couch potato impressions, went to Mount St. Helens, which was shrouded in clouds and mist so we didn’t see anything, and came back to the coach.

We then ate dinner, watched a movie, and went to bed.

Boring!!

We didn’t even pick up the camera, so the only pic today is one of me from the archives!

See y’all bright and early Monday.

Day 18

Tip # 43 for travelers in motor coaches. When in Oregon, on a Saturday afternoon, reserve a site for the night at least 24 hours in advance.

We left wherever we were last night at 7.30 in the early o’clock, and 525 miles later, ended up at Big Fir campsite, 25 miles North of Portland. We have been in Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and are now back in Washington!

Some fabulous countryside, through Northwest Montana, past lake Couer d’Alene, in Idaho, with the most wonderful panorama and vistas from all sides of the lake. ( told you I was going to have a thesaurus for breakfast!)

We then went past Spokane which is like anywhere USA, and down through central Washington. Totally different from 50 miles previously.

Rolling plains ( without the E, Steph ) lots of farms, growing all sorts of green things, and mega big ginormous watering machinery wotsits. They are about 250 yards long, on wheels and they go round in huge circles watering the crops. But the weirdest thing is that in lots of the fields they were watering crops, there were herds of cows grazing, some of them right under the watering thingys!!

So, onto Pasco, Washington where we stopped to replenish the grocery and ale departments, and it was as though we were back in Houston. Wal Mart was full of Mexicans!

So, we asked what are all these Mexicans doing all the way up here, and were told that a lot of fruit and grapes for wine are grown in the area and someone’s got to pick it all, so the Mexicans work their way up through California, as the seasons progress, doing all the fruit picking.

Then we drove along the Columbia River Gorge, on interstate 84, with 12000 ft high Mount Hood on our left, in a huge howling 500 mph wind ( well, it felt like it) and campsite after campsite was full, no room at the inn, so we just kept going, and Marlipops finally came up trumps, as usual, and we are in a wonderful little campground, about 4 miles off the freeway. We have booked in here for a few days, so we can explore the region, Mount St Helens etc.

Today’s local brew, for all you following my trials and tribulations of the alcoholic variety is Black Butte Porter Ale, brewed at Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon and a very pleasant brown ale it is too.

Happy Birthday Giles you old fart.

I am knackered, which for our American readers is English for bollixed, and I’m off to bed soon.

Wildlife watch today was a couple of scruffy looking llamas, the usual horses and cows, and a deer, grazing not 5 feet from the freeway curb, who obviously had a death wish.