Bill and Eileen's Travels: 07/01/2014

Today is Thursday 7/17/2014. I just finished the update for our travels up until our visit to Anacortes. We are currently in Burnaby, BC just east of Vancouver. I will try to include both locations in this post so for the first time in weeks I will be up to date.

Anacortes, Washington (7/10 - 7/15)

On the 10th we drove the buses to Port Townsend, Wash. and squeezed them on a Ferry to Coupeville, Wash. This is a short ferry but it allowed us to cross a part of the water so we didn't have to drive all the way around saving us about 150 miles of travel. Our ride took us to Anacortes, Wash. an old cannery town, that is now very much into yacht building and repairs. The town is on the end of the bay with the campground across from two refineries. This sounds a lot worst than it was because this turned out to be a super campground.

We had an Bald Eagle sentry just above the building next to us for most of the time we were here. There was also a Heron nesting area behind the spruce trees above us. Our time here was basically to chill but we did do a ferry ride to Friday Harbor, an island in the San Juan Islands. It is a tourist town with nice shops and restaurants. We walked around, had lunch, and had great luck shopping. The San Juan's are a 150+ group of islands that are very beautiful. Most of the islands are uninhabited but the larger ones have beautiful homes and quaint little towns. The Washington State Ferry System takes you to all of the larger inhabited islands. We didn't take the car to Friday Harbor, we just walked the town.

On Monday the 14th we did a six hour whale watch out of Anacortes that turned out to be the highlight of our stay. We had a lot of fog early in the trip and it was looking pretty dim until we hit the pods. What we saw was Orcas. I didn't know this but Orca's are not whales they are members of the Porpoise Family. We started to see them, the fog lifted, and then we literally had them all around the boat. I'm guessing we saw at least 40 to 50 different Orca's that day, many of them over and over as we moved around. I sure wish I had a better camera. I saw two breaches, and many tail slaps. It was just amazing. Other wildlife included, a bald eagle, seals, numerous sea birds. It was a fantastic day.

On Tuesday we left the campground, a day ahead of Mark and Kathie. Mark had a medical appointment for Tuesday morning and after that they joined us here in Burnaby yesterday afternoon.

Tight fit!

Last on, Last Off!

The supervisor checking it out!

Barge in the channel near Port Townsend!

I'm not going anywhere!

This was our camp sentry at Fidalgo Bay Resort!!

The crow was unhappy to have the eagle but his attacks did nada!

He has the Graham Nose!!

This was one of two. Look in the background and you see Mt Baker.
Not really an issue once you get used to looking at them.

Just one of our great sunsets.

Early fog on our search for Orca's

A local!

Happy Orca hunters!

Some of our initial sightings!

My best shot. The big one is a male that kept coming back to the boat for another look. They are beautiful!

They are everywhere!!

Check out the Kayakers

This is the sister boat of the one we are on. Mt Baker in the background!

You looking at me????

Lighthouse!

Everywhere! Life is good!!

More beautiful than all the Orcas in the sea!!

Vancouver (7/15 - 7/19)

Crossing the Border Vancouver BC

Waited about 30 minutes.

Very Narrow Campsite.

Stanley Park Totems!

She has been sitting so long she turned green!

Stanley Park Gardens!

Raccoons!

A tree that doesn't want to give up even though it's 400 plus years old!

The Harbor!

The Harbor and the edge of Stanley Park. Stanley Park is bigger than Central Park in NYC.

Steam Clock Downtown Victoria!

Great Lunch!

Skyline!

Water Airport Vancouver Harbor!

Wow it's been over two weeks since I sat down to update the blog. What a great time we have had in Oregon and Washington. These states are just beautiful especially Oregon. After John Day we moved on to Mt Hood. We decided to just do one night here and we were glad we did. The state is working on a fish ladder on the Salmon River just behind the campground and they were flying in large logs that were going to be used. The helicopter was very noisy and it was basically flying in and out all day starting at 8:00 am the day we were leaving.

Mt. Hood: (6/24)
We went up to Mt Hood as soon as we set up and after walking through the very beautiful Whistler Lodge we sat down for our best meal of the trip, so far. It was marvelous. Mark and Kathie had spent a lot of time here when they lived in Bend and they were very nostalgic tours guides. It sure is a beautiful place to ski and hang out.

Logs for the Fish Ladder.

Noisy Helicopter!

Mt Hood from inside the Lodge.

Great meal, Great place!

Mt Hood Summit and Ski Area! Click on Pic and zoom.

Don't eat when your having your picture taken!

The mountains from Mt. Hood!

Portland: (6/25 - 6/30)
Next morning we moved on to Portland. Kathie's brother, Jeff, lives here with his wife Betsy and their two sons. They came over to say hello the first night and Jeff was kind enough to give us a small tour of center city Portland the next day. It was raining and Eileen was having trouble walking on her foot so, unfortunately we had to cut the tour short.
The third day we stocked up on food, and while Kathie and Mark looked at condos downtown, Eileen and I took a drive down to The Willamette Valley. We were able to eat Oregon/Texas Bar-B-Q, and visit one winery to sample the Pinot Noir. It turns out that was our only visit to the valley so It will be on the list for our next visit.
The next day was Saturday. We drove up the Columbia Gorge stopping to tour the Bonneville Dam and Locks. There is a large fish ladder here and the Salmon are going up river now to spawn so it was really cool to see them from above and in an underwater viewing area. Attached to the windows downstairs was an eel looking fish called the Pacific Lamprey. These fish are also heading up river to spawn. The dam is a Corps of Engineers dam and the facility was really neat. We continued up river and met an old fried of Katie's for lunch in a small town along the river. Very nice shops and a restaurant with great food. I had a cheese steak that was as good as any that you can get around Philly. When I mentioned to the waitress that it was as good as a real Philly she told us that the owner of the restaurant was from Philadelphia. Go Figure! We went back to Jeff and Betsy's house for dinner after Saturday night mass. We had a great dinner.
On Sunday we visited a local Rose Garden and a Japanese Garden in Portland. It turns out that it was Gay Pride day at the Rose Garden and a big show was in the works when we got there. This was an interesting afternoon. Next day we headed West to see the Oregon Coast. A place called Cannon Beach. Our Portland visit was very nice and relaxing except for the truly brutal traffic in Portland. They really need to do something about the traffic in this town.

Portland Downtown!

Texas/Oregon Bar B Que!

Stuck on the window waiting to move upstream!

We watched hundreds go by. They went by so fast I couldn't get a pic.

The walls of Columbia Gorge!

Falls in Columbia Gorge!

Nice looking couple!

Lunch in Hood River! A Great cheesesteak!

Rose garden in Portland!

I'm the one on the right!

Annual Gay Pride celebration.

Very Happy Campers!

Japanese Garden!

Cannon Beach (6/30 - 7/3)

Cannon Beach is a tourist community on the Northwest coast of Oregon. The campground was in the trees just off of US101. We went into town and poked around at the shops. It is really a nice little town with good restaurants, nice shops, and a beach that is spectacular. Second day we met Jeff and Betsy (They took a room in a local B&B) and went to Ecola State Park beaches to enjoy the view. Eileen made it to the beach across the rocks but it probably wasn't the best idea. I walked the beach without her because of the foot. The beaches are a little different than NC in every way. Cold water, dark sand, large outcroppings, and large waves. Really a beautiful place. Parts of the movie "Goonies" was filmed on this beach.

The third day we drove up to Astoria, Oregon a little further north. We visited some of the WWII coast artillery sites along the coast and Ft Stevens which was a coastal fort from the Civil War times until the end of WWII. Then we went to Fort Clatsop. This is where Lewis and Clark wintered in the winter of 1805-06, before their return to East. The Fort is a recreation of the original and very interesting. There was a volunteer that gave us a little talk about how they survived that winter. You would have had a great time if you like eat rotting fish and meat. The cell phone reception wasn't good either for them either.
We had a great lunch in Astoria, then we visited a tower on the mountain where you can see the surrounding area. Thebn we went to a Maritime museum that gave the history of the area and interesting facts about the Mouth of the Columbia River. Just another beautiful place. Goonies was also filmed in this town which is where the characters supposedly lived.

Oregon Coast at Ecola State Park! This is a beautiful Place!

Eileen, Betsy, Jeff Chillin on the beach!

This Lighthouse should be called Turtle Rock or Camel Rock! I don't know it's real name.

A surfing class!

Mark and Kathie on the beach!

Beach Bum!

Old shipwreck in Fort Stevens State Park!

Artillery placements in Fort Stevens State Park!

Sacagawea and I !

Recreation of Fort Clatsop!

Very interesting overview of the area and the perils of the winter of 1805-06.

Rescue recreation inside the maritime museum.

RV Resort at Cannon Beach.

Latest Selfie!

Mt. St. Helen (7/3 - 7/4)

On Thursday 7/3 we moved on to Toutle River RV in Castle Rock, Washington. This was on base camp for Mt. St. Helen. The campground here was very nice looking but the noisiest place I have ever stayed. It is nestled between I5 (a major interstate) and the busiest set of train tracks West of the Mississippi. Not only were the train tracks very close but we were also near a crossing which of course means whistles. It is not an exaggeration to say that there were at least 15 trains in each 24 hour period, including the 5 to 6 in the middle of the night. Each train was announced by a very loud and very close series of whistles. To top everything off the campers all had fireworks that they used "all day" on 7/4. The final straw was that someone stole three of my small US flags that I put out for the 4th.
Our trip to the mountain was great. It is a very interesting story that is told in every welcome center. The fact that this all happened in the not to distant past. A mere second or so in geological time frames for the mountains. We had a guide with the last name Graham who told us about the events of the eruption, told from a locals perspective. She was very humorous and informative. It is amazing what Mother Nature can do. The final event for the day was a gift from the Oregon State Police who claimed I was going faster than what was allowed on the road back from Mt. St. Helen.
No break from this guy. 62 in a 35 zone = $ 298 Not a good end to the day.

Ms. Graham gave a nice overview of the events before and after the eruption.

From the Welcome Center!

This was our view for lunch. Not bad huh!

After a very nice movie about the eruption and the events before and after,
the drapes open and there is the remains of a still active Mt. St. Helen.

Have I mentioned how beautiful the sky is almost every day out here.

The small wildlife and vegetation started back shortly after the eruption.
It will take hundreds of years for it to get close to what it was prior to the big blast.

Mt Rainier (7/5 - 7/6)

We moved on to Randle Washington which is about 35 miles from the entrance to Mt Rainier. The campground is in the country. When we got there the guy at the desk said go out and pick the spot you want. He even walked out to the sites and helped us get situated. We were near the road in the transit area of the campground with a beautiful view of the mountains. Our first night there we had entertainment in the parking lot from a country singer who did only George Strait songs. The show was surprisingly good and it was followed by fireworks that rival EI's display. All was free and a good time was had by all.
I have neglected to mention in the last ten or so posts how marvelous the weather has been since Golden Colorado. Other than the warm weather in Death Valley and our time at Sequoia we have had excellent weather and beautiful skies for 98% of this trip.
Many of these large mountains are normally covered by clouds because of the warm sun and the snow caps. We have had beautiful views at every large mountain we have visited. Clean Living, I guess.
On 7/6 we drove to Paradise. This is the main tourist area in the south central part of Mt Rainier. We had a great brunch at the lodge and viewed the mountain and surrounding area from there. On our way up we stopped a on viewpoint and met a Park Volunteer who is a Geology teacher in Michigan. She was very knowledgeable about the geology and the history of the park. In order to protect the original buildings here they have been entered in the historic registry. Even the bathrooms, built by the CCC, are historic buildings. So I had to visit it and check it out. From this stop you can see Mt Adams and Mt Baker from one spot. The stop has a deep gorge that drops 115 feet to the water. Pretty place. Mt Rainer is big and beautiful. This campground was relaxing and I probably could have just chilled for a couple more days. But we need to move along to The Olympic Peninsula.

Looking straight down 115 feet.

Happy Travelers. This picture was taken by a man from Marietta Ga. Nice folks!

The Lodge on Mt. Rainier. Good Brunch, Great cheesecake!

Look at the glaciers on the mountain.

Ranger Rick!

Yours truly in the river bottom!

How did he get in there?

Inside the lodge on Mt. Rainier!

This is a historic building!

Our campground. Cascade Peaks RV!

There is another one stuck in the tree.

Olympic Peninsula - Victoria, Canada (7/7 - 7/10)

On 7/7 we rolled on to the top of the Olympic Peninsula to Elwha Dam RV. The park is just west of Port Angeles, Washington. From here we will take the ferry to Vancouver Island, Canada for the day and visit The Northern edge of Olympic National Park. On 7/8 we drove onto the ferry to Victoria. We took the car but it turned out that all we really needed to do was to walk on. Most of the tourist things for a one day trip are within walking distance in Victoria. We took a city tour on a double decker bus, poked around the shops, and the Empress Hotel. The totem poles at the museum are really cool. The next time if I'm coming in on a ferry I would plan to spend the night so that I could see the island. Or I would bring the RV and spend 4 to 5 days camping on the island. Our visit was very brief and regulated by the ferry schedule. We did have a great lunch a the Bard and Banker Restaurant. The halibut fish and chips was yummy.
The next day we visited the welcome center near us in Olympic NP, viewed a great movie about the park and the Olympic Peninsula. We then drove up to Hurricane ridge for yet another beautiful view. The wildlife here have no fear of humans. At the store on top of the mountain, they just walk around like they own the place. We also had beautiful view of Mt. Baker on our way up the mountain and once again the weather was superb. Yesterday we drove the buses unto a ferry and drove to Anacortes Washington where we will chill for five days. That will be my next post.
Life is Good!!!

Our visit to Vancouver Island, Victoria Canada