9/18/2019, Butterfly Gardens, Victoria BC, Day 8 part 2

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Victoria Butterfly Garden

Do not be fooled by one star reviews of the gardens.  We had a spectacular time here.  The insect world has so much variety, it is hard not to be impressed.  I particularly enjoyed the tortoise who knows how to escape his pen.  His keepers have no idea how he gets out, but there he was walking the walk.  “If they all learn how to escape, we’ll have to fix that.  As it is if he’s happy getting loose, we’ll let him.  We just cannot have all the tortoises loose.” There are only six of them.

The butterfly garden is close to Buchart Gardens.  I plugged the address into our trusty GPS.  Please enter a valid address!  It could not find 1461 Benvenuto Ave!  Smart Phones to the rescue.  I got turned around and U-turned a few times getting there.  We arrived at 3:35.  The gardens closes at 4.  We thought we’d have to come back the next day. “No, we stop letting people in at 4 but we stay open until 5.”  Cool.

To the right of reception is the insectarium, a series of glass enclosures with very interesting “bugs” inside.  The first larger one houses leaf cutter ants.  “We feed them leaves two or three times a day.  We have to change the leaf type every few days or they’ll stop feeding.  In the wild they change the leaves they eat every few days.  That way they don’t decimate one plant variety.  The plants can recover in between.”   The other enclosures hold stick bugs and beetles.

The butterfly garden is through a double door past the insectarium.  Each variety of butterfly has favorite plants that the garden has in abundance. Inside are numerous butterflies, tortoises, parrots, a few lizards (hard to find), and a pair of mechanical flamingos.  I photographed and videoed the flamingos before realizing that aside from a side to side motion with their beaks in the water, they did not move.  I deleted my photos and videos.  Who wants to see a mechanical bird anyway.

On the way out I mentioned the mechanical flamingos.  “Oh you mean Mango and Houdini. They were born in 1976.  Flamingos live for 50 or 60 years.  These two are old guys.”  I had gone back a few times to see if they were live birds.  One of those times Houdini ruffled his tail feathers.  Then  I knew they were real, and took a video and some photos.  They moved so little and in such a regular pattern that they look mechanical!

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9/18/2019, Bushart & Butterfly Gardens, Salish Seaside, Victoria BC, Day 8

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Photos, lots of photos below.

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Salish Seaside RV Haven

With just two shower stalls and more than 14 RV sites, it can be a wait for a shower in the morning.   There was one woman waiting for a free shower when I arrived.  “Clearly you are first in line.”, I said.  She almost rolled her eyes, “clearly” unspoken but intended. 

“Are you from the US?”, breaks the ice every time.  “No, I’m originally from Belgium and moved to Germany.”   She spoke French, Dutch, German, and clearly English.  We talked about US language classes, travel in Europe and here in the US.  She is traveling with her daughter, her husband, and their six week old baby.

I don’t know what it is about women from Belgium, but this is the second time “wow”.

The weather was overcast this morning.  New was the clear blue breaking through here and there.  It promised to be a better day today.

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Bushart Gardens

I purchased tickets to Bushart and Butterfly Gardens on line.  It saves a bit to do so.  Imagine not being able to access the ticket at the gardens.

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The drive to the gardens was on a rolling, bumpy two lane road with construction and flag women now and then.  It’s refreshing to see women working on road crews.  I’ve seen it in the U.S., but not very often.  We waved every time.

 

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Bushart Garden’s parking lot is huge.  It was mostly empty at 11:50.  We parked beside three other RVs in an area that could park 40 or 50 RVs and Busses.  “The gardens must be huge.”

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We skipped the gift shop and the local artist gallery, and walked past the coffee shop.  We stopped at the restaurant, noticed capellini con vongole  and took one of the last 2:45 reservations.  Into the gardens we strolled. I enjoyed the sunken gardens most.  Walking a path I a heady floral scent hit me in a wave.  A woman’s perfume?  Could this be a plant?  The scent faded, then grew.  I wonder how I looked sniffing the various plants along that path.  Pretty funny I’d guess.  I found the source.  A tall stalk with a spray of white flowers that I’d never seen before.  I asked a horticulturist what the plans was.  She said the name has changed, but the common name is bugs bane.  There are two photos in the array below.

The Japanese garden was very well done.  The Italian garden seems small.  We were “gardened out” by then.

 

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Bugs Bane has a Wonderful Scent

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The capellini was good though the vongole were disappointing.  The clams were not as fresh as I’d like. I do not recommend the restaurant’s vongole.  However, their tomato soup is wonderful.

9/17/2019 Salish Seaside RV Haven, Victoria BC, Day 7

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Yesterday Revisited

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Chinatown

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Hi, I’d Like Some Funk, Please.

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Ellen Preferred The Raptor to “My” Wolf

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A View from Finn’s Seafood

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Along the E&N Rail Trail

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Yesterday’s Walks

My GPS watch is charging. It was nearly out of charge this morning. Yesterday we walked a total of eight miles and I feel good.

This is great, let me explain.  All my life (until recently) I’ve been active, exercising 2 hours a day 6 days a week on average.  I played racquetball for hours, ran an hour a day, and/or did weight training.  I’ve been in great condition and pain free. 

Last December my replacement xbox came with Battlefield V, a single person shooter with thousands of players across the world.  I could play in a team of 32 players against another team of 32 players.  It is fascinating, challenging, rewarding, and frustrating.  I’d found a new addiction.  I’ve played practically every day for an hour or two in the afternoon and three to six hours in the evening.

About a month ago, after not exercising much for months, I hopped on an exercise bike for a two hour extravaganza.  This sort of all-or-nothing approach to exercise is “me”.  What was startling for me was the pain I was in the next day and few weeks.  My legs: hamstrings, inner leg, ankles, and lower back screamed in pain.  After sitting for a while I couldn’t stand straight without pain and had to stretch my lower back to stand.  This was agony; a new experience for me, and something I hoped was temporary.  All those TV ads for solutions to back pain made sense to me now.  When would this stop.

Each time I exited Li’l Beast, I’d have to stretch my lower back to stand straight.  It was painful to walk, though the pain subsided a bit with each step.  Sitting still during the 3 hour performance of Hamlet in Ashland led to a stiff neck that has hounded me these past few days.  More agony, pain was layered on pain.  This Sucks!

However, as we walked more I found the pain in my legs subsiding.  The pain in my lower back eased a bit each day.  My stiff neck was less stiff.  Then we walked everywhere yesterday.  This morning I feel great (again). My neck is still a bit stiff, I have a bit of leg pain, but my back feels normal again. ASTOUNDING.

I conclude (and for me), that some form of exercise is necessary every day to maintain a moderate level of neuromuscular health.  Muscles atrophy much more quickly than I had imagined.  Becoming couch potato for a few months, exercising my fingers on the xbox controller and nothing else did me in!

Consider the implications for society at large.  A sample of one is not statistically significant, but not if you are that “one”.

Morning Sunshine

I wish!  The skies opened up at 5:55 AM.  We awoke to a symphony of timpani on the roof.  The timpani have subsided, though the rain is still heavy at 8:26.  Welcome Fall in the North West.  62 F says the outdoor thermometer.  It’s a cool day and probably will not warm much with clouds masking the sun.  We’re in for a gloriously gray day, 

There are a few markets on Esquimalt.  The first two were so small, we didn’t bother to stop.  The Save-On Market looked to be a good choice and it is not far from Salish RV Resort.  The parking lot has a median between parking rows.  There is no way we could park in that cramped lot.  “Look over there, there’s lots of parking.”   The parking lot Ellen spotted was at the Da Vinci Center, an Italian American organization. 

Returning with our groceries, a woman said from her open window, “You cannot park here.  People pay for those spaces.  If an owner wanted to park there you’d hear about it!”  I apologized, “We’re just leaving. Sorry.  We’ll be gone in a few minutes.”  I looked the center up.  They host speaking Italian lessons and cooking classes.  They even have an October guided trip to Italy scheduled in October.

For some reason Li’l Beast’s GPS wanted us to go over a bridge into Victoria.  Luckily that bridge was under construction; and closed to traffic.  We headed south to another bridge into Victoria when the GPS woke up and guided us away from the bridge and right to Salish Seaside RV Haven.

 

Salish Seaside RV Haven

This is one of a very short list of favorite RV stops.  What makes Salish so special?  The view for one.  Proximity to Victoria via the inner harbor water ferries; two.  Proximity to the path around the inner harbor to Victoria; three.  The relatively new clubhouse, four.  Good WiFi and Sat visibility, five.  It is a small RV “camp”. Add to that we simply “feel good” here.

At check in we were met by the same personable, well spoken fellow who was here last year.  Tom has a wonderful true British accent, speech pattern, and mannerisms.  Check in was fun.  The office has a small selection of gifts and clothing for sale.  I have a new travel cup to replace the Home Depot one I’ve been using.   We’re snug in space 9 overlooking Victoria and the inner harbor.   We’re in site #9 for a few days.  We have a view of Victoria, the inner harbor, and float planes coming and going.

The wind has shifted.  Float planes taxi all the way from Victoria to our RV park, turn, run toward Victoria to take off. 

A lazy day of reading, playing cards, talking, watching floatplanes come and go, and planning.  We drove a total of An RV neighbor said the salmon run this year is poor.  Orcas follow the salmon and they’re also not here.  We are planning on a kayak experience off San Juan Island and a whale watching tour from Orcas Island, weather permitting.  We will play that by ear.

I read in the upstairs rec room by the fireplace with windows all around  while our laundry washed and the rain fell.  It’s a slow day today, and welcome after yesterday.  Our neighbor’s comments about the salmon run has Ellen thinking we will not go whale watching.  I’m more confident the weather will break.  We’re not due on Orcas Island for five days.  Change is inevitable.

The timpani drummers are at it again! Let ‘em wail away.  As rainy as it is, the inner harbor is visible and not socked in.  There’s hope for tomorrow.  No fettuccine for us this evening, though I did grab a personal chicken pot pie at Save-on earlier.  We definitely will not starve.

I’m reading Richard North Patterson’s “the Outside Man’.  It started slowly and it’s building.  I also picked up Moment of truth by Lisa Scottoline with a “New York Times Bestseller” banner.

9/16/2019 Fort Victoria BC, Day 6

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We’ll leave Fort Victoria RV Park shortly.   Skies are overcast with temperature at 59 F this morning.  We’d like to do some cycling with good weather.  Both the Galloping Goose Trail and the E&H Rail Trail run to the Johnson St. Bridge,  Our latest plan is to start at the bridge and head toward Sooke.  On less clement days, we’ll explore Victoria.

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The Confluence of E&N and Galloping Goose Trails

CORRECTION!  Due to a brain fart on my part, we have an “extra day” in Victoria.  We’ll stay at Fort Victoria RV Park tonight then move to Salish for three days tomorrow. 

Taxis

The local taxi company, Fort Victoria Taxi, has poor Google ratings.  Most ratings are 1 star.  Blue Bird Taxi in Victoria has a four star rating.  A taxi will pick us up at the RV office and whisk us to the Johnson St Bridge for ~ $20.00.  We could walk back on the E&N Rail Trail.  It’s 7 km.  Smart phones and the web have made selecting services much easier than hit-or-miss yellow pages or a call to information as we did 30 years ago.  

Everyone we have spoken with in Victoria has been very friendly, and seem happy and up-beat.

Our taxi arrived early and whisked us to the Johnson St Bridge,

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Johnson Street Bridge, Victoria BC

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Chinatown Victoria

Victoria

Right away we searched for a bakery and spotted “Dogs in the Bakery” just north of us.  We walked into Chinatown, turned down Fisgard St. and couldn’t locate the bakery, but Chinatown was a trip.  Next we found the Victoria Pie Co.  Tempting, but who wants to walk around Victoria with a pie and there’s no way we’d eat one there.  Now we were a few blocks from the Dutch Bakery and Diner and Crust Bakery.  The Dutch Bakery features sweets.  Their diner featured a bevy of white haired elderly folks: not our style.  Even so, Ellen engaged a server talking about “another bakery we visited near by …”  I rolled my eyes and exited.  No need to give this gal our life history when we’re clearly not interested.

A Bakery in Victoria?

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Sour Cherry Danish & Double Cappuccino

Just next door?  Crust Bakery with wonderful baked goodies and a line out the door.  The line moved quickly.  “I NEED a …”  I chucked as the woman ahead ordered.  We sat with our cappuccinos, a sour cherry Danish, and an almond Danish.  They were out of almond croissants, just as they were last year. We savored our crunchy Danishes as the four counter women pumped out baked goods and the line held strong at 10 people deep.

The clouds were breaking up as we headed to the inner harbor.  The sunny side of the street was becoming hot. We walked back down Johnson St and along wharf street.   The inner harbor is very much the same as I remember from last year.  “The Local” was very busy. We joined the mill of tourists walking the inner harbor.  The sea plane harbor was quiet, Restaurants were busy serving lunch.  We turned up a side street toward white capped turrets on a brick building.

 

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Really a Bug Zoo

“The Bug Zoo”, I thought of Gavin and how he might like visiting.  We stopped but didn’t venture inside.  “Eagle Feather Gallery” practically next door looked inviting. Eagle Feather is one of the artists whose work are displayed.  A nature park in Belgium purchased 16 of his work for display in their visitor’s center.  Cool.  He’s entered a impressionist phase that’s unappealing to me.  His earlier work is fantastic. Check out the wolf below.  Ellen mentioned the art gallery we’ll visit in Jackson Wyoming.  That dampened my excitement at seeing the wolf.  Chris, the owner’s husband, recommended the restaurant on the corner as having great appetizers during happy hour and a reasonable prices.

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“The Wolf” by Eagle Feather

St. Andrew’s founded 1866, we found the red brick building which turned out to be a Presbyterian Church.  We passed it many times but never had looked up at the spires.  The stained glass would have been interesting to see from inside, but the church was closed.

 

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Back at the inner harbor, Ellen pointed out a party boat painted in a typical Haida style. Clouds and fog were forming in the distance, but the sun shown bright in the inner harbor. We walked into the Empress Hotel and the Hotel Grand Pacific.  We were not yet hungry.  Even so we were looking for a place to alight.  We watched the Black Ball ferry unloading then walked back along the inner harbor.

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Party Boat in Unique Native Colors

Not that long ago Victoria was a quaint fishing village with very little in the way of tourist traps and few hotels.  How it has changed since the late 70’s.  There are hundreds of restaurants and perhaps as many hotels in town. There are remarkable native art galleries and typical tourist knickknack shops.  Bakeries are numerous.  Kiosks advertising whale watching tours, sea plane tours, party boat trips, schooner trips, and sight seeing bus tours stud the inner harbor.  They are understated in a “Canadian” way and not the rash in your face advertising you’d see elsewhere.  There are no street barkers and no neon signs.  Canadians assume you’ll find what you want with no need for hard sell.  It is refreshing.

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The Empress, Victoria BC

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Fog and Clouds approaching the Inner Harbor

Walking back toward “The Local”, I wanted to eat at “Finn’s Seafood Chops & Cocktails” while Ellen mentioned  “The Farmhouse”.  We dropped into The Farmhouse and found a coffee shop with sandwiches.  We were seated Finn’s outdoor patio.  We had seen a woman eating fettuccine with mussels that looked great but for the mussels.  They’re far from my favorite.  I asked Ellen if she would split an order of fettuccine and an order of Kusshi oysters.  She mentioned not loving mussels, but said ok.  Our waitress was fun.  She said we could go with all clams on the fettuccine for another $3.00 when the brought my Fat Tug IPA.  It was good medium hopped hazy IPA.   The six oysters were presented on the half shell over ice.  They were served with a slice of lemon, a bit of grated horse radish, and a small dollop of shrimp cocktail sauce each in a diminutive plate.  The Kusshi oysters are small and tasty, not at all chewy.  They were fabulous.  But the fettuccine with clams was a show stopper.  The pasta was served al dente, with a portion of steamed spinach, a bit of rosemary, and an olive/parmesan cheese/butter sauce.  The pasta was so very good and the clams were fresh and very tasty.  What a wonderful meal this was if you enjoy shell fish as we do.  The view over the patio of the inner harbor was great.  It was the meal that was momentous.  It brought me back to spaghetti con vongole in Sicilia.  It was that good.

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What is That?  It was Mexican Bulldog!

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Fettuccine with Clams Wonderfully Scrumptious

Where would we find the E&N Rail Trail?  We planned to walk back to Fort Victoria along the old rail right of way “just to see”.  Across the Johnson St. Bridge, three trails branch off.  One goes left along the inner harbor.  We had walked that one and knew it wasn’t the E&N Trail.  The left looked like it was or joined the Galloping Goose Trail to the north.  The center should be or lead to the E&N Rail Trail.  “Should”, how many times have I said “this should” or “That should be”.  Ellen tried to stop a cyclist to ask directions, no way a cyclist would stop.  A group of women said, “I think you’re on it.  This curves around to a bicycle shop and meets a trail there to the left”.  They were correct.  We found a sign for E&N  just past the cycle short fifteen minutes later.  The E&N trail “should” go right by Fort Victoria RV Resort.  Follow this trail and we should be home “in no time”.  No Time was an hour and a half.  We enjoy walking, though we’re out of shape.  We seldom walk more than a mile or so.

 

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The E&N Trail

The trail did not replace the E&N tracks.  Rather it is a bi-directional trail beside the tracks.  IT crosses a number of low traffic streets and a few heavily trafficked roads.  It runs through the length of Esquimalt runs between Esquimalt Nation and Songhees Nation and into the town of Royal View.  We walked a sidewalk through a TBD section of the trail in Esauimalt Nation and walked faster than traffic on the road was moving.  A bit later the trail turns left and becomes much more scenic and rural.  We saw a few spectacular homes on an inlet with a private dock in the distance.  There were many rabbits along the trail.  The E&N is a mishmash of a trail.  I’m hoping the galloping goose trail is more trail and less urban.  We may see later.

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The skies darkened as we walked.  Now and then a stray drop of rain fell, but we were comfortably cool and dry for most of the walk.  Toward the end the sky tried to rain, drops fell frequently, but never amounted to a rainfall.  We arrived “home” dry and happy to walk no further.

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Home

J E T S jets, jets, jets

Ellen is watching her game now.  I’d say happily, but the jets are not doing great.  That could change, “could”.

Today was a great day.  Sunshine helps.  We love to see rain, but please not every day.  OK?

9/15/2019 Elwha River Port Angeles, Day 5

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Fall in the Pacific North West

Why am I surprised that the sky is gray with clouds and intermittent often heavy rain.  The Olympic Peninsula is a rain forest after all. We may not be cycling today.  Not that we’ll melt, but there’s no reason to be uncomfortable, cold, or wet in the midst of beauty. The Strait of Juan de Fuca is gorgeous in good weather.  It can appear bleak and uninviting in cold wind driven rain.

With weather, anything is possible.  The sun could break through later today, though that is very unlikely.

Evenings, the temperature drops and the clouds open up.  We slept to the sound of heavy rain last night.  As the temperature warms in the morning, rain stops as the clouds store moisture and the promise of rain in the evening.  Plants benefit, we see vibrant green  everywhere. 

There is a burn ban in effect.  I expect it will lift soon.

Happy Wife, Happy…

It’s Football Sunday with NFL Sunday Ticket from DirecTV.  Cool. Search “Jets football” or “jets NFL’ on our guide and get no results!  WHAT?  Ok a Google search turns up Jets @ Browns Monday at 5:15, Monday Night Football.  Sunday Ticket only covers Sunday Football.  Why wouldn’t my search find Jets @ Bills in my lineup? Google search again for “Jets @ Bills” and up pops ESPN.  Tune into ESPN; I’m not subscribed to ESPN. 

DIRECTV offers three methods to solve this.  The first: Text upgrade to 223322.  Cool.  I do the text and get back a text stating, “DIRECTV MOBILE: go to DirecTV.com or call 1-800.531.5000, the other two on-screen methods.  Why even provide text to 332233 if it does absolutely nothing?  Probably for the money ATT makes charging for texts.  That SUCKS.   Go to DirecTV.com with tons of advertising for shows. Eventually I was routed to ATT.com, a maze of a website.  Method #2 is untenable.

Method #3: call.  The first thing you hear when ATT picks up is a sales pitch for NFL Sunday Ticket with extended instructions about how to subscribe, what to do to activate your subscription and on and on.  Such BS.  Using the voice recognition system I asked “upgrade ESPN” and was told “that package is unavailable”.  Typical of ATT.  I think they would have done better not to centralize ATT, ATT mobile, and DirecTV.  “Operator” and I was transferred to a live person who made ESPN happen for a few dollars more.

I cringe each time I want to make changes to my DirecTV account.   In any case ESPN is now available to me and “JETS @ BROWNS” is set to record tomorrow.  Ellen should be happy and happier if the JETS happen to win (an unusual occurrence).

CNN, Phase 10, Lazy Day – not.

Coffee this morning with the heat on briefly and a rookie mistake.  The heater cycles on, off, then stays off with no heat if LP is switched off.  ooops.  We finished last night’s phase 10 game and started another.   It was 10:45 when Ellen said, “Since the weather is bad and we’ll not bike today, let’s go to home depot in Victoria.  We can fix the drawer today.”  The next ferry to Victoria loads at 12:15. Black Ball said their reservations were full, they leave 20 slots open for arrivals without reservations, and we could go on standby if all slots are filled. “We have five slots open.”

We’ve never “broken camp” as quickly as we did that morning.  We took one of the last three RV slots.  Li’l Beast is rated a 24’ motorhome.  It is actually 25’ 6” long, but with the bicycles on back we measured out at 30’!  “UGE.   Port Angeles at sunrise is beautiful.  At mid day its commercial nature belies the area’s natural beauty.  The sound was socked in with nothing to see.  Victoria’s inner harbor was partly sunny.  A new marina was completed with a super yacht parked fronting a new hotel complex.  Each year there’s more construction here.

We were fourth off the boat and breezed through customs.

“Where do you live, how long will  you stay in Canada? Do you have firearms? Do you have beer? Do you have wine or spirits? Are you carrying bear spray?  Do you have marijuana products,”  

“One Beer, but it won’t last long (I had maybe 12).  Is marijuana legal in Canada?” 

“Yes it is legal in Canada, but you cannot bring any in.”  “Oh, Ok”

We called Salish RV Haven; no space available for tonight.  They recommended Fort Victoria RV Park.  They had availability, no reservation necessary.

Home Depot carries a variety of draw slides from 16” to 22”.  I took one of the slides with me, and found a strong 20” slide; the perfect length but maybe 1/2” wider than the original.  “Some Assembly Required” I thought.  The new sliders went in relatively easily with a bit of measuring, drilling, and screwing.  The sliders need a bit of lubrication, but they work.  

Fort Victoria RV Park

At 5:30 PM we drove a few miles to Fort Victoria for the night.   Fort Victoria sits right on the intersection of two bike trails.  Both are converted Railroad right of ways: the Galloping Goose Trail and the E&N Rail Trail.  Both run down to Victoria Harbor.   Though we could have, we chose not to unload the bikes this evening. 

We cooked a chicken meal in the convection oven, watched “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” and played two games of phase 10. Ellen won the last game.

Fort Victoria RV Park packs ‘em in.  The sites are level with full hookups.  Many have good satellite visibility.  For a single night sitting window to window with neighbors we no problem.  I’d rather not stay here as “home base” even if I didn’t know about Salish.  Salish’s location has such a wonderful view and easy access via water taxi to Victoria.  Why stay anywhere else?

Checkout is at 11AM.  “I wonder how early we can arrive at Salish”, Ellen asked.  We’ll find out.

Port Angeles to Victoria Ferries

The ferry schedule varies by season.  In winter, the ferry runs once every day.  In high season it runs four times daily.   For us the ferry departs Port Angeles at 8:15, 12:45, and 5:20.  The 9:30 PM ferry stops on September 3.  I recommend making ferry reservations well ahead of time.  We arrived for the 12:45 ferry at 10:20 AM and barely made it on.  Had we missed the 12:45 we would have been first in line for non-reservations on the 5:20 PM sailing; inconvenient, but doable.  If you miss the last ferry, you’ll be spending a night at Fort Victoria RV Park.

The ferry takes an hour and a half to make the crossing.  People rush upstairs to grab booth seating.  There are rows of seats in the bow, where we sat.  Even though we were relatively early on the boat, most booth seats were taken.  You’ll find food and drink aboard ship.  Ellen brought a tray of fried potato slices that were yummy.

RV Components are Cheap Cheap Cheap

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We’ve had issues with our Winnebago kitchen drawers flying open on moderate to sharp turns.  To solve this problem I had added a second 10 lb latch to the offending drawer.  That “fixed” the problem until today.  Taking a turn that particular drawer flew open and wouldn’t close properly.  I forced it closed and later discovered that the left side slider had failed (perhaps when the drawer flew open, more likely when I forced it shut).

Any Google search of RV slider failure will turn up numerous threads about replacing the slides.  “Any big box store should have what you need”.  So I have a repair job ahead.

The nearest home depot to Elwha Dam is in Sequim, 22 miles away: not happening.  There are two home depots near Victoria!  One is  km from downtown.  Aside from working in a cramped space, this should be easy.  I only hope I can find a drawer latch that works.

Last year’s plumbing fix appears to be holding just fine.  There’s no leak under the kitchen sink.  The line to the shower head has broken even though we have never used it.  I have a replacement from Camping World that I’ll install at Home Depot Victoria as well.

Friends ask/mention/suggest that we rent our RV to friends.  I am inclined not to do it.  I make repairs on Li’l Beast when the failure happens. The repairs I’ve made have been relatively easy,  If a repair is delayed, the could be secondary failures or additional problems.  A leak not fixed leads to water damage and rot over time.  If the drawer is not repaired, both the drawer and the enclosure could go out of square. Both are built of weak materials arguably to reduce weight (yeah, right).

I mentioned that the ‘fridge failed to run on propane when we stopped at Hama Hama Seafood.  It turns out that “error” latches, meaning a simple ‘fridge power off & on clears the latched error and all is well.  Who makes a device like that?  RV suppliers do.

With the temperature dropping I doubt I’ll see the ‘fridge fan making a racket again on this trip.

One last gripe.  The upholstery in the cab is wearing.  It is scaling off at the seams.  In Jackson Wy, a woman, a Winnebago View owner, asked how I liked the View.  I said I liked it just fine.  She unloaded on me about the poor quality of the seat material and that it was coming apart.  They had contacted Winnebago and expected the company to replace their seat upholstery.  Mine was in good condition then.  It isn’t now.  I’’ll be contacting Winnebago soon.

Ha, Ellen just dropped a portion of Ice cream on me.  We “discovered” Talenti Gelato Layers  Dark Chocolate Cherry and is it wonderful.  It is by far the best store bought ice cream in a container I’ve ever had.  (I’ll end on a high note)

 

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Gone Baby, Gone

9/14/2019 Elhwa River Port Angeles, Day 4

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Mt Shasta, Day 1.

 

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Mango Salad Lunch, Day 2.

 

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Muted Sunset, Day 3.

 

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Barrel Sauna, Toutle River RV Resort, Nice.

 

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Very Hot and Relaxing Last Night, Day 3.

 

Some Early Morning Rambling, Day 4

“Alexa, play NPR”, is our morning mantra when we’re home.  On the road we’ve done without.  This morning I thought, “humm,  Siri?”  and said, “Hey Siri, Play NPR”.  Will this work?  Seconds later on came NPR.  GREAT, our morning ritual survives.

This morning and for the first time this trip, the temperature in Li’l Beast is a cool 64 F. The sky is overcast, the grass is vibrant green.  On longer trips we settle into a rhythm of activity in the morning and evening that makes life in a confined space easy.  We’ve not hit stride yet; we’re close.  We still fumble with what goes where and avoiding clutter.  The noisy ‘fridge fan has been quiet for days.  I’ve ordered a replacement thermistor that Amazon will ship to a rite-aid in Anacortes.  I’ll pick it up there.  Amazon has established “Amazon Lockers” worldwide that are places they will ship to for later pickup.  I love the way forward thinking companies anticipate and fill needs.  I’m freed from Camping World and Walmart for parts on the road.  This is ‘UGE.  I would have shipped to Anacortes, but Amazon’s delivery date was the day we will leave for Victoria.  With a quiet fan we can wait.

This year we’re skipping a Seattle/Whidbey Island visit.  To avoid weather in the Rockies, we cannot spend a few days or a week visiting friends.  Whidbey Island is quaint and well worth an extended visit.  Clamming or crabbing is fun; seafood right out of the ocean?  Scrumptious.  Perhaps we’ll have similar experiences in the San Juan Islands.

Some days we have a long drive, though I prefer to plan numerous short hops.  Today is an intermediate day with about 2:30 drive time.  I look forward to exploring Port Angeles and surrounding.  The last time we came through we awoke early to catch the ferry for Victoria and spent zero time on the Olympic Peninsula.  The allure of the Olympic Discovery Trail was enough for us to schedule a two day stop over before moving on to Victoria and Salish Seaside RV Haven. 

A quick note about Salish Seaside RV Haven and reservations in general.  We happened to find Salish the last time we visited Victoria.  The RV Haven has spectacular views of Victoria over the sea plane landing strip on the ocean there.  When we travel in September and October we seldom make reservations ahead of time.  Typically camping sites have availability in the fall.  Because Salish is so well situated, I made reservations well ahead of time.  As it turns out early September is still popular for RV’ers in Washington and the San Juans.  Mt St Helens KOA, one of our “go to” sites, was booked.  My first choice in Port Angeles had no availability for us; I booked the last site at my 2nd choice!  It is clear that there would be no availability at Salish had I waited. With availability so tight, we may be dry camping in the San Juans.  I may have call Lake Louise and Glacier National Park well ahead of our arrival or it could be a non-issue later in September.  We had not difficulty without reservations in  Yellowstone last year.  I’m not concerned, though it is more comfortable glamping than stopping at some random  roadside pullout (something that’s not possible  in national parks).  

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We’re getting a late start today after lazing about with NPR and “wait wait”, Nespresso, and breakfast.  Clearly we’re not in a rush today.

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Highway 101, Washington State

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Overlooking the Hood Canal

Hood Canal, Washington

We left Toutle River RV Resort at 11:10 AM.  We said bye to the Sauna, the River, and CC (our friendly site manager) and headed north on I-5 toward Tacoma and Seattle.  A few miles south of Tacoma we veered north west on 101.   This brought us to the west side of the hood canal before skirting along the Straits of Juan de Fuca which divides the U.S. and Canada.

At noon we stopped at the Hood Canal Market, Hoodsport Washington to get groceries.  The last loaf of French bread and sliced cold cuts from the deli made a good sandwich: roast beef for me, turkey for Ellen.  We did get assorted peppers and some frozen veggies to use when we get lazy with dinner and some other staples.

 

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Hama Hama Seafood, Established 1922

Maybe fifteen miles later we cruised by Hama Hama Seafood. “Do you want to stop?”, as we whizzed by.  “Oh, I don’t know” “Fresh steamed clams?”  I U-turned and we went right back.  The fridge was not happy running on propane.  I went into the restaurant as Ellen waited for the fridge to purge the propane line and operate normally.

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Beer’s To Ya

I walked into the retail shop first “on” mistake (I hate the way that phrase changed in the past 20 years, but that’s a rant for another time).  They had a good selection of fresh oysters in a water bath and a few Manila clams.  In frustration I walked out and into the outdoor restaurant which was buzzing.  I ordered a pound of steamers and an IPA.  The IPA came immediately along with number 70 on a stick.  Number 70 and I found a seat and watched the race: Ellen vs clams.  Ellen won and a pot of steamed clams arrived shortly after.  They were good and the first steamed clams we’ve had in 2019.  Had we not eaten those sandwiches, we would have ordered oysters and more.  We left comfortably sated.

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Hama Hama was Packed

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Heat on Our Backs was Very Welcome

The drive along the hood canal is a two lane road, one lane in each direction with turnouts for slow traffic.  By law a slow driver must turnout when four or more people have been inconvenienced.  I turned out a few times for one or two cars, but never felt pushed and usually had nobody behind.  The drive is curvaceous, but not uncomfortably so at speeds between 40 and 55 mph.  Driving along the Hood Canal is picturesque.  I wonder what real estate prices are.  It’s not easily accessible from Seattle; the ferry runs to Port Townsend tens of miles to the north. 

As we passed the  turnoff to Port Townsend, traffic picked up for a while then settled down again.  Driving along the north side of the Olympic Peninsula on 101 is not nearly as beautiful as  the Hood Canal.  The road sits back from the water.  We had only seen Port Angeles from the ferry terminal at sunrise.  Port Angeles was a surprise. It is industrially commercial and not a wonderful place to visit IMO.  We drove through “to see” and were happy to come out the other end and off to Elhwa Dam RV Resort.

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Elhwa Dam RV Resort’s Garden

Elhwa Dam RV Resort

The first impression driving into the resort was disappointing.  Spaces seem close together and the “resort” seems small, because it is small.  I had called ahead and could chose between a narrow full hookup and a water and electric only site.  We switched to the water and electric only site and I’m glad we did.  We had to use leveling blocks for side to side comfort. Front to back was perfect.  We have clear sat reception.  A bonus: Elhwa Dam RV Resort has an organic garden that we can pick from.  I ate a few strawberries.  Ellen found a raspberry.  We’ve picked zucchini blossoms, a tomato, and lettuce for dinner.

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Too Bad They’re Not Ripe

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A Gardening Marvel

The garden features a small solar array that power pumps.  Water is pumped from a large fish tank, through 3” PVC Pipes, through a large filter, and back to the fish tank.  The fish poo provides fertilizer for the plans.  The large 3” pipes are full of water flowing past the plant roots.  To fully close the loop the fish would have to live on some part of the plant life.  As it is they’re fed goldfish food.  It’s a very competently designed system that shows evolution over time.

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Picked from Elhwa Dam’s Garden

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What’s for Dinner Tonight?

Ellen just roasted a few zucchini blossoms to finish off our vegetarian meal.  Though they shriveled up (not being breaded), they were yummy.

With our late arrival, we’ll keep the bikes under wraps and see what tomorrow brings weather wise.  The forecast is for rain for the next few days. 

Siren Call

Interestingly, this is a trip to Glacier National Park and Yellowstone.  Yet, here we are headed to Victoria and the San Juan Islands.  We are very fortunate to have both the time and ability to meander as we are.  I love visiting Washington State and British Columbia.  I love the ocean.  The promise of the sea: oysters, clams, crab, and fresh fish.  It beckons to us.  We shall succumb.

9/13/2019 Castle Rock, Day 3

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Toutle River RV Resort

We’re camped along RR tracks. While watching Suits last night a huge train went by.  It started as a low clicking sound and grew to a crescendo.  Ellen jumped up, “that’s not a train”.  A heavy downpour had started.  We battened down The Beast and swabbed the decks.  In our RV travels over the past two years we very seldom had mist or rain.  This was a deluge!   Good stuff.

Overnight the rain abated and started afresh around 6 AM.  Visibility is poor.  it’s not the best day to be going up Mt St Helens.  Do we push on or stay?

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Cog Moose, On The Road Again

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Toutle River with 60’ of debris filling the valley floor!

We had a leisurely morning the drove SR 504 to the three Mt St Helens visitors centers.  Each center focuses on a different aspect of the eruption with different movies playing on a loop.  The extent of the mud and ash flow in the Toutle Valley is jaw dropping.  The sludge that ran down the Toutle River ran all the way to the Columbia.   The Columbia River’s shipping lane filled with mud, ash, and trees; closed; and had to be dredged.

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Numerous Bridges cross Toutle River’s Tributaries

The sides of the Toutle Valley was replanted in the 80’s.  The Noble Fir on the south facing slopes and the Douglas Firs on the north facing slopes have grown tall.  They stand in startling uniformity of shape and size.

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A Successful Male and some of his Harem.

At one scenic view appropriately named Elk Rock, a couple shared their binoculars to view some elk in the valley.  One, two, three, a baby nursing, a male with a huge rack, Elk kept appearing.  Clearly this was one harem.  Then atop the ridge another group strolled out of cover; another twenty or so.  Then a third harem.  There must have been close to 50 elk, two separate groups, in close proximity.  Even at this distance the male’s trumpet sounded crisp and clear; a warning to other males or a call to his girls to move?

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I’ve Never Seen so many Elk Together (long distance shot, no tripod)

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One Hungry Baby Elk

To the right of the Elk a lone blazing white mountain goat broke cover and ran across the ridge.

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Mt St Helens Crater Obscured by Clouds

Clouds obscured Mt St Helen’s crater as shadows played across the valley.   What we could see of the mountain was desolate, barren, uninviting.   As with Mt Vesuvius, the sheer amount of material blown from the mountain top is staggering.  I’ve visited the Toutle River valley a few times and each time I feel renewed respect for the sheer power of nature and volcanoes in particular.  The extent of the devastation in the 1980’s explosion is hard to grasp without actually looking over the valley and realizing it is filled with between 30 and 60 feet of debris that extends all the way to the Columbia River and that the ash traveled hundreds of miles and blanketed regions in ash. 

The drive back to Castle Rock went quickly.  We skipped the gas/restaurant/gift shop area east of I-5 and drove into the old town to walk the streets and find a bite to eat.  Castle Rock is a small town.  I was told it was lively before the eruption and that it is slowly coming back.  We walked the eight blocks of “downtown”.  Failing to find a restaurant per se, we stopped in “The Vault” a coffee shop housed in what once was a bank.  I mentioned that we had not found a place to eat.  “I’m just here getting a coffee.  You should try Wine Dog Down across the street.  I’m headed back there.  We serve pizza on flatbread, salads, and wine.  It’s good.”

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Great People & Great Food

Across the street group of loud revelers sat in the Crosscut Taproom’s window.  Just next door, Wine Dog Down was welcoming and quiet.   The restaurant was nearly empty; we took the table by the window.  James brought out a menu, then launched into a description of a new pizza he is trying:  naan flatbread with olive oil, some garlic, parmesan  and mozzarella cheese, and blueberries.  I had their take on a Margherita  pizza with balsamic reduction and a glass of chardonnay.  Ellen steers clear of garlic; I thought for sure she’d share the pizza.  Truly Surprising, Ellen opted for James’ new creation.

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My Margherita Pizza Disappeared in a Flash

My pizza and wine was very good.  James gets his naan bread fresh daily from the bakery next door.  It sets the pizza off.  Ellen’s blueberry pizza was spectacular.  “How did you like the pizza?”  We talked for a while with James about pizza, ingredients, dough, Mt St Helens.  He said he was 8 years old when the mountain erupted.  He could see the cloud from his home between Tacoma and Seattle!  Everyone locally knows where they were the day it happened.  Castle Rock is not a culinary wasteland.  The owner of The Oasis, a bar, is planning to expand opening a restaurant next door and there are two bars and Crosscut that serve good food as well.

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Blueberry Pizza, YUM!

Nice that there was less shouting on Bill Maher’s show tonight.  This month’s political trope is will the democrats go centrist or go “far left”.  There is no agreement between the two sides.  The possibility of a stalemate in the democratic convention and the selection of a “safe” candidate like Amy Klobuchar could be victorious.

We took a sauna this evening; sauna in a barrel, truly.  The dry heat is relaxing even refreshing up to a point.  A cold shower to finish off = perfect.

Off to Port Angeles and the Olympic Discovery Trail. ODT is a railroad right of way that’s been converted into a bicycle path.  It is 35 miles long and runs (mostly) along the north rim of the Olympic Peninsula.  We’ll be staying at an RV Park practically on the OTD.  Weather could be an issue.  Rain is in the forecast.

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Best Photo of the Day

 

In retrospect today was all about Elk, Food, Good People, Barrel Sauna, and Nature’s Brute Power.  Off to the Olympic Peninsula for some cycling tomorrow.

9/11/2019 Redding to Ashland, Day 1

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Day 1, Our First Full Day on the Road

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Allen Elizabeth Theater, Ashland Oregon

On 9/10 we left late, drove to Redding, and stayed at the Marina RV Park in Redding.  We’d stayed there last year.  Nothing has changed it was just as expected.  On the way we passed Shasta Lake, snowcapped Mt. Shasta, Shasta Caverns, and  a bit further on, “The Crags”.  Sometime next year we will visit the Mt Shasta region for a few weeks.

We had hoped to make it to Ashland on 9/10 even with our late start.  It is much more fun to stop early and enjoy sundown once we’ve settled in.

The Yreka WallyWorld had a cheap sleeping bag, we’ll use it and not make the bed daily. It’s a short 50 miles further to Emigrant Lake just south of Ashland.  We took a “full hookup” site overlooking the lake. Last year we drove Li’l Beast into downtown Ashland.  That was a mistake; there is no RV parking to be found in the city.  Uber is available and would pick us up at the Lake!  Cool.

Unusual for Ellen, she wanted to relax and rest for  “a while” before going in town.  “What’s available to do in Ashland today”, she asked. I found that the Oregon Shakespeare Festival was staging Macbeth this evening.  Cool.  Each time we’ve driven through Ashland the festival was over.

We lounged.  I read some of a mystery I “borrowed” yesterday.  Time passed lazily.  The first Uber driver messaged to say he was headed to the airport and would be very late.  Our second uber driver took us right to the Starbucks downtown. “Oh yes,, Macbeth and two others are playing tonight.  The ticket office is just up the street there to the left across from the outdoor amphitheater. Macbeth is playing in the outdoor theater, just past the one you see there.” 

Do we see a play tonight?  I had seen ticket prices ranging from $55 to $155.  “Let’s see what’s available”  Once we found our way, the ticket office’s open door was obvious.  Inside stood a small maze to guide people to the three ticket windows on the right.  The maze was empty.  The three people issuing tickets were sitting at their windows with no customers.  However to our left was a long bench with a number of people patiently waiting, but clearly not in line for tickets.  This was very strange; a line that was not a line!  What’s up?  The center ticket guy motioned to us.

“What are these people waiting for?  They are clearly not in line.”  “Oh, they’re waiting for rush to open.  Sometimes if we don’t sell out a performance, we put the remaining tickets on sale at $40.00.  You could wind up with a $155 seat for $40.  They are waiting for rush to open at 7:00.”   “Is this performance outdoors? Will we be sitting on stone?”  “Yes it is outdoors, but you’ll be sitting on regular seats, There are blankets available for a fee, a concession area, and you can bring your drinks to your seats.”  

In the “rush group” a couple beside us were from Marin, another from Walnut Creek, and a woman who had dropped her daughter off for college was from San Mateo.  The Walnut Creek couple hoped for tickets to “The Cambodian Rock Band”.  Though sold out, two tickets became available, but were snapped up.

We walked out at 7:00 with our 2nd row balcony seats, ate a rushed meal at Umami Sushi, and headed back to find the outdoor theater. The “outdoor theater” is more truly an open air theater.  It is a crescent of seating facing a stage that fills in the crescent. It is fully enclosed though open to the sky.  Blankets and cushions in hand we walked up to balcony seating.  An usher with a wide grin said, “Stop!”.  When someone says stop, we stop.  She pointed through a stand of trees to our right, “Look, isn’t it beautiful”.   There was the 3/4 moon rising through the trees.  We grinned back.  “We often marvel at the beauty of sunsets and the moon.” 

Macbeth was well done, though long at 3 hours running.  Our blankets kept us warm.  Most interesting, aside from the play itself, historically the play was first performed in 1606!   A year after the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to blow up parliament and King James I.  Hamlet brought to mind Game Of Thrones.  There is lots of mayhem with few of the principals surviving.

An Uber picked us up at the Starbucks a few minutes after we left the theater and took us right to Li’l Beast.  We were comfortably home for the night.

Home Again

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We arrived home a few days ago.  We found Budget at the Frankfurt Airport, drove in, and presented our paperwork to the attendant.  Germans are sticklers for procedure and records.  Apparently, the Czechs view procedure as an inconvenience. 

Life has a way of catching up after a month’s travel with “no responsibility”.

With more time to write, I’ll rejoin our travel retrospective soon ( I hope ).

In the mean while, I leave you with this thought…

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