Day 67: Along the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington

We had a relaxing Saturday at Salt Creek.   After a late breakfast, we hiked part of the trail up to Striped Peak, a trail which went through the ferns, moss, and very tall cedars that are typical of western Washington.  Later in the day, we walked along the path that followed the cliffs, looking for shore birds.  The fog moved in during late afternoon, dropping the temperature, so the early campfire felt quite good. I had put beef and veggies in the crockpot, so we had an easy dinner and retreated to the warmth of the RV. 

We now have neighbors on either side of us: the couple who are going to be campground hosts are still to our left, while a couple from southern California moved in on the right.  The campground has been busy all day, with kids on their bikes, people mingling, and a large church group picnicking in the pavilion.  Deer seem to be quite tame, hanging out in the big field across the road.  There have been kids in the same field, racing their remote-control car, which seems to make Ranger crazy and wild.   Lots of stimulation for him at this park!  I hope he sleeps well tonight. 

Day 66: North Olympic Peninsula

The day began with uncertainty but ended well.

We knew we wanted to head up toward Olympic National Park, the northwest corner of Washington, but I had tried to find a site at a state park in that area and all the sites had been reserved. This being the last summer weekend before Labor Day, I guess many people were getting in one more mini-vacation.  I was sure, however, that we could find some place to stay.

I had assumed we would follow I-5 down through Seattle and Tacoma, then wind our way up Route 101 toward Port Angeles.  When we checked the GPS, however, it said it was only a bit over 100 miles to Port Angeles, with part of the route on a ferry.  Of course---we could cut straight across from east to west!  So we backtracked north on I-5, went over the bridge onto Whidby Island, and drove to the town of Coupeville where there is a ferry slip.

I had not planned on this route so I had not made reservations.  When we drove up, the ferry attendant, upon hearing that we did not have reservations, said “Uh-oh”.  She had us park to the side while cars and trucks loaded onto the 10:15 ferry.  There was not room for us on that one, but we did get on the 11:00 one.  While waiting, Ranger got a good walk along the beach and I had some breakfast.

The ferry crossing to Port Townsend might have provided some great views, but there was fog almost the whole way.  The town of Port Townsend looked worth exploring, but I was focused on getting to a local park near Port Angeles for which only half the sites could be reserved, figuring that if we arrived early afternoon on a Friday, we might get one of the non-reservable ones.

And indeed we did, though when we arrived around 1:30, there were only two (out of 92) available.  So for the next two nights we will be at Salt Creek Recreation Area, a Clallam County park.  The site is in an open grassy area with neighbors close by, but the field is terraced, we are at the top, and we are able to look out over the Strait of Juan de Fuca….which was covered in fog for most of the afternoon while it was sunny at our campsite.

The park is very nice.  Ranger and I explored a bit and found that there is a walking path all along the cliffs above the water, with metal steps leading down to the rocks below in several places.  Once down, you can walk along the rocks and look in the tide pools.  There are also several hiking trails to viewpoints which we will try out tomorrow.

Ranger is still a bit leery of the many foghorns he is hearing.  When the fog lifted some in late afternoon, we could see far out (though not clear enough to see the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island) and we watched  a cruise ship head past.  The signs along the cliff indicate that one can see seals and whales from here, so maybe we will spot them tomorrow. 

Our close-by neighbor, about 12 feet to our right, is here to take over as campground host after this weekend.  Dan talked to him for a long time and got some tips on Dutch oven cooking over a campfire.  Bill was trying out a new recipe for Mountain Dew chicken and he gave us a sample----delicious! 

We had a campfire and Dan cooked brats for dinner on it.  We headed in fairly early: once the sun went down, the temperature dropped.  

A few photos from our hiking at Whistler Mountain

Day 65: Back in the USA

We followed the Sea-to-Sky Highway, Rte. 99, south from Whistler, through Squamish, to Horseshoe Bay on the outskirts of Vancouver.  It was a beautiful ride, with soaring mountains, and starting at Squamish, views of the turquoise Howe Sound.  Kelly had warned that Vancouver was a tough city to drive through, and indeed, we missed a turn and ended up on a different route, just trusting the GPS to get us over the border.  We ended up on a Rte 15 which was not evident on the GPS (except by a street name) or on any map, but the signs kept saying “US Border” so we kept going.

Whatever border crossing we went through….never again!  The electronic boards indicated a 40-minute wait in line.  Our wait was well over an hour, and then we were sent over to a parking lot for further inspection.  We had to put Ranger in a dog kennel that looked like a concrete jail cell, then go into a building to fill out more forms, then sit on a bench while an inspector went through the RV, checking the refrigerator and storage areas for any items that would not be allowed in.  He ended up confiscating the tomatoes, lemon, orange, and peppers before we were allowed to proceed…after almost two hours.

On our way again, south on I-5 we stopped for the night north of Seattle at Wenberg County Park (previously Wenberg State Park) on the shores of a large lake (Lake Goodwin?).  The area is densely populated with lake cottages and homes all along the shore, with this tiny park saving a little piece of natural space.  It is actually a nice park and will be fine for one night’s stay.

We have no reservations for the coming weekend, and my online search for spaces in state parks found nothing available, so the next few days will be “an adventure”.  

Day 64: Ascending the Mountain at Whistler

What a perfect day----time spent with Kelly and Michael, beautiful scenery, and hiking, all in one!

After breakfast, the four of us went into town to catch the gondola up the mountain.  While the gondola and chair lifts are used during the winter for skiers to get up the mountain, in the summer they are used for hikers, mountain bikers, and sightseers.  At the first stop on the way up, there was a restaurant and area for viewing, and we hiked the Spearhead Walk, about ¾ of a mile with incredible scenery.

From there, we boarded an open chair lift to continue the trip up Whistler Mountain.  It was very cool (glad I had a fleece pullover plus warm vest), with some patches of snow at the top.  Again, we set off on a short hike, the Whistler Summit Interpretive Trail----and of course took lots of photos along the way, which I will not be able to post today but will put up later.

Back down the chair lift, returning to Roundhouse Lodge, we had a good lunch, then got on the Peak-to-Peak gondola.  It is what it sounds like: a ride between Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain, dangling from a wire WAY above the ground.  When we got off, we took one more short hike, the Alpine Walk, another mile with beautiful views. 

Then a final ride down the mountain, ending up in Upper Village, and a walk back to the car.

 Dan grilled dinner, and we relaxed and talked well into the evening.  I was sorry to see them leave, heading for their hotel, but I was exhausted from our busy day.  They will be in the Vancouver area for a few more days before flying back to Alabama, and we will leave tomorrow to re-enter the US.

Day 63: Whistler (continued)

What a nice day, visiting with Kelly and Michael!  They had flown to Vancouver for the wedding of a friend of Kelly, and they rented a car and drove up to Whistler, arriving around lunchtime.  We had a snack, then walked into town to tour a bit.  Coming back to the campground, we took the Lost Lake trail which made for a good walk.   A few beers, good conversation, and dinner that included fresh sweet corn that Kelly had picked up on the way up----altogether a most enjoyable time!

Day 62: Whistler

Ranger and I met a bear first thing in the morning.  We were about thirty minutes along in our walk, heading back to the RV on the major bike trail in the area, and coming around a curve, there he was.  A large black bear, just walking along the bike trail toward us.  We crossed to the far side of the frontage road and waited for him to pass.  I told Ranger, “Leave it!” and hoped that he would not bark or lunge at the bear.  For once, he obeyed, and sat next to me, just watching the bear go by.  I kept talking to Ranger, to let the bear know where we were and not surprise him.  Meanwhile, a jogger had come from the other direction and saw the bear from her side, and she too stopped. The bear ignored her as well, and just went on his way.  I was so focused on keeping Ranger quiet that it didn’t even occur to me to snap a picture; I did have my camera in my pocket.

After breakfast, we caught the campground’s shuttle into the town of Whistler.  On the map, it looked like a total maze---no grid pattern to these streets, but rather swirls and curves.   Getting off the shuttle near the gondola up the mountain, we picked up information about that option for the day, but it would have required some advance planning (for the dog and for appropriate clothing) so we figured we would do that tomorrow.  Meanwhile, we strolled through the pedestrian mall of the town.

There are dozens of big, fancy hotels, and I’m guessing that they all fill during the ski season.  In summer, the town was still very busy, but mostly with young people who are into extreme biking.  At the base of the mountain and going up it quite a way is a mountain bike challenge course where the rider goes up on the ski lift to the top (with bikes on the next lift “seat”) and rides down, around all sorts of hills and jumps.  We stopped in a bike shop to get lubricant for our chains (which have been coated with dust and dirt several times along the way) and the shop sold all sorts of accessories for such an activity.

Aside from the many hotels, the town has lots of upscale shops to browse and restaurants.  It was all a bit overwhelming!  We managed to wind our way through the “marketplace” that is part of the section of town built for the Olympics and find the bike path (Valley Trail) that leads back to the campground.  It was about a 25 or 30 minute walk back.

I caught up on laundry and ended up spending much of the afternoon on the internet, trying to figure a route from here for the coming week.  I was getting concerned about where we might end up on Labor Day weekend when many of the parks will be full.  I was able, after much time and frustration, to get us a reservation at a state park in eastern Washington, so in the coming week, we’ll be hanging out in Washington and northern Oregon.