Stop 36: Kikomun Creek PP, BC

The plan was to awake at 6 to get a jump on the day, but I couldn't bring myself to actually set an alarm. As it was, I woke a few minutes after, so I was ready to get up when Sharon woke, and we hit the road.

We ate breakfast at a closed trailhead overlooking a river. The trail started by crossing the river by a waterfall, but the bridge is gone, we were happy with just the river.

Our next stop was overlooking Columbia Lake, the source of the Columbia River that separates Oregon and Washington. The road followed the Kootenay River, not the Columbia.

We stopped at the Visitor Center in Cranbrook BC for their free WiFi so Sharon could login for work. I also used their wifi to put a hold on the third Armand Gamache in mp3 format from the Jacksonville Library, and download the fourth. Louise Penny is the author of the murder mystery series, and her characters are so fully written that after listening to the first two, we can't imagine skipping an episode in so many lives. We visited Forks WA in passing on the Olympic Peninsula, locale for the Twilight books/movies; if Three Pines Quebec existed it would be fun to drive through.

The Cranbrook Visitor Center got us interested in the bike trails in the area. After a bit, we started on a Rails to Trail, but found a mountain bike trail off to one side. How could we resist? We rode up for 2+ miles, switchbacking up the side of unending forest to another trailhead, before we coasted all the way back down.

But Cranbrook was too big, so we continued on our route to Glacier National, and Sharon found Kikomun Creek Provincial Park on AllStays because it had showers. So we spent one more night in Canada.

The park is big, but expensive (but it has showers!) and our site is big enough to be somewhat private, and an easy walk to the Free Hot Showers! It turns out that the park is big on their woodland turtles, and turtle logos are all over. And there are a bunch of lakes around the park. If we stayed more than a night the SUPs would be out.

But the goal is to get a site in Glacier through the weekend. Sharon aims high.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/n1t6XcWs9Hju7ze96

Stop 35: Banff NP

Tuesday morning, and time to find a new campsite, hopefully in Banff NP. Waterfowl CG and Mosquito Creek are two that don't require reservations.

Thankfully the overnight snow didn't stick to the roads, or the ground near us. The mountains around us had a healthy dusting. As we drove South the snow line dropped closer to the road and soon we were in a snowstorm. The road was wet, but not freezing. Throughout the day we enjoyed flurries, though the accompanying cold wasn't enjoyed quite as much. June 26th, 30s and 40s, light snow, definitely a Rocky Mountain experience.

We skipped Waterfowl CG as we drove South, putting our faith in the smaller and farther south campground. And our faith was rewarded with 3 sites to choose from, one beside the river. We paid, put our tag on the site post, and then continued on down the road.

To Lake Louise, where we refueled, bought a sticker, and visited the Lake. The biggest issue we had in Jasper were the crowds. Lake Louise brought back those feelings, and the desire to just get away. It's why we want to avoid Yellowstone, reminiscent of Yogi Berra's line, "Nobody goes there, it's too busy."

Instead, we headed to Banff for groceries. Alas, Banff is farther away than Sharon thought, so we got to listen to Louise Penny's second book for an extra hour. But Banff seemed as touristy as Lake Louise, and the IGA was probably no better than the grocery store we skipped in LL. All the cars with Alberta and British Columbia license plates and look new are likely all rentals, driven by people who don't know the area, nor how to drive on twisty roads, or even how passing lanes work. Regardless, we had groceries and fuel and we got through it all without incident.

Back at Mosquito Creek, we lit out for a hike. Unlike Beauty Creek, the Mosquito Creek trail was inland and quickly above the river, through the woods. It was a pleasant hike, even mountain bike-able after the initial climb, but we've become a bit jaded on our hikes, obviously. Maybe I need a week of hiking the trails of Hanna Park to re-calibrate my antennae.

Sharon cooked a delicious dinner over the Coleman stove as we listened to the book. For the second night we slid into our sleeping bags, which should keep us warm in sub-freezing temps. It's easier to be prepared than to be cold.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/MvgTkuDdHKUxwaoK8

Stop 34: Jasper NP

Two years ago, we had lots of vold, rain, and low clouds as we drove through the Jasper Banff Lake Louise Waterton Lakes corridor. We spent a hard night in Glacier before driving the Rode to the Sun with snow and heavy fog. Sharon wants a do-over.

We're planning on being in Missoula on the Fourth of July in 13 days, so we drove 8 hours to get to Jasper today. Sharon drove the first few hours, through traffic reminiscent of Seattle, while the only stop and go I got was construction zones and getting into Jasper NP and the campground. An overcast day, the high winds predicted didn't materialize for us, and the rain was much less for us than predicted.

Whistler CG is the largest campground I've ever been in. It has 768 sites. We are in site 19A. 19 is actually a loop of 16 sites, A through O. Every site number is really a separate little campground, all 73. But with only one free water source, next to the waste center. (There are sites with water and electricity, but only with reservations.) In the rain, it doesn't seem as big.

Kinda cool, a bunch of elk were sampling the grass by our campsite at dusk. Sharon went out to the bathroom and noticed she had to walk around elk. We were warned at check-in that it's birthing season for them and they can be much more aggressive.

Day 2

We woke late, probably because it's our first morning in Mountain Time Zone, and 7am is still 6am at some level. After scrambled eggs with the rest of the asparagus Sharon picked up at the farm stand when we entered Canada, yum, we headed to Maligne Valley for, supposedly, some of the best scenery in the park.

The Bridges were first. A hike along a river. There are six bridges crossing the river, and the walks are defined by how many you cross (bridges 5 & 6 are miles below the first 4). The parking lot wasn't full, except for the tour bus area. We started off with a look and see attitude (the buses disgorge so many people at once!), which quickly disappeared as we got away from the tour groups and were captivated by the twists and turns and dips and falls the glacial melt chose, carving out a route through the granite. Needless to say we took far too many images, and I was happy to let my Pixel take its animation images. We ended up with a 1+ mile descent along the river and a steep climb and longer hike back.

Coming back to the lot, it was overflowing with vehicles. I think we could have sold our space, but we open sourced it and managed to avoid the space hunters getting out of the bedlam.

Then we drove to the end of the valley, enjoying the scenery. We went slowly, in a long line of vehicles down a fundamentally dead end road (or cul de sac, in the spirit of Canada's bilingualism).  When someone saw a bear in the woods, the line stopped, and everyone behind them waited while they took pictures. Some pulled over to make it easier for traffic to pass, but then a passer would stop for a picture, too. It became quite frustrating. <rant on>Black bears are photographically featureless blobs to all but the best quality lenses and cameras at any safe distance, but hope springs eternal for some, and think their attempts to negate science are worth pissing off the 50+ people waiting for their channelling of John Muir in a tin can to be satisfied. <rant off>

We finally arrived at the lake at the end of the valley, parked, walked around, bought a Jasper sticker for Ernie, but the ambience was so busy crazy we gave up our space and headed back for a less hectic place. Our problem is, we don't like crowds. The more people there are at a site, the less appealing it is. The lake might have a beautiful path that we might enjoy, but alas, the teeming mass of humanity makes us want to flee for calmer places.

We stopped at a parking lot by the river for lunch. It had picnic tables and rocks along the river edge, and only a couple cars in the lot. Perfect. Then a huge bus pulled in, made a U-turn, and disgorged a horde of Road Scholars, each with their own Bag Lunch from the lower areas of the bus. We found a shore-rock apart from the others, looking over the river charging downstream, had a delicious lunch of PB&J and cherries, and ignored everyone upstream.

We stopped again for a random trailhead for a hike. It turned out there was a Park crew working on the trail. We got a ways, and we could appreciate the attempts they had done so far, but the river had taken over the trail for a football field or more, and neither of us really wanted to walk upstream in water often ankle deep, so that hike didn't happen.

Returning to the campsite, a delightful repast with elk in the campground before, during, and after. It seems the foliage is very tasty, and the elk are pretty blasé about people and cars. We had two fawns walk by our campsite with their moms, and perhaps daddy with velvet on his growing horns. Down the road a few yards was another fawn, perhaps with the collar-tagged doe we saw in the morning, this time beside the fawn. Are we camping in a daytime soap opera?

Day 3

The day started at a more normal time, 6am, and after some granola and smoothie, we left Whistlers campground and returned to Lake Edith for cycling and hiking and paddling. But the gate was closed! Once open, we hiked around Lake Annette, enjoying the mountain views reflected in every direction.

Next up was a bike ride, but my energy level was near zero, so I rested while Sharon explored Lake Edith. Then, another journey, this one to Meitt Hot Springs. We live a charmed life, we found a bus-sized space just below the entrance, pretty much as good as you could get. For $10 we both got lockers and access to a set of pools, the hottest about as warm as Club Shea's in August. It felt good, and Sharon found a jet that (after she shared) felt wonderful on my lower back.

Showered and relaxed, we pointed Ernie to our new campground, Wabasso, a few clicks past our old one, Whistler. (When we arrived Thursday I wanted to reserve 3 days, so we wouldn't have to look for camping on Saturday. Friday morning Sharon stopped to get this reservation. It made Saturday so less stressful.) This campground doesn't have the elk, it has bear issues, according to the ranger. But we're in luck! Our neighbors are so loud, and their dogs are so out there, that no sane bear will come within a hundred meters of us. And everybody respects quiet hours, including the bears, so all is good.

Day 4

We slept in, like a proper Sunday. Wabasso CG was a few miles off the main road, and we continued south on it until it met up with the main road at Athebasca Falls, where we were surprised how full the parking lot already was. A line of buses had already upchucked their innards, and it was disconcerting to manoeuvre around so many to see the falls from so many different angles. Actually, what's really impressive is the park service design to keep people flowing through this whole thing. There are spots out of the flow for meandering and more peaceful appreciation, but the main flow of people is effective and efficient.

Then we had to find a campsite for the night (or 2? Or 3?) A ranger told Sharon to shoot for Wilcox Campground, a no-reservations campground just south of the Icefield Visitor Center. The signs said, "Campground Full", disheartening perhaps, but not enough to stop us. When we turned in, we were confronted with a plethora of vehicles, cars, pick-ups, RVs, on both sides of the dirt road. It turns out it's a trailhead. We followed three vehicles off the main road. The pick-up was a hiker. But the two Canadream RVs stopped at the campground kiosk. We know what they say, and we have to find a site left available this morning! So we went around them and found site 3 available, and we parked. We walked back to the kiosk, paid for 2 nights, left the bikes and our site tag, and headed back to the Visitors Center for advice on where to hike.

And the best hike for the sunny afternoon? Wilcox Pass, the trailhead at the beginning of the Wilcox Campground road. We found a place to park Ernie, saving ourselves from bicycling back up to the campground after the hike. It was an out and back, 1,300+ foot climb over 2.4 miles out, then the descent. It was enough for me, but Sharon wanted more, so we drove back to a place we skipped on our way to find a campsite. Thirty miles north, but it wasn't nearly as crowded as it was this morning. And it was only a 1/4 mile paved walk to the falls. A different river, comparable results, impressive water display. We're becoming jaded to phenomenal waterfalls!

On the drive back we stopped at other stuff we skipped earlier. Jasper NP really is impressive. Once back, we relaxed and after another tasty bag salad and protein, we took a Tour de Campground, now that we're in a reasonably sized one. It has a 7.5 m limit on vehicles, 25', so we're about as long as allowed. So we saw lots of Sprinter RVs and Canadreams, some with slides. But with no electricity or water, no big rigs.

Day 5

The weather prediction was 100% Rain. And it was, happily, incorrect. At least we woke up to partially blue skies. But by 9am the precip moved in with long rolling peals of thunder and gusts of wind that rocked Ernie enough to keep anyone from knocking.

It was the leading edge of new weather, and when it passed the rain and wind eased, so we headed to the Icefield Visitor Center for some free WiFi. The center is where folks buy tickets to various bus tours, of the SkyView and a Glacier Expedition and a waterfall, and a gift shop and restaurant. There is also a theater with a 20 minute video, but it was closed, and all tours we're cancelled for the morning due to weather. The new snow on the peaks was a clue.

The sun broke through the clouds, so we aimed Ernie for Beauty Creek so we could try to do the 3 km hike along it. There were two cars in the lot, with people taking pictures in the parking lot. Every tourist in this park missed out on an incredible hike. It followed the creek up the gorge it created, a fabulous series of twists and turns carved out of the rock. Tourquoise whitewaters sounds contradictory, and is awesome in reality. And best of all, we were the only ones there! It seems that few people choose this hike, and that's a shame for them, and a bonus for us. And the weather blessed us with warm and dry until we returned to the car.

So we drove South a ways, and enjoyed the views of a few roadside views before returning to the Visitors Center and low speed but free WiFi.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/V5CsepH6bqBpwH5YA

Stop 33: Okanagan Lake Provincial Park

We are in British Columbia! The plan, well, there really was no plan today. Sharon wanted to be in Canada, and Rod gave us some wonderfully detailed advice back at Deception Pass SP. But Sharon is susceptible to one of the characteristics of a certain Dotard, acting on the advice of the last person she talks to, when we crossed the border and stopped at the Visitor Center, the woman suggested that we take a route North through BC rather than our plan East. She even suggested this Provincial Park, and here we are.

It took us 60 miles of driving this morning to reach cell service, in Winthrop, Washington. We stopped for breakfast there, and wifi. The wifi wasn't sufficient for my needs, I couldn't upload pictures, add them to albums, open my Reality spreadsheet, I'm becoming increasingly frustrated with Google's lame data handling.

Crossing the border was a smooth process. Sharon was worried about the one can of beer,  the box of wine, even the bag of salad. We weren't searched, probably just to frustrate Sharon's paranoia.

And then we had to find a case for Sharon's new phone. We had tried a Walmart in WA on the way to the Cascades, and the kids were kinda snobby about iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. But at Canadian Tire, the woman suggested we check another store in the mall. They didn't have anything in stock, but suggested a competing chain with a store on our route, and finally Sharon found a store that had a selection of Pixel 2 cases, and chose a nice blue one.

The campground is on a lake, over 50 miles long and a mile or two wide. Sharon wanted to go for a paddle, but our house battery was already down to 65%. It seems the 90+ heat that the A/C had trouble keeping in check meant that the ARB was sucking more power from the battery than the solar panel could generate again. We chose a campsite with shade, so if we pumped up her board we might not have enough power for the ARB overnight. It turned out to be okay, as an afternoon storm cropped up as we relaxed on the shore in our camp chairs, with white caps on the water and an impressive current, and lightning to prompt Sharon to warn everyone within earshot about how dangerous it is. After she scared off two women, we sat and watched the storm develop until the rain reached us.

Pictures will be at https://photos.app.goo.gl/JHnxZC9qPWSvQJjo7

It seems Rogers via Project Fi works far better than my recent experiences in the states. Of course, I'm about to hit my data cap (16 GB), so I may be offline even with cell service. :( Maybe I can get a second data line from Project Fi, hmmm...)

Stop 32: North Cascades NP

After a pleasant 3 mile hike, Sharon prepared a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, and grits. All that early scrambling up and down was worth it!

We left Bascom Cove, and drove North towards Anecortis before succumbing to the need to be on SR 20, which we stayed on to the Park. Ranger advice at the Visitor Center sent us another 7 miles to Colonial Creek CG, and a first come site for Ernie along the Creek. Most of the river sites are walk-ins, so we were very satisfied with our site: sun for Ernie's solar panel, shade for the picnic table, and a gurgling stream beyond. Sweet!

After lunch we hiked the Thunder Knob Trail, a 2+ mile climb ending with a wide vista of snowy mountain tops above and a lovely tourquoise lake below. Along the way, especially as we descended, we had more views of mountain tops. The term "American Alps" is making more sense now. There seem to be mountain peaks in every direction, snowcapped no less! I think the stuff they gave us said something like there are 300 glaciers here, numerically a majority of all on them in the US outside Alaska? It all makes for panoramic views. And the rivers have that tourquoise tinge to the water, which was one of the most memorable features of Alaska's glacial rivers, a reflection of all the silt particulate in the water.

Day 2

We drove 4 miles down the highway to Ross Dam to hike the Happy Panther Trail. It said 10+ miles round-trip, so we figured we could hike a ways and turn around.

It turned out I walked about 5 feet on the Happy Panther Trail. To get to it, we had a 1 mile access trail, all switchbacks descending the side of a mountain. At the end of that trail was a sign, indicating trails to the left, the ferry to the right, so we chose left. We got to walk across the Ross Dam! It holds back a ton of water, its lake extends North into Canada. IAC, it's fun to walk across a dam, be it beaver family made or army of people with massive machinery made.

There was one trail at the other end of the dam, so we hiked. And climbed. And kept climbing, and then we reached at least a local high point on the trail that was clearly going around the lake to the Resort over there. We didn't want to go to the resort, especially. Certainly not enough to climb all the way down to it, only to return by climbing back up to where we were! So we climbed down in the return direction, crossed the dam, and walked towards the ferry (for the resort). Along the way we saw a doe with two fawns, a bathroom and a picnic area with steps down into the lake, and the start of the Happy Panther Trail. Too late. A photo op, and back to the mile climb back to Ernie. Not quite 5 miles, but a good hike nonetheless.

We drove back to the campground, but to the South side, which is reservations only, 'cause they have the boat ramp and a trailer length parking lot for Ernie. We blew up our SUPs and paddled a couple miles on Diablo Lake (the one below Ross and before Gorge). There were a bunch of YMCA guides from Seattle waiting for their ride by the water, and several were happy to try out our SUPs. Maggie tried first with my kayak paddle, then again with Sharon's SUP paddle. After a week in the back country, it was clear they were all enjoying a respite from hiking with a 40# pack; Maggie looked like she was mastering it pretty quickly, while Michelle also looked like she was ready for anything.

Next? A couple more miles of hiking, fairly level upstream, we turned well before 4th of July campground or the beautiful waterfall about a mile past (or so we heard). We saw cool trees and rocks and glacial melt river, which kept our senses in overload.

Of course Sharon came up with a creative use of food, and prepared a wonderful meal, frying the bag salad in the juices of the pork tenderloin. I just wish we had more salad!

Driving out of our campground uphill for four miles was not kind to Ernie. At one point his fuel average for the day (less than the first 4 miles of the day) dropped below 10 mpg. Coming back to the campground I needed to brake for turns and the campground, and we only got up to 18 mpg. A poor mileage day, but at under 10 miles, not a big overall impact.

Our creek keeps our campsite significantly cooler than sites even across the road. When we put the SUPs in Ernie after our paddle, the house battery was at 100%, and the solar panel was keeping it at that. When we did our hike after, we parked in the sun again and didn't block the sun from inside Ernie, where temperatures got over 100, making the ARB work overtime to keep our food chilled, driving our battery down to 68%, even though the solar panel was trying to keep up. Lesson learned, we need to pay more attention to the ARB's environment! I don't know when we'll find an electric site again, it is Summer Camping Season, and finding campsites is more challenging, and it seems like all the powered sites are reserved. I just wish we had more house battery than our one gel.

Tomorrow we will drive East until we get cell service with data, but Sharon wants to be in Canada tomorrow! Break out our passports and see what we find.

On the way East out of the park were some of the more breathtaking views, especially at Washington Pass. Wow.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/bMenyL7C4hWoTBNR9

Stop 31: Deception Pass SP

Any day that starts with a ferry ride is Good. We left Pt. Townsend for Whidby Island. The night before we decided to take the ferry, and while checking on fares and schedule, we saw that the last ferry not sold out was 8am. So we made a reservation.

Sharon saw the map of Whidbey waiting for the ferry, and decided that Deception Pass SP was our destination. We found that we couldn't see availability until 1pm, so we toured the three campgrounds. Along the way, we stopped and walked the Deception Pass Bridge, a cool old steel girder pair of structures, separated by a small island.

We were able to get a site in Bowman Cove, nearest to the water. And, also important, it's flat. Stopping early we had time for more hiking.

After a couple hours my back was suggesting me to give it a rest. Sharon wanted to paddle board, so I got her board out and pumped it up (well, the house battery supplied the power, I just connected the path to power). Sharon then walked to the shore and set off on a tour of the cove. I walked out to the end of the pier for a photo op for the paddler, but she never got close. I settled for setting shots, since it is such a beautiful setting to paddle around. The cove is well protected with one island and several tidal rocks breaking any waves that try to enter. The pier had RC sailboats that looked very cool.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/dsoQ6FqbcgNSBvh16

Stop 30: Mora CG, Olympic NP

There are four trails by our Hoh campground, and we hiked the shortest when we arrived. This morning we hiked the next two shorties, but skipped the 17 miler.

After a few miles of oohing and aahing over the trees and mosses and ferns, we buckled down Ernie and drove from the rain forest to the coast, picking up a Hitchhiker at the Visitor Center finishing up his hike. The coast has another piece of Olympic NP, it has Mora CG and Riata Beach. After picking a lovely campsite, we went off to explore Beaches!

Riata was closest, so it was first. We're on the Western shore of the Peninsula, with huge rocks / tiny islands offshore. And a long, wide pile of driftwood in a range of sizes, starting with Large, and increasing.

We then left the park once again and drove South to First Beach on the Quileute Reservation. Before the Beach, Lunch! We had a tasty meal at a shoreside restaurant before we ventured over to the beach. Where we saw a half dozen people in the water! They were clearly having fun, but we chose not to join them. We didn't want to climb over the driftwood zone so we satisfied ourselves with pictures from the parking lot. :)

Next on the agenda was Second Beach. We were lucky to find parking, and then hiked in the wrong direction to the beach. We turned around, found handfuls of salmonberries, and brought them back to Ernie. And then we noticed the path on the other side of Ernie, so we lit off for the 0.7 mile hike up and down to the beach. Another beautiful beach at the end, and this time I made it past the driftwood to the beach, but Sharon stopped halfway before we headed back to Ernie, who returned us to our campsite.

My back didn't want to do anything else, but Sharon couldn't sit still for 10 minutes before she went on a hike, returning with more salmonberries and the need for a bike ride, after which she was happy with only a short walk after dinner. Thank heavens.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/ugUBrnGLajWi319G7

Stop 29: Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic NP

We started the day with a lovely 16 mile bike ride with Lys, who is such a wonderful font of information about the history of the trail, the town, the foliage, and the politics. In other words, absolutely captivating. Florida lost a major asset when Dan & Lys moved from High Springs.

Then we put the bikes back on the rack, and made our way West on 101 to the Olympic Peninsula. Past Sequim, past Port Angeles, past Forks, before turning East into Hoh. We got very lucky with a one lane section of construction, being the last vehicle in the caravan.

Not many people choose to camp at Hoh, based on the wide selection of sites we had. We chose a site on the river so we could watch the endless flow of glacier water from our chairs.

Of course we couldn't enjoy our new backyard until we explored the immediate area. A short hike to the (closed) Visitors Center, and a quick reconnoiter of the trail options. The Mini was more an introduction to the trailheads of the other trails. It was quick and easy, with suggestions that the longer trails will be worth it.

Pictures are at
https://photos.app.goo.gl/sdRqqWyNyUAzdRpp6

Stop 28: Port Townsend WA

Waking up in the Larsen M-B Dealership of Tacoma parking lot we had a 50' drive to the front of the service line. At 7:30 when they unlocked the doors I met Ed Joseph the Sprinter guy who had m in e get out of line so Ernie could be handled more efficiently, and in a few hours Ernie got a clean bill of health. Well, except for his front tires, which are wearing a bit on the edges.

Sharon's phone died rather abruptly Saturday evening, shutting itself off, and then not responding to any buttons. Project Fi (our carrier) suggested we go to ubreakifix for their expertise, so we drove to Bellevue and gave them the phone for a bit.

While we waited we had lunch at King Chinese Seafood, which was packed and we were the only non-Asian customers. Also, the Specials Board was in Chinese, and there lwas no menu. The waitresses came by offering goodies, and we simply pointed and chose and hoped for the best, and it was. Great lunch, fair price, we probably should have taken pictures of what we ate, but we were too busy enjoying it all.

Ubreakifix gave Sharon the news that swapping parts didn't bring her phone back to life, so rather than buy a new motherboard we ordered a new phone, which will arrive at my sister's house in a few days.

Google then directed us to Pt. Townsend, across Seattle and on the Edmund Kingston ferry, an expensive but efficient route. And from Kingston to Pt. Townsend the roads were stress free, a moving line of well mannered vehicles with a similar desire, to arrive with no more drama. (Except for one dain bramaged dolt with a red diesel pickup and a pair of high exhausts and an engine tweaked so he could coal roll a line of cars and show off his hate of the environment and civility.)

My sister Rebekah and her husband Wayne retired to Pt. Townsend about a year ago. Unable to find the perfect house they bought a lot and have a house in construction. Perhaps they'll be in it by August. For now they are renting, and fortunately the driveway is level, so we have a comfortable place to sleep in Ernie.

Their son Chris is also visiting. He works for Sony in Silicon Valley supporting gaming software development. E3 started Saturday, and Chris was unavailable during our visit, while he worked in his room.

Day 2

Our first challenge Tuesday was Wayne's iPhone, which had crashed. First I went with Wayne to the Verizon store, but they weren't any help. So we tried stuff online, and finally called Apple tech support. We couldn't restore his phone from Wayne's Windows laptop, but the magic clicked its ruby slippers when we tried with my MacBook.

One success under our belt, we headed out to see the new house. Rebekah was excited to show us the layout and their plans.

Next up was lunch at the Co-op and Lys and a visit to Lys & Dan's incredible home, with gardens circling the house like a peaceable moat. Then Lys led Sharon and I on a fun loop around Pt. Townsend, with a wonderful commentary about the trails and lands and the town.

Day 3

Wayne and Reb and Chris took off exploring, so we took off for Silverdale and the REI and Costco stores. Then we headed out to Sequim to visit Margie. She turns 90 next month and we were so happy to be able to take her out to lunch.

After catching up with Margie, we went out to the Dungeness Spit. We'd been there back in 2003, and it was fun revisiting it.

After everyone got home the four of us (Chris had to work) went downtown and had dinner at Sirens, a second floor pub with excellent food.

Night +1

We came back to Wayne and Reb's from our two nights touring Olympic NP's attractions for a last get together. Sharon got her new Pixel 2, and I got to help a bit with their laptops. I hope I also got them closer to trying out podcasts, starting with our favorites (Radiolab, 99% Invisible, Gastropod, and Stay Tuned).

Pictures are at
https://photos.app.goo.gl/C5BxwkuSspL6uUHt6

Pictures from Hurricane Ridge are at
https://photos.app.goo.gl/VREVCzT8e3LAJhHD9

Stop 27: M-B of Tacoma

Ernie needs his 20K mile checkup, the first time he's been into a dealership. I thought Tacoma would be an easier deal than Seattle (there isn't a dealership in Port Townsend).

So the day was a long boring drive up I-5. There was a ton of traffic in Portland, and the traffic kept increasing as we approached Olympia and then Tacoma. Ugh, I'm just glad I don't have to deal with this on a regular basis.

We had a nice meal at a seafood restaurant by the waterfront, then visited the Walmart for a few things, before parking in the M-B lot, ready for our 7:30 am drop-off tomorrow.

Driving all day in the rain, I took no pictures. Neither the restaurant nor the Walmart seemed photo worthy.

Stop 26: Wolf Creek Park

Maybe the shortest drive day by miles, but one of the longer days in time and stress. Sharon found a city park where we are likely the only campers, but it took some doing to get here, and I'm glad we're done for the day.

Before leaving Cape Blanco we hiked to the nearby lighthouse, a wet but lovely hike. The overnight rain made the grass on the open part of the trail ready to pass moisture on to our boots, the ones we forgot to reapply the waterproofing on.

Then on our drive South we stopped at Arizona Beach Recreation Area, and walked its lovely almost black beach. We had it to ourselves, and it was beautiful. The ground goes vertical by the high tide line, lucky for us the tide was out, the bigger tide has a 9' swing.

We missed our turn in Gold Beach, eventually requiring our first U-turn of the day. Heading north on US-101 were all the gas stations for the escaping California drivers, so we filled up early 'cause it was easy. Best thing we did all day.

We chose the lesser used road East along the Rogue River, though after countless twists and turns not very close for river views, the North side road ended at a one lane bridge, dumping us on the South shore road. The road eventually degraded to a seasonal forest road with lots of gravel sections, steep dropoffs with crumbling edges, blind turns everywhere, with few wider sections for two cars to pass. The two cars we met on the road made for careful passage, and renewed fears that the next time could be worse.

Finally we emerged back to a semblance of civilization. Sharon found a campsite for us, up a one lane gravel road, but a mile up was a closed gate. She trusts in my growing experience backing down hills. We avoided the ditch and drop-off until we could finally make a safe U-turn, and then headed back a ways to the little town of Wolf Creek, for their City Park with camping. The host even gave us some firewood! We had the place pretty much to ourselves, as the rainy night chilled us enough to use our sleeping bags one more night.

A few pics of the day are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/GbhX3AJYTZ8wtDxy8

Stop 25:Cape Blanco SP

Sharon really wanted to avoid the forecast rain, so instead of heading inland to sample the Pinot winery selections, our earlier decision, we turned South on US-101 away from the center of the turbulence. We thought we could simply outrun the bad juju, and return Sunday in preparation for Ernie's maintenance Monday morning.

Alas, we didn't escape all of the rain, which is good in that Ernie really needs a bath from the month+ of road grime. This is the first time the wipers have come on automatically this trip. Most of the day it was only overcast as we explored the more Southern section of the Oregon coast. Sharon proved herself a worthy Navigator, with only a few U-turns on my part to implement the route she chose.

After reading several tourist magazines, she decided we would try out this State Park, looking for an electric site on the coast. And the gods were smiling on us, because we had a nice choice, and for $24, we also got hot showers!

We tried to go for a bike ride to a nearby lighthouse, but once we left the campground woods the gusty winds and rain made us reconsider. So we regrouped and went off on a hike to the beach. We got there, but the light rain suggested that it was just warming up, so we skipped the long walk, for a sedate scurry back to the warmth and dryness of Ernie.

The showers are pushbutton, 3 minutes of spray. We both languished for two heavenly warmth cycles before freezing as we dried off, redressed and walked back to Ernie. A hot shower is a blessed treat, and so appreciated, and well worth the walk through the rain.

Sharon makes the best dinners, and she outdid herself with a Mexican feast of sliced portibello mushrooms, shredded pork loin, and onions/garlic/etc. on corn tortillas. Yum! Since we have shore power, she used the InstaPot, and we're staying warm with our ceramic heater. Toasty warm, well fed, life is good.

Sharon has become a more prolific photographer this trip than me. My meager few pictures are at
https://photos.app.goo.gl/D7CvUU4yJjMjUCfg6

Stop 24: Tillicum Beach CG

Our first cloudy day, we slept in at Waxmyrtle before wandering up the coast. We explored campgrounds and ATV staging parking lots, and a pitcher plant (carnivorous) meadow (not surprisingly, there were no flying bugs). I think Sharon's mood is affected by the weather, she isn't interested in the beach 'cause it just looks like Jax Beach. To me it seems significantly wider, much less populated, and the surf is a steady roar that makes conversation more like a crowded bar than an empty beach.

Darlingtonia Californica is the proper name for the plant. There was a little sign ("Natural Site") along 101 that was too suggestive to ignore, so we braked hard to make the turn. A little parking lot, and a 50 yard walk to an amazing meadow of carnivorous plants broken up by the wooden boardwalk we're on. It was eerie seeing so many plants, all around you, all wanting to eat a passing bug. This seems clearly to be an area where the plants are winning over the animals. Is this walkway a trap? Fortunately it wasn't, and we carried on to our next stop.

The Oregon coast is pretty awesome. US-101 is a swoopy road, nominally 55 mph, but the majority is slower for the turns and much slower for the towns. It would be a lot more fun on a motorcycle, but Ernie is doing pretty well. And the views are spectacular.

Tillicum Beach was recommended to Sharon at the Forest Visitor Center. It's a National Forest campground with electric sites. We were able to get one of two remaining electric sites, but we have to be out tomorrow. The campground is just above the beach, a set of stairs provide access to miles of glorious beachfront. The internal sites are amongst the water oaks, providing the best of both worlds.

We walked a while down the beach and back, not talking much above the roar of the Pacific waves crashing on the beach. We met some fellow campers, and ended up having a delightful evening with them, and got some great ideas for improving Ernie's latches and places to take him.

Pics of the day are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qxp4UoR4DKnpeL1n8

Stop 23: Waxmyrtle CG, Siuslaw NF

To the Coast! Done with Crater Lake, we drove around one last time, heading North out of the park and then West to the Coast.

First stop, Roseburg. No, first stop Crater Lake, a few more times. Then a couple of waterfalls we hiked into, that were pretty cool. And a campground just to check it out for future reference.

Then we got to Roseburg, a little city of 22,000 or so. We followed Google to a Walmart until Sharon's phone thought she cancelled the navigation, and we ended up at an Albertsons, and got most of what we wanted. Then back on the Scenic Trail to the coast, and up 101. On the way to Honeyman, Sharon saw another campground that had beach access. A not-so-quick U-turn, and a detailed evaluation of each site, Sharon chose a secluded site where we can listen to the ocean. And after a bit of effort, we found a position where Ernie is relatively level.

Ah, but then we need one more hike to the beach! It turned out that we can see the Pacific from just beyond our site, the beach trail starting beside our site, but it is over a mile to get there. We have to walk around a protected estuary, and too much of the path is soft high tide sand. Once surfside, we walked the low tide sand for a bit, saving(?) a little fish in the process, and escaping random waves.

Pics from the drive and hike are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/m9iLPmoU5H6H95pG8

Thank heavens we have cell service once again, hopefully for longer than a day.

Stop 22: Crater Lake NP

Crater Lake is one of those places where everybody who's been there goes on about how special it is, and you have to go there. So we gave it a shot, and got lucky. I think.

The park was less than 50 miles from Lake of the Woods. The campground has 7 loops, but only two were open. We lucked on a site for two nights with the back fence a friggin canyon! Annie's Canyon is one edge of the campground.

(North of Boulder and South of Fort Collins CO is Carter Lake, a great destination for a road ride. I've ridden around it several times earlier this century and last. When I see Crater Lake, my mind reads Carter Lake. Oncoming dyslexia is better than oncoming dementia, so I'm holding out for dyslexia.)

So we started exploring the park. First off, the Visitor Center, with a nice video about Crater Lake, and even better, a map of road closures (or more accurately, which roads haven't opened yet since Winter). So we drove the North Rim (stopping at every Vista) and parked by the South Rim turn-off that was closed except for hikers and cyclists. Then we rode for 6+ miles along the rim, with no cars, again stopping for the Vista. It was much more descending on the out, and for some reason, the 6+ mile return had much more climbing heading back to Ernie. Sharon's climbing skills are impressive, considering what they used to be.

We stopped on the return for a bite (cream of mushroom soup and a salad, aka Dinner) at the Lodge before returning to our campsite. We saw the lake from so many angles on our drive/ride, it's incredible Blueness is breathtaking. We've all seen lakes that go beyond the horizon. This isn't that, here you can see the entire shore of the lake pretty much from the high above vantage point. (It's 4.something at its narrowest, 6.something at its widest.) The color is captivating, bringing to mind Caribbean waters near the shore around the volcano within the caldera. The rest is such an intensity of Blue it's hard to stop staring, gazing over the nuances on the surface. We will likely put too many images in the album, but we've succumbed to the Lure of the Blue.

Day 2

The thermometer says it got down to 30 overnight, but we slept in, cozy and warm under our blankets. To warm up after a cold breakfast we tried the Annie's Canyon trail by the campground, but after an hour we found most of it closed, presumably for too much snow. Then I tried to fix one of Sharon's clothes drawers that shrank from the dryness, and pulled the screws on the slide out. It seems I need more shims and longer screws or even bolts. And confirmed that pine is way too soft a wood to really hold screws.

Then I went at the foot locker. A gravel truck pulled over for me to pass, then pulled back out, forcing me to slam my brakes. The foot locker was secured but the hook wasn't sufficient and the locker flew forward off its tracks. Screws were loose, one blocking the slide, and dry air shrinkage makes the fit way too loose. I am learning that I should have used better woods that are more impervious to shrinkage. Hopefully I don't have to redo everything in teak.

Simple repairs done, we drove the 4 miles open on the East Rim road, then climbed the trail to an overlook at the Phantom Ship, though it looked more like an edge of a mini-caldera to my unimaginative brain. We also hiked the Castle Crest Wildflower Garden, and the Lady in the Lake trail.

The first is quite a number of stepping stones over a plethora of greenery betwixt rivelets of water eventually creating a Creek. Headwaters are surprisingly fertile, and the stone path allow the mosses and plants to grow without footprints, and to provide relatively dry and stable footing through all the water. Kudos to the path designer.

The second trail didn't have stepping stones or mosses. But it did have climbing and snow. It was up and down a steep hill; we never saw the lady, maybe because we were looking for the trail through the snow. I understand much better why other trails are closed. Finding the trail was a case of looking for patches of dirt that were trail-like (trail dirt is slightly lighter/dryer than the adjoining soil, which isn't pounded by hiker hooves or rocks in a formation indicating a turn) In the end, a much more challenging hike than either of us expected!

Instead of another hike, we stopped at the restaurant by the campground for a late lunch. The food was good enough, the beer refreshing, and I succumbed to an hour of wifi for $4, so I sat long after lunch was done. Sharon went and started laundry and met Nick Hart who's walking the Pacific Coast Trail, since the "plan" only gave me one IP address, so my hotspot was cold. I uploaded some pictures, but not even all the videos before my time was up. <soapbox on>Clearly, Congress needs to implement Google's Project Loon for all areas with limited access. Loon is a reasonably high altitude balloon providing wifi to an area. Universal WiFi should be part of Universal Health!<soapbox off>  Sharon thinks I should have spent $10 for 24 hours, like Nick, but that would've required sitting in the restaurant a lot longer than I was comfortable with. Nick is from Miami and has already completed the AT - pretty cool.

Our big meal over, evening was some nibbles over wine, and prepping for tomorrow. We're getting ready for the weekend already, since we need to be close to Tacoma for Ernie Service #1. The weather forecast for Washington is 70%+ Rain all weekend, Oregon Fair. So our plan, stay in the good weather of Oregon through Saturday. Tomorrow Honeyman, then maybe a few days at Fort Stevens in OR or it's counterpart in WA (they're opposite shores of the Columbia River), which is actually on the schedule! Time and Sharon will tell.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/4ig7nVP9T62q68S86

Stop 21: Lake of the Woods OR

We left Lassen early in search of lava tubes. Sharon saw them once as a girl, and she's determined to scratch that itch again. When we first entered Lassen Volcanic, she asked the ranger at the Visitor Center about them, and was told there were some outside the park.

We found them. There is a little state park for a lava tube. A nice parking lot a short walk to the tunnel, and another walk back. But the tunnel! Very cool, very geologic. Also, very cold and very dark. This cave was created by different lava flows, and the walls flow just as you would expect of something created by fluids. Without a flashlight it would be a stumble with one numbing hand on the wall.

We continued on to MacArthur Burney Falls SP, home of a gorgeous waterfall, and a slew of campsites. We hiked around the falls and read the kiosks, but decided to move on for more fun, after we had our first ice cream of the trip.

We drove into Oregon and stopped at the Visitor Center outside Klamath Falls. Sharon talked with the woman at the desk, and we had directions to this National Forest campground. We found a site for the night, right on the lake. A little bike ride topped off the day.

This is the first real cell service we've had since we left Las Vegas. I had exceeded my monthly 16 GB of regular data and was seeing slower access in Lassen and Valley of Fire. My plan finally started my new month of data, and overnight used 5 GB, presumably backing up pictures. (I turned off backing up video on cell service.) It's going to be a long month, sigh. #FirstWorldProblems

Pics are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/035jaVEJUQGceOxk2

Stop 20: Lassen Volcanic NP

There are two routes from Lake Tahoe northwest to Lassen. The fast way is up the Nevada side of the lake and highways. The other way is CA 89 North the whole way. It meanders more, but it was a beautiful sampling of lake vistas, lush forests, little towns with 25 mph speed limits, and seldom another vehicle. We climbed and descended more times than we counted. Serene.

We figured at worst if we couldn't get a site in the Park we'd boondock in the surrounding National Forest. First come on a Friday can be sketchy, so we stopped at the Sulphur Springs (with a bubbling mud pot!), and pulled over for a few Kodak moments, but otherwise aimed Ernie for the only campground that was open and wasn't tent only.

Manzanita Lake Campground has four loops, A - D. Loops A and C take reservations, and were reserved up. Loop D is for tents. We were early enough we had a wide selection in Loop B, about half the sites, and found one with sun for our solar panel and a reasonably flat pad. We still haven't needed to chock Ernie to level.

After a simple but delicious sandwich (avocado & tomatoes go together like PB&J), we pedaled off to find trailheads. The easy flat trail around Lake Manzanita provided some surprisingly dramatic views of Lassen Peak. The longer trail to Chaos Crags and Crags Lake was a steady climb for 2 miles and the first dramatic view of the crags (side of a volcano with a bare flat surface interrupted by jutting craggy rocks above). The "lake" was at the bottom of a boulder strewn scramble, but from the top of the rock wall it was clear that the lake was a realtor's description of an anemic pond. We chose not to do the scramble down, and then scramble right back up, and so we settled for the 2 mile hike back down to the trailhead.

Day 2

The outside low was 38°, but inside it only dropped to 48. After a hearty breakfast we headed out to do some trails! The park provided us with a nice pamphlet listing all the trails by area with useful specs (length, difficulty 1-4, elevation changes, directions), and Sharon picked a few. The first on the list was to "boiling lake", ice cold but with volcanic gasses releasing it is supposed to look like it's boiling. Alas, too much snow (June 2nd!) kept the trailhead closed. The campground we're staying in opened May 25th, and several other campgrounds in the park haven't yet opened. This is a cool place.

Our second hiking try was more successful.  Only one car parked, no crowd! As we hiked we met the other car people on their way out. But two other couples caught and passed us on the trail. Maybe we have better pics of the scenery than they do. Or maybe Sharon is just a slow and cautious hiker.

In any case, the Kings River trail is a three mile lollipop. The in/out stick is relatively flat, though over a lot of snow, and several streams. But the lollipop! About a mile and one way, we climb to a peak with nice views of the forest and far away lakes, with hints of a canyon to one side of us. Then we descend to the bottom of that canyon, and there is the waterfall! It is a steep canyon, and the river is white water all the way down. It is a steep climb up the steps beside the unending waterfall, with its rock/water/air conflict on your immediate left. The cascading aeration is captivating, each nuance appreciated. And then back on the stick.

Then we switched gears, returning to Lake Manzanita, eating lunch, then pumping up the SUPs and paddling off. The water was pretty calm, with a bit of wind blowing from the northeast corner of the lake. We paddled around the shoreline, and it was tranquil. There were several fishermen on the lake, and a couple of kayaks, and a dozen Canada Geese.

I paddled my SUP as a kayak, with a camp chair seat. It was kinder on my back, by far, than standing, and I feel completely comfortable kayaking. This works for me!

Returning to the campsite, we saw Carl and Laura, who later stopped by to chat and see Ernie. A bit later, our site neighbor Gabe came by for a look. Just as when he came to the Beach for a visit, people gravitate towards Ernie.

After our solar showers and a scrumptious vegetarian Mexican dish Sharon cooked up, we enjoyed a quiet little fire in our fire ring, complements of wood left by previous tenants and kindling around the site.

Pics are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/mMLujc6uga8t4x833

Stop 19: Fallen Leaf CG

Jon used to live and work in Tahoe, and couldn't understand why we weren't spending several days there. I don't think he understood my avoidance of large population centers. But we took his advice and booked two nights.

We woke up at 5am in our Valley of Fire campsite, with both screens and the pullover screens on the front doors. It was still warm, but not the 87° we went to sleep at. We hit the road straightaway, wending our way back to I-15 by 5:30 and North Las Vegas by 6. The plan was to beat the rush hour traffic, and we would have done it perfectly except for getting in the US-95 South lanes instead of the US-95 North exit. So we drove into Vegas 3 miles of traffic before exiting and getting back on track.

(Would it be useful to have a GPS that more clearly acknowledges when you screw up? My old GPS used to say "recalculating" in what always seemed a sneering tone. It seems there's a slew of little things the app could say, especially if it could recognize how you blew it. I think it would be nice if Google Maps said something like, "Looks like you got on the US-95 South exit. Let's find an exit to get back on track." Driving a 24' van in traffic at 70 mph, you don't want to change lanes too aggressively, lest you hip check some poor commuter off the road.)

The rest of the 500 mile drive was light traffic through the desert plains of Nevada, occasionally slowing down driving through towns, but mostly cruising along two lane blacktop at 70, to hell with fuel mileage. Solar arrays are big in Nevada, lakes much less so. Eventually we reached higher ground, and wound our way up a mountain pass before dropping into the Tahoe metro area, and California. (We topped off a half full fuel tank in a small Nevada town at $3.13/gal, where regular was 20¢ more. In Tahoe diesel is $4.13/gal!)

Fallen Leaf CG is by the southern shore of Lake Tahoe. Our site is wonderful, reasonably separate from neighbors. But the temps are dramatically cooler than we've had lately. We got our Bear warning at check in, that open windows are even a target for them. No worries, with lows in the 40s and no electricity for the heater our windows will be shut tight!

Day 2

Ernie and our blankets kept us warm and toasty overnight, and we relished our cacoon. Stepping outside, it was already 45, but the wind took away any warmth created from the bright sun. After a leisurely breakfast we hiked around the campground, visiting Fallen Leaf Lake. Its rep is a more secluded and protected lake than Tahoe immediately north. But the wind was generating breaking waves as we approached the shore. The full brunt of the wind off the lake was dramatic as it pushed us away.

The biting wind made hiking or biking an unpleasant proposition, so we drove Ernie to Safeway to replenish the larder, and then an excursion to Emerald Bay. Alas, the parking lots were full as well as the roadside, so we turned around and back to the campsite.

After lunch we hopped on the bikes for a couple hours of riding. We visited a couple beaches before heading to the trails around Fallen Leaf Lake. Surprisingly the wind was still whipping down off the snowcapped mountains and across the lake, and the trees must be creating a Burnouli Effect.

Pics are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/uALJxCU9nxpi5BT62