Vancouver Island and into the US

Vancouver Island and into the US

It was a beautiful sunny day when we left Vancouver. However, not for long! The fog rolled in off the Georgia Strait, and soon we were unable to see anything around us.

Sunny as we leave

But the fog soon began to roll in

When we got off the ferry, we headed through Nanaimo to the Living Forest RV Resort.

Many of the Parks are self-register or choose-your-own-site, outside office hours. So we drove around and found a pull-through site while we waited for the office to open. There were several sites overlooking the water; however, they were booked for the weekend. Many of the people on the Ocean-front and the next level, the Ocean-view were there for the winter. We decided to stay where we were.

Still fog

Lots of prety Maple leaves...

Fog cleared about 5, that is the Mainland in the distance

But, fog soon came rolling in again

For the future, note to selves: Don’t set up under deciduous trees in a windy, foggy, rainy, Pacific northwest rainforest, fall-climate. It was a heavy fog the first night dripping off the trees, combined with the breeze bringing the leaves down, it was a musical drumming on the trailer roof all night. The leaves were piled high on the trailer and solar panel, stuck on with the fog and rain. The sites behind us, back-in into beautiful fir-treed sites -not a leaf in sight!

Just up the road, we discovered one of the Island’s best kept secrets, Serious Coffee. They have coffee shops all over the Island, but only on the Island, and they make the best lattes and cappuccinos. They also had wifi, so we became daily patrons. John contacted his cousin, and we enjoyed a lovely evening catching up with western family. We explored Nanaimo’s harbour and downtown streets.

Mural on a building downtown

It was fairly clear when we started out - looking through the gap

Then the fog started to come in - walking on the Waterfront Trail

We drove north to see Qualicum Beach

Tide was out,  lots of seaweed and ground fog

and inland to see Cathedral Grove. It was foggy and grey in Nanaimo and up the coast. When we got to Cameron Lake, the sun suddenly appeared,

Fog at the end of Cameron Lake- We are in the SUN

and shone for the rest of our visit to Cathedral Grove

Underbrush, moss on the trees

Some windfall, and tall, tall trees

Some trees are bigger than others

This is the tallest tree- at 76 metres tall

and Port Alberni. Usually it is foggy here and sunny on the coast, but not today. As we drove south, the fog once again covered the coast. 

Having had enough of the fog, we headed south. We decided to stay outside Victoria, at Weirs’ Beach RV Resort. We had a site right on the water, facing the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and backing onto the lagoon.

Looking along the line of Waterfront sites

Run Around Sue

Looking up the beach

The lagoon behind us

The Strait of Juan de Fuga in front of us

This is a clean, friendly resort. There is a clubhouse with a pool table, dart board, TV, laundry facilities and always a jigsaw puzzle on the go.

The Clubhouse

However, it was several days before we could actually see Victoria from our trailer- more fog!

We spent several days in Victoria. What a beautiful city! The first visit was around the inner harbour.

The Empress Hotel

The Inner Harbour

Parliament Buildings

The Coho Ferry to Port Angeles

The fog rolled in by late afternoon

The big fir tree in front of the Parliament Buildings

One evening we met a friend, had dinner at her place, and then went down to the harbour to party. Another day we drove up to Sidney,

North from Sidney Harbour

then into Victoria by a different route, parked and wandered along the waterfront path from the cruise boat docks and around Fisherman’s Wharf. The houseboats are amazing. Each one is unique.

The sunset from Victoria, our last evening

The days were getting cooler and poor weather was forecast for the next few days, so we decided to head into the U.S. We took the ferry from Sidney to Anacortes.

Lined up for the Ferry. We were there 2 hours early

Boarding the US Ferry- much cheaper than the BC ferries.

It was a beautiful ride through the San Juan Islands,

The route of the Ferry to Anacortes

stopping once at Friday Harbour.

Friday Harbour

We drove out to I-5 and south.  We stayed in Everett at Maple Grove RV Park. It was rather expensive, at $44 per night plus $5 hotel tax (hotel tax! - WTF [from John]), but clean and very convenient to all we wanted to do. However, we had some difficulty getting the Airstream level, and sites are very close together with low shrubs dividing them.

Maple Grove RV Park

The first thing we did was to find a Costco to get me a prepaid phone. When we got to Costco we were amazed at the prices of wine. Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon came in a box of 4 bottles, and worked out -with exchange- to be about $5 per bottle [John checked the LCBO listings- it is 2 ½ times this price]. There were lots of other ‘wine bargains’ for not much more! We also decided to try some seasoned, fully-cooked lamb shanks. These are fantastic- 2 to a package, individually wrapped with light gravy- and so easy to cook, just pop the bag in hot water, keep it just under the boil for 60 min and eat! When we went back to get more, we also bought the sirloin roast beef- 2 separate packages- open, put in a dish in the oven at 375 for 17 minutes and eat [and one package is plenty for 2 or 3]. It is rare too! Needless to say, before we left Washington, we picked up a couple of each. Our frig is full.

Then we had to shop. We could not bring any fruits or vegetables across the border, so we had to restock, but not in the quantities Costco offers. So Safeway became our store of choice.

We had booked a tour of the Boeing commercial jet assembly plant, just a short drive from Maple Grove.  The tour was amazing. The hanger is about 8 stories high, with 6 separate bays. Generally an assembly-line technique is used. In one bay, three 777’s were in the last stages of being assembled. One was lengthwise having the seats and interior completed, and two were angled at the other end. In a separate bay, workers were using a completely different technique to assemble the 787. It is a modular assembly: one section of the plane is assembled completely on a platform, and then the whole platform moves to the next station. There is also an interesting series of displays in the Future of Flight Aviation Center with a lot of extra information on the history of Boeing.

We couldn't take any pictures inside. The blue doors are the 6 Bays- each a separate assembly unit

Planes, in front of the paint sheds, painted  and lined up waiting to be delivered around the world.

The next day a dreadful wind and rain storm hit the area. A lot of areas were without power and had trees down. We were lucky- just more rain! So we stayed in until the worst was over, and then checked out Everett Mall and their LA Fitness.

Because there were still a number of areas without power, we decided to go to the Flying Heritage Collection. It is a fascinating museum with very knowledgeable volunteers. This museum traced War II through the planes used and the personal stories of men and women who flew them. It highlights some of the most important and iconic military machines of the Second World War. Each plane had a story attached and the history of that particular plane.

Curtiss P40 Tomahawk

an example of the type of information

Russian MiG-29UB Fulcrum

In a separate building, were WWII tanks and other artillery.

the second building

All artifacts are from the private collection of philanthropist Paul G. Allen. Each appears just as it did in battle, and most are functional. 

Our last day, we drove into Seattle and saw the incredible Dale Chihuly exhibition. Words can’t describe his talent and the beauty of his work.

This is on a pedestal and almost reaches the ceiling

A Ceiling of Glsss

The Garden

A Float Boat

Suspended from the ceiling in a Glass House

Looking through the Glass House to Seattle's Needle

Outside in the Garden

A part of the Outside Garden

We then walked down to Pike Place Market, stopped at the first Starbucks [but the line was out the door, so we moved on],

Original Starbucks

The Original Logo...

and wandered around the interesting vendors’ stalls. There is quite a variety- lots of seafood, crafts, flowers, only one coffee place, restaurants – all on multiple floors. You walk in at street level, then go down to several more levels!

There is a string attached to the Monkfish- when someone came close to look at it, one of the men pulled the string, it moved and ...

We continued south on the I-5 toward Mount St. Helens- our next stop. I-5 is a great freeway, 4 or 6-lanes divided, but, around Seattle, it often felt as if we were driving on cobblestones or a corduroy road!