Back in the USA

"And I shall watch the ferry boats, and they'll get high, on a bluer ocean against tomorrow's sky. and i will never grow so old again, and i will walk and talk, in gardens all wet with rain..."
Author: Van Morrison

A passing ferry

On Tuesday we made our last ferry crossing  (our 11^th) from Vancouver Island to a few miles from the Canadian/US border at Blaine, WA. Our stay on Vancouver Island was very good considering the uncertain weather. We had a wonderful day exploring the logging roads out to Cape Scott and walking on the beaches there. I love sea caves and hoo doos and we had lots of both, plus a gorgeous hike through the rain forest. On the way back we stopped to sort through the rocks in an old quarry looking for fossils.  This part of the Island, like Northern Maine and the Florida Panhandle, is all about pulp wood. The roads are privately owned but some public access is permitted with lots of warning signs that “industrial” vehicles have the right-of-way; all other vehicles stop to allow passage, backing up if necessary. Needless to say, the roads were terrible, but the scenery was to die for.

Hoo-doos on the beach at Cape Scott

 We continued down the Island to Naniamo where we found a spot at Living Forest Camping and RV Resort. We stopped at several provincial parks but they were all full. Living Forest was a new experience for us. It is huge (200+campsites) but is nicely laid out with lots of trees, big sites, and all amenities. It is on the Sound but we were so far from the water it hardly mattered. The club house, adult lounge, and landscaping were all very upscale but sort of lost on us. I will not mention the cost; thank goodness we paid in Canadian.

 

We used Naniamo as a base to explore the area and spent an entire day driving in to Victoria. We did the tourist thing and went to Butchart Gardens then took the site seeing bus to get an over view of the area. We still had time to walk around Chinatown and Old Town and to have dinner at the harbor. It did not rain and we had a great time. The Gardens were very colorful and pleasing, but too rigid for my tastes. I like wildflowers.

The "Paint -by-Number" gardens

Our ferry crossing was cold and rainy (again) and by the time we got to Birch Bay State Park, it was very dark. Our reserved campsite was too small for our rig but thankfully the Ranger found us another before we collapsed in utter exhaustion. We stayed here in 2013 and it is an exceptionally beautiful place. It is in northwest corner of Washington, overlooking the San Juan Islands with Mt. Baker looming in the background.  My cousin, Helen, lives in nearby Ferndale and we were anxious to see her again.

Me, casting a long shadow at Grayland Beach.

After a wonderful family get together yesterday we got back on the road today. We had not been on an interstate highway since we left I-40 at Kingman, AZ in early May. We spent five hours driving less than 150 miles on I-5 from Blaine to Chehalis WA. There was no construction or wrecks; just the sheer volume of traffic on this aging highway that is the only north-south road between the Pacific and the Cascades in Washington. At Chehalis we had enough and got off on a secondary road to head to the coast.  We are at Grayland Beach State Park tonight but must move on tomorrow as they have no vacancies for the weekend. 

We had temperatures in the low 70’s yesterday and in the low 80’s today but signs of fall are everywhere. We don’t see as many wildflowers but see lots of berries and the hardwood trees are already turning. We are looking forward to driving down the Oregon coast.