We have certainly spun the odometer since my last opportunity to do a "real" post. Hopefully you got a grin out of the quickie sign post. We didn't tarry long in Vancouver because it was a cold rainy day with horrible city traffic. Deciding to cross the border, and heading to beautiful North Casacades National Park was a good choice. From there we drove to Seattle (which I loved!), put the Wee RV on a ferry to Bainbridge Island, and had a rendezvous with Blake and friend,Jessi, who are traveling on the west coast this summer. We were able to camp together a couple of nights and spend several days exploring incredible Olympic National Park's high mountains, surreal rain forest, and marvelous beaches before they headed on to California and we ferried over to Canada to check out delightful Victoria Island. Returning to Port Angeles our next journey was to Mt. Rainier National Park. When we left Mt. Rainier this morning at 6:30 AM it was 58 degrees, and when we arrived in Pendleton, Oregon at 6:00 PM it was 104 degrees. That was definitely a major shock to our poor old body thermostats still set on Alaska cool temps!
Here is a sampling of some of the incredible things we've seen recently.....
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| Going from this typical evening stop.... |
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| ....to rainy, hectic downtown Vancouver was out of our comfort zone! |
North Cascades National Park was a
much better fit for us
SEATTLE AREA
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| City view from Bainbridge Ferry |
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| Sailboat on Puget Sound |
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| View of distant Mt. Rainier over bridge looking from Ferry |
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| See if you can identify what's covering the walls in this "unique" Seattle alley. |
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| The walls are completely covered in ABC GUM (AKA: Already been chewed!) |
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| YUCK! |
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| Blake, Jessi, and Bill people watching at Seattle's famous Pike Place Market |
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| Market musicians |
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| Place your fish order and the guy out front throws it to the guy in back for wrapping. |
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| Fabulous huge mixed bouquets for only $5 |
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| They sell everything from ordinary to exotics veggies & chocolate pasta |
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| Seattle street art |
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The original Starbucks Thankfully line was hours long and we didn't have to go up  |
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| A wonderful refuge only a 30 minute ferry ride from the chaotic city pace |
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| The most diverse and beautiful park we've ever visited |
with
Spectacular beaches on west side
Surreal rain forest in middle
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| Giant Sitka Spruce |
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| Enormous ferns |
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| Huge cedar tree in Grove of Patriarchs with trees 1000 yrs. old and 200' tall |
Marymere Falls
and
Spectacular High Mountains
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| Ski Patrol cabin we passed while hiking on Hurricane Ridge. They had a contraption like a ski lift that could lower a stretcher 12,000 ft. down the mountain. I'd prefer to take my chances just staying at the top! |
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| More views from Hurricane Ridge |
ON TO VICTORIA, BC
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| Victoria Harbor view |
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| What an exciting city! |
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| The grand Empress Hotel overlooks the harbor |
International Buskers Festival brought
these fire dancers and all sorts of other
street performers to Victoria.
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| One of many unique scenes on Victoria streets |
WOW of the day was definitely Buchart Gardens,
a National Historic Site of Canada that covers
55 acres with an amazing mixture of exotic shrubs,
trees, and flowers. No photo can accurately capture
the beauty of this place that is visited by close to
a million visitors annually.......and we see why!
On to majestic Mt. Rainier National Park
Headed now across Idaho to Jackson Hole, WY
