Road Trip To Seattle and back

Sat. Sept. 4: Leave Calgary 6:30am. Pick up my daughter Cheryl in Canmore. Drive all day to Surrey, BC. Camp at Peace Arch RV Park, clean, nice, lots of amenities for trailers, grassy area for tents: cost $40

Sunday: Cheryl leaves 7am.on her bicycle, little trailer behind, destination SanFrancisco.

I pack up camp, head for the border 1.5 hr. wait to cross. Turn off I5 onto Hwy.548 for a quieter drive thru small farm homesteads. In Bellingham I find my way to the historic district of Fairhaven. Restored brick buildings house a wonderful eclectic mix of boutiques and cafes, cyclists and baby strollers. I stroll the streets, stop for coffee. I wander into “A Lot of Flowers” and chat with the clerk. This little corner garden shop has been here for 35 years. I feel very in my element in this quaint town. I hate to leave. Stop at tourist info to pick up camping maps. Take hwy.11 to Larrabee State Park, wondering if Cheryl is here. Park full: no one at the gate. I tell myself not to worry about her on her solo tour. Onward
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I miss a turn and end up on Whitbey Island. I drive a winding road
Chuckanut Drive under a canopy of trees: amazing scenery of Samish Bay. Lots of inlets to pull over for Kodak moments. The sun is out and makes for a beautiful afternoon. I head to Deception Pass Provincial campground but it’s full. The gate attendant wants to send me to an overflow but with much prodding, I finally get him to tell me there is a small campground just back down the road at Rosario Beach. I head there (I had passed the poor signage twice) and find a wonderful cozy campground with views of the ocean.

There are about a dozen other campers here. I set up camp, cook some dinner, and then take a walk on the long pier to check out people crabbing. Dark settles in on quiet night.                            
Monday: I wake to a light mist; have some breakfast, break camp. Even though it is cold and raining hard I decide to park the car and walk over Deception Pass bridge. It is scary but an awe-inspiring view. No crowds today, just me. I walk to the other end and back: I’m frozen.

         

I continue my journey and turn into the quaint town of Coupeville. Historic homes, a waterfront town lined with unique shops, cafes and galleries. I love this place. It reminds me of Mahone Bay, NS. I step into “One More Thing” a great little boutique. The manager is very friendly. We chat and she tells me her story. She was visiting a friend here, fell in love with the place, bought a farm, went back home to San Francisco, sold her house,  packed up her life and moved here. I’m impressed and think maybe there is a message for me. She gladly takes a picture of me with the fisherman outside the door. I continue driving in the pouring rain. Next stop Langley: a charming seaside village. I grab a bite to eat, check out a few shops in the never ending rain. No point in putting up a tent. I head for the Mukilteo Ferry, wait 1 hr. and board at 2:30 (cost $8.75). Not very good planning on my part going into Seattle on the Monday after a long weekend. Now I am driving into Seattle on the the I5. It is pouring so hard the wipers can’t go fast enough. This freeway has 8 lanes of speeding cars and I am trying to keep focused on finding route 90. I think I’m gonna die! I drive east past the city centre looking for camping and finally stop for coffee and gas in Issaquah. Some friendly chaps in the coffee shop direct me to the Holiday Inn. I book a room ($120) and haul all my wet gear in to dry. There is a great market across the street. I shop for fresh food and relax in my room as it continues pouring. Nice hotel with outdoor pool.

Tuesday:  have a hearty breakfast downstairs and the helpful waitress gives me directions to Pike’s Market at the waterfront. I find a parking meter under the bridge ($5hr.max.stay 2 hr.) The market is an array of sights, sounds, smells: people, music, gorgeous flower bouquets, fresh seafood and fish so huge I’ve never seen anything like it. If only I could take it home! I spend 2 hours taking it all in, buying fresh bread, smoked salmon, salads, cheese, sampling tea and fruit. I ask someone to take my photo in front of the Giant Shoe Museum. I move the car to another spot then walk around Pioneer Square, taking the mini tour of the underground city. I chat with the gate keeper and he asks me if I have a gun traveling alone (how American). I browse in “Diva Dollz” an inviting vintage store, get a coffee and wander to the waterfront.

       
I decide to leave Seattle as the rain is going  to continue all week. No point in going up the tower: too much fog to see. I head east to find a campground but most of what I pass is for RV’s. I have to drive over an hour before I find Lake Easton State Park for tenters ($21). I have my choice of camp spots as there is only 1 other tent set up in the lower area. I chose a high spot with the water tap right in front. Thank goodness I have a tarp and it stops raining long enough for me to get it tied up. At least I can put up my tent.without getting soaked. I get my stove going and have my tailgate supper of fresh smoked salmon. It is so good I don’t even mind the rain. I set up my sleeping quarters: thick Mexican blanket, wooly quilt, air bed, -10 sleeping bag, plus 4 layers clothes. I’m toasty warm. The only bad thing is having to go out in the pouring rain at 2 am to use the washroom down the road.

 
Wednesday: Still raining. Eat. Pack up. Drive east thru forests to Kenatash Valley. Gas up at Ellensburg. Pretty flat and dismal in this town. Take 97N into Wenatchee National Forest. Stops raining and in Wenatchee I pick up supplies. Albertson’s for  wood (only $4). Have coffee at Great Harvest Bread Co. and buy a yummy fresh loaf of natural bread. Wow the sun was out for 1 hr. I drive up the Columbia river past Chelan Falls. There’s a nice looking campground but once again it is pouring so I keep going north. At Brewster I turn off to go to Bridgeport (shows a State Park on map). Closed. Keep going. It’s getting dark because it’s so cloudy. Turn off I97 for Conconully State Park. 20 minutes on gravel road makes me leery, no cars on road. I get there and it is a tiny dump. Turn back and drive to Tonasket. It is dark and there are no campgrounds. Stop for gas and a quick eat. The clerk tells me to be careful as the highest road kill is on this drive to the border. Great! I hate driving in the dark at the best of times. I head to Oroville. I turn into Lake Osoyoos campground and set up my tent by the light of my headlights. Thank God it is clear and not raining.  I wake up at 4am. for a biffy walk and my air bed is almost flat. At least the stars are out and it’s calm.

         

         Thursday: Up, eat, shower, break camp, walk to beach: the sun is out. I drive to town to check out the grocery store: no great deals. Buy a bottle at the duty free shop; cross border (I’m the only car). Drive up to Osoyoos: sure has grown in 2 years. RV’s everywhere and no spots in Provincial campground. The downtown has a nice walkway & park so I set up my coleman at a picnic table and make some quesadillas. People comment on my resourfulness: beats fast food. I drive to Canadian Tire in Penticton, buy a new airbed and head for Okanagan Lake campground, a pretty spot down by the water. It is hard to stake a tent as you cannot put it on the grass and I bend all my spikes ( I find a few heavy rocks to hold the ropes. But at least there is no more rain: lots of campers here. Finally I get to have a campfire.

Friday: Pack up and leave at 11. I check out the North Okanagan campground: larger spots: will stay here next time. Drive to Peachland taking the Lake road. I still love it here. Walk along the refurbished waterfront and relax at a new coffee shop. Onward to Kelowna. Stop at Quail’s Ridge Winery: gorgeous setting. I sightsee: this city is really growing. The sun is out and the drive thru Vernon is nice. I head east thru Naramata. Now it’s pushing 5:00 and no campground in site (should have stayed in Naramata). I’m heading for the ferry at Needles. Once across I head for Nakusp but the drive proves too long. I’m tired, it’s getting dark and threatening rain again. I pull onto a dirt road looking for Burton Prov. campground (I pray it’s not a dive). It proves to be a lovely spot on a lake: only 2 other campers. I set up my tent. The neighbor comes over and tells me not to drink the water. He goes and gets me 4 bottles of water: how nice. I fall asleep to the sound of loons. Wake at 2am for biffy run: a million stars in the sky. It is very dark, quiet, a bit eerie.

Saturday: Up early. Breakfast. Break camp. Walk around the lake. The 20 min. drive to Nakusp is beautiful as the sun pops in and out of rain clouds and there is mist shrouding the mountains. Large Osprey nests top the hydro poles. I pass 2 other Prov. campgrounds and log cabins for rent (keep that in mind). Stop in Nakusp. Buy fresh veggies at the street market. Spectacular serpentine drive to New Denver. I miss the turn off for Kaslo so head into Nelson tru Slocan Valley. There is a huge car show on the main street and after circling a few times, I cannot get a parking spot. So I head to Safeway for a coffee and leave town to check into the Kokanee Creek campground ($28). I drive around a few times to find a spot with trees to tie my tarp, but am unsuccessful. I settle for a no tarp nite. Set up camp, cook dinner, walk to the river to see the spawning salmon. Buy firewood $6.  
Sunday: Wake up 7am to drizzling rain. Tailgate breakfast. Pack up. It pours all the way to Kaslo. Even though fog sets in over the mountains, it’s a pretty drive. I walk the historic main street and check out the real estate ads in the window. Derrick comes to talk to me and I hear about his journey on motorcycle. He suggests I stop at Ainsley Hot Springs and check out Toad Rock campground for motorcyclists. So I do that. The springs feel great even in the rain. Catch the 1:00 Kootenay Lake ferry at Balfour (good timing as next one is 2:50). Dock at Crawford Bay. Still pouring & cold so I drive thu to Creston. This is another pretty drive along Kootenay Lake. At 5:00 I pull into Wasa Prov. Park camground ($21). The sun is out. There are other campers here. Set up camp, tarp and all just in case. After supper, I get to make a campfire, enjoy a hot chocolate and look at the stars. This is the warmest nite of my journey. It is very quiet and does not rain.

 Monday: Up at 7. Just enough propane to make coffee. I pack up, check out the beach, then hit the road. Stop in Invermere for coffee at the German Bakery Shop on the main street: delicious fresh cinnamon buns and more. Browse in Village Arts shop. 12:00 back on the road. Fog covers the mountain tops. Drive thru Radium and witness 20 km of forest devastation as I drive towards Lake Louise. It pours the entire way.
I drop off Cheryl’s stuff in Canmore and head home. No way I want to camp in this cold.

Summary: 9 days on the road, 1 hotel stay, 6 nites camping in the  rain 3500kmno car troubles (had check-up before leaving)

I love camping and was pretty comfy in my tent but rain everyday is not fun. Check weather before leaving on a trip.

Best food to cook when tailgating: quesadilas (cooked beef keeps in cooler for a few days) Add chopped tomatoes, peppers, shredded cheese, cilantro: fast, easy, yummy.

Buy big nails to anchor your tent as most camgrounds have gravel base:bends your pegs.

Put a heavy blanket or wool quilt under your air bed - keeps air in bed warmer.

I would go back to Whitbey Island and the San Juan Islands in summertime: it is really beautiful.
I felt pretty safe  wherever I went. Talk to people, ask questions; people are more accomodating to a single travellers.

Hawaii & Maui Summary

Summary:

- Best not to travel on an American long-weekend – too crowded.

- Yes go in summer. The trade winds keep a relatively even temperature: it’s always 82-85.

- Talk to the bus drivers to get the best information and tips.

- I felt safe traveling alone. You tend to get better service in restaurants because you are solo.

- In Maui, I saw better advertised prices for tours and helicopter rides as opposed to the travel agents in Waikiki Beach. If you only do one thing in Maui:drive the road to Hana.

- Split your time between Waikiki Beach and Maui.

- Next time: Go snorkeling in Molokai. Take the helicopter ride through the valleys of Kunai

Maui 2010 - Day13

Day 13: Wake up to singing birds. My last day, I head down road to Big Wave Café (in Long’s Shopping Centre) for breakfast. I pass early birds in surf school and of course lots of surfers already out on the water. It is 8am. In Maui early risers, early to bed.

Hint: Big Wave Café serves a full breakfast between 7:30-9 am for $3.99

Sadly I return to my room to pack and check out. I drive to Kaluilu to Fabric Depot to check out cottons. There is such a huge selection: I settle on a few traditional Hawaiian symbol designs. I decide to drive the north shore. When to road narrows and become a single lane, I turn around. Nothing can compare to the road to Hana. I decide to drive past Lahaina to see the hotel strip around Kaanapali beach. Golf courses, condos galore, residential homes all surrounded by tropical vegetation. I return to Lahaina.

It is a busy weekend. Luckily there is room to park in the free lot. It is my birthday and I treat myself to lunch at Lahaina Fish Co: coconut shrimp $12.95 and hula drink $6 (pineapple, mango, banana). The food was great but the service was poor: there only a few other diners but I was ignored and had to ask for service. When I left the host had arrived and asked me if all was well. When I recounted my experience he said he would take care of it. Could it have been because I was solo? I drive back and enjoy the ocean views. Clouds set in. Return car and check-in. Airport noisy, hot, crowded. Glad I am traveling first class on my 10:15 flight.

Hint: I arrived in San Francisco at 6am with a 5 hr. layover. I had trouble finding a hard bench to lie on and it was freezing in the airport. A long layover is a bad idea.

Maui 2010 - Day12

Day 12: Wake up to the sound of birds. Another calm morning with blue skies. After breakfast in my room, I leave for the south shore and drive to Lahaina, an artist community of 1960’s hippies turned entrepreneurs. I pass groups of early risers in surf class, fields of sugar cane, and the Haleakala volcano in the distance. The drive is beautiful as you travel along the shore with lots of places to pull in for a swim. Arrive in Lahaina. I find a free public parking lot on the north end of the strip. Wonderful quaint shops, small quaint houses with picket fences, seafood restaurants, and of course the waterfront with everything a tourist wants to do.

I wander in and out of the shops, stopping at a bakery to purchase a home made fruit scone (yummy). I notice a little sign The Shoemaker and deek down a small alley. I chat with a local Hawaiian shoemaker who will make you custom leather sandals. I learn a bit about the history of the town. I drive back stopping at one of the pull-over beaches to cool off in the waves and lay in the sun for awhile.

Once I get back to Kihea I decide to go down road past Wailea and check out a few more beaches. I drive by expensive homes and pull over to check out a small bay. I get to walk on the sand in front of multi million dollar houses. Down the road, I stop at Big Beach: a wide expanse of sand and 1 mile long. Then I look for Red Beach and end up high on a hill overlooking the sea. I ask directions from a man waiting for sunset. He tells me to go to the end of the road to see “new” land being built on lava. Off I go on the road that becomes one lane, driving close to the edge of the shore. A few cars are parked. I pass a few homes driving to the end of the road (La Perouse Bay). The land is being cleared to build houses. It is all black lava. It is like I am on a deserted, desolate, ruined planet. I get out of the car. It is dead quiet, spooky and gives me the creeps. I decide not to go to the end and manage to maneuver a turn. The sun is setting and as I drive the rays peek through clouds and it is truly beautiful in it’s orange splendor. I drive back up to Ahihi-Kina’u beach and a barefoot couple is getting married on the shore.I drive back to my hotel to shower and head out for dinner. Down the road at Kihea Shopping Centre I dine on the patio of 3’sBar & Grill: Coconut Shrimp appetizer $9, Tropical Salad $8, a glass of wine; perfect. A warm nite, I take a stroll on the moonlit beach.

Hint: Hawaii’s beaches are by law the domain of the public. You can soak up the sun on the beach outside the obscenely priced homes of the rich & famous.

Maui 2010 - Day11

The Road to Hana

Day 11: I wake to the sound of birds singing. I head out at 8am and drive to Paia. I have breakfast at Anthony’s Coffee Co. and order my picnic lunch (freshly made turkey wrap) for my drive to Hana: a serpentine road that winds around Maui’s northeastern coast. The scenery is breathtaking, a bit scary in parts, but it surely is like dying and going to heaven. Ocean views over steep cliffs, lush rainforests, breathtaking views. I stop at the first fruit stand and buy a bag of fresh cut coconut. Next stop: Twin Falls. Hike in 2 km. but there was hardly a trickle of water. Onward I go stopping to take pictures. It rains and fog sets in but the view is still gorgeous in its’ eerie state. The speed limit averages around 10km. and there are 39 single lane bridges to drive over. The sun comes out. I stop at Hana Farms Market and buy banana nut bread. I have my lunch (half of it it’s so big) at Hana Beach Park. I stop at flower farm and chat with the owner. I continue my journey to the 7 Sacred Pools (Oheo Gulch) at Waiainanapa Sate Park. At 5:00 and I decide to start my drive back so I can stop at Haleakala National Park. It is a black beach. There are caves to explore and crashing waves to photograph. You can even camp in the family run campground. I chat with a local who shares some history of the area.

The sun I setting over the mountains, it’s getting dark and there are few cars on the road back. Everyone must have gone full circle, chancy as the car rental company does not warranty damage if you go that route. Local cars approaching you tend to drive too fast so I’m a bit nervous when a few come flying around blind corners. I was glad to reach Paia. I arrive back at my hotel at 7, tired but still exhilarated from exotic Hana.

Hint: Forgo the convertible that the rental cars push. I saw a few people having to stop and put up the top when it rained.

I did not have time to go to the bamboo forest but I definitely recommend you do.

Maui 2010 - Day10

MAUI - Day 10:

Take Roberts shuttle to airport and fly to Maui. Pick up my rental car and take the short drive to Kihei. I’m staying at Maui Coast Hotel. It’s quiet and I can sit on the balcony and hear birds. My room has beautiful modern island décor, a micro and fridge. There are bicycles to use and a pool with bar. It is across from a 6 mile stretch of beaches. I settle into my room then take a drive to check out the area. Three miles down the road is Wailea with stunning golf courses, grand homes, and exquisite tropical landscaping. I park at Ka’anapali beach and walk Wailea Beach path’s stunning shoreline walkway, past Westin cabanas and condos. This is how the rich vacation. What a view. Everything is immaculate and I can see the famous Gold Golf Course in the background. I return to my hotel to sit by the pool and relax with a cocktail and a book.

Hint: I booked my 4 day stay in Maui with AMA and was very pleased. The big overstuffed bed was dreamy. I liked the location with a beach across the street.

Hawaii 2010 - Final Days

Day 7: Waves are higher today and I spend the day on the beach, body surfing. I am covered in sand but have so much fun. In the evening I walk to the Sheraton bistro bar. I order a Pina Colada ($8) and an Ahi Tuna Salad ($16) which is generous and delicious. I stroll the strip, go into the Apple store (free use of all the stuff) to e-mail home.

Day 8/9: I stroll the strip and do a little shopping. I spend my last 2 days in Waikiki on the beach. For dinner I walk to F.P.Chang’s bistro, a modern designed 2 story open air restaurant (Kalakaua Street). My entree was delicious. Good value and excellent service.