2019 NORTHWEST PASSAGE Episode VIII

JUST AROUND THE BEND

Episode VIII
Ohanapecosh Campground:















It took us no time to back in, unhitch and unpack. Our first
stop was at the nearby facilities. The trees were so thick and
dense that the lights were on. We both scampered up the
steps and took advantage of it.




















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Ohanapecosh Campground:

Outside, the camp had lots of empty spaces. It was still June
and the rush for the fourth hadn’t started yet. Down along the
Ohanapecosh River, we soon learned that rushing waters were
normal for most of the rivers flowing off of the great
mountain. Maybe as many as 15 rivers had their origin from
the mountain. It was barreling along, carrying everything with
it. The spring melting of the glaciers was still active.
Lahare’s:

At Mt. Saint Helens we were able to see how devastating these
landslides could be. But, because of the amount of mud and
being so far from it we didn’t realize how frequent or how
devastating they were. Here in the National Park their
existence happens far more often than any eruption.
















Across the river a trail of mud and slurry had torn down the
hillside and ripped out all the trees and underbrush. Timber
was piled up at the rivers edge, and on our near bank beside



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Lahare’s:

the camp sites. We were a bit nervous about it and were glad
to be on higher ground. We have a new plan to add to our
other safety procedures. If we hear a rumbling; if we’re near a
creek or river we don’t stop to figure out what it might be.
‘DO NOT STOP AT GO’. Run for higher ground. High is
good, higher is better, and highest is best. It may be a Lahare.
We hope we never have to use our new plan, but will apply it
here in the park on all our hikes and later in the Olympic
National Park along the Pacific Ocean.



















Patriarch Forest:

Of course we want to go to the Visitor’s Center nearest the
Mountain. It’s 20 or more miles away so today we’ll head over
to the Patriarch Forest of old growth trees. The hike is about
5 miles into a forest grove of trees that have never been cut or


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Patriarch Forest:

‘harvested’. It’s believe they could be between 600 and 1,000
years old.
We started out along a dirt path beside the mountain, it was
steep up the side and down there were trees that had fallen
lying across the trail, but, left plenty of room for us to pass.













Moving along we kept getting closer to the bottom of the
valley and the steep sides of the trail flattened out. Near the
river we encountered wet and swampy land. The Park had
built a boardwalk making our way much easier.
















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Patriarch Forest:

We hadn’t encountered any other hikers along the way and
were really enjoying the solitude. Arlene was overjoyed about
the boardwalk as you can see when she found this huge double
Cedar. We had no idea how old it was, but it was as big
around as any of the giant trees we’d seen in Sequioa.















As we walked along the trail winding around many of these
trees, both growing and fallen, with stumps the size of a dining
room table we continued on one side of the river. Bridging
these waters is particularly dangerous because they are remote
and have very strong currents. Few trails cross these rivers for
that reason.
We’ve often wondered how our ancestors crossed rivers, but
never complained about being near a creek or river after
anyone that had taken the time to build a bridge. In this case it
was the Park Rangers. Our river was beautiful, Crystal clear, as
it flowed along the valley floor. We could see the rocks under
it and because the current didn’t look to strong we probably
could have waded across without being swept away.


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Patriarch Forest:

It did look cold but only 3 or 4 feet deep. If we wanted we
could even hop in for a swim. It looked encouraging and
there wasn’t anyone around to disturb us.
We continued along the banks, deciding that our adventurous
spirit should be tampered down as it was too chilly to either
take a swim or wade across. But we did come to a bridge, a
hanging bridge.














The bridge looked robust, built with metal cables, fasteners
and metal plates. Arlene led the way, as it kept swaying back
and forth with each step. She bounced and swayed her way
across.
We had been told that one person at a time should cross.
Richard wanted to make it swing so in the middle he got it
going, but not enough to toss him off.








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Patriarch Forest:































There were lots of logs, not just in the water where they pile
up, around pools, or along the shore line. Logs on the forest
floor of course are just plain dead trees that may have fallen
for a variety of reasons. This forest being Old Growth is filled
with fallen trees in different states of decay.



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Patriarch Forest:

Many of these dead trees still have 50 or 60 feet standing,
others, blown over by winds usually have moss and
mushrooms and small plants growing off of them. There
seems to be more fallen trees than growing, but it’s hard to tell
because of the density of the forest. Here is an example of the
forever cycling. Arlene’s pointing to the top of this huge dead
log with several saplings growing from it.
















We’ve never seen anything like that before. In some places the
new trees were 3 -4 inches in diameter. There was one place
where the end of a tree was so convoluted with beautiful burl.

It would have been a furniture or cabinet makers dream.
An old forest is defined by the multitude of different species
of trees and bushes. Although the density of this forest has
prohibited lots of underbrush. We thought the floor was filled
with mosses and ferns. Among the tree types that we
recognized were Cedar, different Firs, Douglas, Hemlock and



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Patriarch Forest:

some pine. There’s as many dead trees lying on the ground as
trees growing. Even so they are very dense with a lot of
smaller trees growing beneath their high full canopy.
We took our time hiking back to camp. It was a long day, over
6 hours. It’s been a lot of fun, in the tall woods and along this
cool clear river.



Paradise Inn:
This morning we had a pancake breakfast with blueberries,
bacon and coffee. Each morning we stop by the Visitors
Center to check on the weather and talk with our new best
friend Ranger, Marylyn. She has helped identify flowers and
suggested different hikes. This morning her weather forecast
was sunny with no rain, but tomorrow it might rain. That was
a signal, and in case we didn’t get it she uncoded it for us. ‘Go
see the mountain Today; there’s a chance it will be clear.’
That made it pretty clear we would drive around the
mountains 20 miles to the Visitors Center and ‘Paradise Inn’.
Before we left I asked why the geologist were so concerned
about Mt. Rainer. ‘Yes, she said it’s a real concern, but more
than a protoplasmic eruption, it was rather the possibility of
landslides.’ Glacier ice melting running down the mountain
sides carrying the devastating mud. If the weak side was on
the west, like Mt. St. Helens; and evidently they think that is
because the last time it had been. Before; it slid, slurry, trees
everything all the way to Tacoma and the Puget Sound. Today
that area is a Mega population. It would be disastrous to the
area and the economy. Thousands of people could be
inundated in a few hours.


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Paradise Inn:

And now we know what the worry is about for Mount Rainer.
On our way back to camp to pack a lunch and head out
toward Paradise Inn we were relieved to think that today
wouldn’t be like our visit to Mt. St. Helens. It would be so
much more pleasant.

On the way we stopped to look around. There were some
Asian tourists that we took pictures for and they thanked us
profusely. We also were able to trace our passage. Look at all
the small landslides along the road. This land is very unstable.




















The Mountain stands way above it’s sisters, by at least 4,000
feet. We doubt if any of the others are up to 10,000. It’s so
high that it creates it’s own weather. We’d be really lucky to
see it without a shroud of clouds. (During 2 weeks at Dinali,
we drove out every evening and never saw it without clouds.)


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Paradise Inn:

Each time we circled around another mountain we got another
glimpse of it. There were always some clouds.
















At the Inn we were right at the base of the mountain. This is
where permits are certified to climb the summit, and like many
Parks with special climbs or hikes there is a long waiting list.
The Inn’s silver color comes from Silver Cedars it’s not the
most beautiful in the Park System, although it is in line with
the Yellowstone architecture called Rustic American which
mixes New England’s Adirondack style and Western design.












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Paradise Inn:

















We went inside and got a much better sense of the
architectural design. This is the dining hall and off to each side
are small souvenir shops and large windows for viewing the
Mountain.


















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Paradise Inn:

Strangely, as we looked around our interest was taken by the
lampshades. Each had different local flowers, designed and
painted on them.















We bought some soda and ate our sandwiches. Richard drew
and made a few sketches, and then we started looking around.
Arlene posed beside a picture of the mountain on a clear day.
We would take a few pictures ourselves a little later.
















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Paradise Inn:

There was a fellow watching several climbers on their way up
the slope. He had once climbed to the summit, and his
daughter had gotten to the 12,000 mark once before snow
made them quit.















He explained that permits were granted only for groups of
climbers. No one was allowed to climb solo. They start early
in the day and climb to 12,000 feet before bivwacking for a
few hours and begin their final ascent to the peak around 2:00
a.m. There was a reason for the final climb during the night
hours. It’s colder and the temperatures are more constant
thereby reducing the possibility of a landslide. It makes it
much safer.
He was most interesting, and pointed out several facets of the
Mountain including its primary peak, Columbia, and secondary
ones.






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Paradise Inn:

There were a couple of bulges that caught our eye, because
they had little or no snow built up. Indeed didn’t we know
what happened 80 miles south of us. The elastic crust of the
mountain was heating up under the bulge. This bulge is
named Gibraltar.
















Our imagination easily realized that Gibraltar was a soft spot
and must cause a lot of attention for the geologists.

The day was getting later and we had a long way to go and
didn’t want to drive in the dark. We headed back out to our
car, and drove off down the long road. At one point we
stopped for a short rest and Richard tried sketching the
Mountain one more time while it was still in sight.








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Paradise Inn:

















We considered ourselves pretty lucky to see the mountain on a
clear day. On one hand we weren’t able to play in the snow
but on the other we weren’t snowed in at the Inn. We
returned down the eastern slopes to our camp and prepared a
simple dinner and watched a 1937 John Wayne movie before
turning in for the night.


Silver Falls:


We have good things to say about our camp. It’s in deep,
cedar and pine woods. The floor is covered with heavy pine
needles and woodland debris. It’s quiet and soft to walk on.
Every tree’s west side has a beautiful bright green moss
spreading around its roots and growing up 10 feet.

During the daylight the sun shine streams through the thick
canopy lighting different spots and the sides of trees. It’s


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Silver Falls:

particularly appealing in the evening when the rays shine
through. Every evening the ‘Wood Man’ drives through
selling dry fire wood and starter bundles. If the campers use
his wood they will have a nice fire without towering smoke.
That would be a pleasant experience, as it rains a lot here and
smokey fires are a campers god given right.
We’re heading out this morning on the Silver Falls trail.
Crossing the road and down a poorly marked narrow needle
covered trail. Down, down we went hoping that it would level
off as on the way back we’d be pretty tired and would have to
climb back up. We continued down through this primeval
forest with moss covering the steep slopes. This pathway was
much thicker than the Patriarch Trail with many fallen trees
everywhere. The woods were so dense it was pretty dark. If
there was a storm we couldn’t tell because of the canopy.





















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Silver Falls:

To one side, further down the ravine was the Ohanapecosh
River. It was flowing in a furious state. Describing it as rapids
doesn’t justify the froth. The boulders along its route don’t
explain it either. It is an enormous amount of water in a
narrow river bed with steep slopes that must cause it. The
force was awesome.















Occasionally the river pools after falling 15-20 feet and causes
piles of logs to heap up.















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Silver Falls:

Presumably they were swept down the river during the flood
stage and/or landslides. April is the wettest and snowiest
month of the year so maybe they were swept along a couple of
months ago. Now even though the river’s current runs so
strong they are high and dry meaning the river might have
been 20 feet higher during the flood.
Back on the path the builders of the trails had tried to make
them safer. When we came to a particularly dangerous area,
across a small creek or steep incline they built a bridge, or
stairs. They were usually made of wood or boulders. There
were many bridges and all different sizes.

Richard is crossing a small stream on a log, flattened, with a
crude railing.
















But, not all are so easy, sometimes these mountain streams had
a log across them and we’d have to balance our way to the far
side.



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Silver Falls:

















From time to time the path ended at a cliff. We’d look over a
100 foot drop to the river. Fortunately, there was always a
banister or railing that protected us as we’d gaze down at the
river. The railing helped reduce the tog of gravity.
There was lots of moss, and some flowers. You can see how
thick the forest floor was. We had never seen a miniature
dogwood before; one of our favorite trees back home. In fact
without the flower and leaves we wouldn’t have believed it.
But, here no higher than 10 inches they were a real lovely
surprise.











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Silver Falls:

























Around one bend the river was more fearsome, as mist rose
above the rapids, and the pools were a deep teal green/blue.













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Silver Falls:















We were now along the river’s cliff, and the trail was built
much stronger with railings and boardwalks. Beyond it we
could see another bridge. We persevered the last 200 yards
down the trail and out on to the middle of the bridge.




















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Silver Falls:

We had come to the Silver Falls of the Ohannapecosh River.
From the middle of the bridge the narrow rugged river bore
down with several 20 foot falls around funnels creating eddies
before falling again each plunging further down toward us.















To the south the river continued through this steep ravine and
wilderness.

















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Silver Falls:

It was grand. The water was silver for as far as we could see to
the north. Southward the river continued into a steep canyon.
Forced down a narrow shoot the foam subsided and the
beautiful teal glacier waters flowed out of sight.
At the bridge we met a volunteer Ranger. As we talked about
the mosses and verified the Dogwood, he told us about the
geological lay of the land. He was doing that when a couple of
hikers threw some twigs into the river. He excused himself
and went over and asked them not to throw debris into the
water, and to stay on the trail. They were tempting fate
perched on the rocks over the highest falls. (Several times a
year folks are lost, tourists and others die rather than heed the
warnings.)

We took our time climbing back up the trail stopping as usual
to catch our breath and talking to various other hikers. It was
quite a day.
Mount Rainer National Park:

We had set out to visit four different areas of this huge park.
We saw mostly it’s eastern side. It has been a really grand
experience. The Lahares, the landslides, have been the most
interesting and telling of our visit. Seeing the Mountain Peak
on a clear day was wonderful. Even though we heard that a
climber lost their life the day we were there. The two hikes, to
the Patriarch, old Growth forest were remarkable, although it
was flatter and easier to traverse than the Silver Falls hike,
which was rugged and steep most of the way they were two
totally different and splendid hikes. We’ll not forget Mount
Rainer any time soon, and of course hope it doesn’t erupt.



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Mount Rainer National Park:

We’re packing up and on our way to Bremerton, and Dan’s for
the Fourth of July. Here we are leaving the National Park.


































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CHAPTER 5

Port Orchard:

Breaking camp we used our double check plan to be sure not
to leave anything behind. We took Route 123 to 410 around
the northern side of Mount Rainier toward Tacoma. It was an
easy trip.
Tacoma isn’t a big city but it is part of the large metropolitan
mega- populous from Olympia through Seattle to Marysville,
Washington. We were of course raised along the east coasts
mega-populous from Richmond to Boston. So don’t think
we’re over whelmed by these large cities.

However we would say that in the last 15-20 years we’ve tried
our best to by-pass big cities, driving an oversized vehicle like
an RV or a Trailer encouraged us. It is impossible to dodge
certain cities like Houston with it’s 6 lane, one direction, high
speed high-ways, or San Diego where folks claim to be able to
get anywhere in 30 minutes.
Here we were in downtown Tacoma without a clue where we
were or which way to go. We both blamed ‘Gabby’ our GPS
for the predicament. She hasn’t always been helpful. Do you
remember the time in the middle of Atlanta when she
stopped? Not a single word. We do and haven’t forgotten it.
Today we came to a detour. That just drove ‘Gabby’ and us
nuts.

You know GPS’s are like digital clocks. With a digital clock
you can’t tell where the previous second was or where the
future one is. You only know the current moment. The same
is true with ‘Gabby’ she only tells you where you are at the
specific moment.




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Port Orchard:

So we’re lost. Where the hell are we ‘Gabby’. Quick, Arlene
grab the paper maps. I’ll pull over and we can study them.
We drove around and ended up at the Wharf, in downtown.
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There without ‘Gabby’ we took the 19 street Route 16
straight up the hills, stopping at every light finding the orange
detour signs and finally getting out of town.

Route 16 is a divided highway that led us to Port Orchard. We
got lost there also, but it wasn’t because of ‘Gabby’, we were
just wandering around the neighborhoods.

Dan’s and Pam’s home was on the hillside overlooking the
Puget Sound and Bremerton, the Submarine Base.
It’s a grand place with a marvelous view. Here from their
balcony we watched the sun setting over the Olympic
Mountains.





















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Port Orchard:

Everyone was out doing different things when we arrived.
Pam works from 4 in the morning to 7 at night. She takes the
ferry to Seattle six days a week. Annie, her oldest daughter,
sleeps. Amiee her youngest is spending the summer with her
father in Colorado. Dan is at the Seattle airport waiting for
Samantha to arrive.











That left us lots of time to make some plans for ourselves. We
had been told before leaving home that unless we arrived at
the exact moment when the sun shined in Seattle we would be
washed away by the constant rain. That peak period was 2
th
weeks long and begins on July 4 . Pretty good timing on our
part, and just as they say here’s the sun.

Our Honda needs some attention. We’d had a pin point hole
in our windshield. Seems every time we drive through
Mississippi a rock or pebble hits us. Back in Trillium State
Park our pin hole grew by four inches. Our tires are about
27,000 miles old at this point so I took a ‘penny’ to test them.
They failed to hide Ole Abe’s head so we needed to replace
them.




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Port Orchard:

Checking a few of these things out our insurance would cover
the window shield and for an additional $140 we could get
four Michelins from Costco instead of Goodyear’s from Sam’s
Club.
Once Dan and Samantha arrived we visited for a while and
then parked the trailer at the top of their steep driveway and
unloaded the kayaks inside one of their three garages. This
was really good as it allowed us to get the car fixed and drive
around town as well as to go to Victoria without the boats or
other things.

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We still had a day before the 4 . Dan and Samantha were up
early and eager to help us fix our car. It was also a chance to
go shopping, their favorite activity.
We hopped into our cars, Dan and Smantha in his little BMW,
us following. He had said that there was a ferry at the bottom
of the hill. We learned that ferries go everywhere, across to
the Naval Station, around the islands, to Seattle, everywhere.
We didn’t stop and in 40 minutes were passing several
‘smallish’ aircraft carriers at the Naval Base. Surly, not nuclear,
and probably mothballed.

We strained our eyes to see a ‘Boomer’ those nuclear subs that
slink into the sea and disappear for months. We didn’t even
see one.
Dan was assigned here to help train submarine crews. We
translated that into his father and mother-in-law would get a
chance to tour one. He obviously had a different view than we
did. For the second time we never saw anything. Before it
was in St. Mary’s, Georgia, another missile sub port. This time
he had hardly anything to say…’Not a chance.’


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Port Orchard:

At Costco in Silverdale, we got into the swing of things by
writing a $650.00 check for our tires, and then heading around
the rest of the store.
Dan’s a fun shopper, he pushes a cart around tossing things
into it. His things are much different than the electronics that
caught Samantha’s eye, cameras and phones. Nudging her
along we were able to get her into a little different mode. It
was our senior citizen specialties. By the time we left, we were
chucked full, with a total of $1.35 worth of snack giveaways.

Across the street we dragged both of them into the Goodwill
retail store. Neither of them really knew what they were in for.
Grandpa Richard thought they might have some cloth belts.
He liked them and suspected they didn’t make them any more.
There were some, but not long enough to wrap around his
waist.
Never-the-less we did find something for everyone. Samantha
a pretty orange cotton pullover sweater with ‘keeper’
embroidered on the back. Dan dug right in and found a really
snappy burgundy and gold Redskin’s jacket with it’s logo on
the front, and REDSKINS across the back. He would only
have to explain how he would be caught dead in it.

I tried on a black and white sweater. Samantha helped me
realize it wasn’t for me. She said ‘Grandpa you look like you
don’t own a mirror.’ Sure enough I moved on. Arlene found
a couple of blue micro fleece pullovers. They fit, and had
warm pockets in front for our hands.
Back home we prepared for dinner. Dan with a ‘Captain’ and
Dr Pepper, the rest of us had wine. Steaks on the grill,




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asparagus and a salad. It was a good meal and we all ate
together.
After dinner we all jumped into a couple of cars, Arlene and I
road in the massive BMW 5X (That was fun.) and went to the
movies.

‘Twilight’ is a Harry Potter like magical/fantasy love story
between werewolves and vampires. It surely appeals to the
under 15 crowd and will probably have many sequels.

Later, in the Olympic National Park we will visit the small
town of Forks where the movie was filmed.
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July 4 :
We had forgotten the earth tilts a little after the solstice and
gives this part of the country more light and longer days. It
would be nearly 10 p.m. before the fireworks would start
blasting. We were pretty excited about seeing them and
expected they would be shot along the water front and above
the Olympic Mountains. It could be spectacular, and we had
the crow bird’s seat on the balcony.

Dan started with a collection of sparklers, Candles and fizzies
on the driveway.













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July 4 :







































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July 4 :
The sky broke out with the joy of an Independence Day
celebration.
North of Bremerton the ridge began to percolate. Here and
there red streamers climbed into the sky above the horizon
then burst into circular red, green white and orange spangles.

To the south, down the street and over the hill fire bursts
began lighting the low clouds with explosions.

By 10:00 the landscape was popping with brilliant balls of fire.
To the far south, directly across the harbor, along the north
ridge, on both sides of the street and even behind us.
Blam!…Bam!....Bam!... Boom! … Ka Pow!

There was 360 degrees of fire works.






















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July 4 :







































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July 4 :
















Colored balls shooting into the sky. Fountains sparkling with
stars and stripes. White glow bombs that blind you and then
turn to brilliant colors of red, green, blue and orange. Arial
rockets that blast streams of light into the air before exploding
into circular colors drifting to the ground. Reflections of star
dust on the water with white circles, blue stars, and orange
streamers.
This was a most impressive display. Hundreds of people all
over the valley blew thousands of cannons into the air from
every direction. From the front deck the blasts of color and
sound came from every angle, behind us they rose over the
house, across the harbor and from each end of the mountain
range.







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July 4 :
It was awesome.
They continued into the night until our head lay upon our
pillows and they instantly quieted. Good night, sleep tight.

What a swell day.













Cherry Pie:

Washington State is known for it’s produce. They grow more
wheat than any other state in their high desert, and ship it all to
the Pacific. It’s not just all grapes and apples. Their red apples
are renown, but also their berries and vegetables.

We have a soft spot for cherries, particularly red sour ones.
Every July New York State and northern Pennsylvania’s fields
and hills blossom with them. We have picked buckets of them,
leaving the pitting for later. As you know if you pit as you pick
you never fill your bucket. Pitted cherries, squish and never
over fill a bucket.

In Washington, they grow two types of cherries. Both are
larger, sweeter and a different color than our favorite red ones.
These are ‘Queen Ann’s’ and ‘Bing’. The Queen Ann’s are


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yellow-orange and red. They are so pretty they cost more than
the others. The dark almost black Bing cherry is delicious and
are very popular.
Although we know the Bing Cherries couldn’t be as good as
the sour red ones, we had never made a pie of them. We were
however ready to try, and bought a couple of pounds of them.

But, just in case, we also bought enough blueberries for a
backup. Blueberries here are often called Huckleberries, but
don’t be fooled, they are the same, just a little larger.

Samantha and I were the main bakers this afternoon. She
unfortunately had her nails manicured for the fourth so Arlene
pitted all the cherries. There would be enough even with our
tasting partners sampling them.

Baking has become a real operation between Arlene and I.
She lays out the utensils and ingredients. Here she had to find
the flour, sugar lemons and nutmeg. We’d bought the dough
with the cherries. She then sits back and supervises. Some of
us don’t measure as closely as bakers should. She oversees
that also.
Samantha rolled the lemon until it was soft and the juices
flowed; laid out the dough in the deep pie dish mixed the
cherries and poured them into the plate.

This was going to be really good. She stripped some more
dough and braided it over the top of the pie.

The blueberries filled the next crust to overflowing and both
were slid into the oven.





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Cherry Pie:

Dan and Pam have a big oven. Don’t they look good? I think
Samantha was delighted and surprised they were so good. We
are old hands at baking pies, especially cherry ones.
















Seattle:

We were first in line at the Southworth terminal for the

















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Seattle:

Fauntleroy Ferry to Seattle..
















Driving was a good idea, as it was 10 miles into Seattle after we
left the ferry.

Public Market:

We parked beside the famous outdoor Pikes Market. It’s
blocks long and we were eager to see and tour all of it.
Just look, at the crowd and it’s only Monday. When do these
folks usually shop? Probably like all of us on Friday. Imagine
what that’s like.











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Public Market:


































Wow! Does that look good.





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Public Market:

We wondered if the rainy weather had an effect on the
growing season and produce. If it did we should be able to
see it here in July. So we’ll start with the vegetables.
















Not bad, now look at the fruit. That’s okay too.



















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Public Market:
We expected to see beautiful fresh sea food.

What we missed was the famous throwing of the 20 pound
fish, across the counter.

What we heard was a customer selects a fish from the shelf.
It’s not wrapped so they have to give it to the fish monger
behind the counter. That’s about 15 feet. They could choose
to throw it over themselves, or another fish monger picks it
out of the ice and throws it. In either case it’s over the
shelving inside the counter where it will either be filleted or
just wrapped. He then tosses it back to the customer.
Here’s where it all happens.


















Open air markets are so nice. Often when we were in Europe
many markets were open air. We would buy for each day.



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Public Market:

Unlike our grocery where we buy for a week or at Costco for a
month.

























Flowers were a big deal. Large bouquets of tiger lilies, china
bells, pink and purple peonies and sweat peas. Arlene bought
a huge bouquet of Peonies while Dan choose some purple and
white China Lamps. They were really exotic flowers, both
were beautiful.













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Public Market:


















They both look pretty happy with them.

We bumped along trying to protect these full bouquets until
reaching the end of the market.










Space Needle:

We went on to the Jimmy Hendrix Museum. Samantha really
liked it. It was filled with his memorabilia, and so many guitars
we couldn’t count them. And yes they were all his.


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Space Needle:




























On our way back to the ferry we walked around the famous
Seattle Space Needle. No one showed much enthusiasm for
riding into the clouds so we passed it up.








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Space Needle




























Port Orchard:

Back in Port Orchard we packed up. Hitching the trailer was
pretty easy after a couple of tries. I drove up the drive on a
slant so when pulling out it would not be so sharp an angle
onto the road. It worked and there was no scraping or
mashing of teeth.





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Port Orchard:

No one was up in the morning. Pam had left for work, Annie
and Samantha were asleep.
Arlene made some coffee, enough to take with us, and we
carried the few remaining things out to the Odyssey.

We drove down the hill around Port Orchard, and Bremerton.
On our way the phone rang. Dan had just passed us and
wished us a safe journey.

We were on our way to the Olympic National Park and the
Hoh Rain Forest.
























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CHAPTER 6

BRITISH COLUMBIA:

Juan De Fuca Strait:
An hour after leaving Port Orchard we arrived and parked in a
sheltered lot in Port Angles, Washington. We’re about to take
a passenger ferry across the Strait of Juan De Fuca to Victoria,
Canada.

There’s nothing like being greeted by a friendly person that
owns and manages the ferry, Victoria Express. She was great,
signed us in and made additional reservations.
It’s about 25 miles to Victoria across the Strait and it’s current.
We’re in hopes that the sea is smooth, as cutting across the
waves can lead to a rolly-polly trip with lots of sick passengers.

















We waited to board beside the dock. There was a fellow with
a large cedar tree, 2 feet in diameter, and 30 feet long, stripped
of it’s bark, he was carving a Totem Pole. He was carving a



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Juan De Fuca Strait:

Beaver into the lowest, widest level,. At the top he said he’d
do an owl. In between he would carve an Eagle, a Raven and
other animals. Each of the animals had different meanings.
Beavers, bring life. Owl’s call you to eternity. He says there
are lots of animals, each with their own story and meaning. It
was really neat to talk with him, and get an idea about Totems.
We’d see a few later in Victoria. Here’s a sketch of one
Richard drew.




















Our course was across the calm waves so we dipped and rose
all the way. Neither of us got sick. As we approached the
harbor we slowed and cruised into Victoria. It was a small
harbor, protected from the western winds.





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