Month: May 2018

Yay, its tourist day. This morning we headed to downtown Seattle to play “tourist”. We first hit Pike Market where they throw fish as a market spectacle. Donna found some beautiful flowers and we had fantastic crepes for lunch. Afterward we went to the Space Needle. This iconic site is under renovation but remains open. We really enjoyed the panoramic views from the tower. Next we headed next door to the Museum of Pop. We were quite disappointed. While there were some interesting exhibits much of the museum is occupied by additional cost areas. In this case, the Marvel Comic area and surround movie they call the Holodome. The Star Trek exhibit was interesting and filled with many stage artifacts from the popular TV shows and movies. Overall we found it expensive for what you saw and frustrating to find much of the content additional cost. After the museum we drove around downtown just to explore and then headed back to the coach.

Today we headed to Boeing Field to start our day. Boeing Field is where new Boeing Airliners and Tankers are delivered to their customers. Across from Boeing Field is the engineering offices I once frequented during the Joint Strike Fighter competition and the Airborne Laser programs. Boeing Field is also home to the Museum of Flight is located. I’ve been to the Museum of Flight twice in my past and Donna once before. The parking lot was packed so we decided to wait until another time or maybe skip this time around. The Boeing area is as I remember from 10-20 years ago. We then drove toward SEA-TAC International Airport to see where I used to stay when in the area. The road to SEATAC is completely transformed with many new businesses and hotels. We drove over the hill to the East to drive through Burien where I stayed the most and to have lunch. Burien has also changed a lot and my favorite restaurant is no more. The Outback I frequented in the day was still there and we stopped there for lunch. We finished the trip down memory lane with a visit to the Renton Municipal Airport. This airport also has a Boeing plant but the main reason we visited was to see the seaplanes that use the lake end of the runway as a boat ramp. There were many DeHavilland Beavers on standard and amphibious floats which I always find interesting. You just don’t see that much around the North Texas area. I took a couple of pictures of the unique float plane tug trucks I’ve never seen anywhere else. We got back and I took Maverick on a good nature trail romp around the perimeter of the RV park.

Today we decided to go to the Anacortes Boat and Yacht Show at the Cap Sante Marina. Unfortunately it was another drive up I-5 to Burlington to get there. We are already quite tired of that I-5 run as this is the 3rd time to make the hour long drive. Anacortes sits very pretty on the San Juan de Fucs Straight near the San Juan Islands. The ferry that goes to San Juan Island, Orcas Island, and Vancouver Island leave from here. The marina was very nice and we got lucky with a parking spot. The show was very neat because it concentrated on Yachts and Boats designed for open ocean use rather than the typical Dallas ski and wakeboard boats. One style very popular is the Tug Boat Cabin Cruiser style. While the Tug Boast style shares some similarities of shape with “real” Tug Boats these were generally much smaller and nicer. The boats ranged from a low of $40,000 for nice looking used sailboat up to $3.5M yachts. They were all open to explore inside but you had to take your shoes off. I should have worn slip-ons. I was able to see everything I needed by peeking in windows so I’m not complaining. Surprisingly the show was dog friendly and, as usual, Maverick was a hit. One of the boat brokers declared him “The prettiest dog he had ever seen”. Of course we think so, but we don’t hold it against anyone who thinks differently. Most of the boats were in slips in the water and by the time we walked all of the 5 docks we were beat. In the middle of the show we had Fish and Chips at the Cabana Cafe there at the Marina. Cabana is the walk-up To-Go part of the chain Anthony’s to which it was attached. The Fish and Chips were fantastic.
After the show we drove around Anacortes and found a lovely Famers Market. Donna found some baked goods that were super tasty, some really beautiful flowers, and some Asparagus. It was a really nice market. We continued driving around Anacortes until we felt we had seen most of it and then headed back home.

Interesting footnote. Watching local news on the Television today we saw the tragic Cougar attack in North Bend that left one dead and another injured. We were in North Bend just yesterday. While extremely rare, it does make you think when you are in these  parks all by yourself. Research on the web indicates that fatal Cougar attacks throughout the US and Canada combined average 0.8 deaths per year. We are still much more likely to die from very common threats related to health, sports, etc.

We headed East this morning for Snoqualmie. The reason for this trip is to visit the scenic mountains and popular Snoqualmie Fallls. Donna and I had visited there many years ago and the falls are beautiful and easily accessible. We parked right at the falls and the three of us spent the next hour enjoying the various views of the falls and the very beautiful grounds of the park. The falls park was quite crowded. Maverick waited in the car while Donna and I investigated lunch at the Salish Lodge and Spa. The Salish Lodge is located on the edge of the same cliff that creates the falls. We ate in the lodge in the Atic restaurant. The restaurant overlooks the falls, though you can’t really see them. The falls are directly below you. We had an excellent lunch then headed into downtown Snoqualmie. We visited a really quaint hardware store simply because it looked cool We also went to the Railroad museum. This part of the museum was a 1800’s Victorian Train Station very little changed over the years. It had some interesting history posted. Unfortunately it did not contain very good trains themselves. We were told of the indoor train exhibit only a few miles away. We drove by the museum but decided to forgo the $10 entry fee for fear the exhibits would be of the limited quality we saw downtown. We then headed for Weeks Falls. Only another 9 miles down the road is the Ollalie state park that contains the falls. The falls were great, and unlike Snoqualmie, we had the entire park nearly to ourselves. We were able to let Maverick explore a trail off leash and he was thrilled. By the time we finished with the falls, we headed back to the coach before Seattle traffic got any worse.

Today we had to break camp and drive the coach an hour North for Camping World to confirm the antenna is bad. Donna drove the Jeep separately on the way there to simplify the trip. We dropped off the coach and visited local store to kill time. It took 3 ½ hours for them get to our job and assess the antenna. Finally at 4:30pm the coach was ready. Camping World will now order the replacement antenna. We decided it was worth towing the car back so we hooked up and headed back to the RV park. Once re-setup we headed to NAPA auto parts to pick up some special order fuel filters for the coach, pick up some fast food, and head back. Maverick was pretty tired of all of this waiting around today so we all hit the nature trails that surround the RV park. The trails are very nice in lush greenery and forest. The entry/exit to the trails are up a very steep hill however. I guess because of the steep entry/exit we have been the only ones on it. When by ourselves Maverick gets to run off leash and that makes him a happy dog.

I got up this morning a researched more about our antenna problem. The manufacturer requires proof of purchase to replace the $1200 antenna. I got hold of Camping World in Denton Texas and they were able to email my receipt. They also confirmed I had a 2 year replacement plan on the antenna. Yay! There is a Camping World about 1 hour North in Burlington WA. I couldn’t get them to answer the phone so we drove up there to setup our service visit. They informed me they had to see the coach themselves before they would order the replacement. I had to make a reservation for tomorrow for them to evaluate the antenna. While there I decided to order a replacement main awning. We have to wait around for service anyway so we might as well get everything done at once.
We drove back to Bothell and had a nice steak dinner at Outback. At the office, one of my Amazon items arrived, the “Alaska Milepost 2018” book. This book provides a mile by mile description of all of the sites and services along the 4 or 5 routes from the lower 48 through Canada to Alaska. Keep in mind we are likely to not have Internet a good portion of the trip from here to Alaska. Those who have made this trip say the book is an important resource.

We got the rig ready to go this morning and we discovered the satellite antenna wouldn’t stow and declared a failure. After calling the manufacturer they declared the motorized antenna dead. I researched how to manually stow it which required using a socket set and climbing on the roof. Its always an adventure. We drove through Tacoma and Seattle during our 3 hour drive to Bothell. Bothell is a northern suburb of Seattle. The park is very pretty. We are currently scheduled to stay about 10 nights. We made this stop longer than usual to be able to get our mail, and order and receive some items we wanted before heading to Alaska.

We started extra early this morning so we could grab breakfast out and be in line at the ferry by 7:30am. I should say, we knew from past experience this would be a tiring day. We debated about taking the coach on the ferry and spending multiple days on the island, or getting a hotel and spending at least one night on the island, or doing the one day turn around. We chose the one day turnaround because it was the simplest and didn’t extend our stay too long. The downside is after check-in, customs, waiting, and sailing, you end up spending 6 hours on the ferry in one day.
It turns out the trip was somewhat stressful for Maverick. We discovered he was very scared of the ships air horn and didn’t really like the rest of the sounds and movement either. We arrived in Victoria about 10:30 and headed straight to Burchart. The gardens were spectacular and not too crowded. We intentionally waited until Monday and NOT Mother’s to be here. It turns out the Buchart is pet friendly so Maverick got the full Buchart experience. After the gardens Donna found nearby the Seahorse Cafe. The cafe is located on the water on a very beautiful bay. The outdoor dining was just super nice with perfect weather and a pleasant breeze. Between the gardens and lunch our time was just about up so we headed to the ferry back in Victoria. You have to arrive 90 minutes before sailing to clear customs.

We sailed from Victoria at 4pm. About half-way we ran into a dense fog bank. Remember how Maverick is scared of the air horn? The blew the horn about every 2 or 3 minutes while in the fog bank for about 40 minutes. Maverick was really stressed and was very happy to climb back in the Jeep at the end of the ferry ride. We got back a little before 6pm. We were all tired so we grabbed fast food and headed back to the coach.

After a short rest we decided to treat Maverick to the Elwha dam trail. Elwha dam was bult in 1911. In 2011 dam removal was started to restore the river valley and eco-system. The 0.5 mile trail winds through old-growth forest and ends with an elevated view of the Elwha river and former dam site. The trail starts right outside our RV park so it is an easy hike. While it was busy all weekend, today we were the only ones on the trail. Maverick enjoyed about a 1 mile off-leash round trip as a reward for his good behavior on the ferry and at the gardens.

Today we planned on just hanging around with no specific plans. We drove into town so I could take Donna to a nice Mother’s Day lunch. She picked out Chestnut Cottage. The restaurant was very nice, the service was good, and the food excellent. It was kind of a girly place and that perfect for the special occasion. After lunch we dropped by Swain’s General Store. It was really cool. Swain’s has everything. It reminds me of Elliots Hardware in Plano TX but with a clothing section that included high end outdoor brands like Patagonia, Keen, etc. We enjoyed shopping but didn’t buy anything. Next to Swains was a really nice park with giant trees and we spent time with Maverick there.

After the park, I decided to drop by Autozone to pick up a trivial piece of hardware. When I got out of the car the Dodge mini-van next to me appeared broken down. The older lady and her son and his wife were trying desperately o get back home to Oregon before Monday but the van wouldn’t run and there was no repair shop open on a Sunday afternoon. The Autozone employees and I both suspected an alternator. I felt called to help so I replaced their alternator on the parking lot with Autozone supplied tools. With parts and tools help from Autozone we got them back on the road after a little over an hour. Not what I planned, but it felt good to help a Mom on Mother’s Day. She was headed back to Newport where we had recently spent 3 nights (at Beverly Beach). Before heading back to the coach, the Red Dog Crew enjoyed sitting on a bench at the Port Angeles Harbor on a beautiful day. Tonight Donna and I ate in the coach. Tomorrow we get up early to take the ferry to Victoria B.C.

This morning we headed back into Olympic National Park, Lake Crescent and Marymere Falls. The Marymere Falls trail was a beautiful 1.5 mile round trip. The trail was very well maintained and was very busy today. The last 1/8 mile is very steep but there is a great reward at the end. The falls were very beautiful. Overall the trail was very rewarding and not just for the falls.
After the hike we were hungry and headed to the Blackberry Cafe. It was a small mom and pop cafe with good food and excellent Blackberry pastries. Donna got Blackberry pie and a Blackberry Scone for later, both of which were awesome. Once refueled, we headed to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park. Hurricane Ridge is a really nice 17 mile drive. The drive winds its way up from Port Angeles to the top of a mountain. At the end of the drive you are rewarded by a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains, including Mount Baker in the distance. The view seems nearly 360 degrees.
We got back to the coach about 5pm. It was pretty warm so I put out the awning, or tried to. My earlier repair at McMinnville didn’t hold up. I took the awning apart again and found more broken parts. I decided to make one more attempt to repair the awning and headed to Home Depot 30 miles away to get material to make replacement parts. I fought the awning for a few hours and finally got it reassembled and mostly functional. When I finally extended the awning under its own power I was startled by a round of applause and cheers from the nice class A motorhome next to us! I didn’t realize I had become after dinner entertainment for the two couples next door.