Dungeness Recreation Area Sequim, Washington

Mileage:  49,813

Our good friends Pat and Ray told us that we must see Olympic National Park on The Olympic Penninsula in Washington.  Tim said we should take 5S around Seattle and across to the scenic byway.  I looked at the map and said that we could save a lot of time ad have a nicer ride if we took the ferry from Coupeville to Port Townsend.  I was able to book the RV and the Jeep for the 1:15 ferry.  We left early in the morning thinking we would have time to explore the town before our ferry left.  It was a lovely ride.

There had to be fish coming under this bridge.  There were lots of boats in the water and fishermen on the shore.

We arrived at the Coupeville Ferry Terminal at about 10am.  The guy had us pay our toll and told us we probably wouldn’t have to wait for the 1:15 ferry.  He thought we might get onto the 11:45 boat.  Suddenly they were waving us forward.  We were on the 10:15 ferry!

We arrived in Port Townsend and continued on to Dungeness Recreation Area is Sequim.  We set up camp and packed a picnic lunch.  We were headed to the beach!  This is a National Wildlife Refuge.  The spit is formed by the wind and waves carrying soil.  The large pieces of driftwood and then plants hold the soil in place.  The spit is growing 13 feet each year.  It is a migration and nesting area for all kinds of birds.

We could feel the ocean spray on our skin.  The breeze was soft and mild.  The ocean sounds different here.  As the waves recede you can hear the stones tumbling against one another.

Later in the evening we walked along the bluff.

This was the best day we have had in a while.

Bellingham RV Park Bellingham, Washington Day 4

Some days a lot of patience is required.  Today was one of those days.  We were not really able to make a plan because we were not sure when we might get news regarding the Jeep.  We were supposed to check out of the campground at 11am.  I talked with the campground owner.  He was willing to extend our checkout time until 1:30 or 2.

I called the Jeep dealer at 11am and they had the parts and they were just taking the Jeep into the service bay.   He estimated that the Jeep would not be ready for several hours.

We were able to stay at Bellingham RV Park.  The owner had to move other reservations around in order to accommodate us for another night.

The Jeep was finished at about 2:30.  We went to get it and we took it for a good ride.  We checked the belt and checked the fluids.  Ok, good to go!

 

Everyone we encountered was helpful and kind.  We have a lot to be grateful for.  Not just today but each and every day!

Tomorrow the journey continues!!!

Belingham RV Park Bellingham, Washington Day 3

It rained all night and it was raining this morning.  The rain lessened and we thought we would try to get out on our bikes for awhile.  It was sprinkling when we left but it stopped as we continued our ride.  We cycled down to the waterfront in Bellingham.

We rode around downtown looking for a potential dinner restaurant.

We saw a sign for a Greek festival and we made our way to Saint Sophia Church.  We shared a gyro before continuing back to the campground.

Just as we turned the corner to the RV the rain began again.  It did not stop all day.  I spent the afternoon with Desiree getting my hair cut and styled.  We actually had a cable TV connection so Tim got to watch football.  Go RAVENS!!

We went to dinner at Jalapenos Mexican Restaurant.  I had a Big Mama margarita and yummy Hawaiian shrimp fajitas.  Tim had Dos Equis and chicken fajitas.

Not sure yet what tomorrow will bring.  We are at the mercy of the Jeep dealer and the weather.

Bellingham RV Park Bellingham, Washington Day 2

Today is day 100 of our trip.  Yes, we miss friends and family!  Yes, we are still having fun!  Yes, we still like traveling together!

Several people had told us how beautiful Mount Baker is.  We decided to take our Chrysler on a field trip.

It was misty and cloudy but it was still a nice ride.  This area is a rain forest.  The vegetation is thick and very green.  Mosses cover the rocks and the tree trunks.   Dense patches of ferns litter the forest floor.

We took a short walk to Nooksack Falls.

At the summit…this was the view.

What the view looks like on a sunny and clear day.

We stopped at a farmer’s market on the way back.  Delicious strawberries, beets, melon, and tomatoes.

Tim rested at the RV while I made the grocery run.  The store was mobbed.

When I got back we got to FaceTime with David and Andrea, Oliver and Austin.

Kyle called  short time later.  Talking to the kids was the best part of our day!  We miss all of you!!

Fresh silver salmon for our dinner.

Bellingham RV Park Bellingham, Washington USA

Mileage:  49,701

We left Lynden this morning and traveled through farming country to get to the “big city” of Bellingham.

We dropped the Jeep off at Rairdon Jeep and took the RV to the Bellingham RV Park in town to wait for the diagnosis and plan.

We took our bikes out to ride.  I decided to follow the signs that said fresh salmon ahead.

It was  a nice ride along the Bellingham Bay.

This guy was selling salmon in his backyard.   We was selling the salmon he caught yesterday…whole…oh…

He agreed to gut it and filet it for me for a fee of $2.00…totally worth it!

When I got back to the RV Tim had already talked to the Jeep dealer.  They problem was with the tensioner and the part had to be ordered.  They could get it Monday.  In the meantime, they would pay for us to have a rental car and everything would be covered by the warranty.  Enterprise came to deliver our car.  A Chrysler 300.  It reminds me of the car my grandfather always drove.  It is nice and comfy and new and free and we don’t have to be stuck at the campground all weekend!

We took it for a scenic ride on Chuckanut Drive.

We headed into downtown Bellingham for dinner.  We heard there was live music at the Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro.  We shared appetizers and then went outside to listen to Ebb Shack and Flood.  This is a band that did not fit neatly into any particular genre but I would say they were a mix of funk, reggae, and jazz.

 

 

 

Lynden KOA Lynden, Washington USA

Mileage:  49,676

We had decided that we just need to go back to the states to have the Jeep repaired.  This eliminates some of the possible ideas we had for finishing our time in Canada…but we need to have a working vehicle.  Tim made an appointment for Friday at a Jeep dealer in Bellingham, Washington.

We left early this morning and traveled past lakes and ponds and cattle.  When we got to the main road and headed south we were treated to magnificent views all day long.  Initially the scenery was scrubby brush with rocky outcroppings, ledges, and cliffs.  The hills were lumpy and rippled and rumpled.  In stark contrast there were irrigated,lush, green fields of hay and other crops.

We stopped at this produce stand.  The orchard is across the street.  The plums and peaches and apples and pears were just picked and dripping down your chin delicious.

The road follows the Thompson River through the Fraser Canyon.  There are very active railroad tracks on both sides of the river.  We saw one train that was at least a mile long.

The river is a swiftly moving torrent of water, clear and green.  You could see the river stones through the water from above.

In the town of Lytton, three rivers come to join.  The confluence caused the water to become more silty.  The scenery also changed.  The area was dense with fir trees.  Hell’s Gate is the narrowest section of the river.  Here the river is 110 feet wide.  The water passes through the gorge at 200 million gallons of water per minute.  The only way to actually see it though is to pay $24.00 per person to ride the airtram above it.

We decided it wasn’t worth it time and money wise.  We found a pullout that had a path leading down.  We walked for part of it and these are the pictures we could get from the trail.

More pictures from today’s ride.

We crossed into Washington, USA at Sumas.  The border patrol took our grapefruit…no citrus allowed back into the states.  We drove to Lynden to the KOA.  Tim spent time with our neighbors in the campsite next to us.  They are interested in maybe traveling to Alaska.  We had fun trying to convince them to go!

I am glad to have my phone back!  Yay for cell service and WiFi!!

 

Emerald Lake Campground at Green Lake Provincial Park BC, Canada

Mileage:  49,434

We did some chores this morning while awaiting a call from the Jeep Dealer.  By 9:30 I was on my way to get the finished Jeep with a new serpentine belt!  Hooray!!

We traveled to the town of 100 Mile House.  We stopped at the information center for guidance.  The woman there was great and she suggested Green Lake Provincial Park for camping tonight.

So peaceful here and beautiful.  A slight breeze, bright sunshine, blue sky, emerald green lake water, and mild temperatures…a perfect day.

We took our bikes out and cycled on the gently rolling country roads.

We met a guy riding his 1978 classic Honda Scooter.  He lives here and he started to tell us about the wildfire last year.  He said the fire was 110km long and 100km wide.  They had 18 helicopters and 4 planes working all day for 31/2 months to try to eradicate the fire.  33 homes along the lake were lost.  There are great black sections of forest visible from across the water.

Later in the afternoon we took the Jeep on a 4WD road.

We were on our way back to our campsite when Tim noticed the steam coming from under the hood of the Jeep.  Another shredded serpentine belt…we were 3 or 4 miles from the nearest house…out in the back-country.  Tim was able to remove bits of belt.  We waited for the engine to cool and crept onward until the engine overheated again.  Tim got most of the belt untangled from the engine.

Notice the wet spot under the Jeep…

We were waiting for the engine to cool down again when we saw the fox prowling for his dinner.  He didn’t run from us but continued on his mission…before finally trotting down the dirt road.  While Tim was under the Jeep I was taking pictures of the fox…and standing guard so that we were not suddenly surprised!  Tim didn’t really care much about the fox.

We added water to the still boiling radiator and traveled onward until we overheated again.  This time we were on the paved road where there were nearby houses.

Tim used this method:

1. A) Putting the car in drive and getting it up to speed
2. B) Putting the car in neutral and turning off the engine and coasting down the hill
3. C) Turning the engine on and putting the car in drive to get us up the hill…and this is the way that we limped it home!

If you ever use this method…be careful going around corners because without a serpentine belt there is no power steering.

We were both very grateful to be back with the RV.  He had a beer and I had some Malbec.  We cooked steaks on the grill and laughed about our adventure!  I never felt unsafe but I was really glad we didn’t have to walk out of there in the dark!

Williams Lake Stampede Grounds Williams Lake, BC, Canada Day 3

Our appointment with the Jeep dealer was at 8:30…we had to set an alarm!

The good news is that the serpentine belt is covered under our warranty…the bad news is that it has to be ordered.  It should be here in the morning and it should take about an hour to fix.

One more day in Williams Lake…without a car.  The dealer took us back to the RV.  Shortly before noon we got on our bikes.  Some pictures from town.  The logs cover acres and acres or hectares and hectares.  The company manufactures composite wood products.

This is actually a mural on a building in town.  It looks so real that we thought there was a man standing there.  The painting actually reminded us of our good friend, Tim Ensor!

We had lunch at the Oliver Street Bar and Grill, thinking of our little man Oliver!

The stampede grounds from the highway.

We biked back to the campground and had a long lazy afternoon.  We did bike around the stampede grounds.  At around 5pm horses and trailers started to arrive.

We had a picnic dinner.

After eating we headed over to the grandstands to watch.  The girls were doing a barrel racing competition.  It was the highlight of the day!

We worked on this project yesterday.  The black line is our travel route through Canada and Alaska.  The pins are each place that we have camped.

Williams Lake Stampede Grounds Williams Lake, BC, Canada Day 2

We started the day with a walk at Scout Island Nature Center.

We were hoping to ride our bikes today.  I had seen that there was a River Valley Trail.  We went to check it out.

This was a mountain biking trail…too steep and crazy for us on our bikes.

I went to get supplies and we did a few things in the RV.

Most of the day was lazy.

We did ride our bikes around the campground and across the highway at the Boitanio Park.  We are waiting to see what the Jeep dealer has to tell us tomorrow.  It could be way worse…we could still be stuck in Bella Coola!

Williams Lake Stampede Grounds Williams Lake, BC, Canada

Mileage:  49,349

We left Nimpo Lake early this morning.  We decided to drive all the way back to Williams Lake.

We passed hundreds of cows and calves and bulls right on the roadside.  All out for their Sunday morning walkabout.

The scenery was pretty.

The Jeep dealer had recommended the Stampede Grounds for camping close to the dealership.

We got here in the early afternoon.   It started to rain.  Tim Watched NASCAR as best he could with our poor WiFi connection and I read most of the afternoon.

I walked after dinner to take some pictures of our campground.