Day 15, Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Today has been a laid back day so far. We ate a very light breakfast at Roger’s Café in Albany. Floyce had German sausage and toast and I had cinnamon raisin toast. Thought we would wait around for Bo Mack’s to open and eat lunch there but when we got there we found out that he was closed this week for renovations in the kitchen. So on to Corvallis on our way toward Newport and the Oregon Marine Museum. Stopped in the downtown area of Corvallis which has a very nice shopping area so while Floyce is shopping, I am taking the opportunity to catch up with my blogging. One thing I have noticed is that there are so many people riding bicycles and all of the streets and highways have bicycle lanes. Another unusual thing is that there is no ice cream here but there is gelato which is healthier to eat(less fat or something like that). It is every bit as good. It is not as firm as ice cream but more like somewhere between regular ice cream and soft-serve ice cream.
Arrived at Newport at about 5:30 PM. Since the aquarium closes at 6:00 we must wait until morning to see it. I noticed as I went by a bank that the temperature is 58 degrees; it is chilly. We drove out to the seashore and have finally made it to the Pacific Ocean. The beach is beautiful. Since we couldn’t go to the aquarium, we drove out to the Yaquina Bay lighthouse. It is believed to be the oldest structure in Newport. It is also the only existing Oregon lighthouse with the living quarters attached, and the only historic wooden Oregon lighthouse still standing.

Day 14, Tuesday, June 29, 2010
This morning we were looking for a place to eat breakfast and found Broder’s Café. It was very European. Floyce had some sort of baked scrambled eggs and I had Danish pancakes which were shaped like a ball, a little larger than a golf ball, with lemon curd and loganberry jam for toppings. Mmmmmmm good! They didn’t have a restroom; only a water closet. Since I couldn’t figure out what to do with water in a closet(unless you wash your clothes), I had to look elsewhere. Then we went to Hippo Hardware; 30,000 square feet of old hardware. It was started about 35 years ago by two guys and a pick-up truck who simply drove up and down the street picking up items that other people threw away. They have evvvrrreeeeything. We bought some neat, neat porcelain “hand shaped” items for the bathroom. One is a hand holding a towel ring, one is a pair of hands holding a shelf, etc. We will show you when we get home. As I am writing this, Floyce is in a shop that specializes in salt. Yes, salt. They have hundreds of varieties(and I thought there was only one). Go figure! We had been told that when in Portland it was a must, to have a Voodoo donut so we went to the Voodoo donut shop and checked it out and they were really good. We are heading on down the coast toward California checking out a few wineries as we go. Floyce likes to collect a few bottles of wine and a few wine glasses for souvenirs.
Driving down 99W toward Albany OR we are going past lots of hazelnut orchards and wineries. Floyce is now looking for a roadside stand to buy some hazelnuts. Heading for Bo Mack’s Bar-B-Q at Albany where it is common for the patrons to break out in song. Well, it didn’t work to go to Bo Mack’s Bar-B-Q as he was closed on Tuesday. So instead we went to Clemenza’s; an Italian restaurant. After supper we did the wash and then looked for a place to stay.

Day 13, Monday, June 28, 2010
Got up at 5:00 this morning in order to find parking downtown in Seattle. Floyce wanted to go to the Public Market and we had heard that parking would be scarce if you did not get there early. Parked in a public lot where they had a machine that allowed you to use a credit card to buy the sticker to place in the front window of the van. Pretty automated those Washingtonians. Went to the market(the open air type)where all the vendors were setting up their stands for the day’s business. At the Pike Fish Market we got to see them throw the fish.
We walked through the entire market; there must have been 200 vendors all the way from fish to baked goods to flowers. It was very large but similar to the Soulard Market in St. Louis on South Broadway.

There were musicians including the piano player who was playing on the street corner.
I watched a while and figured he was making at least $60 an hour from the money placed in his bowl plus sales of CDs. After we left the market I wanted to go up in the Space Needle which I wasn’t brave enough to do yesterday. So I “manned-up” and off we went. After I got to the top it was breath-taking.

We are off now to Portland, OR for tomorrow.

Day 12,June 27, 2010
It is Sunday so we went to church at the Grace Bible Church in Marysville, WA. The choir and music were wonderful. The sermon was very intellectual and you had to pay close attention and it lasted about 45 minutes. Then off to brunch at Boondockers. We had Pina’ Colada pancakes with hot rum sauce. Mmmmmmm. The owners were a couple from Pakistan; their son was a West Point graduate and they were very proud. Floyce and the owner talked food and he printed off the recipe for the pancakes. Drove on down to Seattle to the Space Needle which I wanted to ride to the top until I saw the elevator. It went right up the outside like those that hotels sometimes use. The Space Needle is about 500’ tall and when I saw that elevator, my knees turned to jelly. Driving through downtown Seattle we noticed lots of verrrrry strange looking people and lots of trash along the streets. The people were straaaaange with pink hair weird clothes and more pierced lips and noses than I have ever seen before. We asked what was going on and were told that they had had a gay pride (an oxymoron as far as I’m concerned) parade today. Boy! I’m glad I missed that! Floyce wanted to go to Bainbridge Island to visit the wineries and the shortest way to get there was to ferry over; so we drove the van onto the ferry and off we went. It was really neat. Seems like we are being exposed to lots of ferries(fairies) all of a sudden. We visited Bainbridge Island Winery where I tasted some blackberry wine. Mmmmmmm. Bought a bottle to bring home. Floyce found a couple she liked also. Wanting to do something different, we took the long way back and drove to Seatac where we will spend the night. I notice that the pictures are generally in the reverse order in which I select them and also not in the text that describes them. I will work on these issues.

Day 11, June 26, 2010 Today we are taking the ferry over to Victoria, BC. The trip takes about 3 hours each way. The weather is overcast and the temp is about 50 degrees and chilly(very). The water is rough and before we got there I began to feel a little uneasy. By the time we arrived, the weather had cleared and the temp was probably in the mid 60s. When we got there, we purchased tickets for the garden and walked to the bus depot. Along the way, we enjoyed the architecture of the buildings; very European. At the garden, Floyce took lots and lots of pictures. There were separate gardens for Italian and Japanese style flowers. There was a rose garden and a sunken garden. It was truly beautiful. When we got back to the bus terminal in Victoria, we took a leisurely stroll along the harbor. There were artists all along the way, musicians and a juggler who had attracted quite a crowd. On the trip on the ferry, back we were treated to a salmon and chicken buffet. As we neared Bellingham harbor we encountered the guy on the jet ski who had quite a time in our wake. I’ll try to insert a video clip. Heading on down I5 we spent the night in Marysville, WA.

Day 10, June 25, 2010
The laser show was really nice. Today we ate breakfast at Flo’s Restaurant. Floyce got a mug and a shirt. I’m looking for a place called Gene’s Joint or something like that. After breakfast, we took a tour of the dam and generating plant. Wow! It was really impressive. Heading on west on highway 155 then 17 and eventually Highway 20 toward Bellingham. The country is extremely rolling and rugged. The ground is extremely rocky but they farm parts of it anyway. The trucks that we see that come down from Canada are mostly doubles some with triple axle trucks and four axle trailers. As we head further west the ground is becoming more rugged and rolling. There is a lot of evidence of volcanic action here in the past. Much volcanic rock even as large as boulders. We have entered an area where cherry trees are everywhere. Cherries are ripe and pickers are in the orchards picking. We saw a special made trailer used to transport the boxes of cherries to the processing plant. On across Washington toward Bellingham where we will be able to depart tomorrow for Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island. On the way we crossed over the Cascade Mountain Range. It was not as high as the Beartooth mountains or Glacier National Park. Never the less, with the snow capped peaks, they were beautiful. The trees along the roadways are so very dense. I don’t think you would be able to see more than 100 feet into the woods from the road. We got our tickets and will spend the night in Ferndale, close to Bellingham. Tomorrow we will take the ferry over to see the gardens.

Day 9, June 24, 2010
Good morning from Eureka, MT. We didn’t make it to the coal mine. When we got to the Canada border we talked to the customs agent and she said that their security was very strict and they wouldn’t allow me in. She said her dad worked there and she couldn’t even get in herself. Floyce is driving as I blog. We are in the Kootenai National Forest driving along Koocanusa Lake. We have been driving along it for miles and it is beautiful. I think Koocanusa seems to be some sort of combination of KOOtenai and CANada and USA. And is used frequently here.
After driving through rain, sleet, hail and snow,(weather tha would stop a mailman) I decided to wash the van in Libby, MT. As you can see, I’m searching for something to blog. Today is a travel day and we should be somewhere in Washington tonight.
It is 9:30 P.M. and we are waiting for the laser show to start at The Grand Coulee Dam, The guy in the visitor center said that the 6800+ megawatts that they can produce is enough to power all of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. This is the 4th largest power producing dam in the world and the largest in the USA,

Day 8, June 23, 2010
Ate breakfast this morning at the Night Owl Restaurant in Columbia Falls, MT. Saw a double hopper style trailer and talked to the driver. He said he can scale 140,000 lbs. He said he hauls primarily fertilizer, potash, etc. He was going to get a load of landscaping gravel this morning. Going to East Glacier to get a spiral spoon (www.spiralspoon.com)for Floyce, I took a wrong turn and went about 35 miles before I discovered it. On the way back, I caught up with a highway maintenance truck sandblasting the loose paint off of the center line. He was only going 4 mph and I followed him for about 30 minutes before I could get around. It wasn’t too bad, though as Floyce saw a sign for “Huckleberry” ice cream on the way back. It was really good and tasted like a cross between blueberry and blackberry. On the way, while traveling on Highway 2, we stopped at the “goat lick” where mountain goats come down to lick the rocks for the minerals they contain. We were able to see several. At “The Wooden Spoon Shop” in East Glacier, where the spoons are all made “one at a time” by hand, Floyce found several that she liked and, of course, they are now on their way to Palmyra. As you might guess, they were pretty expensive. She learned about this as it was featured on PBS just a few weeks ago. While I am writing this, Floyce is touring the garden of Norma Sangray. Norma is Blackfoot Indian and her garden will be featured in an upcoming issue of Montana magazine. Floyce learned about her while talking to a lady at the spoon shop. On the way back, we had to slow down to let a moose cross the road in front of us. Next, we went up into Glacier National Park on the “Road To The Sun” highway. The views were breathtaking and the cliffs were scary. How they built that road, I don’t know. We could not go through Logan’s Pass as it was closed for road repair so we had to turn around and come back down. We then drove up Highway 93 to Eureka where we will spend the night. Montana has been such a beautiful state we hate to leave it. The mountains are so grand and the drives have been spectacular. God did some of his best work in Montana. Tomorrow we will drive to Sparwood B.C. where I hope to see a large strip coal mine. The truck driver I talked to this morning said they have some giant equipment. I can’t wait.