Vancouver Island

At 6 PM, I had, and I went home to start making reservations for the trip to the Canadian Southwest. I also took a moment to remember Amy, who would have been 43 that day.

The next morning, I was loading my car, and I set off at 6:45. Saturday was a boring day, as all I did was drive north. I got gas at the Red Top, and again at Redding, and again in Eugene. It is interesting to note that there were strong southerly winds in the Sacramento Valley, and it had a real impact on my fuel efficiency. From the Red Top to Redding, I managed only 12 MPG. From Redding to Eugene I was over 20. About 50 miles south of Eugene, it started to rain.

Some thoughts: Perhaps at the Red Top, I thought the tank was full when it wasn't. Three more gallons would have put it closer to 18 MPG. Similarly, Eugene may not have been full (although I did buy 19.5 gallons there.)

I stopped at the Black Bear Diner in Mount Shasta for lunch, a bacon cheese burger and slow service. In Eugene, I went to a Thai restaurant, Ring of Fire, which served decent Thai food though it lacked the requisite heat until I added chopped bird peppers.

For Sunday, let's set the Way Back Machine for 1980, a dinner table on Saturday May 10, at 51 Mt. Pleasant Road, Mendham, New Jersey. It's 6:20 PM, and my father has just finished making a pasta al fredo with some Italian sausages. The dinner table conversation went something like this:

Me: Pam (Marsh) and I would like to get in my car and drive around the country this summer. There's a mountain out in Washington that looks like it is erupting, and that would be neat to see.

Father: No.

Mother: No. You need to find a summer job.

Me: There are no summer jobs. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! If we left on Tuesday, we'd get there Saturday night or Sunday morning.

Father: No.

Mother: No. You need to find a summer job. You can take that trip when you are older and earning your own money.

Me: But the mountain won't be erupting when I am older.

Et Cetera, et cetera.

Jump forward eight days, to the day Pam and I had hoped to be at the mountain that was erupting:

BBBBBBB     OOOO     OOOO    M       M
B      B   O    O   O    O   MM     MM
B      B   O    O   O    O   M M   M M
BBBBBBB    O    O   O    O   M  M M  M
B      B   O    O   O    O   M   M   M
B      B   O    O   O    O   M       M
BBBBBBB     OOOO     OOOO    M       M

May 18, 1980, 8:32 AM, Mt. St. Helen's exploded in perhaps the most famous eruption in US history.

Twenty-three years later, the mountain is quiet. I had left Eugene early in the morning, and arrived at the National Volcanic Monument at 8:32 AM. Snow covered the higher elevations, and the area was not widely visited. The road to Johnston Ridge was open, though, so I went there to look at the remains of pyroclastic flows and the lava dome, 5 miles distant.

I took a walk at Coldstream Lake, a new lake formed by the eruption blocking a stream. For lunch, I went to the cafeteria, where I had a "lava dog" (chili cheese dog.) One of the vulcanologists was giving a talk at 1, so I stuck around for that. Next, I went for a hike on the Hummocks Trail where I hoped to see some birds. Naturally, it started to rain while I was hiking, so I got wet. I had hoped to see the east side of the mountain, and Spirit Lake, but the roads hadn't yet been plowed.

I finished hiking at 4, and found my way to the Seasons Motel in Morton. This is situated roughly halfway between Rainier and St. Helens, in the middle of nowhere. I had my dinner of a pizza (pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, and olives) and slept.

Oh, back in 1980, the only summer job I could find was piece work with the US Census Bureau, earning a whopping $600 for several weeks' work.

Monday morning, I woke to clear skies. Mount Rainier was less than an hour away, so I could sleep in, waking at 6PM. I went up to Paradise, where the plows stopped. Much to my dismay, when I went to take a picture of the mountain, I dropped my lens and cracked a filter. The good news is that the lens was OK (I used it without the filter) but I had to find a new filter, since I needed it for later photography on the trip.

I checked with the visitor information at Paradise, and they recommended a couple camera shops in Tacoma and Puyallup.

I continued around the south side of the mountain outside the park, and then re-entered the park at the southeast entrance. My goal was to photograph the mountain from as many different angles as I could.

Having circled the mountain, I started to head into Tacoma. When I was in cell phone range, I started calling the camera shops to see if they had the filter I needed. None of them did. I then called my friend Orin to see if he could post a note to some lists asking for advice. He found a camera shop on the web in Seattle that fit the bill perfectly. I had wanted to avoid Seattle, but that was no longer possible, so I went into town late afternoon and found the shop. I picked up the filter, and went north.

Instead of taking I-5 to Burlington, I took the ferry to Whidbey Island, and meandered up the island to Deception Pass and then over the Skagit flats to Burlington. I had stayed here several times before, when up looking at eagles, so I knew the area. Alas, while on Whidbey Island, it started to rain, so I didn't take as many pictures as I had hoped.

I was running around so much that I skipped lunch; I went to a local Mexican restaurant in Burlington for dinner, where I had a beef tamale and beef enchilada. I slept OK.

Tuesday was supposed to be North Cascades day. There was a low fog, though, so as I climbed into the Cascades, visibility dropped. I also found that the trail I wanted to hike was still snowed in. I quickly found myself having a day without a plan! Improvise...

I ended up opting to take the "North Cascades Loop." This is a route that should have given me a chance to see the Cascades from the east, as well as the Columbia River as it cuts through central Washington. I also figured I'd attempt to see Chelan Lake.

OK. From the east, the Cascades are not that impressive, more of a gentle rising from a plateau. With the low clouds, though, there may have been more that I never saw. I made my way to Chelan Lake around noon, and what I saw disgusted me.

Chelan Lake is a perfect illustration of the disaster of unfettered capitalism. The lake shore is privately owned, and I never found a way to get to it. (I suppose that further up the lake, it might have been possible, but at the southern end, all you had were golf courses, condos, and resorts.) This part of the expedition was a complete waste of time.

The Columbia River gorge, though, was magnificent. This area is high desert (which further makes me wonder about the sense of having golf courses: you'd think water would be at a premium, not to mention preserving the native ecosystem.) and the river has cut a wide, shallow gorge.

I headed south to I-90, where I went east to Seattle, arriving at 4PM, just in time for rush hour. By then, it was pouring with rain.

Word of advice: Don't believe the radio reports when they say I-405 north is blocked, but I-5 is freely moving. The opposite was true.

I ended up back in Burlington at about 6PM. For dinner, I went to a local Mandarin restaurant, which was definitely well below Bay Area standards.

The next morning, I crossed from Keyport to Port Townsend on the ferry to visit the Olympic Peninsula. On landing at 8AM, I went east, around the top to the Hoh rain forest. Needless to sway, the weather was sunny and warm, as I hiked around the area, photographing light and shadows in the greenest glow I have ever seen.

I've been to tropical rain forests, and temperate rain forests, and while both have mosquitoes, I think the colors of the temperate rain forests are more vivid. Alas, the birds of the tropical rain forests are more colorful.

My second stop was Sol Duc waterfall. This waterfall was about 60 feet tall, falling into a box canyon. You viewed it from the top, after a short hike up to the falls from the parking area. (Much to my surprise, while I was visiting the falls, they re-graded the trail so that it was uphill going back to the parking lot.) I ran into several other photographers from California, who were also unemployed engineers, taking pictures. We had a brief, pleasant conversation before I returned to Port Angeles.

I got to my hotel at 5PM, just in time to feel an earthquake. It is odd, because there were no local earthquakes, but there was one about five minutes previous in central Alaska, It was a deep quake, so it is possible that I felt it.

I went to the Bushwhacker for dinner, where I had cod stuffed with crab meat. I had once again missed lunch.

Thursday I went out to Cape Flattery, where it was rainy and foggy. Cape Flattery is the northwest corner of Washington, so I guess I had to see that spot. Was it worth it? In the rain and fog, well, no.

I actually had a late lunch at Skippers, a fish and chip shop in Port Angeles before heading up Hurricane Ridge. I took many stops on the way up, for photographs, since I expected the trail I wanted to hike to be snowed in.

It was.

However, Hurricane Ridge was above the low clouds and rain, so it had some great views. I took more pictures before heading back down.

Thursday dinner was at the Clay Oven, and Indian restaurant where the vindaloo was mild.

Friday I cross the Straits of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles to Victoria. This is a 90 minute ferry ride to British Columbia. Most of the trip was foggy, but I did see a pod of Minke whales at one point, as well as a lot of flotsam.

I stopped by BCAA for a road map of Vancouver Island, and to get an estimate of how long it would take to get across to Tofino. It looked like an all-day trip. Essentially, one drives north past Nanaimo to a road that cuts across the island via Port Alberni. I did need to stop to get some cash. I also stopped at Little Qualicom Falls, where I hiked around two waterfalls, and Stamp Falls, where I went up to a fish ladder and the cascades.

The center of Vancouver Island had some decent mountains, and naturally, as I crossed the center, it started to rain.

Once again, I missed lunch.

The last 100 km to Ucluelet and Tofino was a winding road that followed a river valley to a fjord. It took the better part of two hours to finally reach the Pacific Rim National Park. I rolled into the Tin Wis resort at 5PM, where my room had a fireplace and a view of the Pacific Ocean. Perfect for relaxing, the seas were close to calm.

I went to the resort's restaurant for dinner, where I had Cuban crab cakes (made with yams) and Blackened halibut. Then, I slept.

Saturday and Sunday I planned to explore the Pacific Rim National Park. Naturally, when I woke up Saturday morning, it was raining, then again, this is a rain forest. I drove along the shore, looking at photography sites. I then turned around in Ucluelet, and went back to Tofino.

Tofino is at the end of a spit of land separating the Pacific Ocean and Clayoquot Inlet. The inlet runs for several miles, about half way to Ucluelet, before turning inland. The park runs along much of the spit, but Tofino is just outside the limits of the park.

With the rain coming down, I ventured into some art galleries, and I did some souvenir shopping, where I bought my sister her trip gift. (Since she gets these emails, I won't say what it is here, but if you ask, I'll answer in private email.) I then went to The Loft for lunch, halibut and chips.

I guess, being a tourist town, they did not understand that "real" fish and chips is served wrapped in paper, not with fine china and silverware. Then again, served the latter way, they can charge $15 (Canadian) as opposed to #2.50. Despite the difference in price, the fish still tasted very good, though the chips left something to be desired.

After lunch, I was supposed to take a cruise up to Hot Springs Cove, but it was canceled due to the rain. Apparently, the whales were all gone! Instead, we were offered a bear watching trip in a zodiac. Being adventurous (and bored of the galleries) I accepted that option.

Hmmm... Two and a half hours in an open, exposed boat with spray from the ocean, rain, and wind, perhaps I was foolish to accept that option, but fool that I was, I did enjoy it (once I figured out the best way to sit when we were moving from place to place, so that the daggers of icy rain didn't feel like burning needles on my face.) The wildlife sightings were not very high: Two bald eagles (one on a nest), two black bears, and a lot of ravens. We were lucky, though. The boats that followed us didn't even see that much!

It was amazing, despite the layers (a heavy flotation/warmth suit, and a poncho, on top of my tee shirt, sweat shirt, and rain vest) my tee shirt was soaked when we got back. Good thing I've got a fireplace, because while I took a hot shower to re-warm my bones, I draped the shirt and sweatshirt on furniture to dry by the fire.

When I got out of the shower, I discovered a miracle. The rain had stopped, and there were small patches of blue sky. I ended up going back into the park to do some photography before dinner.

Perhaps the highlight of this section of the park is the Long Beach, the longest sand beach on the Canadian Pacific coast, it stretches for 11 kilometers. With the sun, the surfers were out, as were the beachcombers. I took several pictures.

I headed back for dinner at 7:15, to the Raincoast Cafe. Out of all the places at which I have dined, so far this trip this one gets my highest marks. The quality of the food makes me believe it would be successful in San Francisco on par with Aqua, Charles Nob Hill, etc.

The cuisine was basically Asian-fusion, primarily with seafood. As policy, they do not prepare red meat, but that still left chicken and duck dishes. There were a lot of choices.

As a starter, I opted for panko fried tiger prawns, in a "sweet and sour" sauce. Unlike the sauce you might get on a sweet and sour pork, this sauce was more of a soy/black vinegar sauce with a hint of sugar (very thin) and was a terrific compliment. They did charge a little extra for the bread, but it was worth it, papadoms and warmed nan served with a cumin/lentil paste.

My main course was pan-seared halibut in Thai green curry, served over black rice and root vegetables. The curry was mild enough that it complemented the halibut, but not so mild that it didn't have zing. The root vegetables were more of an Asian medley, with baby carrots, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, and others.

The only problem was the lack of non-alcoholic, non-sugary drinks, even the iced tea is pre-sweetened. (As it was the night before at the Tin Wis.) So, I drank water.

It was the most expensive meal of the trip, of that I am certain, and it was definitely worth the cost.

I did fill my car with gasoline, which was rather expensive compared to the US, even California, and went back to the hotel to get some sleep.

Sunday morning my luck was holding. It was clear, and starting to be sunny, and quite warm. Naturally, it was the day I was leaving. There's a lesson there, somewhere. Anyway, I left the day open with the exception that I had a reservation in Campbell River for the night.

If it had been raining, I'd have probably headed inland, and done some exploring there. Instead, I went to the Tofino Botanical Garden, where I spent an hour looking at different plants and habitat. It definitely seemed like it was a "hippie" place, down to the wooden alligators.

Next, I went to Coomb's Beach. This beach is about halfway down the spit, beyond Long Beach. When I arrived, I had the 3 km of beach to myself. I walked to about 50 feet from the Pacific, and decided to give my father a call on my cell phone. As we were talking, a wave rolled in, a bit larger than the other waves, and as I tried to get out of its path, it swept past me and I ended up ankle deep in the Pacific Ocean for a bit.

It was cold. It left my feet wet.

Because of the grade of the beach, it never got above my ankles, so I don't think I was ever in any real jeopardy, but this wave washed well past where I was standing, almost all the way to the driftwood at the high water mark. It went well beyond the high tide line from the previous day; at the moment the wave came in, it was near low tide. Within seconds, the water receded back to the low tide area, and no similar wave recurred.

According to the folks at the visitors' center, it was probably a "sneaker," which is essentially a wave that is deceptively small.

After leaving the beach, I walked the Sitka Spruce trail, which was a little over a mile through coastal rain forest. When I got back to my car, I saw it was under the watchful eye of a bald eagle, who looked at me suspiciously until I showed her my keys.

Next, I went to Wiccannish beach, (and the visitors' center) for my farewell to the Pacific Rim. It was lunch time, but I wasn't hungry.

The drive to Port Alberni was quite eventful. Within a couple miles of the park, there was a black bear feeding by the side of the road. I stopped, and was soon joined by about 10-15 other cars. I took some pictures from out my window, but some idiots got out of their cars and approached the bear! Fortune was on their side, as the bear went back into the woods, instead of turning on the interlopers and teaching them a deserved lesson.

I also stopped at a cascade on Kennedy Creek, and near the summit of the pass, to take some more pictures. After Port Alberni, I went down to Englishman Falls, which is another waterfall into a narrow box canyon. This was probably the largest waterfall I've seen this trip, it was about 80-120 feet tall, but the narrow canyon prevented me from photographing the bottom.

Ninety minutes north from there is Campbell River, where I spent the night. Dinner was at an "Austrian" restaurant, where I had a good French onion soup, and the worst chicken Kiev. (There should be some butter with the chicken, otherwise, it is just a pan fried breast of chicken. As this one was.) I did treat myself to the first dessert of the trip, a chocolate mousse.

The hotel did not have the king bed I booked, so I was upgraded to a loft. I kept the fan on full all night, and slept.

The next morning I explored north-central Vancouver Island. When I awoke, I discovered another bald eagle was standing guard over my car. It was a good omen the day before, and it was a good omen this day. To start, I went up to Strathcona Provincial Park to look at mountains. I went up to Buttle Lake, where I saw some snow caps poking out from the clouds. I rounded the bend to head toward Gold River, and I was amply rewarded: A male black bear was feeding by the road.

I was amazed that it was not a bigger deal; people were just driving by as if nothing was unusual. Perhaps there, it isn't unusual to see a feeding bear. I stopped and watched, but it was too dark for good photographs.

Later, on the road to Gold River, I saw another bear, this one was running bear-style (galumph, galumph) on a logging road, and did not stay in view for long.

After Buttle Lake, I went back to Campbell River, and went up to the Seymour Narrows to look for orca. None were willing to grace my vision. I had a 3:15 ferry, so I had to head south to Nanaimo for my trip back to the mainland. I arrived at Duke Point early, picked up my reservation, and waited.

While waiting, a bald eagle came by and perched high on a tree to keep an eye on my car. This escort I had been receiving was quite unusual.

The ferry arrived a little late, and left Duke Point at about 3:30. Inside the passenger deck, it was extremely warm, and I felt a little drowsy. I kept reading my book ("The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by T.E. Lawrence) and taking breaks to walk around.

We made up a little time, reaching Tsawwassen at 5:20. The only escorts on the crossing itself were gulls. Tsawwassen ferry complex is rather large, with three berths and a parking area the size of a the Meadowlands. I left quickly. Tsawwassen is right above the US border, and with some trepidation, I went to the Blaine crossing. It was Memorial Day, the end of a three day weekend, and I was concerned that the wait at the Peace Arch may have been hours.

I worried for no reason. I waited six minutes before the border guard looked at my passport and waved me through.

Fifteen more minutes, and I was in Bellingham, where I spent the night. I cannot recommend the Travel House, where I stayed. First, on checking in, they required a more thorough ID check than the US border, or any other hotel I've visited (including those in Beijing.) The walls are thinner than paper, and the phone lines were too noisy to sustain a dailup connection.

I went to a Vietnamese restaurant where I had gha gno and pork with rice noodles. It was more expensive than the typical Vietnamese restaurant, the gha gno was made with egg roll wrappers and not rice paper, and the service was slow. It was the worst dining experience of the trip.

I did sleep OK, despite the frequent wake-ups from people moving on the third floor, or walking in rooms next to mine.

I had planned to spend Tuesday driving south, and stopping by Portland to visit friends, but it was such a beautiful day, that I had to go back to the volcanoes. This first involved driving south through Seattle at the start of morning rush hour. It was clear enough to see Glacier Peak while driving south.

Seattle, like many cities, has carpool lanes, but one thing I noticed was that they only allowed 2 person carpools in the carpool lane. Based on the signage, if you had three people in your car, you were not allowed to use the carpool lane: It explicitly said "Busses and Two Person Carpools Only." Of course, the Seattle "carpool" mimics the definition of the Silicon Valley carpool: Parent and child. It doesn't take a car off the road, it only gives the parent a faster route to daycare.

Getting past Seattle before the worst bit, I headed down to Windy Ridge on Mt. St. Helen's. This area was closed when I drove up, so it would be my first real look at Spirit Lake, and the real devastated areas.

It was crystal clear, so clear that one had excellent views of Rainier, Adams, and Hood! They each stood out as snow covered peaks. The road to Windy Ridge is long and winding, but the view from that area was amazing, both looking toward the volcano, and away at the miles of downed trees, or down onto Spirit Lake, covered with floating logs from trees killed in the 1980 eruption.

I stayed and gawked for a while, before leaving. The drive out to I-5 was less eventful, but I did get there, and started the roll south. I passed through Portland at 1PM, and reached Medford at 5:10. No stops...

Dinner was at Kim's Chinese restaurant, decent if bizarre food, and the night at the Red Carpet Inn passed quickly.

I woke at 2:30AM, and hit the road at 2:55. I filled the tank in Medford, so my first stop was in Dunnigan at 7AM for more gas. I hit the Bay Area rush hour at 7:45 in Vacaville, crossed the Bay Bridge at 9, and finished unpacking the car by 10AM.

The cats are happy to see me.