May 1998
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Friday, 1 May 1998
It very quickly became apparent that the locality had little appeal to us and
not even the opportunity to drive the Suzuki along miles of sandy beaches, which
even had a 25mph speed limit and no entry signs in various places, appealed
sufficiently, so we decided to move on. One of the most famous landmarks
in the Pacific Northwest is
Mount Rainier which is a towering, ice-clad
volcano rising 14,411 feet so we headed east for a closer look.
We camped near the town of Puyallup beside a small
creek on a fresh green grass-covered site with a distant view of the mountain
which we will explore tomorrow.
Saturday, 02 May 1998
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We awoke to light rain and with clouds below
2000 feet the likelihood of seeing Mount
Rainier, even close up was unlikely however
we decided we should still give it a go.
On route, we passed through the small village of
Elba and found our
timing to be perfect as the Mount Rainier
scenic railway train was preparing to leave. The
10 observation and dining carriages were being
pulled by not one but no less than 5 steam
engines which we assumed was more to do with the
boys/men all wanting to play with their toys
together.
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We picnicked beside the Tahoma River and then
slowly ascended to 5,500 feet stopping to view various waterfalls and
snow-covered mountain ranges. Again our timing was perfect since the skies
were clearing as we arrived at Paradise which is
as far as one can travel due to the snow still blocking the
Stevens Canyon Pass. George
enjoyed a short hike across snow-covered slopes in brilliant sunshine but just
as we decided to descend the clouds blew in and visibility was down to 5 yards
within minutes; a sharp reminder of how fickle and dangerous the weather can be
in the mountains.
Sunday, 03 May 1998
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A dominant landmark in
Seattle is the 605-foot-high
Space Needle
since it was built as the centrepiece for the
1962 World's Fair and stands within Seattle’s
downtown arts and entertainment centre, where we
found a major event celebrating the 50th
birthday of Israel was underway.
From the observation deck at 520-foot we had
excellent panoramas of the city and
Puget Sound but
unfortunately, the
Cascade Mountains and
the Olympic
Mountains were hidden in a haze.
We then decided to watch the film Alaska
at the nearby Imax cinema which we had
previously tried to see with Kevin and June in
Arizona, on this occasion we got really
lucky as we were presented with free tickets for
the showing.
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Monday, 04 May 1998
Pike Place Market
is a diverse marketplace which first opened as a farmers' market in 1907. Like
much of Seattle’s waterfront area due to the steeply sloping ground it
has numerous levels which are interconnected by a maze of walkways, stairs and
elevators. We contented ourselves by buying some fresh produce and only looking
at the arts and crafts.
Probably one of the most unusual tours we have taken for some time was the
light-hearted Seattle underground tour. About 60 of us initially
gathered inside an 1890 pub where we listened for about 20 minutes to a humorous
presentation of Seattle’s colourful past after which we descended deep
into various dark, dusty passages and cellars hidden below the ancient
buildings. Apparently, after the great fire of 1889, the town was rebuilt but
this time with the roads some 15 feet above the ground floor level to avoid the
flooding which had regularly happened in the past. Over time the general
ground level became the road level so turning the ground floor of the buildings
into a maze of interconnected cellars.
Tuesday, 05 May 1998
Seattle
lies in an area of vast waterways, lakes and islands and is close to Canada’s
Vancouver Island, giving rise to a major network of ferries which operate around
the clock. Cruise liners travel to various locations, a popular trip is to
ship the RV to Alaska to see the vast northern ice fields on the route
and then to drive back via Canada.
We moved north to the busy town of Everett which is
in Port Gardner Bay, a natural landlocked
harbour at the mouth of the Snohomish River
with a huge paper mill complex on the waterfront.
In our recent mail, we received a safety recall from Ford which requires a part
change. The local Ford dealership did not have it in stock and needed a week to
obtain it, so we phoned ahead and have now booked it in for repair when we get
to Spokane.
Wednesday, 06 May 1998
The Boeing Production Facility
for wide-body 747, 767 and 777 aircraft is located west of Everett and
takes place within the largest building by volume in the world. The
assembly hall is so massive that seven 747 aircraft are assembled at the same
time as well as other aircraft. It takes about four and a half months to
build and commission a 747 and even though each cost over $100 million there is
an eighteen-month waiting list. It was a fascinating tour and we were
interested to note that one of the biggest problems is due to the plane's huge
size, the 6 million components needed to build an aircraft and the thousands of
assembly tools, is to ensure that no FOD (Foreign Object Debris) during the
assembly process is left inside the aircraft which could potentially cause a
malfunction during service.
Thursday, 07 May 1998
When we left it was a dark and misty morning but the weather changed into
brilliant warm sunshine once we crossed to the eastern side of the Cascade
Mountains via the Stevens Canyon Pass which peaks at 4,000 feet.
The road follows the Tumwater Canyon and
Wenatchee River which is considered one of
the premier white water rivers in the states and the spring thaw is an
impressive sight. Contrary to its name the Icicle River campground turned
out to be in a delightful warm valley overlooked by towering snow-covered
mountains, near the Leavenworth Bavarian-style village.
Friday, 08 May 1998
We were happy to spend most of the day lazing around the campground and enjoying
the scenery, mid-afternoon we went for a short drive to see more of the
Wenatchee River and to take a few photos and video shots.
Saturday, 09 May 1998
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Leavenworth
was once a moribund logging town but transformed
itself into a Bavarian village in the1960’s and
did an excellent job, so good that one could be
forgiven for thinking you were in the Alps.
We were in luck since the village was
celebrating the MaiFest over the weekend and
part of the celebration was a unique event.
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After a parade of above 200 all dressed in
traditional Bavarian costumes, five
traditionally decorated horse wagons arrived and
out of the third stepped a bride and groom who
were then married in front of the several
thousand onlookers. After the marriage,
the couple had to saw a log as a symbol of the
importance of working together. The last
two wagons had their furniture and wedding bed
followed by a cow for the dowry.
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Sunday, 10 May 1998
The attractive 62-mile easterly drive to Chelan was
through a vast apple-growing region and for the last fifteen miles we followed
the edge of the Columbia River. Chelan lies at the end of a
55-mile-long lake which was formed by two huge glaciers thereby creating the
third deepest lake in the US. We camped nearby for two nights.
Monday, 11 May 1998
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The Lady of the Lake ferry departed promptly at
8.30 am along with about 50 passengers, large
quantities of perishable food, drinks, plants
and even a spare wheel; all bound for
Stehekin which is
55 miles away at the far end of the lake.
Stehekin can only be reached by boat or
seaplane so the ferry which runs throughout the
year is the main lifeline for the 96 full-time
residents for supplies and services. After
about 10 miles all signs of human occupation
along the lakeside edge disappeared and we found
ourselves surrounded by steep snow-covered
mountains where we were informed roamed mule
deer, goats and black bears. Despite most
of the passengers, who were nearly all tourists,
constantly watching we only managed to see one
large mountain goat which still had its thick
white winter coat.
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The residents of Stehekin are scattered over nine miles in 30-plus
homesteads. These homes rely on wood for their heat and the fall sees
everybody gathering enough to last the winter when they can have up to 7ft of
standing snow. Any vehicles have all arrived by barge which runs once a
week bringing fuel, building supplies and any other large items. The
method of buying groceries is to send a list and a blank cheque by ferry so that
the store can send it back the next day. There is a small log-built school
for 15 children up to eighth grade after which they have to go away to high
school. There are no telephones within the valley except for a radio
phone. TV is received by those who have installed satellite dishes; radio
reception varies with atmospheric conditions. For those wanting to get
away from it all and enjoy nature at its best, it would be difficult to find a
better place.
Tuesday, 12 May 1998
We needed to backtrack about 15 miles so this time we drove along the eastern
side of the wide Columbia River. The vast apple orchards which were
being sprayed by plane continued until we turned east onto the I2 which rose
steeply to 2,600 feet through a long narrow canyon. About midday we
arrived at the Steamboat Rock State Park
which is a few miles south of the Grand Coulee Dam.
The campground is one of the best we have stayed at for some time, lying on the
lake edge which is contained in a steep canyon whose buff rocks are reminiscent
of those in the Grand Canyon.
Wednesday, 13 May - Thursday, 14 May 1998
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We passed the Grand Coulee Dam on our way
to Spokane, contenting ourselves with
viewing the massive concrete structure and not
taking the guided tour. The roads were
almost empty for much of the 110-mile journey
passing through several volcanic rock canyons
and over high undulating plains which were
mainly covered in grain crops. The
campground had a phone hook-up so George spent
some time playing computers while Valerie did
the laundry. Downtown Spokane has
numerous charming old brick-built buildings as
well as an attractive park and a large waterfall
however the rain showers and cool temperatures
spoilt a full enjoyment of the area.
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Friday, 15 May 1998
We crossed into Idaho shortly after leaving
Spokane and the scenery quickly became more mountainous and covered in dense
fir trees. We passed several large lakes before we arrived in the village
of Pinehurst where we will camp for two nights.
On the side of one of the lakes was a beautiful golf course which had a green on
an island requiring the golfers to take a boat to putt out, assuming they
managed to land the ball on the small island.
The car gets extremely dirty very quickly when being towed in the rain so the
first job was to give it a wash during which George noticed that a front wheel
was loose. A quick call was made to the local Suzuki dealer who agreed to
look at it straight away which meant a 35-mile drive, but fortunately, they were
able to repair it within an hour by tightening the wheel bearing. This
reinforced our concern about the poor quality of repair shops since the same
wheel bearing was replaced only four months ago.
Saturday, 16 May 1998
Today we went down the Sierra Silver Mine
in Wallace where we learnt that more silver is
produced in the area than in any other place in the world. The problem is
with silver only fetching $5.40 an ounce and costing $5.00 an ounce to produce,
hardly anybody makes money! A real miner led the tour and did an excellent
job explaining the mining process. What staggered most of us was that even
in this modern age there is no lighting in the mine; each miner has only one
torch and if it fails they are in pitch-black darkness until somebody finds them
since they all work alone.
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Earlier we visited the Old Mission at
Cataldo which was
built in 1865 and is the oldest remaining
building in Idaho. This was
constructed mainly of wood without using a
single nail and the walls are made of straw and
mud. A very unusual sight confronted us in
the parking lot where we found a school bus
which had been painted white, marked sheriff and
pulling a trailer upon which was a portable
toilet. Valerie speculated that it was
used to take prisoners out for community work.
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Later we drove into the hills and found
Murray, which is an
old gold mining village, the excellent old-world
Spragpole Pub and one of the best museums for
old artefacts we have seen. After the
evening meal, George went for a stroll around
the campground which has numerous crystal clear
creeks flowing through it and was most surprised
to see a beaver swimming upstream, as it passed
George was sure it raised its head and winked!
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Sunday, 17 May 1998
As it is less than a week to go before we meet up with our RVing friends for the
Alaskan rally we needed to move further east so we drove into
Montana by crossing the Bitterroot Range
of the Rocky Mountains via a 4,800-foot
pass. Most high passes have frequent and heavy snow so roadside pullouts
are provided where drivers can pull over and fit their snow chains before the
assent, however fitting snow chains must be difficult particularly on larger
vehicles and very unpleasant when it’s freezing. Unique to Montana
is the speed limit which the sign at the border simply states as “Reasonable &
Prudent”
We arrived at the Jellystone campground at Missoula
in the rain which fortunately cleared up during the afternoon when we went out
to check the way to the Ford dealership where the RV safety recall work is to be
carried out tomorrow.
Monday, 18 May 1998
We were told that the work should take 4 to 5 hours but it took over 7 hours.
We spent some of the time shopping, getting the car serviced and trying to have
a new set of tyres fitted however it turns out that the Suzuki tyres are an
unusual size and nobody stocks them, so we decide to wait until we get to
Great Falls in the hope they will be more readily available in a larger
city.
Tuesday, 19 May 1998
Some time ago Sam, one of our SKP friends, recommended that we should visit
Helena on our way to Great Falls. Most
of the 130-mile journey to Helena was through beautiful snow-capped
mountain scenery and almost empty roads. During the afternoon we visited
the Helena Cathedral which must be
one of the most beautiful in the US. By European standards, it is almost
new being consecrated in 1924 and contains probably the best and most impressive
stained glass windows we have seen anywhere.
Wednesday, 20 May 1998
It was time to change the tyres on the Suzuki as they had now done over 70,000
miles and it would be good to have a new set for the Alaskan trip since by all
reports, we could expect a lot of poor roads on the route. After trying
various places and ringing around a set was finally tracked down and then fitted
in no time. George ended up going back twice since he was unhappy with the tyre
pressure which was double that specified by the car manufacturer. In the
end, the tyre manufacturer was rung who agreed with George, again confirming the
poor quality of some auto shops. Valerie kept out of the way spending the
morning having a perm.
Thursday, 21 May 1998
We had planned to take the tourist tram ride around Helena but as it
rained for most of the day we put the time to good use by cleaning and reading.
Friday, 22 May 1998
We needed to move on today but still wanted to see something of Helena so
we left early by car to take the tour train ride, hoping to miss the rain which
was due mid-morning. As it turned out the public address system on the
train failed and with only two other passengers we were given a personal tour in
a car which departed just as the rain started. Helena is the
capital of Montana with a population of 35,000 having many superb large
public buildings and private houses. Its early prosperity came from the large
quantities of gold found in the canyon.
The first 70 or so miles north along the I15 route to
Great Falls was through beautiful mountain scenery, eventually
flattening out as we approached Great Falls where Stirling and Vergie
were waiting for us as well as two mail packages. However, the package
from England which was the most important had not arrived so we have our fingers
crossed that it will arrive before our departure on Sunday. We were
surprised when Leo and Barbara turned up at the campground at about 8.30
pm. They were still having major problems with the engine of their new RV
overheating and for the past four days had been camping in the truck repair
shop.
Saturday, 23 May 1998
Most of the day was spent on last-minute preparations for our three-month trip
to Alaska which included tightening the fan belt on the RV which had been
badly fitted by a Ford service centre a few days ago. Mid-morning Bill and
Bev. arrived and later George and Bill went to find out how the repairs to Leo’s
RV were progressing, which fortunately had gone well so they would after all be
able to join the caravan to Alaska as planned. Much to our relief,
our mail from England arrived late afternoon. During the evening we sat
around the campfire catching up on everyone’s news and sharing a few jokes.
Sunday, 24 May 1998
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After coffee and cinnamon buns baked that
morning by Stirling, four RV’s set off for the
Canadian border which we crossed at lunchtime.
Despite hearing tales of customs officers giving
visitors a hard time as they searched for
firearms which are banned in
Canada, we were given a very pleasant
welcome. On crossing the border the
countryside changed dramatically from the
wilderness area of northern Montana to
the vast wheat-growing area of
Alberta with numerous tall colourful
grain storage warehouses along the roadside.
We camped for the night in the Wal-Mart car park
at Lethbridge,
enabling everybody to obtain Canadian dollars,
do some shopping and compare prices with the US
which appear to be slightly more expensive.
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Monday, 25 May 1998
We drove 220 miles mainly in a westerly direction to Banff
which lies in the dramatic Canadian Rocky Mountains. After
climbing to 5,000 feet we camped for three nights on the outskirts of Banff
looking at the Bow river flowing through a deep valley and surrounded by snowy
mountains. Banff turned out to be a small and very attractive town
geared to the tourist with numerous gift shops which were explored by the ladies
while the men visited the local history museum. During our evening walk,
we saw some elk who had come into the campground to feed on the lush grass and
we also met an English couple who were touring for a month in a rented RV.
Tuesday, 26 May 1998
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For most of the day, light showers fell but as
we all wanted to see more of the local scenery
during the afternoon we drove to
Lake Louise
which turned out to be one of the most beautiful
lakes any of us had seen. At the near end
of the deep green-blue lake is the elegant
Chateau Lake Louise Hotel which affords a
marvellous view of the lake and the large
glacier at the far end. We sat for some
time in the hotel watching low clouds drift
through the valley and drinking a toast to Bob
and Louise who if we remember correctly were
married nearby.
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Wednesday, 27 May 1998
It rained all day. George spent some time helping Leo set up his computer
while Valerie caught up on her reading.
Thursday, 28 May 1998
Showers followed us as we drove the 175 miles to
Drumheller where we were pleased to find that Sam and Marianne Triece
had arrived a few minutes earlier so making up the fifth member of our Alaskan
tour group.
Friday, 29 May 1998
The early fortune of Drumheller was due to the local gas and oil fields
but today the town is famous for the fossils of prehistoric creatures discovered
in the multi-layered sedimentary walls of the Red
Deer Valley. The valley was the home of immense dinosaurs,
plant-eating hadrosaurs, flesh-eating tyrannosaurs and their formidable cousins.
We spent most of the day in the Tyrrell Museum which has done an excellent job
explaining how living creatures developed over the millions of years since life
began, however, it leaves one wondering what did cause over 50 per cent of all
living things to die out some 65 million years ago.
Saturday, 30 May 1998
George was able to impress our fellow RVers by using the GPS to find an
alternative route to Edmonton, the capital of
Alberta, which was not only 23 miles shorter but followed quieter roads and
more pleasant scenery. We camped opposite the West Edmonton Mall
which is a shopping mall and amusement park within a huge two-level complex, it
claims the distinction of being the world's largest mall. We all spent
some time walking around but we only had time to see some of the attractions
which included a submarine ride, live dolphin shows and a life-size replica of
Christopher Columbus's Santa Maria. The World Waterpark has one of the
world's largest indoor wave pools, a bungee jump and 22 slides and attractions.
Sunday, 31 May 1998
It turned out to be a noisy night since we were camped next to a 24-hour
restaurant which was used throughout the night by numerous teenagers.
After refuelling all five RVs went to the local CB shop where Stirling and Leo
had new antennas fitted, considerably improving radio communication between the
RVs. We then drove north for about 100 miles through fairly flat and
uninteresting countryside camping for the night in
Whitecourt, Alberta. George was suffering from a bad back
so upon arrival, it was a long soak in the hot tub followed by an early night.
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