New Home in Everett, Washington

So much has happened since my last post: I made it through the Rockies, through customs and in The States at Vancouver, and found a room in Everett, Washington, just 20 miles north of Seattle.

Let's go back to where I left you last. I was having trouble with the steering on the Blue Goose such that it was binding up during slow speed maneuvers. I stayed in an expensive ($99) room in Calgary in order to get it to a Ford dealer the next morning.  It was exciting being in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. For whatever reasons I was reminded of Chihuahua, Mexico.  The way the foothills create vantage points overlooking Calgary is identical.  Too bad I couldn't afford the delicious rack of lamb I ate in Chihuahua while overlooking that city.

So, the next morning dawned clear and I was first in line at the Ford dealer where I was greeted by a service manager who refused to look at the car if I couldn't duplicate the problem (which I couldn't as the car chose to run fine).  Surprised and angered that this 'mouth breather' didn't have enough curiosity to put it on the lift to see if the steering gear may be out of spec, or anything else, I drove west down the road another 20 miles to another Ford dealer and was greeted with the same response (turns out both Ford dealers were owned by the same person). Then went to a local tire dealer where I asked them to flush the power steering fluid and replace with new thinking that the problem might be dirty fluid or an oxygen bubble in the line. Satisfied my directions were clear, I went to breakfast.  I came back an hour later to discover that they had done an "inspection" and found nothing wrong and, further, wanted $75CN for the exercise.  I didn't have time to get angry again, I had miles to cover and the mountains beckoned.

How sweet!  Remembrances of mountains past flooded as I drank in the beauty.  Around every corner was a sight which superseded the previous in grandeur and splendor.  The rivers were most beautiful and dynamic.  When stopping at the rare rest stops I had to dodge tour buses loaded with Brits of all things. Coming across clouds clinging to the sides of the mountains reminded me of my first traveled through the Oak Creek Canyon just south of Flagstaff, Arizona, on the way to Sedona.  Honestly, these mountains stand on their own in comparison to any in the world.  They promise so much and deliver more.  Driving in them presented a challenge the prairies didn't, that of driving down long grades.  Often, the 5,100 lbs of the loaded car greeted the gifts of gravity with exuberance leaving the brakes to cope, when I elected to use them.  Otherwise, there was quite a bit of construction as workers used the summer months to their best effect.

I stayed in a hostel Revelstone, Alberta, where I made up for the excess of rooming costs the night before. There was a pleasant Aussie girl )who came into town four years ago and couldn't leave because of the attraction) running the hostel.  The local burger was great.

I started working on some things in the kitchen after a long bike ride when I felt a wispy drip from my nose.  I wiped it with my hand to discover blood running off my fingers.  Somewhat shocked, I realized the altitude I was at with great force.  The nose problem cleared quickly as I took in the altitude with new appraisal and respect.

Gas was quite expensive through out the mountains as one might expect and one is well-advised to get fuel wherever they can, whether needed or not - just in case.

I left the hostel at 4:30am and rove through the dark and rain, with the truckers, looking for the odd moose.  I made it out of the mountains and into Vancouver by 2:00pm.  It was somewhat of a letdown leaving the Rockies.  I am so happy to have had that experience and the ability to scratch off one more adventure, one I have wanted to have since 1974.


Vancouver was a disappointment for me.  Maybe I was in a bad part of town but there weren't the clean tall skyscrapers I remembered in pictures.  I elected to leave early and try to make Seattle as the Garmin told me I could be there by 4:40pm.  I busted for the border where I was met with VERY long lines of tourists like myself.  The upside of the wait was looking out over the bay into the Pacific and breathing deeply the clean, cool, bracing air coming off the Pacific scented as it were with marine life.

Debra cleans a pump at 5:00am - got to admire the Canadians!

I anticipated the worst as I waited behind an Arab family going through customs.  Well, the officer spent so much time with them that he breezed me through afterward and I was on my way back home.  The drive down was difficult as traffic was dense and moving slowly.  I made it as far as Mt. Vernon, about 40 miles out, when I gave up. I'd been driving for over 12 hours and I was tired.  I eventually made my way up the side of a mountain into a B&B which had a cabin in the back in some ceders which they were ready to give me for $85 for the night.  They lit a fire to take the dampness out and I fell in to a much needed deep-sleep balm.

Dawn comes in lightly

Mt Vernon B&B

That's it for now.  I will catch you up on my Seattle activities shortly (did I mention I found a room in Everett near Boeing?).  Thanks, again, for your continued interest.


Cheers,

It's great to be back in America!!

Chris