We're coming to America...

Our last day in Vancouver we hung out at the RV resort as long as we could. We took showers, charged the electronics, watched a movie and enjoyed AC one last time before taking off. We attended church in downtown Vancouver and headed for the border. Although we had to wait in line for a while to cross, there were no inspections this time. 

The part of Washington this side of the border is relatively rural and going from the craziness of Vancouver to this quiet peacefulness was very nice. We were also excited to find blackberries were in season there, something we have been waiting for, so we started having blackberries with every meal.

We wanted to see the San Juan Islands so we took a long ferry ride that wound through all the islands from Anacortes to Friday Harbor.

Friday Harbor is where we got off and walked around town for a bit. But after not too long we had walked the entire town. When we walked back to the harbor we found a bike rack tucked away that was full of bikes with parts spray painted green. They were placed there by someone and were for people to borrow while visiting the island. We were very excited and borrowed them to ride to the other side of the island and have a picnic on the beach. 

We returned the bikes and rode the ferry back to Anacortes where we spent the night. 

The ferry ride back is often taken from Canada and finally, after entering Washington several times but always across a river or place we couldn't stop, we got our traditional "Welcome to Washington" sign picture. The Washington sign has proven to be the most difficult picture to get of all the states we have visited. 

The "sleep spot" we ended up getting was quite a lucky one and the first of many great spots along the ocean. This was the view out our bedroom window!

We rode down Whidbey Island toward Seattle and even stopped along the way at a spot where we could see across the sound to Comano Island where my grandparents used to live. With a pair of binoculars we could even point out their house. 

At Deception Pass we tried to recreate a picture of Jordan when he visited there when he was younger. 

It was a bit exciting to take the RV on the ferry from Whidbey Is. to the mainland. 

Outside of Bellingham (I think) we heard about a waterfall you can swim at and went straight there. It turned out to be one of Jordan's favorite stops on the whole trip. A short hike brought us to a waterfall with a cliff on either side that emptied into a large pool. You could dive off either cliff, swim in the large pool or even climb the waterfall which had several levels or pools to it. 

Now to the Seattle area where Jordan grew up...

Stats

Today begins week 12 and over 3 thousand miles of Suzy and me living on the road and I thought I might give some statistics on the trip because…. well, because I am an engineer and I like that geeky sort of stuff:

• We have driven 3,028.7 miles by RV and countless by scooter. That is the equivalent of driving from New York to Los Angeles and then back to Las Vegas after that.
• The month that we left on this journey was also the month the RV we are living in turned 25 years old, yikes.
• Average miles per day: about 69 miles per day (not counting days where we didn't drive). We usually are driving on two lane highways and take the more rural route whenever possible, avoiding freeways when we can, stopping at anything that seems interesting and taking our time.
• Average miles per gallon: about 8
• States: We have been in 10 different states in two countries, but with all our moving around across borders we have changed what state we are in 21 times.
• Most states in 1 day: 4
• Longest stay: 12 days in Issaquah, Washington at my aunt and uncle’s house
• Birthdays: 1
• Bird watching: We like to bird watch and have seen 73 different species of bird (that we have bothered to correctly identify and keep track of).
• Notable mammals we have seen: grizzly bear, bison, moose, elk, deer, wolverine, big horn sheep, mountain goat, weasel, sea lion, coyote, beaver, raccoon, and alpine marmot
• Best doughnut: VooDoo Donuts in Portland
• Kidney Stones Passed: 1
• National Parks: We have been in 5 National Parks so far, including Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, Olympic, and Lewis and Clark. We have also been in countless National Forests and Provincial Parks (Canada).
• Favorite national park: too hard to choose, really
• Most "Hippy" town: Missoula, MT
• Warmest water to swim in: Lake Sammamish, WA
• Parking tickets: 1 (talked them out of it)
• Place we were most worried about break-ins: Vancouver, Canada
• Place we were most worried about a bear attack in the middle of the night: the night we stayed on a dirt road deep in the forest, on the top of a mountain, in rural British Columbia.
• Coldest stay: Yellowstone National Park (During a snow storm)
• Hottest stay: Idaho and Montana
• Worst roads: This is a tough one. Probably Idaho, maybe Washington, parts of Canada are also a contender
• Rides given to strangers: 1
• Number of books Suzy has read: 8
• Loads of laundry: 18

A Better Vancouver

We did decide to stay a second day in the city. This time we called ahead and got a spot at an RV park in West Vancouver, just on the other side of the river from Stanley Park. It was a good decision.

We were able to be super close to the city and leave the RV in a spot that was safe, although the craziness wasn't quite over. Our campground was underneath the left side of this bridge which went from North Vancouver directly into Stanley Park.

We drove the scooter around and went on a hike in Lynn Canyon to Twin Falls and the suspension bridge. The combination of the GPS and canyon maps that aren't quite to scale, made our hike a lot longer than we intended. We drove the scooter on the wrong side of the river and hiked what we thought would be just 1.2 kilometers, but in reality was MUCH longer and very steep! The hike was actually really nice, we were just in a bit of a hurry because there was still so much we wanted to see!

Jordan won the dingus award for the day. One our way back on our hike he realized he couldn't find the keys to the scooter. I normally keep a spare with me, but of course I didn't have one that day.

We hurried as fast as we could back to the scoot and found the keys left in the ignition. We were grateful they weren't dropped on the hike and grateful for the honest people of Canada. Especially considering all the  Beware of Thieves signs around the place.

After our hike we spent some time at the fish hatchery.

We also went to some markets in downtown North Vancouver. There was a Carribeaan market going on and we also stopped by Logan's Quay market.

We went back to the RV for dinner and then headed back to Stanley Park around sunset to see the International Fireworks Competition! We decided to make the trip via bicycle so we could beat the traffic we were warned about which meant a tough ride up and over the bridge pictured above.

The night we went ended up being the USA night for the competition and it was fun to sit at the edge of the bay and watch the fireworks over the water with the city in the background.

Vancouver

Whew, Vancouver! I say that as I wipe the sweat off my brow. We had a lot of fun, but I am definitely glad to be out of the big city. Big cities aren't exactly RV friendly.

Our first day we parked the RV in Surrey and drove the scooter the rest of the way into the city. We can't take the freeway on the scooter so we drove through the busy down towns. It was a LONG ride, over an hour. We drove all the way to Stanley park, the opposite end of Vancouver. Stanley Park is actually a really nice park, especially for such a big city.

We found a cautiously friendly raccoon.

How many times can you get lost on Vancouver? Let me count the ways...

After Stanley park we wanted to visit a night market in China town and grab some dinner. We made it to China town but couldn't find the market so we just kind of putts'ed around on the scoot. We ended up in a very sketchy part of town. Lots of crazy yelling people. Someone, who was clearly very angry, was waving around a golf club and I was sure he was going to bash in the car next to us. Jordan says he was really nervous and was ready to step in if the guy started after the car which apparently was a 50's Porsche Speedster. We hurriedly left and ditched our plans of dinner in China town for an "Indian style Chinese" place across town.

We left Vancouver the same way we came in and our bridge was closed!! We stopped and asked someone the best way to get back to Surrey. He said: The Freeway. On the scooter. Eek!

I think aside form Jordan's trip to the hospital, it was the scariest part of our trip so far. We were on a bridge so there wasn't really any shoulder to drive on. It was pretty frightening. I held on to Jordan for dear life - not that that would help any if we wrecked.  We did make it safely back to the RV. We were so happy to see the RV that night!

A side note, all over the place since we first made it into Canada there are signs warning you about the car thieves. We were worried about leaving the RV alone in a parking lot all day long. So we were extra relived to finally be off the freeway and see the RV safe and sound. Oh it was a beautiful sight.

That night we seriously considered just going back to Washington and cutting our Vancouver adventure short. It was not the most ideal day - long ride into the city and then the craziness trying to get back out.

Oh Canada!

There were so many fires across the state of Washington we had to change up our plans a bit after we left Couer D'Alene, ID. Several of the roads going through the state were closed so we headed north to Canada and then west.

We found the factory where they make logs :)

The border station we passed through wasn't very busy so they stopped us and searched the RV. The rainy wait during the surprisingly thorough vehicle inspection at the Canada border was interesting but kind of fun.

We drove across Highway 3 through the mountains of rural Southern British Columbia stopping at anything that seemed interesting. So beautiful!

Found this growing near the roadside on one of our stops. This probably isn't the plant I think it is, but it sure looks like it.

A "Huck Shop". This one had a lot of buried treasures.

We really loved rural BC. Somehow we stumbled upon Bromley Rock. It is a swimming hole along the Similkameen river. It's still one of our favorite spots we have been to, even though it was very cold and was raining at the time.

Another bonus of being in the middle of nowhere was that it was easy to find real nice places to stay the night.

Spotted Lake; a sacred place to the "First Nations" people. It is said to have 365 spots, one for every day of the year.

Hiking to a waterfall we found a banana slug. Jordan told me about the Banana Slug Club, a club where in order to join you must kiss a banana slug!

Jordan was excited to visit Fort Langley, Hudson Bay Company's first trading post in the west.

He was in woodworkers heaven.

There were a bunch of sheep and goats at the fort and they had little bags of food so you could feed them. It was my favorite part of visiting. They were all so cute and friendly!

Getting into civilization as we got closer to Vancouver. I'm not sure the guy on the left really want's to be in this fight. Jordan thought the poster was so so funny. He's a dork.