Gone West 7

Gone West 7

Astoria to Seattle.

After getting the key fob sorted, we crossed the large steel lattice bridge. 

We were once again travelling along our old friend, Highway 101, this took us for the first 100 miles or so through some of the least interesting scenery of our trip so far. Though the highway wasn’t spectacular (it had also left the coast highway so also no nice sea and coastal views), the road passed in the main through pasture lands and small towns with names that gave lie to the original settlers homelands like Aberdeen and other Mac names. 

The scenery suddenly changed, the hills became forested and large pines made the road into a tunnel, we had entered the Olympic State Park.

At lake Quinault we turned off the main highway and into the Park. This is actually technically not part of the Quinault  Indian reserve, but part of the Olympic National Forest, it was a wonderful drive along a lake, through wooded slopes and small babbling waterfalls. 

We stopped at the village of Quinault by the side of the lake to take some photographs, when suddenly there was a flash across the front of the car and an Osprey rose above us clutching a fish in its talons, I was of course too late to capture it for posterity, but I still have it indelibly printed on my mind’s eye for the rest of my life.

A native American getting onto/into his trusty steed

We returned via the same route to the main highway and headed west, then north to the upper most tip of Western USA and the most northerly part of our journey.  We turned Jucy’s head east and found a small campsite for the night; it nestled right under the mountains of the national park.

This RV site was attached to a general store and gas station (filling station to you and I), it was called Shadow Mountain General Store. The site was tiered but the slopes were not steep and it was wonderfully laid out and had all we needed, Bathrooms (toilets), showers, Wi-Fi, water and electricity. Everything wonderful and clean, we had our evening meal and had an early evening as the next day I wanted to go into Port Angeles, a port I had visited while my ship (the Silvercove) was Vancouver Island loading Lumber for the Caribbean islands.

We set off early, but the mountain below which we were located showed its face through the clouds. 

This is the reason this site was called Shadow Mountain and the area the Olympic Rain Forest.  

We get up early most days as we like to be on the road to beat the crowds, what crowds did I hear you ask? 

This is a part of the USA that you visit only if you need to, it still has a primeval beauty, pristine forests and clean, cool air. 

We headed along the 101 and into Port Angeles, we had just missed seeing a ferry leaving for Victoria on Vancouver Island, we watched as it slipped around the end of Ediz Hook, the spit of land that protects the port and into the straits of Juan de Fuca (this had of course caused some wry comments, like” are we in the Fuca Channel yet”).

She went that-a-way

The ferry in the middle of the Fuca Channel

There was very little open early, but we walked along the harbour and took some photographs of Canadian geese that had congregated at a little bay, we wondered did they have green cards or were they just visiting.

There are also two bells of atonement hanging in the little park, one a coastguard cutters, the other a present from Japan a nice touch.

We decided to fill up Jucy at the local Safeway (Linda had become a member and so we got points and a good at the shops. The next part of our Journey would be back into civilisation proper, a big city, we were going to visit an ex- colleague and friend of Linda’s from her Kodak days. Upon retirement he had moved into a brand new house that looked down onto Seattle.

But first the little job of getting Jucy and us there, we had decided to take the ferry which crossed from Kingston not the one Jamaica or on Thames, but the one in Washington State USA.

Jucy and a couple catching a bit of shut eye

The other shore and the other ferry

The ferry sails across the large sea inlet to Edmonds a little North of Seattle. We travelled the 101 until it joined the 104, here we parted company for the last time, we to go on to Seattle and Highway 101 on to Olympia where it disappears, swallowed up by the interstate highway 5.

The Ferry crossing was uneventful, loaded, full ahead, discharged, a procedure I knew so well, nothing new here. We arrived in Edmunds and immediately took a wrong turning to get out of the harbour, we shall blame our Satnav, not our bad navigation, but at last we were on the main Highway into Seattle. Norbert and Daniela live in a suburb of Seattle called Renton, this overlooks Mercia Island a fine piece of desirable real state, but to get there we had to pass a turn off for Newcastle!!!! What had we taken another wrong turning?

Gone West 6

Gone West 6

Astoria and crossing the Colombia River (with a little difficulty).

We travelled the short distance (relatively) to Astoria from Cannon Beach passing a seaside town called Seaside, with just a little stop at Clatsop a national memorial, this is a relic of the second world war, it had been built to defend a possible attack from the Pacific by Japan, it was full of the normal military hardware that had not originally been there but was on display to show what the Americans had at their disposal.

Near by is Fort Stevens State Park as good a place as any to stop off for a break we did and much to my delight I watched an angler catch a 4lb steelhead trout. The Steelhead is a Rainbow, but is anadromous (it lives in the sea but comes into lakes and rivers to spawn). Fine fighters and even better eaters.

One the beach you can see the remains of the Peter Iredale a four masted barque that ran aground here while trying to make entry into the Columbia river,

We had seen that we got 10% reduction for staying  at KAO camping resorts, there was a one a one in Astoria and even though the name didn’t sound too inviting we decided to stay for the night.

During the trip so far we had paid between $25 and $40 a night at campsites, this depended on the hook up and other facilities, some you have even television connections, this one, at Astoria was $73, we gulped but as it was getting late we bit the bullet as they say in these here parts, registered, got the info blurb and got the pitch.  The KAO site’s are Roll’s Royse’s of camp parks and have all facilities, so off went Linda to Check out the Laundry facilities while I got the waggon train camp set up for the night. Wrong, wrong, wrong, here I don’t quite know if I inadvertently hit the lock button while getting out or Jucy had decided to take it on her own and lock the whole shooting match down. Problem was I had taken the keys out of the ignition and put them in the middle console for safe keeping (a lesson learnt, always put them in your pocket). Resulting in us being totally locked out, Linda was not amused, we went to the reception to explain our predicament, the young receptionist immediately got onto the radio to camp maintenance and told us to go back to the pitch and he would come, in a few minutes (it seemed like hours), the man in the yellow electric van appeared and informed us that unfortunately he was not into the ways of breaking and entering and his colleague who normally does this type of operation was not on duty and though living on site was off with his wife on a night out, he had phoned him, but we may have to wait a while. It was getting rather cool and we were lightly clad ( I had only had shirts and T-shirt on since leaving SF) but we could go and wait in the games room were there was a TV and videos, this we did it was warm and cosy, we sat in the large “Chesterfield” and surmised what we would do if unable to get Lucy open. Options were:

1)      Inform the car rental

2)      Get out the AAA

3)      Book in to one of the cabins for the night

4)      Break down and cry

But luckily the cavalry arrived in the form of Brian, he is the professional getter in of locked cars, he gave us the keys last seen on the centre console and said as the automatic locking was not working, he had left his wife to guard the car. We hot footed back and thanked them both dearly; Brian the getter in refused any payment and wished us a nice stay. It was getting quite late and I thought I would use up the shucked oysters that I had bought at Coos Bay and even though in the fridge would need using up. With that in mind, I made oyster chowder, Linda said that she was still feeling a little winded from the fright and had nothing.  We connected everything up and settled down for the night.

At the reception, during the introduction blurb, our little nice young lady had informed us about the facilities on site, inclusive in the $73, (this did now seem not so exorbitant) was laundry facilities, inside and outdoor swimming pools, spa and free pancakes for breakfast. As we were unable to /could not make use of the rest, we decided to make use of the breakfast facilities. I did make a tour of the park to show how other campers line (it isn't real camping so we are unlikely to be spending another $73.

The BBQ and Fire Pit area

Linda testing the SWL of the swings

The toilet and shower facilities

Jucy in shut down mode

The reception, shop and spa

We hot footed (we actually drove) passing the monstrous chuck waggon into the site restaurant, it was pretty empty with only a mother with her kids all getting stick in to pancakes galore. We went to the counter to be greeted with how many sir, Linda she  ”just the one”, I wanted two and noticed that there were two sorts on the menu, normal and mickey mouse, while Linda got the coffee and went to get seated at the windows overlooking the swimming pool (kids already swimming and playing in it).

I asked the cook what the difference was, he replied, the pancake mix is the same but the other he makes for the kids and is shaped like a mickey mouse head, I said slap a one on to a plate for Linda. I had also ordered a portion of hash browns to accompany mine.  We sat and enjoyed the breakfast, Linda making use of the jug of maple syrup, I passed.

Breakfast finished we headed out of Mosquito Crossing to have a look and get the “bleeding” ignition key sorted out.

Astoria is a pleasant little Western town, situated on the south bank of the mighty Columbia River. It had quite a bit of Art Nuevo architecture and actually holds a Shakespeare Festival every year. But though I love architecture and adore Shakespeare, these was not the reasons for the drive through town, that was to find a Dodge dealer, we travelled along Main street, found everything but, but did find a “do it all” car company, I went inside explained our predicament, he said it sounded like the battery in the fob, opened it up and took the battery out, unfortunately he didn’t have that one, but if I could hang on a couple of minutes, he would have a  one sent around, I replied in the affirmative and he was on the phone and it was literally only a couple of minutes and a chap appeared , the battery was inserted, the fob put back together  and tested. I had left Linda in the car studying maps for the next part of our journey, I do believe she needed to change her knickers when the Lucy locked, unlocked herself and the horn sounded. But everything was once again in full working order or so we thought.  But that is another story for another part of the journey. I took a photo of a coastguard cutter moored near by (it was actually part of the adjacent Maritime Museum).

We turned Lucy’s head up North crossed the massive bridge that spans the mouth of the mighty Columbia River and into Washington State.