Sand, Waves, and the Northwest

              

              Imagine Lewis and Clark coming to the end of the trail—the mighty Pacific as it meets the Columbia River. The river that now divides Washington and Oregon meets the ocean in a treacherous clash of waves that sailors worldwide know to fear.

               The world’s best bar pilots guide freighters, cruise liners, and other vessels through the turbulent sea and upriver to Astoria, Portland, and the wheat silos of eastern Washington. Oregon’s Fort Stevens state park sits at the confluence of the river and sea. We spent a few days in the near-empty park where we braved the wind to view the waves. Pelicans soared above, and the dogs sniffed sand and sea. It was magnificent.

               If you ever get to Astoria, make sure to check out Josephson’s. Great smoked fish, chowder, local jams. The smoked albacore is superb. Nearby, the Bridgewater Bistro looks out on the river and serves fresh-off-the-boat salmon.

               We’ve completed our northern journey, landing in Bellingham, home of Kati’s brother and family. After a few dreadful days in Tacoma, we were thrilled to be here. There are some things you need to know about Tacoma:

·        The museums are terrific. The Museum of Glass www.museumofglass.org is NOT a memorial to Chihuly, although he’s a native of the area. He designed the  ceiling and wall of glass on the bridge that leads to the museum, incredible glass sculptures that dance in the sun. The museum houses many other fine glass blowers’ works and a huge glass blowing “hot spot,” a giant stainless steel upside-down funnel that houses several kilns and guest glass blowers. Well worth a visit if you love glass works. Kati was in 7^th heaven.

·        The Union Station is now the federal court house that retains much of the old train station’s architecture and interiors. The Museum of Washington History next door replicates much of the station’s design, making the two buildings a dramatic pair.

·        The people in Tacoma are friendly; the tow truck drivers we met smiled as they hauled away our ancient Saturn. Our poor tow finally bit the dust, but a new radiator may give her a few more years.  Tacoma’s traffic is wild—like so many of today’s cities built around rivers, train tracks and industrial ports—so pulling Minnie (the Saturn) out of bumper-to-bumper traffic was oh so much fun. We’re going to tow her home as it would be cruel to abandon her in the junk yard. Instead we’re going to sell her along with Maxie—two for the price of one! The radiator shop swears she‘s OK now, but after two tows in 24 hours we are a bit skeptical.

·        The Majestic Mobile Home RV Park (which is actually in Puyallup) is not even close to majestic. Probably the worst we’ve ever encountered in 12 years of RVing. But the squalor makes us appreciate all the great places we’ve stayed.

Alan’s superb piloting got us around Seattle and up here just shy of Canada. Here are some things you need to know about Bellingham:

·        The Enterprise rental car folks at the airport are kind to strangers. Gave us a good price on a mini-van with a remote key that opens the sliding back doors. Perfect for two border collies who each have their own seat. Miss Bossypants, aka Beau, goes back to the 3^rd row and sits there like the queen she thinks she is.



Sabine, Eric, Tanya, Carmen with Grandma Diana,
Great Aunt Kati and Grandpa Tim

 ·        Ruff Day doggie day care is out of business. Hard to imagine when the industry is booming. Petsmart in Tacoma had a great doggie hotel and day play set up that Petco needs to adopt. But Pooch Palace in Ferndale has a friendly collection of canines who welcomed our guys with glee.

·        My brother’s son Eric, his wife Tanya and their two gorgeous daughters (Carmen, 9 mos. and Sabine, 2 ½) are visiting Tim and Diana. So cute, so much energy.

·        Bellingham’s sunsets are spectacular, as are the trees, the views of Mt. Baker, the parks, and, for now, the weather. We have been blessed throughout the trip with sunny, warm days and cool nights. Today, it appears, this is changing. Coastal fog that is not burning off, and a forecast for rain on the weekend. Nothing lasts forever. 

·        Vancouver, British Columbia, is just 45 miles away. Actually, there are so many Canadians shopping in Bellingham that you might think you were already across the border. We drove up and headed straight for the Bill Reid Museum featuring the wonderful work of Haida artists including Reid. We first saw his work at the Canada National Gallery in Ottawa about 11 years ago. In addition to producing beautiful jewelry and sculptures, he mentored many young Haida artists who were interested in working with Haida legends and designs. Check out his work at www.billreidgallery.ca.  Traffic in Vancouver was much like that of any big city—kind of exciting after life in the country. And we noticed how much the city felt like Canada: distinct architecture, inflections, metric signs (forgot what a kilometer is) and those big flags with a maple leaf front and center.

·        Bellingham’s Fairhaven community is full of excellent galleries, a tea shop, book store, restaurants, and a host of inviting shops. Kati wants to return there before we leave; the Northwest Indian art is calling her name.

·        Dropped by the Friends of the Lynden Library annual book sale so Kati could see how another friends group puts on its sales. Lynden is a small town built by Dutch immigrants, and its architecture reminded us of Holland—and Washington Irving’s home in New York.

·        Kati spent a day with Tim and Diana touring artist’s studios in Bellingham. There is a flourishing art community there, maybe in part because of the town’s Western Washington University excellent art program, maybe in part just because it’s a lovely area that nurtures creativity.

We’ve been on the road almost a month. Clearly it’s time to come home. There’s nothing like four weeks of life in a narrow 33-feet long bus to make one homesick. We’ll head out soon and hope to be snug at home by the 20^th.  Retrieving the toad will be another adventure in urban chaos, but we have survived it before.

A week later we are home. Seems many RV parks that promise WiFi fall short on that promise, so we couldn’t post this. Alan is studying for his Greyhound driver’s license; he got us home in short order despite heavy rain, stiff winds that tried to throw Maxie off the road, and endless road construction. We managed to swing by Tacoma and hook up the Saturn, pedal around Seattle, and glide down I-5.

Didn’t someone once say, “There’s no place like home?” Got that straight.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the trip. We sure did.