CLAFC – Creativity, Learning, Adventure, Freedom & Cessation

We spent a couple more wet and wild days huddled in our Rockaway hideaway , but eventually the storm abated and the sun came out . It was time to move on. So we packed all our worldly belongings back onto our two small bikes, and once more headed south. On friends Cathie and Joe’s recommendation, we planned to drive the three-capes route out of Tillamook, but when we got to the town we were halted by barricades and police cars. Turned out the main street of Tillamook, including numerous other roads, were flooded. This is highway 101 — our route! Luckily there was a non-flooded detour that took us around the town and past the cheese factory. We did manage to pick up the scenic route around most of the capes, and only had to drive through one short section of flooded road — still kinda scary though.

The whole coast is absolutely amazing. Beaches as far as the eye can see, with stunning vistas, craggy “haystack” rocks, and big rolling seas. It became hard to photograph, because it’s all so amazing.

The wet and windy drive this day took us to our next cheap motel on the outskirts of Yachats. We pulled up and were greeted by a couple of cute corgi dogs, and two very friendly women who turned out to be mother and daughter and owners of the place. Ann had booked us the cheapest option, but we’d hardly started chatting before being asked: “Would you mind if we upgraded you to an ocean view, for free of course.” Did we mind??? Well let me think… 🙂

After settling in we walked the short hop down to the beach. This area of the coast has what looks like sandstone cliffs lining the shore before it drops down to the beach and ocean . Strolling down the beach in the rain we noticed this circle of gulls around what looked like a log or a rock on the beach. As we got closer it became clear this was no rock. It was a beached whale!

We learned from the motel owners the whale had washed up on the beach about a month earlier. It was left, as per the law, to naturally rot, and from the odour it was definitely doing just that. I’m sure a whale person could tell what kind it was. All I know is it was big, and beautiful in a dead-and-stinky sort of way.

The beach held other wonders as well. The recent storms had beached a dead seal, a large round fish, and tons of large kelp structures. It’s a constant reminder of how alive the oceans are.

 

 

The next day brought another drive along the coast, with days end at Brookings near the southern edge of Oregon. As usual we had booked a cheap room via one of the online tools. This motel, like many that we end up in, is run down and old, with just enough spit and polish to make it presentable. But the beds and rooms are clean. It’s warm, dry, and relatively cheap. And the mushroom dealer who’s set up shop below is just a bonus 🙂

Actually, it was quite interesting … this dealer is a travelling mushroom buyer who sets up temporary shop in various locations from Alaska down through BC, Washington and Oregon to buy mushrooms from local pickers. And no … it’s not THAT kind of mushroom. He buys the fancy, weird looking ones that mushroom aficionados rave about: morels, chanterelle, cauliflower, etc… We got a guided tour of his operation. Fun, fun.

After settling in for the evening we took a stroll around the town, taking in the sights and looking for good, cheap beer and food. Ann’s new addition is IPAs. It’s not the booze she craves, it’s the bitter crisp taste of a tangy tough ale. We’ve also discovered the joys of Happy Hour! From about 1600 to 1800 bars discount booze and nibbles. Beer is 2/3rd the price and they usually have a selection of cheap appetizers, which strung together can make a very satisfying meal at a fraction of the cost.

But on our way to IPA bliss two wonderful things happened. First is that we saw our first naturally-growing palm trees. Ya Who! And the second was that Ann decided to try and earn some extra bucks with a strip show in the bar. Actually, it was just a hot flash, but it was FUNNNNNNYYYYYYYY.

Another nights slumber and we were off to California to visit the Land of the Giants.

The weather did indeed turn wet and wild. So much so that our three day hotel stay has now turned into a six day refuge. This whole coast has been battered with one front after another, including gale-force winds and rain levels measured in inches! Luckily our little “resort” is quite cheap in this very off-season, it has a full kitchen, and there are nearby food & beer stores with a good selection of local craft IPAs, so life is good.

Our hotel is right on the beach, although our room only has “partial” view … at a “partial” price. Still pretty stunning, and the shore is only a 100 meters or so away. The truly lousy weather has kept us room-bound most of the time (me more than the Mighty Annabelle), but we have been out on the beach many times. The wind and waves have been tremendous. The huge beach pretty much disappears during high tide. It is ferocious, and powerful, and dangerously beautiful.

     

It rains, it pours, the wind howls, and it even hails, but we remain warm and dry … except when Ann ventures out for more beer:

 

Yay! Ann!!!

At this point we’ll be here for a couple more days. A weather window opens at that point and we’re going to run south. Winter is starting to catch up to us, so we must get south, South, SOUTH!

We left Ocean Shores and made a quick stop at a couple of banks. We tried the same one from the previous day, and it still gave us the big thumbs-down on our debit cars. Okay… a little concerning. But at the next ATM a few blocks away all the lemons lined up and we hit the jackpot! Looks like we can access our cash. Costs a crazy amount in fees and exchange rates ($360 US = $480 CND), but whaddyagonnado?

We headed down highway #101 once again, this time aiming for the famous Cannon Beach. But to get there we had to first cross the mighty Columbia River on the border of Washington-Oregon. The ride was once again a great one, with snaky roads and amazing forest and ocean views. The crossing to Astoria, which is the first place in Oregon, was via the Astoria – Megler Bridge, a 6.6 km expanse that rises 60 meters (at high tide) above the river. According to Wiki, the bridge is “the longest continuous truss bridge in North America.”

Astoria looked like a rather interesting city, although we didn’t spend any time exploring. A quick lunch and we were off again, heading to Cannon Beach. The days are short right now, which means we have about five hours of quality travelling time. As has also become the norm, we are looking at a rather bleak weather forecast, with heavy rains and winds predicted for the next few days. This was enough to convince us to seek luxury shelter once again in a motel. We found another inexpensive place online, right in Cannon Beach with a view of Haystack Rock.

Cannon Beach is stunning. Our friends from Rossport (Selim to be exact) told us we had to spend time here. And we always listen to Cathie and Joe. As always, they were so right. Haystack Rock towers some few hundred feet up from this wide Pacific beach. But it’s not the only structure. There are “Needles” all around it, and both directions there are more rugged islands and promontories. It truly is a wondrous part of the world.

    

We spent three nights tucked into our comfy little apartment on the main street in Cannon Beach. We had a little kitchen, so managed to cook our own meals, while sipping wine/beer, all the while getting a great view of the Rock and some of the beach. It was a rainy few days, which was our excuse for further luxury living, but it was well worth it.

Over the last few days Ann had been noticing a slight wobble developing in her front end. Added to that, her bike was doing some weird things too 😉 so we reluctantly decided the wise choice was to head into Portland and find a motorcycle shop to take a look at it. This would take us away from the coast, and into the colder, urbany areas. But wisdom won out over Mike’s fears, so the next day we loaded up and headed inland.

Ann found both a Vespa shop and a pretty cheap hotel just outside of Portland in a place called Oregon City. The drive over took us through some stunning lush forests, although things got rather cool as we passed over various heights of land. There were signs warning “Entering Snow Country”, which signals that we can’t stay here long. It’s approaching mid-November, and we may be pushing our luck with the weather.

The bike shop was closed the day we arrived, so we booked the hotel for three days, and settled in for yet another comfy few nights. Gotta love this easy life. The view from our balcony overlooks the Willamette River, a tributary of the Columbia that runs through Portland all the way down to the ocean. Turns out we’re not that far from the Pacific because there are real tides here of over 10 feet at times.

We took a stroll around our area. There’s a small commercial area right next to our hotel, complete with pubs, small shops, and a city elevator to take people up the hill. 

Turns out Oregon City is home to Willamette Falls, “the largest waterfall in the American Pacific Northwest by volume, and the seventeenth widest in the world,” according to all things Wiki. Unfortunately it seems to be surrounded by old industry, including a working paper mill. We did manage to get a view of it, but just.

Another surprising thing we got a view of were a couple of lounging sea lions or perhaps female elephant seals. We first saw this brown gunny-sack looking thing on a raft and thought it was just a bag … but then it moved! And then we saw a second one swimming lazily nearby. Neither had a care in the world, except to be annoyed by the two of us yapping and gawking at them from above.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ann’s front end looks great — as usual 😉 so with a clean stamp of approval from the Vespa dealer, who didn’t even charge anything for his 1/2 hr of time – thanks Vespa Milwaukie! We were once again ready to resume our trek south. Looking at the forecast once again brought a tear to my eye (and the sense of pending rain in my pants). 

Our area is facing a RAINFALL WARNING over the next few days. For a place used to getting lots of rain, this is significant. Amounts up to 5 inches — that’s over 12 cm — of rain are predicted. Oh joy… So, we’ve wimped out again, and have booked yet another hotel room for the next few days. At least we’ll be back on the Pacific shore.

Ocean Shores captured us. Well, to be more accurate, we looked at the coming weather, and given the unmovable and ineradicable desire by certain travellers of the female persuasion to spend days in Cannon Beach, we found ourselves staying another night here on “the shores.” A wonderful choice it was. It forced us to upgrade to a room with a view, and let us go a-wanderin’ around the little town.

After blowing all our American $ on breky, and then discovering our debit cards are not working 🙁 we found a local grocery store, then went wondering down on the beach. What a stunning place this is.

 

The beach is a long sloping swath of sand that goes on for miles and miles (not km and km … I’m learning to speak “American”). We hit it near low tide, so could walk a long way out. As always, the life, the smells, the breath of it all, is just amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now it’s back to the hotel for dinner, good beer, and yummy times with my sweets.

We finally said goodbye to the Ramada Inn, which had become home for us for a bit too long, and loading up all our worldly possessions, we zipped downtown to catch the Black Ball ferry from Victoria, BC to Port Angeles, WA. We arrived early for the 3pm sailing, so had time to wander downtown Victoria one last time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clearing US customs turned out to be almost a pleasant experience. The nice young fellow who did ourinitial clearing had recently moved from Grand Marais, MN. Ann swears she even recognized him from one of our times we went down from Thunder Bay … of course Ann swears to a lot of things, so who really knows 😉

We boarded the ferry, saying goodbye to Canada , and hello to the US of A . The ferry ride itself was smooth, stunning, and rather gorgeous … just like my Annneeeeeeee .

By the time we arrived on the other side the sun had set and darkness was rapidly taking hold. Luckily we had no trouble finding our little motel for the night. It was close, cheap and, er, well, did I say cheap 🙂 Anyway, it was fine. We found a great local pub with wonderful beer and good food. Then off to bed.

The next morning we found highway #101, which will be our asphalt “yellow brick road” for many days, weeks and maybe months now. It was great to be back on the bikes, and the windy, twisty road down from Port Angeles to the ocean was a reminder of how much fun it is to drive a motorcycle. The road goes through Olympic National Park, with some amazing forests, including overhanging trees that nearly envelope the entire roadway. As we got closer to the coast the air warmed and the smells of the ocean made itself known. We had to stop to take it in: the open Pacific Ocean!

We decided to end our first day’s Washington journey on a peninsula called Ocean Shores. It’s a complete tourist mecca, but in the off-season is quite wonderful. Rooms are cheap too, so we grabbed a small one, did a quick wander down onto the beach, had a great meal, and went to bed not knowing what tomorrow would bring.

Our first couple of days on Vancouver Island were spent in a cheap Victoria hotel. We did a brief tour of the beautiful city, found Donna & Sam’s house, and watched the end of the Nameless Evil known as Stephen Harper’s government. We also officially bought our extended health coverage, and decided to start it for November 1st. This meant we had about two weeks to hang out and explore the island.

After two nights in Victoria we headed north to Parksville area, setting up our nylon home in a nearby provincial park. The park protect a grand old forest of huge coastal trees, some of them with at least 2 meters diameter trunks, and towering far into the sky. We found a site near the shore and settled in for what turned out to be over a week. The weather was mostly damp and cool, but we had a fine setup with tent, tarp and fire pit, so managed to stay mostly dry and relatively warm … at least most of the time.

 

One morning I was awakened by what my groggy brain initially thought was loud barking dogs. Damn annoying dog owners to let their dogs bark away so early in the morning, I thought as I rolled over and tried to get back to sleep.

The next morning the same thing happened … which is when I realized it wasn’t yapping dogs, but harping sea lions that I was hearing. It sounded like they were right outside the tent, so I hopped out of bed (well, more liked slowly crawled out), and went down to the shore. It was low tide, so I walked out 1/2 km to observe the antics of seals, loons, herons, sea lions and porpoises. Amazing!

We had thought about heading over to Tofino and Pacific Rim National Park, but chatting with a few locals convinced us to stay on the eastern side of the island. Apparently the west is a lot wetter, windier and colder at this time of year, and our goal to stay warm and dry was becoming harder.

In the end we stayed put for over a week at the campsite, which was enough time to get into the rhythm of the tides and sea life, and also get to know the park, and nearby Parksville. Ann also visited Qualicum Beach a couple of times to relive her early toddler memories of nearly floating away with the tide, and also to go swimming and take a shower. Since I naturally smell like roses, I declined the shower.

Winter is definitely starting to take hold, but a winter on Vancouver Island is nothing like a winter in Northern Ontario, or Alberta, or even southern Ontario. It’s cool, and damp, but so far no hint of snow or real cold. Despite this, we discovered the joys of the local Public Library, and spent a few days camped out at their study carrels. This was great to stay warm and dry during the rains, charge up all our doo-dadds, and finally get started on this bloggy thing.

With our travel health insurance scheduled to kick in for Nov. 1st, we had planned to move back into Victoria for a couple of nights to prepare to cross over to Washington. We both needed showers by then (especially Ann), and it was time to do laundry. A prediction of four days of rain encouraged us to move under cover even earlier, so we packed up and drove back to Victoria.

It was sad leaving the park after all that time. It was just over a week, but it already felt a bit like leaving home. But warm showers and soft beds beaconed, so off we went. Amusingly, we ended up back at the same cheap hotel that we stayed in the first nights. It’s a fine place, although the booking system never seemed to know who we were, or how long we were staying. Funny.

Tomorrow we take the ferry across to Washington. We’re now on the wrong side of the jet streams, so the weather is cooler and wetter. This will make travel and camping more difficult, but we’ll figure it out. Tomorrow night we’re planning to be in a cheap motel in Port Angeles, WA. After that, who knows…

 

Vancouver is a great city … if you like cities. To me, they’re all pretty much seem the same; noisy, smelly and fast. Lots of people and traffic, with everyone running around in a hurry going nowhere. But we were on a mission; a mission of epic proportions. We were coming to meet Donna and Natasha. It was a lucky happenstance that we managed to snag a cheap hotel room at the same place Donna was staying. Arriving there first, I checked in and asked if Donna had arrived. “There’s no one registered in that name here,” says the clerk. Hmmm says I. Perhaps we’re at the wrong hotel. Oh well… But all was well, and we connected even before we got into our room.

Later that evening we met up with Tasha, where we got a tour of her fancy little apartment in the heart of the city. We then headed off to this snazzy restaurant across the street called Brix. Yummy food, great wine, and even better company. We heard about Tasha’s life in corporate hell, and her plans to come back from the land of the dead. Donna talked about her ‘whoo-whoo’ studies, and also about her deeply held secret desire to update her iPhone. A grand time was had by all.

The next day was spent strolling around False Creek, doing laundry, and hanging out with Donna. She and I always seem to get into fascinating discussions about meaning and mortality. And Ann generally seems amused. So in the end, we’re all entertained.

The day we left turned out to be the exact time Vancouver was holding it’s spook-fest parade. Naturally the route encircled our hotel, with all the streets we wanted to drive being blocked off. Ann fearlessly led us through back alleys and dark, scary places, eventually finding our way towards the Tsawwassen ferry terminal.

On our way to Vancouver Island, the City of Victoria, and places beyond.

Leaving friends and a cosy, warm house was hard, but winter was starting to bite in the mountain air, so we loaded up and pressed on. Our goal was Vancouver, which is south of Kamloops, so naturally we first headed north. Up through Cache Creek, north to highway #99, and then (finally) started south along an amazing twisty and secluded highway leading to Lillooet. The drive along the mighty Fraser River was incredible. Tight, twisty, steep and stunningly beautiful … which is doubly hard because with a route like this you need to keep your eyes on the road, and not the amazing scenes all around you.

The Town of Lillooet is perched on a bluff above the Fraser River, but we had to initially pass it by as the day was getting on, and we still had no place to pitch our tent. We were making for a free campsite some km south of the town along the Duffy Lake Road, but as as we crossed the Seton River just past Lillooet Ann spotted this sign for a BC Hydro campground. We did a quick U-turn, and headed into a lovely car camp tucked into the forest along a couple of creeks, with high mountains reaching skyward all around us. We took a spot right next to the babbling brook and set up home.

Turns out the campsite was not only free, but also included free wood delivered right to our site. Gotta love BC Hydro!

 

 

 

 

We set up camp and settled in for what we’d hoped would be a number of days. Sadly, we learned the park was slated to close in a few days. But we remained there for three wonderful nights. The first night, and then through the next day, the wind howled down the valley. Most of the wind was up at the tree tops, but gusts would find their way down to us every once in a while, shaking the tent and sending our gear fluttering. Going into town the second day (Thanksgiving Day) we stopped in at a local restaurant. Gotta love locals … we got chatting with some guys next to us about how far we’d come, and then the waitress started talking about the weather, and that something big was “Comin’ down the Duffy!” No kidding!!

We ate a lunch, which turned out to be too big but very yummy, and went back home to cook our Thanksgiving turkey meal, complete with fresh veggies, canned gravy and “fresh” turkey. We decided to cook it all on the 13th though, b/c neither of us could eat after the big restaurant meal. Still tasted great one day late.

 

The campsite was beautiful, but with towering mountains all around us and being rather high in altitude, the days were short and cool, and the nights even longer and colder. It was sad to pack up, but Ann’s toes and nose appreciated when we finally started to head south and down.

The road south was once again a stunningly gorgeous but challenging drive on the bikes. Temperatures were running around 3˚C at times, and Ann even spotted some frost on the road. But as we rounded past Pemberton and headed to Whistler the road slowly started getting lower in altitude, and busier in traffic. By Whistler we were back in urban traffic yeck. Drivers speeding like maniacs, and wall-to-wall cars. Oh joy…

We still had a few days to kill before our planned meet up with Donna in Vancouver, so planned to stop at a provincial park somewhat north of the Big City. Since it was my lead day I wisely drove past the first option (OK … I missed it on the highway), so we ended up in Porteau Cove on Howe Sound. We found a walk-in site right next to the water and settled in for a few days. It was wonderful being by the sea; the smells, the relative warmth, the wildlife. We were chatting near the shore when I see this little whiskered head pop up and look at us … my first seal! I love the Great Lakes, but the oceans are just teeming with life. It’s amazing.

We spent three days at Porteau Cove, enjoying the scenery, the wildlife, and the showers. It’s an amazing spot, but I was glad we were there in the off season. During the warm months it would be insanely busy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finally packed up and headed into the scary Big City of Vancouver to meet sister Donna and niece Tasha.

A short run from Lumby took us into a whole new world of Kamloops. As usual, we took the backroads to our destination, and what a change a few 100km makes. We went from mountainous, twisty and wet, to wide open and dry. Its semi-desert conditions were a strange contrast to the previous few days of travel. What was also strange was meeting up with our friends from Marathon, ON. Cheryl and Pat & Harper Lee (pup) greeted us with open arms and a warm, soft bed. We were wined and dined, and got to spend many days reconnecting with them, and getting to know the Kamloops area. I learned the beer is fantastic, the salmon run was cool, and Harper Lee is the cutest thing ever!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One day Pat suggested an outing to a nearby park to see the salmon run. It’s not a high year, but still pretty amazing to see these overly-large fish trying to fight their way up very shallow streams. We enjoyed the company immensely, and I enjoyed the local beer perhaps a bit too much. Even the vegan cuisine was excellent (thanks Cheryl), although I will say I had this insatiable desire for a hamburger the day we left 😉

With our bikes fully serviced, and the threat of Alberta winter, we finally hit the road once again, heading into British Columbia. Our first taste of mountain travel came with our journey to Cranbrook, where we visited with Eileen O’Reilly (my Aunt-in-law) and her son Dugan. It was great to catch up with them, and reminisce about days gone by. We also got back into the camping lifestyle, staying a few nights at a nearby provincial park. There were no services, but the price was right — ZERO! Except that Ann felt guilty and decided to pay $12 for one night. Silly girl.

 

From Cranbrook we meandered our way up through Creston, across Kootenay Lake via the ferry, heading to Ainsworth area. We were in search of another free provincial park, but found instead this bizarre and wonderful place called Toad Rock. It is billed as a motorcycle campground. The best way to describe the space is old hippy mixed with junk-yard couture. Available spaces includes old school and VW busses, rough shacks, and campsites with old fridges and other junk. We opted for a site in the “back 40”, and settled in for a relaxing night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ainsworth Hot Spring is a treasured memory from days when we lived in Cranbrook. It’s a natural hot spring that has been developed (of course), but still has some semi natural cave areas. The water is hot and inviting, so we checked into a nearby motel and spent a relaxing day and night lounging in the waters, eating, and sipping wine on our balcony.

After one night of luxury living we were sorely tempted to stay, but weather and the long road beaconed, so off we went, passing through Kaslo, up and over some amazing twisty roads, to Nakusp and then back down Arrow Lake to grab the ferry at Fauquier. We were planning to stop at a campground along the way, but the cold of the road, combined with a bit of rain, made the warm glow of a Lumby motel too inviting to pass up. The night was spent there sipping wine, munching on food we had bought in Kaslo, and planning our leap to Kamloops where we had friends with a warm house awaiting.