Last day and home

Storm Mountain - Avalon Acreage: 478.1 km
Cumulative distance: 3934 km
Maximum speed: 145 kph
Moving average: 101 kph
Overall average: 87 kph
Moving time: 4:44
Total time: 5:30
Temperature range: 5.8 - 22.4

Storm Mountain

Sandpoint - Storm Mountain: 430.4 km
Cumulative distance: 3456 km
Maximum speed: 139 kph
Moving average: 91 kph
Overall average: 74 kph
Moving time: 4:44
Total time: 5:51
Temperature range: 14.4 - 27.8

It is our last night. We are treating ourselves to a nice dinner and very quaint cabin at Storm Mountain, just outside of Lake Louise.

Pictures tomorrow since they eschew Internet here.

For the men out there looking to impress their wives, Storm Mountain should be a consideration. As well, you get a little of that "manly" spirit because you get to build a fire. What is significant for us is that many times, we drove by Storm Mountain when they were closed due to a dispute with the Park. We were so intrigued and a few times, we stopped and walked around, looking the place over. It was like a mini ghost town. Even though they re-opened in 2003, we had never had an opportunity to stay there, mainly because it is uncommon for us to be traveling through the region and needing a place to stay this close to home. It was the perfect last stop on our trip home as it would make for an ideal one day ride to home from there. I did not tell Nan that I had booked it, she would get a surprise when we pull in.

Storm Mountain cabins are on the Alberta side of the border on Hwy 93 south on the way to Radium, just a few kilometres from Lake Louise. Of course, Lake Louise herself has many fine establishments with which to impress your spouse: Chateau Lake Louise, The Post Hotel and the Lake Louise Youth Hostel, just to name a few. Storm Mountain is is a much more rustic version of a National Park hotel but upscale enough that you won't feel like you are staying at Motel Six.There are 14 cabins and I do not know the configuration of all of them but we walked around and most of them appeared to be about the same size. The original cabins were built in 1923 and a few added later; it is interesting to note that the original promotional material billed the cabins as "camping".

They are beautifully, if not rustically appointed with a single room housing over stuffed furniture, a queen bed and out doors oriented decorations like snow shoes, pictures of the original site and lamps made of antlers. There is a big, wood burning fire place and it was still warm from the previous guests though it had been thoroughly cleaned and the kindle and paper were already set inside so that the only task was to put a match to it to get it going. There was an ample supply of wood inside and on the outer deck. One corner of the room was partitioned off and contained a bathtub and toilet. There is no t.v., no clock, no radio, few plug ins, no internet service and no phones. You are obliged to entertain yourselves with reading, drinking and eating and/or conversation. If you venture off site, you can go hiking.

As for the eating and drinking part of it, they have that covered pretty well and the food is first class. Both wine and food menus are somewhat limited for practical purposes but there is something for pretty much everybody, though we noticed that there is no champagne on hand.

The Perpetrator Always Returns to the Scene of the Crime

Wenatchee, WA - Sandpoint, Idaho : 524.0 km
Cumulative distance: 3025 km
Maximum speed: 133 kph
Moving average: 81 kph
Overall average: 65  kph
Moving time: 6:29
Total time: 8:02
Temperature range: 27.4 - 18.8 - 30.0

Avoiding Forest Fires

Anacortes - Wenatchee, WA: 304.5  km
Cumulative distance: 2501 km
Maximum speed: 125 kph
Moving average: 71 kph
Overall average: 56 kph
Moving time: 4:17
Total time: 5:24
Temperature range: 17.2 -32.4

Forest fires are raging in Washington state right now, and the situation is tragic for many.

We didn't even realize the gravity of the sitution until this morning at breakfast. We were settling plans to have lunch with some friends of ours who were going to drive down from Abbotsford and meet us in Sedro-Wooley when we noticed the front page of the local newspaper indicating the fire locations. There are two bad fires along Highway 20, our planned route east. There is a stretch of 50 miles where towns are without power and Winthrop, a popular tourist destination, is under mandatory evacuation.

This is a big disappoointment to us because Highway 20 was meant to be one of the highlights of our trip. We have to determine how we are going to get home so our choices are to drive north, cross the border back into Canada and drive east along Highway 3 or drive south, maybe even into the southern part of the state, to get across. One route, Highway 2, is also affected by the fires but it is not clear to us if it is open or closed. There is the I-90 further south still but we don't want to travel on an interstate highway, then there is Highway 12 all the way at the bottom of the state. We have heard that Highway 12 is a good motorcycle road; also, since we have driven Highway 3 in Canada and because a big reason for travel is to experince new places, we decide we will head south then east, even though it sadly means we are ditching our friends from Abbotsford.

We are heading out from Anacortes and it is 11:30 a.m., not even entirely certain which way we going to go. I have the Garmin set to avoid motorways and gravel but to direct us to Kennewick, with no real intent of going there.

Friday Harbour

Tofino - Anacortes, WA:  336.7 km
Cumulative distance: 2197 km
Maximum speed: 119 kph
Moving average: 73 kph
Overall average: 62 kph
Moving time: 4:38
Total time:5:27
Temperature range 13.6 - 25.0 - 12.6

It rode like 636.7 km.

It was actually a pretty long day. Even though we had the alarm set for 8:00 a.m., we both woke at exactly 7:00 a.m. I jumped up, thinking I was just going to check the power and then go back to bed. I flicked the light switch and... nothing. I am walking back to bed and the lights come on. My first thought is as to what would cause the delay but I hear other people in the house cheer and realize this is the moment of our blessing. It has been since 1:30 p.m. the prior afternoon, a total of 17 and one half hours without power. 

We can`t even think of going back to sleep, so we start packing our gear up, our plan to be on the road by 9:00 a.m. Turns out it is 9:30 before we leave but that is o.k., we are thinking we have lots of time to make the ferry to Anacortes, which is sailing at 5:55 p.m., though we are supposed to be there 60 to 90 minutes prior to depature. The distance is 331 km, according to Garmin and even though it is predicting 6 hours of travel time, we feel like we will be o.k.

This is Coombs. Those are goats. On the roof.

When we leave Chesterman Beach in Tofino, it is the usual: cool and fog. In fact, we don`t get out of the fog till almost Port Alberni, which is about an hour and a half from Chesterman Beach. At this point, we are in pretty serious need of another coffee. And to make room for it, however, nothing looks overly appealing as all we see are a Timmy Ho`s and a Rotten Ronnies. I know many people swear by them but I am thinking I need something higher tech; more New Age.

That`s our ferry, which left six minutes early.

We finally decide to stop at Serious Coffee in Parksville. We actually stopped at this very one the last time we were through this area three years ago. I realize when I get inside and hear the music, then get to the counter to see the food, serious mistake. It is like a poor man`s Starbucks, only at the same price, and no attitude, which would be welcome at this stage because it has no character. I remember the last time through, we noticed that the place is run by a husband and wife with their son working there. The son looks like he is university age though because they are Chinese, he is probably 40, since the Chinese are somehow blessed with the ability to not age. (I hope that is not politically incorrect though I am sure someone would like to club me with a baby seal bone.) Our thought at that time was to tell the son to tell his parents to get rid of the elevator music and get something a little more hip, like, The Hip however, I am sure his stately, hard working parents are afraid bad music would scare off the other customer, who is 110. Somehow things never change. I notice a large table near where we sit, large enough to seat six or eight, with a small sign marked ``reserved``; there is hardly a sole in the place even though it is 11:45 a.m., about the time you would expect to see someone come in for lunch. I think the sign has been on that table since the last time we were there.

Park with toys available in downtown Sidney.

We are in Sidney and we are a good two hours ahead of schedule. For once, Garmin has seriously over estimated the time it would take to get somewhere, which is a surprise to me. I had also checked the predicted time on Google Maps which turned out to be pretty close. As backup, I had asked several of the kids hanging around the house on Chesterman how long it would take and most answers were smart remarks about driving at excessive speed, so not too helpful. But that is o.k., better to be early than late, especially for something like catching a ferry.

We have a reservation for the ferry and when we pull in, they check our names on the list. All vehicles and foot passengers are registering to go across on the ferry to Anacortes. Once we get past the initial screeners, we advance to the toll booth, where we are told the passage is U.S. $50.83, so about C$ 56, give or take. I explain we don't want to fly, we want the ferry and she tells me "we should see what BC Ferries charges!".  I add helpfully that we did cross on BC Ferries and we didn't want to fly with them, either. (It was $63.)

Waiting for the ferry to board, it is one of those moments where motorcycle riders are flung together with a common purpose irrespective of their choice of ride. It is the great equalizer. Big bikes, small bikes, American made and rice cookers, stock and modified, cruisers, sport bikes and off road, they are all there. Every bike owner walks up and down the line, inspecting the wares and at some point hangs by his own or her own bike to proudly discuss lies, exaggerations, accessories and modifications. It is truly worthwhile". 

On the side of a BMW dual sport bike.

I am excited because I hear people talking about the ferry, which is called "Chillin'". I think this is great because it must reflect how relaxed the people are from Washington. Then I remember that marijuana was legalized for recreational use here recently and it explains how they could come up with such a name. Then I discover that there is a district in Washington called "Chillin'", which is where I suspect they grow the stuff. 


I had been told on several occasions that the ferry trip from Sidney to Anacortes is a worthwhile venture and we are not disappointed by the view. Unlike the trip between the Vancouver environs and Vancouver Island, pretty much the entire trip is snaking through a multitude of little islands, most of which have some kind of "habitation". However, the "habitation" ranges from what might be little storage buildings to opulent, grandiose, money-is-no-object palaces. In several cases, the opulent buildings are the only building on the island. Some look like hotels or resorts. Certainly here, money is no object. A fellow passenger from south of Seattle who has been in Victoria for the day driving Mercedes Benz cars on a race track tells me that there are many high profile people with large homes in the area. People like Bill, Paul and others, to name two and imply more.

O.K. here is where I become an apologist for B.C. Ferries and every snide blog entry I have made in the past at their expense.

First of all, the cafeteria on the "Chillin'" is not exactly a cafeteria, it is a vending area however, there is somebody there to take your money for popcorn, coffee or beer. They also serve hotdogs, though I didn't see anybody take one but I did see the condiments. This is a far cry from the breakfast we had on the BC Ferries route to Nanaimo, which I have since been told is catered by White Spot.  Plus, it has been a awefully long time since a coat of paint hit the Chillin', and the old girl is looking a little on the tired side. I make a mental note of where the life preservers are stored. 

Now, I will say that the ferry route stops at the port on San Juan Island, which is Friday Harbour and it looks like a little village out of the old Caribbean. It looks absolutely charming and we pledge that we are going to come back on the bike and spend a few days. We can see numerous small businesses, restaurants, bars and resort places as well as condos for the wealthy overlooking the bay. I'm told it is quite reasonable there but haven't investigated it, as yet. Hopefully, the pictures will do it justice.

Bon appetite.

If you dare.

Our beautiful ST, from above (not Heaven, btw).

 

OMG, I see the the name of the ferry is CHELAN, not Chillin'. I'm crushed.

This is Forrest Island, on the Canadian side,

Our first look at Friday Harbour.

There are a few nice boats.

We get off the Chelan :( and we have a half mile drive to our hotel, the Ship Harbour I Mean Ship Harbor Inn. It is 8:55 p.m. and we are cold, hungry and tired. Christine is working the front desk and she is a dream. She is so friendly and helpful that we can't believe she is this way for her job, she must be that way in real life. She goes to a phenomenal amount of effort to find us a restaurant that is open, (everything closes at 9 except one) to find us a ride (there are two taxis in town and both drivers don't want to go out) to find us an ATM to get U.S. cash and eventually, to call the Chinese restaurant, who will deliver if we phone before 9:00 pm.

Then Christine sells us a single beer each and a bottle of wine.  This is our view fomr the hotel.