Monthly Archives: June 2015
Thursday June 11, 2015 DAY 98 I MADE IT THROUGH THE BORDER
I must have looked harmless. She didn’t. The border lady behind the window asked me a lot of questions. Why do you have the contents of your car covered? (For security purpose) Do oyou always do that? (Yes) What is that that you are using for your covering? (My blanket that I sleep with every night) Oh. Why do you have so much to cover? (Because I’ve been travelling so many months) What all do you have in there? (My clothes, books I’ve purchased, a silverware set that I purchased at an antique store.) Hmmm… (Skeptical look in her face) When did you leave on your trip? (March 7th) Why? (To take a trip) Are you retired? (yes) From what did you retire? (Professional photography–oh yes, I also have camera equipment with me) Hmmm…(eyebrows furrowed like she really wanted to pull my blanket back) Where are you going? (Vancouver Island) Why? (To visit the Butchart Gardens) For how long? (Until Saturday) Where else are you going? (Hope and Christina Lake) Where are you staying? (Have you ever heard of Airbnb?) Ummm…oh yes. (Well I am staying in Airbnb homes)When are you going back to the US? (On June 16th) Where will you be entering? (Coeur d’Alene Idaho. I may be going back into Canada but I haven’t decided yet) Hmmm…(She was looking at the line behind me, back at me, back at the line. I speak up and say, you can take a look at everything if you want. She looked mighty tempted with a deep scowl on her forehead. She looked right in my eyes and said) No. You can go. (So I went)!!!
I was told by all who gave me advice to not volunteer anything. Let them do the asking. She hadn’t mentioned food yet and I wasn’t about to go there unless she brought it up. I probably had a bit of contraband had she looked. I was sure hoping she wouldn’t. I had my RED insulated bag sitting on the front seat in right in plain view and she didn’t even mention it or food. I had three oranges I probably would have had to throw away. I would have had cucumbers, carrots, more oranges, cooked chicken from a restaurant leftover from last night’s fajitas, fresh peas, two tomatoes, but I ate all that a few miles back down the road before I got there because I didn’t want to throw them away. Had I known that I wouldn’t have had my food confiscated I would have eaten it later and brought the other two servings with me to eat later still. I ate very little last night and had three more large servings of leftovers to take with me when I found out I wasn’t supposed to bring in cooked animal products. Too bad I left it. It was so good!
So…I am here now. After leaving the border crossing, of which I include a photo below, I drove on to the ferry landing that would take me across the Pacific to Vancouver Island. It cost over $71 dollars one way. I was informed by my host that it will be a higher rate on Saturday when I cross back over to the mainland. It was a great ride. Just for you information Dave, I didn’t even get sick at all. I kept moving the entire time I was on board and walked in circles around the upper promenade deck to get some exercise in. I may have overdone it because I did it for well over an hour. The entire water passage was 1 hour 45 minutes moving time. The scenery was beautiful as the ship weaved its way through many small islands with beautiful homes dotting the shorelines.
It is beautiful up here in Canada. It seems clean and fresh. There are so many wooded ares everywhere,sort of like Oregon and Washington but with a bit different kind of woods. More northern woods, trees not quite so tall, more oak and birch and a lot that I don’t recognize. As I drove out of the ferry terminal and down the highway I realized all the speed signs are in klm/h. Fortunately my speedometer has both mph and klm/h. That helped. Also, there is a strip of highway bordering the ferry landing that has so many billboards on a curved road, it is as if where one ends the next begins. They go for a distance and then boom…they stop and there are no more. I wondered about that. Before the signs there was a warning sign that said “Illegal to use hand held devices in a moving car” A very eye catching sign that made you know there are heavy fines that go with it if caught. Then all the billboards. And of course I’m trying to read all the signs on a curving road which causes me to weave all over the place. I think, WOW, no hand held but instead, all these signs to distract you and have your eyes leave the road. I truly wondered which one was more dangerous. I mentioned that to my host and he explained that the property along that part of the highway is owned by the Indian tribe and they rent space for advertisements. Everyone wants their sign to be displayed so thus all the signs. There was one sign with an all white background with big black letters ” WE”…(THEN A BIG RED HEART)…then… “ISRAEL”. In essence saying “We “love” Israel That was all that was on the sign.
I left my last place in Kenmore Washington at 7:30 a.m. When I leave now it is as if I have to go through what a pilot must go through to take off (perhaps a little scaled down). My first thing is to say goodbye and drive away so my friends/hosts will go back to doing what they do when I’m not there. My next thing is to drive out of sight, get out my GPS, look up the address, input all the information needed and make certain I have made the connection so I know for certain where I am going. So I do that and then I plug my cell phone in so it can recharge as I drive and then just for safe measure I GPS with my cell phone too. Then I have bossy talking to me in her soft subtle way and them my cell phone blasting through my automobile’s speaker system. So far, every time I do that I get two different routes which I don’t find out about until about half way into the trip. That is confusing. I finally figure out the way I think I would go, keep at it and the other apparatus will respond accordingly and re-route me to the “correct” way. Well, after I crossed the border into Canada I quite using my GPS on my Iphone because I didn’t want it to rack up bills to pay. Just in case.
I arrived at the border at about 11:30 at the ferry crossing area at about 12:45 and bought a ticket and was on the 1:00 p.m. crossing. Arrived at 2:45 p.m. I drove a bit around Sidney, then GPS’d to the Airbnb without a hitch. And oh my, what a beautiful location. They have four dogs, a one year old beautiful German Shepherd. (I am not going to try to remember all their names), and two little black dachshunds that remind me of my Granddogs, Jackson and Cole. The are wonderfully cared for and kept at a slim body weight. The fourth is also a miniature dachshund but a beautiful red color. There are also two beautiful horses. The yard is a beautiful, country type surrounding with the city just a little ways away. The home is beautiful also. I have a parking place under a covered carport and my car is just a step away from the private entrance into my personal private suite, a large bedroom that has a dual purpose of being my little kitchen, a very ample room with a couch, some tables, and an L shaped office set up, and a complete private bathroom and closet. Nice open space, very comfortable.
I have met both husband and wife and they are very likable folks. I know I shall enjoy my stay here. My room is only $50 per night. I tell you that only to let you see how reasonable a wonderful place like this can be. There are some that are much more expensive but I try to stay within a budget by choosing to frequent the more affordable priced rooms. I have found that I can sleep well in any circumstance, bed size, hardness or softness, where it is or with what four legged creatures chooses to come and sleep with me. And that is where I’d like to be now.
After I was settled in my room I took off again and went to the town of Sidney by the terminal and attended an outdoor farmer’s/craft market on the main street. It was loud with lots of live entertainment with the guitar case top open (for donations), vendors selling hot food while you waited like lamb on a bun, lots of other delectable foods to buy like hummus, jams, breads, etc…I bought two tomatoes, a big box of cherries, 4 baby cucumbers, black bean hummus, and two granola bars that I thought would travel with me to the gardens tomorrow for a snack if needed. Then I went to a grocery store and bought one ripe banana, fresh Brussels sprouts, two peaches, one avocado and one carrot. I thought that would give me enough food for the next few days with what I already had with me. And it was good!
So now my saga is done. I am overtired but my teeth are already brushed!
Good night.
P.S. Remember DO NOT CALL ME ON THE PHONE UNTIL NIGHT OF JUNE 16.
2nd June 10th Blog Day 97 IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL WHO READ
My day is almost over. At a restaurant finishing dinner. Must hurry as I have a guest. She does not have WiFi at home so doing this here.
Left Charlene and Larry’s this day and drove to north of Seattle to Charlene’s friend. Had a great drive.
NOTICE: MY WISDOM WAS ON OVERDRIVE TODAY AND I DID NOT DO THE ZIP LINE. IT LOOKED A LITTLE IFFY AS TO WHETHER OR NOT I WANTED TO RISK GETTING HURT. SINCE I DID NOT WANT TO BE MED FLIGHTED OUT OF THIS DESOLATE AREA I DECIDED TO SAY NO.
BUT…I certainly had fun thinking about the thrill of it all week!
THIS IS THE NOTICE PART;
MY PHONE WILL BE TURNED OFF AS OF TOMORROW. I WILL BE ENTERING INTO CANADA AND WILL NOT COME OUT UNTIL JUNE 16TH LATE IN THE DAY. I DO NOT WANT TO RECEIVE PHONE CALLS AND WILL NOT BE CALLING OUT EXCEPT IN EMERGENCY.
I may be able to use my computer if the places I stay have Wifi. If so I’ll try to keep my blog up. If not you’LL hear from me when I get to Coeur d’Alene.
Best of everything to all of you.
Kathleen
p.s. Talking to my guest, Doris age 87 and here is her wisdom:
“Just walk and talk with God. Whatever He says do it. Don’t do anything without hearing from Him. Listen to what God speaks. If you don’t have peace, stop. Don’t go any further”
Wednesday June 10, 2015 DAY 97 ON MY WAY NORTH
This is a fifteen minute blog or it won’t get done. I am packed up with rows of paraphernalia all lined up ready to be loaded. Wanted to write this before I put my computer in the car. If you read yesterday’s blog you will know part of what my day was. I spent over 4 hours having my new car tires put on with alignment and oil change. Then another hour or so hunting for the Shutterbug to buy more photo cards for my camera. Downtown Portland is for the birds. It couldn’t have been planned worse for the car user. Dave told me that it was planned to make it miserable for drivers so they would use their public transit system. I hope I never have to drive in down two Portland again. And I have driven is some of our largest cities in the U.S. and none were as poorly planned as that one. Well, I guess they met their planning goal.
After the driving nightmare I followed Bossy’s instruction to take me to where Charlene and Larry were. They were watching their three triplet granddaughters, Parker Rose, Payton Brook, and Presley James. All three beautiful little babies born 1 month early in January and now all thriving and growing. I will include a few pictures for you with the parent’s permission. The babies father is Larry’s son. I even fed one a bottle and a partial bottle to another.
The rest of my day was getting back to Charlene’s which took almost two hours due to rush hour cars and organizing for my pack-up. For those who I have stayed with for several days can remember the routine. Had a good nighs sleep and I still haven’t done the zip line. Decided to do it after I pack so all is done and I can leave. I have about a three hour drive to Kenmore Washington where I will be staying the night with a friend of Charlene’s.
Today is my daughter’s birthday. Oh how I wish I could reminisce with you about that day “long ago”. Sorry daughter, it has been a long time. Our daughter is our adventure. I love you baby girl! Always a baby in my heart. More about you later!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAUGHTER!
Must go as I have lots to do.
Exactly 15 minutes.
Monday June 8 2015 Day 96 I’M STILL ALIVE
Okay guys! I’m still alive. I haven’t yet gone on the zip line so that is one cause. That is now planned for tomorrow morning before I leave Larry and Charlene’s. That is a must for me.
I had another strawberry picking morning. It is so awesome to be able to get out in the warm sun, this time with cooler clothes on than a fuzzy house robe and do something useful. The strawberries desperately needed picking. I picked two large containers almost full. See pictures below this blog. When I take pictures during the day I have no way to post them at the house. When we get into a service area I just load the photos so they will be there when I am ready to post the blog. So the photos are in order as to time sequence as to when they were taken.
Back to the strawberries. “There is just something special about eating what you have planted and tended and cared for”, as quoted by Charlene. Well, for me there is something special about just being given the opportunity to pick something right out of her garden or anyone’s garden and eating it so fresh. Totally organic, so I could just spray it off in the garden and take that first big juicy bite and then the second and third and so on…Oh my they are so delicious warmed by the son, firm and bright red. And, I get to eat them on my yogurt and bran in the mornings. it has been so wonderful to taste the freshness of the berries and other produce from here and from other places. I had avocados from Lisa and Bill’s place, oranges from Betts’ daughter’s backyard tree, lemons from Paulette’s tree, blueberries from Daneece’s bushes, and now strawberries and sweet peas from Charlene’s bounty. I hope I am not forgetting any other homegrown treats. Remember, I have been on the road for several months now and it is getting more difficult to recall all that has happened in so many days. Oh, how I have loved these days.
After strawberry picking I readied myself for the day ahead. While I was outside Charlene was inside preparing a feast for a king’s lunch. We three were the kings. Now this lunch would probably not be considered a feast for all you hamburger beef eaters out there. Here is what she packed. Delectable bits of cheeses, two kinds of olives, walnuts, almonds, three kinds of crackers, honey crisp apples, fresh cherries picked the day before, hummus, broccoli, carrots, baby cucumbers, and turkey slices. I had some of everything except the turkey slices. Yum…yum… I know my husband would just LOVE THIS!!! NOT! Well, maybe the turkey slices. (I miss you Dave)! We sat out under the tall trees, listening to waterfalls in the distance. We were at some sort of picnic turnout in a national forest. It is necessary to have a permit for any stop you make in the public areas. You either pay by the year and show you tags hanging in your car or you go to the nearest self serve box and deposit your $5.00 daily user fee in the box. Well, Charlene and Larry never know which tag to display so they just put them all out. The day we climbed Beacon Rock was FREE DAY and I didn’t have to pay.
Before we had lunch we drove a ways and stopped at a lookout to see Mt. St. Helen. The side we could see was not the side that blew out in 1980. It is so sad to see the mountain so deplete of snow this early in the year. These snow capped mountains are a huge part of the water source that feeds the Columbia River. I mentioned the dry riverbed that I saw the day before that was fed from Mt. Hood. All those dried up water ways will eventually deplete the waterways on further down in the state of Oregon and Washington. There are a few trees I noticed that are dried up and dead due to lack of water. Usually those are on slopes facing the afternoon’s hot sun. It is nothing like it was in Yosemite where there were full mountainsides of brown dried up dead trees. Please check out the photos of Mt. St. Helen if you can find where they are with my mistakes in posting. Sorry about making you hunt and peck for them. That’s what I get for being in a hurry. I am trying so hard to practice retirement to not live in the fast lane but it is a difficult lesson to learn. I hope I was able to get some nice ones on my camera because I took my life in my hands and climbed over the lookout wall and went down the hill a bit (a pretty safe grade) and took the photos with flowers in the foreground. I think it made for a more interesting photo. So that’s another reason why I am still alive, I lived to climb back over the wall, didn’t get caught, arrested, or fined.
While at the lookout site I almost had the opportunity to get a ride on a motorcycle. A beautiful RED motorcycle! But…alas the driver did not have his rear seat attached. Three bikers drove up beside us and of course conversation ensued. When I asked if he would take me for a ride he said sure. That was Steve #1 (the big guy). He was with Nancy and Steve #2. We had a delightful conversation and I asked for their wisdom. Steve #1 said: “Live your life to the fullest.” Steve #2 said: “You only go around once so do what you want to do.” I think I am paraphrasing that a bit. Nancy said something that I really liked when she said it and now I can’t remember what she said. I forgot to take notes on my phone. I sometimes forget that I have that feature. I’m still getting used to this technology stuff. Well, at lease I had a picture taken on the RED HARLEY! (I think it was a Harley). It was big and beautiful. Oh how I would have loved to take a spin on it. Nancy was going to loan me her helmet. Okay Dave, you can quit shaking your head now. I didn’t go! But I might of!
After the Mt. St. Helen interlude we then drove to the location I described above and then ate lunch. After lunch we hiked down to see the lower falls in an area that has three falls, lower, middle and upper. We were above the falls so did not have great opportunity for photographic views. I took more videos than photos but I don’t know how to upload a video on my blog. We hiked back up to the road (everything here is either up or down when you are walking) and took off for the middle falls. We parked in a little turnoff and hiked down to the middle falls. We almost didn’t get to go because about half way down it was cordoned off with bright pink ribbon tape that said it was closed and we had to turn around. Well, Charlene’s husband is fearless, (and when I say that I am a believer that it is LITERAL) he stepped over the boundary checked it out and in a little while returned and said we could make it. Hmm… It was definite that Charlene should not go down the hiking trail due to the fact that she needs a new hip replacement. Well, guess who went? You got it! I stepped over the tape, looked around in the eerie solitude of the vast shadowy forest to make certain we weren’t on surveillance camera. Not only were not on surveillance camera, there wasn’t another soul around anywhere. I felt better that Charlene was staying where the tape was so if we didn’t come back maybe she could Med Flight us out. Larry and I went down, down, down and when I looked up he was nowhere in sight. He was gone! Then I hear this plaintive yell above the din of the waterfall noise. He was calling my name “Wanda”, (oh yeah, that’s me I thought in this Kathleen persona). I could barely hear him but I could not see him. Then, through the trees I could see movement and low and behold he was walking IN the water. It looked like he was walking ON the water because he was on a ledge of rock that protruded out from where the waterfall fell from above us. Oh my it was so beautiful! So…So…BEAUTIFUL! It was worth breaking the law. (Don’t tell my son the Policeman I said that). I did figure out why it was taped off as I traversed down the 2 to maybe 3 foot wide path with drop offs literally one step away. The mountain was seeping snow melt runoff due to the hot weather and the 45 degree decline was slick with mud. I found my purchase and traversed those areas without falling. Oh man, not only did I have to go down, I had to get back up. Would I do it again? MAYBE! Well if I answer truthfully it would be a definite YES! It was worth it. Now that is another reason I am still alive. I didn’t have to be Med Flighted out. I think maybe Larry is being a bad influence on me.
We decided we would not hike the next 3/4 of a mile to the upper falls. We’re not talking about a little walk in the park here. These slopes are SLOPES! Up and down. I absolutely loved it. I think all my stair climbing exercise between classes in Redding readied my calf muscles for these hikes as well as climbing to the top of Beacon Rock. If I lived here I would become a hiker. It is so amazing to be in such pristine nature, isolated, quiet (between waterfalls that is), without much to carry, just enjoying nature at its fullest. I never knew hiking could be so exhilarating. The best part of the day was that I didn’t get killed on a motor bike, I didn’t die on a zip line, I didn’t get arrested for climbing the wall and I didn’t tumble down the mountain side, and I didn’t get arrested for stepping over the pink barrier, nor slide down the muddy pathway. Thank you God that I survived the day!
This blog has been written in its entirety at the Kia Dealership in Oregon as I waited for four new tires, an alignment and an oil change. I am in the waiting room while customers come and go, each watching a bit of TV and me here just typing away. My elbow neighbor Charlie sitting beside me took a picture of me sitting here typing so I could put it on the blog. He has been been here longer than I have. I asked him for his world wisdom for the moment. Here is his reply: “Why are we as a nation getting involved with a war in the middle east that has been going on for thousands of years. They are going to continue fighting and fighting until there is no one left to fight. We should get out of there and let them do what they are going to do. All they are going to do is kill our troops while we are there.” Charlie was watching the news on CNN as he waited here these few hours. I have been here since 9:00 a.m. and it is now 12:12 p.m. Charlie is gone now, another person in this world that I will probably never see again but delightful to talk with. I have been so fortunate to have come across so many interesting and “real” people. I have enjoyed every encounter. Kim who works here also gave me one piece of advice: “Enjoy the moment.” I like that!
Well my yesterday tale is almost over. After we escaped the perils of being arrested for crossing the barrier we hiked up to the highway and walked down the middle of the winding road. See picture somewhere in this blog. And we headed “home”. Oops, I mean we headed out to Pizza Time at the Backwoods. Literally, the Backwoods. We entered from the back of a building, the tables were outside in the cool of the evening and we looked at blank Angus bulls peering over the fence at us as we ate. The mountains surrounded us sort of like a mother hen, drawing us close with a feeling of being safe. And the pizza was interesting and delicious. It was sweet with a real kick. We had Thai Shrimp Pizza. Hey, if I am going to try octopus, Thai Shrimp doesn’t scare me. It was really hot thought! And for me to say that you know it was HOT. As I ate it I realized it was really the hottest when I had a big bite of jalapeno pepper in the bite. It was a good hot.
Went home and went to bed and up this morning at 5:43 a.m. I arrived here at the dealership at 9:00 a.m. Charlene and Larry are a bit off the beaten path. When I was with my cousin Joyce she encouraged (demanded) me to get my GPS out and learn how to use it. Up to that point I had been using either map quest printouts or my new Iphone. Well, I followed her suggestion, mainly because she got it charged and working for me, and it is a good thing. In some of these places I’ve been (on the very day I left her place) I have been out of service areas. My phone would not even pick up any kind of signal. It was my GPS that delivered me safely to all my destinations. I have thanked Joyce over and over in my heart since then. NowI say it in print for the world to see. Thank you cousin Joyce. You saved my lost self. I have been able to get to each destination, clearly and safely due to your lessons. By the way Joyce, I miss you a lot! Tell Daneece hello for me! Joyce, I finally found the perfect cherry!
Love to all of you…
Visions of Poetry 