Bellingham to Anchorage 9/3-7





Queen Charlotte Sound beyond the islands--4 hours of open water, but only gently rolling on this trip.

Gliding to Alaska at 20 miles per hour has much to recommend it.  Especially after driving some 4,000 miles.  Here are some pictures of the first full day on the ferry.



Bella Bella (literally very pretty)

 







At the end of the day I had dinner with Steve Linbeck and Patti Ginsberg.  They were also bringing a new car to Anchorage.  I enjoyed their company.  Here is a story about recently deceased Ted Stevens.  At the outset of the Falklands war he was asked if he approved of Britain retaking the islands.  He said yes, but he would recommend an invasion of the Argentine mainland. 

Here for you cruise ship lovers is a panorama of downtown Ketchikan taken on the second full day of the trip.

The weather closed in for the rest of the day.  But about dusk on the Wrangell narrows I looked closely for the land we bought 40 years ago at a state sale.  I think I was able to identify it.  It does not appear to be adversely possessed. 

Here are some scenes of the third day in Lynn Canal. 




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A nose, not a fluke.

Mission Carmel?

Steve joined me for a round of golf at Haines.  A very scenic almost ready made course.  After our round the owner, Stan Jones, a retired MD, gave us a brief geophysical history.  Stan has been a riparian owner along the Chilkat River for many decades.  The course is built on 93 acres that were added to his property by isostatic rebound (tidelands rising to uplands due to the weight of glaciers being removed). He showed us pictures of bears carrying salmon along a fairway and of thousands of euchalon (hooligan) stranded by a high tide on one of the greens.

Reached Haines junction just before dark and had dinner at a Chinese Restaurant with Steve and Patti --the upscale Raven was full.
The next day I got up early and drove to Beaver Creek for breakfast at Buckshot Betty's, a shack with a slanting floor and muddy parking lot.  The rest of the town seemed shut down. I asked the waitress if she was Buckshot Betty--she didn't look the part--she said no but Betty was on the phone and I could talk to her if I wanted.  I declined.  All the breakfasts came with a plateful of diced potatoes.  Mine sustained me all the way to Anchorage.  Here are pictures of the van at the Yukon-Alaska border beyond Beaver Creek.



 You can see that I had an extra reason for stopping at this photo opportunity site.  Almost immediately upon crossing into Alaska the scenery becomes spectacular and stays that way all the way home.  The drive from Haines Junction to Anchorage took 14 hours.  But the van is very comfortable and I wasn't especially tired.  When I walked in the door, Donna, like Maya, gave me a warm welcome.

Tualatin--Bellingham 9/1-3

 In Tualatin I picked up the new Sienna (it took 3 trips to Gladstone because on the first day there were no floor mats and on the second they were for a different configuration) got new tires for the Subaru and cleaned it up, and out, and golfed at Island Greens and King City (a place for 55+'s, but everyone I saw seemed 75+).  Most notably though I visited with Maya and Holly and Filip.  Here are two father and daughter stills in which a family resemblance seems apparent. 





serious business




tickle business



As I write I am trying to add some movies, but for now at least the upload is not allowed.  I'll try amending this post later to add them.  (Success--see and hear below).

On the third I drove to Bellingham.  Interstate all the way.  Toward Tacoma it became quite crowded but still fast.  Sometimes I felt like I was in the blue angels with a truck 18 inches off each wing and no particular training.
 Fairhaven is the section of Bellingham where the terminal is located.  It reminds me of Port Townsend both in architecture and tone.  Persuaded by the lovely proprietor at Magdalena's cafe, I tried the cucumber soup.  Dining al fresco, it was delicious.  Here are two pictures of Fairhaven. 

When I drove aboard the Ferry Columbia I was instructed to drive onto a lift that would raise the van to a mezzanine deck and to set the emergency brake.  I complied.  But having been lifted, releasing the brake was necessary.  This was an unfamiliar and difficult experience, especially in the dark of the deck with an attendant yelling.  I groped around on the left under dash and managed to release the hood and the gasoline door.  After an embarrassing delay I repressed the brake and that did the job.  North to Alaska.

Ontario--Tualatin 8/29--9/2

Crossed Oregon on blue highways.  About seven summits.  Here is Brogan Hill summit between Vale and Ironside.   

Stopped to read an historical marker at Unity.  Something about a feud between Baker and Malheur county residents over a ditch taking our water to them.  Took this picture hoping to capture some mountain quail that were in the garden.  The picture seems ok without them.

The east slope of the Blue Mountains out of Unity is nicely forested with big orange-trunked pines.  There is little undergrowth.  Very park like and pretty.  No picture of this.  The next picture looks west from the Blues to the Valley of the John Day River. Here is a pretty little place in Mitchell, in the Ochoco Mts.  They don't take American Express or Visa, but the BLT is generously made.  The shack is across the road.   

Before Mitchell the John Day River flows through a canyon with sheer rock walls.  I proceeded through Prineville, more forest than farm, Sisters, beautiful forest intensely developed, over the Cascades and up the east side of the Willamette Valley.  Passed from Sublimity to near Needy  (no kidding) till it made sense to cut over to Tualatin.  Lovely farmland, and quite a lot of land burning going on as part of seed cultivation, I think.  Creates smoke beyond nuisance levels.  I regret I did not stop for more pictures.  Saw a coyote in a foggy meadow after sunrise near Vale, a rock formation west of Mitchell that looks just like The Thinker  (did Rodin travel the Oregon trail?) old Amish appearing buildings, Yoder's Store, and Gribble's barn and much more that was worth recording.   Called Holly from Freddy's in Canby, and brought a pizza for dinner.  Was greeted by Maya when I walked in the door with a full body three minute smile.