Hi all my bloggin' friends… It has been a while and I am trying to do a couple of catch up post to let you know where we are and what we’ve been up to. As suspected we are having trouble with internet coverage so this is a BIG post. We are loving our trip and are half way up in British Columbia, Canada. What a beautiful country this is with its majestic mountains, Ragging Rivers and farmlands. But I want to start at the beginning since I last posted so here it goes….
While we were in Blaine, Washington preparing for our entrance into Canada we had visitors from Canada…. My bloggin' buddies Sue & Doug at BIG DAWG AND FREEWAY, along with their wonderful dog Tucker, came all the way down here to spend the afternoon with us. What a delight that was for not only me but also all of us! It was great fun getting to know them and they also were so helpful with all of their information on Canada. I just know we’ll be friends for a very long time. Sue came loaded with gifts for me, which wasn’t necessary, because we would have loved them any ways… Included was a cute little moose, which we named Morris, now resides in the front window of Tassie and shares in all of our adventures…
The day had finally arrived for us to go into Canada, cross the border, face the customs cops and bring Tassie safely over into another country. I had did so much research on what you could and could not bring into the country and heard so many different stories that I had myself worried… I just knew they were going to take all my food and booze… should I hide stuff, throw it away or just face the customs officer and tell the truth about what was aboard? By nature I am not a worrier so I decided to tell the truth and what will be, will be. Sue had told that she makes a list of all they have in their rig and it works, so since I already keep an inventory list I printed it up to present to them if asked. Well we pulled up and after a few questions like where are we from, where are we headed, where did we work, any veggies, any booze (which I truthfully answered) we were let into Canada… No worries, no problems.
Our first top was at Cultus Lake Thousand Trails Park near Lindell Beach. We stayed there about 4 days and visited some really great sites. Bridal Veil Falls and Harrison Lake. Plus we took care of a few more errands while there.
From there we moved onto Yale, just north of Hope, on Canadian Hwy 1. We actually stayed at a lovely RV park in Emory called Emory Bar RV Park. They just couldn’t do enough to make us happy there… While we were there we went and visited quaint little city of Hope, Hopes Slide and Hell’s Gate.
Hope is nestled in deep wilderness at the base of the Cascade Mountains and sits on a wide sweeping curve of the mighty Fraser River, at the entrance to the Fraser River Canyon. This is truly the Chainsaw Carving Capital of Canada, with over two dozen large wooden sculptures scattered throughout downtown. These carvings feature local wildlife, including eagles, bears, mountain sheep and cougars.
Hope Slide is just east of Hope on Highway 3 is an awe-inspiring testament to nature's power. In January 1965, most of an entire mountain called Johnson's Peak came sliding down into the valley. Over 45 million cubic feet of earth, rock and slate travelling at 95 mph, tumbled down to bury the highway, an entire lake and mark the valley forever. Now known as the Hope Slide, the remaining half of Johnson's Peak is an irresistible draw.
This is becoming such a HUGE post that I will continue on another post in a few days… So keep an eye out for the continuing saga of Our Canadian/Alaskan Journey.
Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!
We will be entering Canada this morning for about 4 weeks and will have no Internet service unless we find a WI-FI hotspots or go to the Libraries in the towns we visit... We do not have coverage for Canada on our Internet air card because it was so expensive to add. I will post when I can and sadly may not get to visit all my bloggin' friends for a while...
BUT I will be thinking of you all...
Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy
Love Donna
Watch out Alaska here we come!!!
We were driving around a couple of days ago and found the cutest little town of Snoqualmie. Just outside of town are the Snoqualmie Falls is one of the most stunning waterfalls we’ve come across on this trip. The crashing falls are a sight to behold -- The waterfall is on the Snoqualmie River dropping 268 vertical feet over volcanic rock and sending a thundering mist back up the canyon walls and into the fir-covered hills. The Falls were also featured in the popular cult television show "Twin Peaks"..jpg)
At the top of Snoqualmie Falls, there is a luxury mountain lodge hotel -- the Salish Lodge. Renowned for 4 star service and Northwestern style, the hotel features a famous dining room looking out onto the falls. A great place for lunch!
We then drove through town and first thing we saw was all the old trains on a track. Lots of them! There were many old engines & cars all waiting for someone to restore them. Also there was the Victorian Snoqualmie Depot. The Snoqualmie Depot was built in 1890 as an arrival point for tourists coming to hunt, fish and view the already world-famous Snoqualmie Falls. Just down the road from that was a train museum which we didn't go into but will when we come back next year
Train Depot and one of the restored engines
The town of Snoqualmie was built on the route of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway (SLS&E). The railway started on Seattle's waterfront and wound around Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish (now the route of the Burke-Gilman Trail) on it's way to a planned crossing of Snoqualmie Pass
train museum
When the Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Company (now Weyerhaeuser) began it's operation about a mile north of town, the mill was set up to handle the huge Douglas-fir, sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar trees which covered the hills and mountains of the region. On display today is an example of those type of logs. Unfortunately, time and uncaring people have defaced this log. Logs 10 to 15 feet in diameter were carried by train to the mill, through a huge band saw, cutting timbers up to three feet square for trestle bridges and warehouse floors.
Sample of the logs processed in the lumber factory
The Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Co. Powerhouse and Brick Stack are key surviving components of an innovative, early 20th century milling operation that was the most expansive of its kind ever to operate in King County. The brick powerhouse and 211-foot brick stack functioned as the heart of the all-electric plant. According to the Weyerhaeuser Co., the Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Co. (SFLCo) mill was only the second such all-electric mill operation in the nation, and the first of its kind to employ electrical powered cutting operations in the woods. Today, the mill complex itself has all but disappeared. A large open space remains on the level valley floor previously crowded with buildings and structures containing machinery and operations for log cutting, planing, processing, and lumber sorting. Today the power plant serves as the last tangible symbol of the community of Snoqualmie Falls and its social and economic legacy. The Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Company Powerhouse was designated a King County Landmark in 2005. remains of the old Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Co
Until Later... Have FUN, Travel Safe & Enjoy Everyday!
While visiting the Oregon Coast we had the opportunity to visit & tour many of the spectacular Light Houses. This was a great experience for all of us and we thoroughly enjoyed each one which had their own personalities. It is one of the things we really enjoy doing in our travels. Rocky coastline and angry oceans can be a recipe for disaster. That's where lighthouses come in. For over one hundred years, these life saving bastions have been helping mariners safely navigate along the Oregon coast.
Heceta Head Lighthouse is located on the Oregon Coast 13 miles north of Florence and 13 miles south of Yachats. It is located at Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint and is the most photographed lighthouse in Oregon. The lighthouse has been guiding ships with Oregon’s most powerful light since 1894. It houses an English made first order Fresnel lens with a rotating beam that can be seen 21 miles out to sea. For many years the lens rotated by a weight being lowered on a cable, similar to a grandfather clock. It was the responsibility of the keepers on the nightly watch to periodically rewind the weight to continue the rotation. Today the lens turns with the aid of a 1.5 horsepower motor. The light is maintained by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, while the assistant lighthouse keepers' house is now a bed and breakfast maintained by the U.S. Forest Service.
At ninety-three feet, Yaquina Head Lighthouse is the tallest tower on the Oregon coast and is also a sibling to Pigeon Point Lighthouse in California and Bodie Island Lighthouse in North Carolina. The light shines 162 feet above the ocean and can be seen nineteen miles out to sea. The light was automated on May 1, 1966, and the two keeper's dwelling, which had been boarded up and abandoned, were demolished in 1984. The original lens is still in place, but is now illuminated with an electric 1,000-watt globe. It has a signature of two seconds on, two seconds off, two seconds on, then fourteen seconds off. Just south of the lighthouse are amazing tide pools where seaweeds, seals, sea stars, hermit crabs, purple urchins, and anemones can be seen.
A piece of Oregon history sits atop a bluff at the mouth of the Yaquina River. It is the Historic Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, built in 1871 and decommissioned in 1874. It was officially restored as a privately maintained aid to navigation on December 7, 1996.
It is believed to be the oldest structure in Newport. It is also the only existing Oregon lighthouse with the living quarters attached, and the only historic wooden Oregon lighthouse still standing. The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Spiral Staircase up to bedrooms upstairs & one of the bedrooms
Sadly on the night of January 9, 2010, vandals struck the Cape Meares Lighthouse. Several rounds were fired at the lantern room, breaking fifteen panes of glass in the lantern room and several prisms in the priceless Fresnel lens. The estimated damage was $500,000, and a $5,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators. Twenty-six-year-old David Wilks Jr. and twenty-three-year-old Zachary Pyle were arrested on February 10, just over a month after the incident, and charged with first-degree criminal mischief, a class C felony, and four misdemeanor charges.
Spiral staircase leading to light and information on lighthouse
The beautiful Stellar Blue jay & another spectacular sunset
Until Later... Have FUN, Travel Safe & Enjoy Everyday!
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