Stockton California - Day 4

San Francisco, Here We Come.......

Don thought that it would be more fun if we took the Amtrak train to San Francisco this time. No traffic or parking hassles and a nice tour along the river where the road doesn't go.

Sandy and Don in front of the Stockton Amtrak station.

Boarding the California Amtrak San Joaquin train.

Comfortable seats watching the countryside go by.

The train let us off in Emeryville and we took and Amtrak bus across the Bay Bridge.

The Embarcadero with the Ferry Building clock tower in the background.

Don and Sandy having lunch in front of the Ferry Building. Lunch was from The Mistral and was very tasty. A ferry, the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island are in the background.

Street cars. Not the cable cars. These electrics have been acquired from interurban lines around the country and are painted in the colours of those line.

Macy's evacuated by the fire department for what turned out to be a false alarm.

Looking across the street from Union Square, where we got See's Candy but Sandy wouldn't do any other shopping.

There are all kinds of tour vehicles.

Maiden Lane is where Don says the brothels used to be located. Now it is a much more genteel location.

The gateway to Chinatown.

The Irish horn in on Bastille Day:-))

Motorcycle parking was everywhere.

A monument to mechanics. My mechanic doesn't look like this......

More fire department hijinks. Two firemen climbed this ladder but we don't know why.

The highly overpriced Fisherman's Wharf.

Waiting at Pier 39 for the Amtrak bus back to Emeryville Station. I won't mention the jerk who left his SUV (Arizona plates) in the bus loading lane.

Our car, Mount San Jacinto, back in Stockton. We rode the same car both ways.

Back in Stockton

On the way home from the station, Don introduced us to In-n-Out Burger. This is a west coast chain that started in 1948, is still owned by the same family who wont take it public and only expands when it can do so without borrowing. The menu is simple and the food was good. Ordering takes a little special knowledge, but I could learn.

This is for Mom. Later in the evening, Don and I were talking about folk music and he mentioned The Limelighters. I was raised on The Limelighters and Don dragged out the Tonight In Person album. We played it all the way through, starting with There's a Meeting Here Tonight through Rumania to Have Some Madeira, M'dear. It brought back some fond memories.

Stockton California - Day 3

The Sandy Robinson Ride

First let me say that there won't be any photos in this post. Don didn't have his camera and so I gave him my card when we got back. After review, every photo I would have published can be seen in Don's NorCal blog post on the ride. Sherm's blog also has a version of the events in reverse chronological order. I will, however, post a map of the route.

I checked my tires again before leaving. The tread depth appears to be holding up and should get us home without any trouble. Sherm lead to Flag City (the Lodi exit) where we fueled at the Flying J before Don led us across the delta on 12 and then across the top of the levy to Isleton and The River's Edge Restaurant. Sherm has good food photos, but said Don and my scrambled eggs and bacon didn't warrant a picture. I beg to differ. The scrambled eggs were done with feta cheese and scallions. The whole thing was satisfying but light, just what we needed to start the day.

The ride along the levy had been somewhat harsh. I had the rear shock set at 22, which is what I use when the bike is loaded. I backed it off to 20 for the ride to Fairfield. The stretch of SR 12 after Rio Vista is intriguing since they put posts up in the middle of the road to keep people from passing. We rode by Travis AFB and were soon pulling in to 1 Jelly Belly Lane in Fairfield, the home of the the infamous Jelly Bellies. A number of VROCers were assembled including, Jim and Cat from Alberta and California (respectively), David J who we rode with at Topaz, NiteLite, Paul (Happy Wanderer) who I've read about but never met and JazzHound (who we last saw cooking brats at Topaz). New member Barry from Elk Grove and his friend Mike from Sacramento rounded out the group. Before we set out, I dropped the rear shock to 18, which turned out to be the right place with no luggage.

Out of Fairfield, Don led us up I-80 a ways to Pleasant Valley Road, then north to SR 128. This was a nice road in good repair with a few bicycle riders and Don set a lively but reasonable pace. I was feeling good about riding and kept up with the lead three bikes. Up on 128, we caught up to a pick-up truck towing a boat that held us up in some of the corners. Eventually, we wound our way to The Corners where 128 meets SR 121. There is a store at The Corners, but it is closed. Nothing there but a large group of riders and their bikes taking a break before continuing on their way. We stopped for a smoke break and then continued up 128 to Turtle Rock at the intersection with the Knoxville-Berryessa Road. Turtle Rock has a small store/bar that had untold numbers of autographed dollar bills hanging from the ceiling.

What can I say about Knoxville-Berryessa Road? It starts out pleasant enough. Don slowed the pace down because of the possibility of police and we followed the pleasant stretch up along the very popular Lake Berryessa. People were on beaches and in boats and all seemed to be having fun. After a while, the lake ran out and so did the centre-line. Then the excellent pavement gave up and we realized we were in a place where not that many go. There were concrete creek fords, dry today but rough, and the speed was reduced. In the heat, the Wing temperature gauge started to rise and I modified my riding accordingly. My passenger started making threatening noises about our leader.

After about 30 miles of this, just as my temperature gauge was hitting the red, we came upon a centre-line. Don pulled off at the gate of a closed Homestake Gold Mine, the same company we toured last month in Lead. What are the odds of seeing another one of their mines so soon? Discussing the last stretch of road, several riders suggested that maybe we could break Don's GOOD knee. After a short time (the length of one of Don's cigarettes), we saddled up again and continued winding our way down Morgan Canyon Road into the crossroads of Lower Lake where Don stopped at the Chevron station for gas.

Now I come to the only really negative incident of the day. The Chevron pump requires a Zip Code to use the credit card at the pump. Since there are no letters on the keypad for Canadian Postal Codes, I usually send Sandy inside with the credit card to get them to turn the pump on. After waiting a bit, I went inside to see what the hold up was. It seems the cashiers here will not turn the pump on unless they run a specific amount on the card ahead of time. How am I supposed to know? This happened once before in 2005 in Scottsdale, Arizona. That time, I took my card and went elsewhere. Same this time. I won't spend money at a place where people don't understand that the word 'service' comes from 'serve'. I went up the street to the Shell and fueled up there with no trouble.

From Lower Lake to Calistoga, Don suggested we not ride as a group. Sherm and I rode down SR 29 together, with David J, Cat and Jim S. further ahead in the line of traffic. All was pretty serene until we neared Calistoga. Here we encountered a stretch of road about ten miles long that is much tighter and more challenging than The Dragon back east. It is tighter but has stretches of passing lane so you don't get trapped behind a slower vehicle for too long. I followed Sherm until I missed a pass on a car and he got away from me. He was having a blast pushing Jim S. while I, after clearing the car, wasn't able to catch up before Calistoga. Too much traffic but an excellent piece of road.

In Calistoga, we stopped at Buster's BBQ. Check the other blogs for photos. Sandy had pork while I had tri-tip beef. Most excellent. Sherm's brother-in-law, Richard, his wife Alice and Pat's 97 year old mother Pauline, who live nearby, joined us. So did Uwe and Rad, who we met at Jest's on Saturday.

After eating, people went their own way. Don led, Cat, Jim S., us and David J. back through Napa and on to Fairfield on the Silverado Trail, which wandered through endless vineyards past many wineries. In Fairfield, we split up and we followed Don back to Stockton. It was a long and tiring day, but it was a good kind of tired.

Stockton California - Day 2

Jest's Pool Party

Finding that we would be in the neighborhood, a well known California VROCer named Rick (aka Jest) invited the NorCal members and pretty much anyone else who could make it to his home for a party today so we could meet them. Rick lives in Saratoga, down below San Jose, so we had a ways to go. Don planned an 8:30 departure and we would be traveling by car.

The first stop, on the other side of the proverbial Stockton tracks was the Genova Bakery. One street over, we saw the Stockton PD handcuffing a kid whose car they had stopped, but the bakery is an oasis of everything that is right in the middle of a whole lot that is not. Right after I took this picture, wearing my Red Rock Rally pseudo tie-dyed shirt, many pocketed shorts and Crocks, a lady in the bakery greeted me with "Look, tourists". That hurt:-) She was the backup bookkeeping trainee and we had a nice chat while Don was getting bread.

We left Stockton on I-5 and took I-205 and I-680 to Fremont. Along the way, we went by Altamont with the many windmills and saw working cattle ranches juxtaposed with Audi dealers. Such is California. The smoke was a constant haze.

In Fremont, we stopped for breakfast at The Original Pancake House. I don't think this specific one is the actual 'original', but it was very good. The pancakes were light and fluffy and firemen were eating here. I'd recommend it.

On the way to Rick's we went through the very 'just-so' downtown area of Saratoga so Don could check the location of the Hakone Buddhist Gardens for future reference. We found it at the top of a steep hill. There were many cars in the lot but they all had California plates so this looks like it is special to the locals but isn't publicized to the tourists.

I would not have found Rick's house even with my GPS. When you get to the address in the hills, there is a little non-descript lane that will take you back to the house if you think to follow it. It is a beautiful place, the kind I told Rick that we think is part of the California fantasy.

David (Redbeard), Howard (NiteLite) and, of course, Rick were there when we arrived, as was Rick's daughter Lauren. Cranky came in on his bicycle soon after and KC paid a visit although he was technically working. Later, Steelman and his son Brandon arrived. So did Uwe and Rad. Uwe is still recovering from his adventure on the NorCal ride at the end of May when he found that Nomads can't fly. Rick's wife Colleen and son got back around this time and they put in an order for pizza.

Rick's pool was wonderful. It even has a diving rock on this end. Howard, Rick and I were the only adults to get wet although Lauren and Brandon made good use of the water. The temperature was about the same as the air and Howard commented that some moments were so good that they just should not end. I had to agree. Sherm, comedian that he is, wasn't there but did post this tidbit from Don's camera. We ended up getting out of the water just in time for the pizza delivery.

From the foreground, clockwise, Howard, Steelman, VSP, Rad, Uwe, Rick, Colleen, Lauren and Sandy

About 5:00, we packed up to leave. Many thanks to Rick and Colleen for opening their home so graciously to the wanderers. This gave us a chance to see and meet some people we otherwise wouldn't have on this trip.

For more pictures, you can look at Don's blog of the gathering.

The return home was uneventful. When we got back to Don's, Sherm was there watching the NASCAR race. Our drivers didn't do very well and our standings in the VROC NASCAR Fantasy League took major hits. With tears in our eyes, we turned in for the night.

Stockton California - Day 1

Sandy wasn't sure what day it was when we got up this morning. We left in Don's car about 7:30 and drove 45 miles up I-5 into Sacramento for breakfast. Traffic was light. On the way, we were talking about TV series that might have been set in Sacramento. I was sure there was one and just checked IMDB. Eight Is Enough, not that it matters to anyone but me.

The Market Club Cafe

Arriving in Sacramento, Don wheeled us down a side street and into what appeared to be a run-down part of a wholesale produce market. We wondered just what kind of breakfast we were going to be getting, but we need not have worried. The Market Club Cafe is simple with no frills but the service is good and the food is excellent (if a bit unorthodox for our Canuck tastes). Customers appeared to be mostly local regulars and market workers. The top special was baloney and eggs. Don had Spam, eggs and rice. I had linguica (Portuguese sausage), eggs and hash browns. Sandy wasn't at all adventurous and settled for bacon, eggs and hash browns. It was very tasty and we called Sherm while eating because he knows and likes this place. I'd recommend it to anyone in the Sacramento area.

Jim, owner and chef of the Market Club Cafe, with Sandy and Don

After breakfast, the owner/chef came out to say hello to Don, an obvious regular. We complimented him on the food and conveyed greetings from Sherm, He Who Photographs Food. There was a photo on the wall of the #3 Goodwrench car along with the 8 and 15 dated February 18, 2001. It seems Jim was a fellow Earnhardt fan and we talked a bit about that fateful day.

On the way back, Don pointed out a flock of sheep held alongside the road in a temporary corral. He said they put the sheep out to deal with the roadside vegetation and just keep moving them down the road as they eat everything.

When we got back, Don went out for a haircut, Sandy took a nap and I caught up several days of blogs. We spent the first part of the afternoon doing our various chores and Sandy de-slimed her cool vest. Don figures the slime was residue from her following the directions and rinsing the vest in detergent when it was new.

About 3:30, we piled into the car and drove over to Don's Mom's house. Leona lives in her beautiful house with her daughter, Laura. Regular blog readers will recall that Don's father, Frank, passed away last year but Leona is still a ball of fire. The plan was to take us to the L&L Hawaiian Barbeque for supper. This is sort of fast food but more. I had fried shrimp with brown rice and macaroni salad while Sandy had a small order of sesame chicken and Don had a beef dish. Leona got salmon and we took a low carb selection back to the house after for Laura.

Leona and Sandy in front of the L&L Hawaiian Barbeque

The ladies share a joke

After supper, we went back to Leona's house for a while. She gave Sandy a clever T-bag holder in her favourite colour, purple, and some unique dishcloths. We had to head back to Don's before too long, but we will be seeing Leona again on Tuesday for lunch.

At the house, we prepared a few things for our car trip to Jest's house in Saratoga (near San Jose) for the pool party tomorrow. Then we lazed around (except for Don, who ran several more permutations of our Coos Bay route) until bedtime.

Coos Bay Oregon to Stockton California

Planning an early start, we were up at 5:30 getting gear stowed. Sherm had toast, coffee and a delicious pastry laid out for us for breakfast. Then, after making a comment about how nice it was to have a bike that started any time, we hit the jinx. First, my microphone wouldn't work. After trying all the exterior plugs, I delved into a hidden plug under the helmet lining and fixed the problem. Unfortunately, somewhere during this time, it appears that I had left the ignition on with those two headlight beams drawing power. The battery didn't have enough juice to start the bike. Sherm brought out a spare battery and it had enough power to get me going. We were a little late getting the 'trouble-free' bike on the road.

Thanks, Sherm and Pat, for having us as guests. And Sherm, I should have paid more attention to your advice about not getting off US 101 while leaving town. I took the scenic route.

So by 7:30 we were rolling south on Highway 101. It was cool and breezy. About the time we swung onto SR 42 to take us inland to I-5, the temperature gauge was reading 12C. The ride over 42 was fun, sweeping and climbing with almost no traffic. At 9:00, we were swinging up the ramp onto I-5 South. We stopped in Medford at what was supposed to be a McDonald's but we couldn't find it. Instead, we just fueled and took off our cool weather gear since it was now in the high 20's C. Then, cursing Medford's convoluted service road, we managed to find I-5 and continue south.

The secenery as you enter California is rugged. Dry brown hills dotted with trees. Hills so steep trucks also use the paved shoulder to get out of the way as they climb at almost a walking pace. And then you see Mt. Shasta in the distance.

Mt. Shasta from I-5

According to releases earlier this week, the scientists say that Shasta is the one place in North America where the glaciers are actually growing.

One thing that was immediately apparent as the heat started to push 38C (100F) was the tinder dry conditions. Along the edge of Lake Shasta, Sandy got a picture of the first of many fires we would see burning.

Fire over Lake Shasta

The temperature continued to climb as we pushed south. I watched the ambient temp display on the Wing go to 40C (104F) and then keep on until it topped out at 43C (109F) near Redding. We had stopped to put on our cool vests for the first time in a rest area. These are vests you soak in water. They absorb great quantities and then cool you as the water evaporates while you ride. Under the mash jackets they were messy but I wouldn't have ridden without them.

GoldWing Reflections On A Tank Truck

The intense heat was compounded by a haze of smoke. The Wing coolant temp gauge We stopped in Corning for gas and Sandy almost passed out after climbing off the bike. Lemonade and Mickey D's fries (to replenish salt loss) were the prescription and we soaked the cool vests again. Strangely, as we continued south and caught a few places where the temperature was down to around 100F, it felt refreshingly cool to us.

Fire Smoke on I-5 near Williams

We couldn't take I-5 all the way to Stockton because of construction on the southbound lanes in Sacramento. Instead, we took I-505 south, a cutoff road for San Francisco Bay area people to get to and from the north. Before we got down to 80, we took Midway Road east and then went south on SR 113 before turning on SR 12 to Rio Vista and Lodi. Traffic was light until we reached Rio Vista, and we came to a dead stop at the far side of Brannan Isle while the bridge swung open to let a tall masted boat pass through. We sat here for about 15 minutes but, since the temperature was just barely above 100F, we didn't suffer too much.

Bridge closed, we continued on to I-5 and followed it south to Stockton where Don recorded our arrival condition for posterity.

Skid & Sandy arriving in Stockton after 109F on I-5

We may look a little rough, but it was that kind of a day. The shirts are the UnderArmour ones we bought at Cabela's in Prairie Du Chien. Don figured we wouldn't be up for a hot meal after the kind of day we had so he had some flatbread loaves from the River's Edge in Isleton and an assortment of deli meats and cheeses along with some potato salad. The bread was amazing and the whole meal hit the spot perfectly.

Sandy turned in early while Don and I sat up and watched a DVD of Wild Hogs. Then it was off to bed for both of us.

Coos Bay Oregon

I slept in until 6:45. This picture shows our cozy home away from home, tucked in among the two-wheeled steeds. Sherm had coffee on and then we headed to the Club before breakfast. In the lounge, I met some of the same people I joined three years ago for a workout. Ace and George stand out in my memory and I met Bill (an Ontario expatriate many years ago), Lynn and Jessie as well. George is in his 90's and has done many things in his life. His mind is still very sharp and he tells many interesting tales. I know Ace, a very fine fellow, reads this, so Hello Ace.

We adjourned to the locker room to get our bathing suits on and then joined everyone in the pool, which was a comfortable 86 degrees. I strapped floats to my ankles and took the floating barbells in my hands. The trick was to avoid having the ankle floats upend you. Mary, another Canadian expat from the Alberta side, put everyone through a workout and conducted a simultaneous sing-along. After the workout, we spent some time in the hot tub before hitting the showers.

Returning home, Sherm made breakfast. Then we set to work doing the maintenance on the Wing. Rather, Sherm set to work and I helped. The oil change was straightforward but we had some fun with the brakes. There are left side and right side pads for the front and each has their own part number. This is because one pad in each set has a metal shim backing it and the sets are mirror images of each other. Imagine our surprise when we found the pads that were installed 75K kilometers ago were each on the wrong side. After double checking, we installed the new ones the correct way. One of the pads was down to its limit and I guess this was the one that was squealing. The tires still look the same so I guess this should get me home. Thank you, master mechanic Sherm.

Sherm and I took the truck to the new airport (not so easy to find) to get a package, then to an ATM so I could get some cash (first time I have done this in the US) and finally the post office for another package. Then we rode the bikes (he took the Half-A-Busa) to Staples so I could test the brakes. They stopped me just fine.

After the errands, we went to a friend of theirs, Kay's, to help her get her new laptop set up. It took a little while since I am new to Vista, but we got it working. Kay's late husband held many positions in law enforcement. She tells me he wore ever badge in this case except one. That includes the British shield from Sussex. She would like to sell this collection so, if anyone is interested, contact Sherm.

Computer tune-up complete, we returned to the house and Pat made a superb supper of chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes, asparagus, peas and rice with gravy. This was followed up with custard with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Then Sherm trimmed the hair around Sandy's ears. He said he did this all the time for the guys when he was in the Coast Guard, but Sandy was skeptical. However, the operation was a success.

We got a note from Don telling us that the forecast for the I-5 corridor was going to be 110F with smoke and suggesting we get an early start. With that in mind, we turned in fairly early.

Olympia Washington to Coos Bay Oregon

The alarm was set for 6:00 AM but a neighboring rooster had Sandy going at 5:00. Mary was getting set to go kayaking on Puget Sound while Steve had those funny work clothes on again. We had coffee and discussed the route down the coast. Steve will be at Oregon Trails next week, hopefully dressed more like himself.

Out of Olympia, we took SR 8 to Montesano and then SR 107 to the famous US 101. This went inland for the first stretch through low, rolling coastal mountains. The log trucks and the cut areas give testimony to the fact that lumber is king around here. There were clear cuts still needing cleaning, bare areas, and many replanted sections in varying stages of growth. In Raymond, we started running closer to the water. Traffic was still light and there was generally a remote feeling to this place.

That was until we came to the long bridge crossing the mouth of the Columbia River and the state line. It ended in Astoria, Oregon and Sandy got a photo of the elevated span after we were off it. Steve know about my acrophobia and was concerned about the bridge height, but this has nothing on the Big Mac back home.

Once in Oregon, things became immediately more built-up. The road went up and down along the shore and, since it was low tide, the ocean smell was very noticeable. I'd like to get this bottled so I could spray it around home from time to time.

From Cannon Beach (Steve said there was a nude beach but we didn't see it), with its signature Haystack Rock (which can be seen in the scenery post), on down to Rockaway Beach and Garibaldi, the sense of seaside tourist places is very strong. The shore line was occasionally obscured by fog patches causing the temperature to go up and down. Then at Tillamook, home of the cheese and surrounded by dairy farms, we went inland for a while until we arrived at Cloverdale.

Again, the tourism business was significant. Lincoln City reminded me of Ocean City, Maryland. Depoe Bay, billed as the world's smallest harbour, had some very affluent looking houses constructed along severely eroding seaside bluffs. Doesn't make sense to me. I wonder if they can get insurance? Further down, we got into a series of rocky headlines typified by Cape Perpetua. These high, steep edged roads can give those of us who dislike heights some serious fits, especially when the offshore winds are gusting and swirling. At spots, gnarled cypress trees have been shaped by the winds like demented bonsais.

South of here, the rocky shores gave way to sweeping dunes. We passed through Florence, where we had camped in the dunes 30 years ago this month on our first ride down the west coast. Finally, we arrived at Coos Bay and, although I remembered Sherm's street, I forgot the house number. He and Pat were in Eugene having some work done on his Kia and helping a friend select a laptop computer and his cell phone wasn't answering. I called Steve and got the number.

Although no one was home, the side door was open and we were able to get the bike into the garage and unpack it. Our home would be the Kwik-Camp trailer set up in the garage since they sold the 5th wheel that we had used last time. Tom and Denise from Kentucky will be using this same trailer for Oregon Trails.

Sherm and Pat were back shortly after we got there. After ensuring that we had everything we needed, Sherm called friends Karen and Preston and arranged for us to have supper with them at a Kozy Kitchen restaurant. The server there tagged us as Canuck and wasn't even surprised when I asked for brown gravy on french fries. The food was good and the company excellent.

After supper, we returned home where Sherm and I did the computer thing until people turned in for the night.

I mentioned to both Steve and Sherm that I think we've been on the road too long. Yesterday, as we were riding down I-5, my mind started to wander and I found myself thinking about home renovation projects. Yikes!

Scenery from the Washington/Oregon Coast

Vancouver British Columbia to Olympia Washington

Today we woke up to a travel day for the first time in a week. We were up at 5:30 AM going through the methodical ritual of getting everything packed in its place, ensuring nothing was left behind. On a positive note, after days of overcast and odd precipitation, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Malcolm found a box and we packed some gear we didn't need any longer to mail it home. He showed how to print the mailing label and pay for postage on line. Slick.

Just before 8:00 AM, we headed out on Highway 1. Malcolm had suggested that we go out of town and cross into the USA near Aldergrove instead of taking the Peace Arch adjacent to the city. Once across Second Narrows Bridge, we slid into the HOV lane. There weren't many eastbound but the Vancouver bound lanes were jam packed with people trying to get to work. I did note that BC drivers are worse than Torontonians when it comes to hogging the left lane on a four-lane road. Downright ignorant.

The border crossing to Lynden, Washington went without a hitch. The line was short and moved right along. The Border Agent asked the usual questions and we were on our way in less than a minute. It was still cool when we rode down SR 539 towards I-5. We stopped for gas and paid $4.45, painful but still much better than Vancouver's $1.52 / liter. SR 539 was under construction down near I-5 and they were holding traffic both ways, so I used the GPS to find some back roads around the bottleneck. We were on I-5 southbound in no time. Washington State cat's eyes (reflectors on the road) are hard to navigate through because there are several of them together in the centre line dashes.

As we approached the non-stop corridor made up of Everett, Seattle and Tacoma, we once again took advantage of the HOV lane. Most vehicles had a single occupant, so we had the diamond lane largely to ourselves. We did note that the Washington drivers were even worse than the British Columbians on hogging the left lane. They almost act proud to be obstructions.

Seattle was pretty but, strangely, they had TWO large stadiums side by side downtown. Don't let the Sudbury fathers and their legacy project dreams get wind of this.

As I was approaching Tacoma, Scorp~ (Steve) called. I was just about to give him a shout. He suggested we meet at the truck stop at Exit 136. It was a Flying J and Sandy and I had soup and toast while waiting for The Arachnid~ to arrive. When he did, we were treated to the spectacle of a man in a shirt and tie. He looked like someone we knew, but the clothes were very different.

We left the bike at the Flying J and Steve took us on a tour of Tacoma in his car. The tall ships were in town and Dale Chihuly blown glass was everywhere. The Washington State History Museum will deserve a long visit the next time we're in town.

From there, Steve took us back to the bike and we followed him to his home in Olympia. He and his wife Mary have a house with a bird sanctuary area in front, a beautiful garden and two very special dogs, Ruby the hound and Rika. Mary arrived soon after we got there and we met her for the first time. It was good to see her since I've been crossing paths with her worse half for almost a decade.

For dinner, they took us to the Budd Bay Cafe, a place that is upscale without being pushy about it. Jennifer, our server, was one of the best I've seen in a long time. The dinners included soup or New England clam chowder, and entree (75% of us selected the marinated flank steak which was excellent) and dessert. A different 75% of us opted for a spectacular creme brule. Then we walked the waterfront and priced yachts while Steve abused the boat salesman with his latest joke.

We drove around to Tumwater Falls and walked along the river where Sandy and I posed for an ET moment. Then Sandy, Steve and Mary posed in front of the now-defunct Olympia Brewery building. After that, we went back to their house and traded tales until bedtime.

Thank you, Steve and Mary, for the kind hospitality. Steve, we'll see you next week in Oregon.

Latest discovery. I have been having some trouble controlling the bike at low speed. Lurching front brake, hard to hold the clutch friction zone. While motoring down I-5, I chanced to look at the lever adjustment wheels. The brake should be on 1 but was on 2 while the clutch should be on 3 but was on 4. Damn. I don't know if I might have been fooling around with them on the way to Lead (55 MPH leads to all kinds of mischief) or if somebody else messed with them. Probably me. When I put them back, everything smoothed right out.

Washington Scenery

The Tacoma waterfront with a tall ship in the background

Sandy makes a new friend in front of the Washington State History Museum

Some Dale Chihuly blown glass

Dale Chihuly blown glass is everywhere

Mount Ranier from Tacoma

Budd Bay boats with the Washington State Capitol in the background

Tumwater Falls on the Deschutes River, home of the former Olympia Brewery

Vancouver

As mentioned, we arrived at Malcolm's apartment in West Vancouver on Sunday, Canada Day Eve.

Canada Day was very quiet. We watched things from the balcony and took a short walk. Malcolm went to Surrey for a while to visit an old friend who was in town. On the way back, he got caught up in a massive traffic jam when they closed the Second Narrows Bridge for hours because of a potential jumper.

The fireworks that evening were supposed to be launched from off Ambleside Beach, which would have given us a perfect view from Mal's balcony. But the paper was wrong. There were two displays, one off downtown Vancouver and the other off Dundarave in West Van. We could see one through the Lion's Gate Bridge and just see the top of the other one over apartment buildings. The interesting thing to me is that they were identical and synchronized.

On Tuesday, we headed over to the Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. Mal took a lot of back streets that would have confused the Zumo. He and Sandy drove in his Miata while I, due to seating limitations, rode the bike. The photo shows us behind Lonsdale with the City of Vancouver across the harbour. We had coffee with some very interesting friends of Mal's, longtime residents who emigrated in the mid-60's from Israel.

After we left the Quay, Sandy and Mal headed home while I took a bit of a ride to run up the odometer. After surviving street level traffic going straight up the hill in North Van, I got this shot at the ramp off Highway 1 to Cypress Bowl Ski Area. For those who don't speak metric, 150,000 kilometers is equal to about 93,210 miles.

Back at the apartment, I placed an on-line order for an 802.11G wireless card at Best Buy. Mal tried to pick it up yesterday but it seems that, to get the lowest price, you have to order it on-line first. After the notification arrived that they had one in stock, we drove over in the Miata and picked it up. I disabled the old B card and installed the new one and its drivers. No problem. Now I won't have any more problems with routers not configured for B and my link will be almost five times faster.

One constant here with the apartment facing the bay is the procession of cruise ships. Almost every morning, one or more arrive at about 6:00 AM, making their stately way under the Lions Gate Bridge to their berth in front of Canada Place. And late every afternoon, they sail back out again for their cruises to Alaska and other points in the Pacific. Some of them are smaller but most are huge. Some day, we may have to take one just to see what it is all about.

We did see one other strange arrival. This ship, carrying a large crane from China for delivery in the harbour, had been lying at anchor since we arrived. I have to wonder, with all that steel high up, how it weathered rough seas and how much ballast it carried down low for stability. On Friday, at low tide and accompanied by two tugs, they made their approach. There was more clearance under the bridge than appeared at first.

Saturday morning, we heard the sound of a steam whistle and saw the characteristic puffs of smoke on the rail line coming from North Van. This used to be a regular sound when the Royal Hudson pulled a tour train from here up the coast to Squamish, but that attraction was canceled years ago. The Royal Hudson is now ensconced as a static display in Squamish and CN bought the rail line from BC Rail. We waited for the train to come by but it didn't, so Sandy took Mal's binoculars and could see the engine stopped at Ambleside Park and people wandering about in period costume.

We were curious and so we wandered down to the park. The steam engine was parked in an area blocked by trees with what appeared to be an old F3 diesel unit behind it and a short string of cars. There were vintage autos lined up on the adjacent road and this modified box car was providing entertainment. I spoke to a PR person and found the whole outfit belonged to CP and was celebrating the 150th anniversary of the official establishment of the Colony of British Columbia. CN had shut down their line for four hours to allow this to take place. The box car is the same one used for entertainment on the CP Holiday Train that goes from coast to coast in December, for which Sudbury S.T.O.P. volunteers provided security one very cold night.

The PR guy suggested I could walk through the park on the other side of the tracks to get a picture of the engine. No. 2816 is a Hudson but not a 'Royal' Hudson. That designation is reserved for the streamlined units like the one that pulled the Royal Family across Canada in the 1930's. This unit was built in 1930 and was refurbished for CP by the BC Rail shops here after being recovered from a museum in Pennsylvania. CP uses it in a goodwill ambassador capacity. I also met two CP Rail Police Sergeants. They knew our friend Norm L. THE CP cop for northeastern Ontario who is retiring soon.

After the park, I stopped at the used bookstore and bought a new book. I have a large one Slammer gave me but Sherm took it to Coos Bay since I won't be able to carry it until we mail some stuff home from here. Then we met Mal and had lunch at the Savary Island Pie Company. As you can see, gas prices (including the new carbon tax) suck.

Today, we went out for breakfast at a local coffee shop (not one Tim Horton's in West Van). Then I checked the bike tires (still holding up although the trip home might be touch and go) and I went for a short ride to Horseshoe Bay and back. The construction on Highway 99 to Whistler is depressing. To make travel easier for the 2010 Winter Olympics, they are ruining a nice riding road.

We will mail a few excess things home from here and head south in the morning. A night with Scorpion~, a couple at Sherm's while I change oil and front brake pads and on to VSP's in Stockton before returning to the WWR in Coos Bay. The weather was really hot and humid when we first got here, then it cooled off, clouded over and rained a bit the last few days. Based on the weatherman's accuracy, I'm not even going to guess what tomorrow will bring......

This week has been a pleasure laying back and enjoying the West Van ambiance. Many thanks to Mal for allowing us to hang out.

An Update from Vancouver

A belated Happy Birthday, Canada.

While we are here in Vancouver, Sandy has been proofreading the blog and I've made a few corrections to errors caught by her keen eye.

One thing that was brought to my attention is that, for people using Internet Explorer, some posts have had random HTML characters embedded in them. These did not show up in the Firefox browser I use. They resulted from writing posts in MS Word when I did not have access to the Internet and then cutting and pasting them into Blogger. It seems Word, as usual, does much more than I wanted. Now I type in straight text if off-line. I've cleaned up June so far, as best I can.

We got the 802.11G card for the notebook and have it up and running, so I should now have more WiFi speed and range and, if anyone like Recreational Springs has a G only router, I won't have a problem any more.

I'll post more later about our stay in Vancouver which has, so far, been very relaxing.