Our dear friends G and L treated us to a few days at their perfect cabin on Hood Canal. A few pix from that area, and our walks.
Good job T
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| Love the trees! |
Good job T
At the cabin, tackled a jigsaw puzzle of Venice (clearly B and S's fault)
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| Hood Canal signs |
Coming back from a hike in Olympic National
forest we are treated to the sight of a mother bear and two cubs crossing the road. Later, in Wenatchee on the way to Canada we
would see a mother doe and two fawns. Beautiful!
Back in Tacoma, two local factoids:
- Washington recently became the latest state to legalize pot--here's on e of several shops we saw
- Our hometown of University Place recently hosted the US open golf tournament.
Here is a newspaper ad placed during the US Open :-).
Ah Tacoma—
Had a fun all-American outing watching the Tacoma Rainiers
play, well, lose. A lovely afternoon
anyway. T got a real ball park hot dog.
Made several forays to the storage unit, emerging after
several hours with large bags of shred-able paper. Below, K's map of the densely packed unit, which has been rented for 8 years now, no doubt putting someone's child through college.
***
We took the opportunity to have a quick dash up to Beautiful BC. We traveled a familiar path on I-90 through Snoqualmie Pass and then north past Wenatchee. Stunning scenery. We made it to Penticton from Tacoma in about 6 hours.
Here, along the way, the aforementioned deer
Penticton is a pleasant town straddling two lakes. We enjoyed a hike along a reclaimed railway route along Okanagan Lake, past some of the many, many vineyards in the area
But the most fun was tubing down the canal between the two lakes, just floating along, staring at the clouds. We started late in the day, around 3 pm, and were "only" able to do half the total possible trip--a mere 1 1/2 hours. So relaxing and fun!
[stupidly we forgot our WATERPROOF CAMERA...so these are pix of unsuspecting (?) strangers the next day]
Of course one must try local cuisine. A place offering "Poutine to go."
Through a good tip we find the best poutine in town
good thing he ordered "small"
We took a drive, passing some 30 wineries in a 10 miles stretch. Stopped at just one:
Here, along the way, the aforementioned deer
Penticton is a pleasant town straddling two lakes. We enjoyed a hike along a reclaimed railway route along Okanagan Lake, past some of the many, many vineyards in the area
But the most fun was tubing down the canal between the two lakes, just floating along, staring at the clouds. We started late in the day, around 3 pm, and were "only" able to do half the total possible trip--a mere 1 1/2 hours. So relaxing and fun!
[stupidly we forgot our WATERPROOF CAMERA...so these are pix of unsuspecting (?) strangers the next day]
A bus takes you back
Of course one must try local cuisine. A place offering "Poutine to go."Through a good tip we find the best poutine in town
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| the master at work |
good thing he ordered "small"
The valley is rich with fruit. Here are some boxes ready to go. Peaches to die for.
Other local interest:
Hockey sticks for sale at the local Canadian Tire store
Curling anyone?
We took a drive, passing some 30 wineries in a 10 miles stretch. Stopped at just one:
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| T at entrance to winery |
What a lovely area. Hard to leave. We took a less traveled road back to the US. More gorgeous scenery
Mountainous--here's a runaway lane just in case your brakes fail
Slow traffic going through Seattle allowed a photo op
It was soon time to leave N. America. A last dinner with our dear friends, in picturesque Steilacoom, an historic small town set along Puget Sound
Goodbye dear, familiar faces, goodbye The Mountain (Mt. Rainier,
you neophytes), goodbye efficiency and order, comfort and convenience, Douglas
firs, peaches and blueberries, chronic overindulgence. Au revoir boundless creature comforts,
Cascades and Olympics, crisp clean air even at 90°F.
What a wonderful trip we’ve had: California, Tennessee, Washington, British Columbia.
What a wonderful trip we’ve had: California, Tennessee, Washington, British Columbia.
***
During a layover in Hong Kong on the way back, we managed a quick trip into the city and had coffee with an ex-colleague of T's. Interesting to see how much undeveloped land there is, in an otherwise very densely populated city.
***
Hello Malaysia, equal parts charm and frustration. TP at the door not the stall (too late: "oh, RIGHT"), death wish motorcyclists
(no kidding—we've even seen one around town with a sign saying “departure
from this world is imminent”), flamboyant tropical foliage and amazing fruits, tropical warmth and beauty.
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| On arrival at the Penang airport, waiting over an hour for our taxi home |
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