TRANSPORT pages

The ride from Caspar through the Redwoods and up the coast (on the Redwood Highway) is, except as noted, one of California's best. The roads are lightly traveled, even when they devolve, as they often do, to two lanes. There's plenty of trucking, as this is the main thoroughfare between the Bay Area and the Oregon Coast, but the twisties and ups and downs mean that only the best drivers get this run.

After a good short walk on the driftwood strewn beach, we headed into town to the Black Trumpet Bistro and Roasted pepper soup, salad, and Cajun local-caught cod, bacon and jerk spice polenta, and fresh local spinach. Their brulée-er was on the fritz, so tiramisu instead.

But now, I apologize for writing out of order, and back to today's ride:

Eager to leave. Through the indignity of Newport morning rush traffic. Our map lady, instructed to take us to an address in downtown Salem, took us instead on an apparently random and completely wrongheaded westward tour of Newport's finer homes – we knew she was confused, but wanted to see how far off course she'd take us. Turned out, it was a loop! So we opted out and headed eastward past the sign at the western terminus of US Highway 20.

Not three miles later, we're engulfed by deep forest that goes on for two hours while we climb up and over the Coast Range.

After a visit to Sharon's miniature conifer garden and Mona's Challah French Toast, we headed out, but on the way to the Silverton Saturday Market (disappointing; the Pasta people weren't there, nor was the blackberry jam lady) we discovered that we had a flat tire. Chuck sent us over to Les Schwab's...

We usually take about two days to remember how much we don't like cities; worked this time. Our little spot on Simcoe Street was in an old, quiet, settled section of Victoria, as was all our walking and visiting. This morning we had to go through the belly of the beast, and our trip was aggravated by false advertising on the part of the Victoria Public Market, what you'd expect to be, well, a market, but is really just a lame food court. Cost us some frustration to find this out ...but soon enough we were on our way to Swartz Bay, the ferrying spot for Salt Spring Island.

That's our escape boat pulling in now.

We were about the fifth car in line, but by loading time, there were thirty cars ready to load  --

Oh my! I just saw a Bald Eagle fly by our Ucluelet window with a fish in its talons and two sea gulls chasing it!

-- as I was saying: and we knew we were heading out of the (relative) calm of SSI and onto the much busier, faster world of Vancouver Island's "Discovery Coast." 

At noon, we reported for duty to the Alteo River Air Service for a short sea plane tour to the north of Tofino with pilot Sean. Rochelle had ridden in a seaplane in her previous life, but for me, this was an exciting first. There's a lovely sense of safety in a seaplane in a watery place on a calm day like this: if something goes wrong, the worst case is you'll set down on some wilderness waterway and wait for rescue.

Here come a bunch of airborn pictures of the islands to the north of Tofino on the wild Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island.

Our boat trip to the Broken Group islands got delayed by fog in Barkley Sound, and so we got off to a slow start.

Not many words today, and disappointingly few pictures given what we saw today. More or less in order:

• Black Bear (4 total, a lone bear and a mother with 2 cubs)
• jumping Salmon
• Bald Eagle (2 close up, 1 in flight) 
• many Great Blue Herons (they're shy)
• California Sea Lions, Stellar Sea Lions, Fur Seals
• Sea Otter
• Grey Whale right beside our boat, 4 tails-up dives!
• numerous birds (Kingfishers, Crows, Ravens)

The Broken Group is a unit of Pacific Rim National Park, and an unspoiled treasure.

Into every trip some rain must fall?

Today was a travel day, from Ucluelet over the top of Vancouver Island and down to Duke Point for a ferry across the Salish Sea to Tsawwassen and then across the border to tiny, isolated Roberts Point.

Just outside Ucluelet, a huge construction project has delays of more than half an hour in each direction. It started to rain in earnest. Rochelle said, "I won't be able to relax until we get through the construction."

One of the Northwest's Greatest Joys: passing a 24-wheeler on I-5 in the rain at 70 miles per hour.

We took the side road to the Washington Pass Overlook, a magnificent spot atop a bold outcropping of granite. Rochelle was impressed with the trail and railings at the overlook; someone(s) put a lot of thought and pride into this spot.

At left is the highway as it winds its way down eastward from the 5,477 foot Washington Pass.

next group : to Bend