http://www.parks.wa.gov/542/Manchester is a top rated park in Washington and our camp site was once again surrounded by huge trees which rendered satellite reception impossible. The park is exceptionally well run and the rating it received certainly not unwarranted, https://www.google.ca/search?q=manchester+state+park+wa&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=2RjIU4m4IMTboASN-YH4CQ&sqi=2&ved=0CCIQsAQ&biw=1251&bih=598. Hiking and replenishing supplies in nearby Port Orchard https://www.google.ca/search?q=port+orchard+wa&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=kh3IU8_KGYqgogS21YKgDg&ved=0CCcQsAQ&biw=1251&bih=598 were the most significant activities pursued in the area, which includes the large naval base in neighboring Bremerton https://www.google.ca/search?q=bremerton+naval+base&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=HRzIU_SUIMSHogSWpIGYCQ&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1251&bih=598.
After two nights, we were off to Salt Water State Park http://www.parks.wa.gov/578/Saltwater , picked for its close proximity to Seattle, Washington. It was a significant let down after Manchester and we wasted no time the Saturday afternoon escaping to Seattle, where Susan’s interests directed her to the Seattle Public Library http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Public_Library which is quite an architectural attraction, https://www.google.ca/search?q=seattle+public+library&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=kx_IU_qxI5L0oAS144HQCA&sqi=2&ved=0CEwQsAQ&biw=1251&bih=598 . The other three continued to the waterfront for the hour or so until the library would close. Willem wandered on his own and they took in as much as they could of this attractive location https://www.google.ca/search?q=seattle+waterfront&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=yCDIU_nDKI7ioATH_4KwDA&sqi=2&ved=0CCIQsAQ&biw=1251&bih=598.
Sunday morning we had somewhat of a reunion at church with pastor David Hanson and his family from State College as well as former congregants, the Chang’s, now residing in Calgary, Canada. We got quite a bit of time to visit during the potluck lunch provided by the local church and were happy to be able to give Dave’s parents a ride to the airport, slightly north of Saltwater Campground. This afforded a look at Des Moines, WA https://www.google.ca/search?q=des+moines+washington&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=QEnIU8qlKuTCigKZ_4GAAQ&ved=0CC0QsAQ&biw=1251&bih=614 , tanking up for the trip to Vancouver and taking advantage of getting supplies at relatively lower prices than where we were headed.
Our route through Oregon and Washington followed the coast line past very rural and often rather undeveloped areas. We thus missed the major cities and towns that are inland, except for Tacoma/Seattle where we were for only two days. We found the local peoples and tourists, be they from out of state or in state very friendly and most helpful. These impressions may be oversimplified but what might not be so is the general disposition underlying the smaller Pacific States not overwhelmed by Big Brother to the south. Californitis may after all not be as contagious as one might expect, given the close proximity and shared topography. The impression that the virtues of statehood have not been obliterated by forces from either the south or Washington DC was encouraging. We observed Oregon pride and Washington pride among the folks we encountered especially in campgrounds but we could not assess the extent to which the Canadian presence in the north has any influence. Perhaps the Canadian’s love of beautifying their environment with flowers had something to do with evidence to the same effect State side. And which way the wind blew wasn’t altogether clear either with respect to Canadian radio’s occasional homosexual content of programming and what was sometimes seen on street level.
The trip from Salt Water to Vancouver was uneventful and mostly a tedious effort through South California-like traffic. The border crossing went smoothly with a Canadian customs officer exhibiting a rarely expressed sense of humor for his office. An hour later we arrived at http://www.bcrvpark.com/ which is a facility with campsites bordered by manicured hedges but extremely tight to get into. Upon checking in, a fellow followed Willem out and directed him to our site, while walking there. He took charge of navigating Willem’s backing into the site with incredible precision, having him make only slight steering adjustments -- perhaps no more than two feet apart at the most. The guy is a pro and inspired Fickie to ask him if he wouldn’t like to come with us for the many times we still have to do this kind of thing!
Features and benefits of the campground are summarized on the web site – a stark contrast to where we just came from. Although rather pricy, we took advantage of as much of what is included, such as the pool, Jacuzzi, lounge, etc. In addition, the knowledgeable desk staff provided maps and sold us day passes for the Sky Train at $7.50 per person, which we used extensively the next day to get to the city and around – even valid for the Sea Bus to North Vancouver http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SeaBus , which we took advantage of. This is what was lacking in Los Angeles, for example; a great deal, given what it saved us in terms of hassle, driving, gas, parking and time. Susan did her museum thing again, while Willem was more attracted by the Sea Bus round trip https://www.google.ca/search?q=sea+bus+vancouver&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=xVnIU-qXNMf1iwKvmYCIAw&sqi=2&ved=0CEIQsAQ&biw=1251&bih=614 and the Ficks did their own thing. Neither of us ran out of things to do but we all did as much as what our feet could stand. https://www.google.ca/search?q=Vancouver&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=5ljIU93MD8TTiwKi5ICwBA&ved=0CEgQsAQ&biw=1251&bih=614 . A good friend of Marnus, the Fick’s son, Robert Schwetske, joined them for coffee in the lounge before we took off for Whistler, BC.
Whistler made it into our itinerary during the Winter Olympics of 2010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Winter_Olympics , when Willem thought it might be worthwhile seeing the area even in summer. Others had the same view and tourists abounded from a filled to capacity camp ground http://www.whistlercamping.com/accommodations/full-rv/ to the village. But it was the getting there part that was most rewarding, scenery-wise. We had a fine campsite although the advertised Wi-Fi was essentially non-existent. A few power outlets at the office building attracted users by the dozen to the Wi-Fi signal right there and Willem got his inning to update the blog after 12 am the night before we left, until about 2 am. A rush job with errors that could be corrected when we had a connection again.
In addition to its fame for winter sport attractions, Whistler is a beautiful place with ski lifts operating and skiing even underway in the higher elevations in summer. Lower down they facilitate sightseeing, so Fickie and Stella were assigned to use those, which included a peak-to-peak cable gondola, to digitally immortalize photo opportunities galore. https://www.google.ca/search?q=whistler+bc&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=kKjOU8S0MISxyATBp4CABQ&ved=0CFcQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=622 Willem had taken the campground shuttle to Whistler the day before and wandered through the village, which is a tourist trap, specializing in fast food and other kinds of foodie places and especially trinket shops, by the dozens. He had no need to return and volunteered to do some cooking, while Susan would explore Whistler. Having brought their convection microwave kitchen unit along but did not replace the RV unit with it because of geometric constraints, Willem saw another opportunity to operate it on the camp table next to the RV for cooking a sizable roasting chicken. On two previous occasions we were very happy to have the thing on board when the RV unit malfunctioned but this time it was used because of its capacity and features as an alternative to the relatively small gas oven. After all, we already paid for electricity, why not use it? So everything was set up and readied with vegetables and all, waiting for the return of our mountaineers. He also got a cheese cake going for dessert because we were running low on ice cream and didn’t care for the price at the local grocery store. Willem got up to speed on these matters in a hurry the day before when he peeked at ice cream and beer and decided the latter, although exorbitantly priced, trumped the former due to climatic conditions. What further encouraged the choice was the mile or so hike to camp with his purchase. British Columbia experienced a heat wave with forest fires behind the mountains where we were headed the next day.
We occasionally conversed with a very pleasant Dutch family, including their charming kids of 7 and 9 from Curacao http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cura%C3%A7ao in the Caribbean. They were on a three week break from his duties as a medical doctor and it was their first RV experience. Something about their reaction indicating disbelief to hearing we just about had a year of such behind us, suggested they might do things a little different the next time they get to North America, excluding RV’ing.
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