At the Waldorf high school that Hanna has been attending, the tradition is for each graduate to select a rose for presentation to their parents at the close of the graduation ceremony as a token of thanks!
Each graduate found their parents in the audience and, with many tears, presented the flowers.
And here we go! Ready for the next chapter!
On Monday, 265 miles north on I5 got us to Weed, CA, where we spent two nights and a day with old friends Jo and Larry, at Friendly RV Park. We've known them since the 70's, but seldom get a chance to spend time together as they are full-timers in their motorhome, and travel about (as we do). The staff at Friendly were able to position our two motorhomes together, to we could get together often. The only issue is that the park only offers 30 amp electricity service, which is not adequate for a large motorhome as ours when we need to run the air conditioners. The outside temp hovered in the mid to high 90's, which meant that the interior of the rv reached near 100 degree heat. Not good! The park is attempting to correct the problem, but cannot find an electrician that will come to Weed for the job. It is a rather out-of-the-way place! We enjoyed a spectacular lunch on Tuesday with our friends at a local restaurant named YAKS, which stands for "Yes, Another Koffee Shop!". Opened as a bakery/coffee shop, the menu has expanded to include a dozen or so awesome hamburgers and sandwiches.
I've included two pages of the menu so you can work up a good hunger!
Donna was a bit overwhelmed when the order arrived!
Larry ordered the Make me want to Cry Garlic Burger, Donna had the Manbourbon Bacon Burger, Jo tasted the Va Va Voom Burger with a veggie patty, and I couldn't help myself....I ordered the Oh My Goodness, How Could This be a Burger, Burger!
After we rolled out of YAKS, we checked out the Headwaters of the Sacramento River near the hamlet of Mt Shasta. This water filters down the slopes and through the rocks of Mt Shasta, requiring 50 years to complete its journey from the high snow capped peak to this point where it gushes out of the side of the mountain, to be "jugged" by everyone who has a wish for pure, pristine, naturally filtered snow water!
We also had a chance to visit the Weed Railroad Park, which commemorates the days when Weed was a bustling railroad town. On the only rail line north and south through the mountains, Weed provided extra engines and support for trains passing through. The Railroad Park is near the foot of a rocky abutment known as Castle Crags.
With Mt Shasta in the mirror, we continued north.
And were treated to this amazing sight: Fog creeping over the mountains!
310 miles later, we cruised into Salem, OR, with a reservation at Hee Hee Illahee RV Resort, operated by a consolidation of local Indian tribes. This is a beautiful park, and provides many, many, amenities.
The next day, Thursday the 22nd, we made our way just 130 miles north to Chehalis, WA. An overnight stop at the local Walmart gave us time to spend the afternoon and evening with our friends Bob and Gabi, who were our neighbors until some 2 years ago when they realized that CA was not entirely to their liking! Smart people! They live in an old farmhouse near rural Tenino, about 10-12 miles from Chehalis. Quiet, rural, and with a barn full of firewood, they are enjoying the good life! We very much enjoyed our time with them, and made short work of a delicious Quiche that Gabi fixed for us!
Today, Friday the 23rd, was a red-letter day for us! After weeks of stressing about prohibited food items, obtaining proper documents, and making sure that Sasha's vaccination papers were in order, we hitched up our drawers this morning and began our journey into Canada. Fearing that we would be "inspected" and/or "tossed", we assembled a folder of papers, threw away most of our vegetables, and hoped that the dog food would be allowed! Also, knowing that our favorite truck stop source of fuel did not operate in Canada, we stopped just north of Bellingham, WA, and topped off the tank (if 83 gallons is defined as "topping off"). Just a few miles north we encountered the Canadian Border Crossing, where we were funneled into a narrow lane with a small booth on one side. Removing our sunglasses, we began to smile at the agent.....and he smiled and said "Good Afternoon1". A few questions about firearms and our itinerary and timetable, and we were on our way! Of course, he scanned our passports, but we laughed at our previous concerns and wished that we had kept those tomatoes that we tossed in the trash at Walmart last night!
We're checked into Eagle Wind RV Park in Aldergrove, BC, Canada. This is a nice, clean park, but is only a 100 yards or so from Trans Canada Highway 1, so the noise level is a little high, but the utilities are working well (ok, the wifi is barely marginal, and we haven't yet figured out how to hook up our phones/hot spots to the local cellular provider). That's why we haven't been able to upload all of our recent photos. Here's hoping we can find a Starbucks somewhere and get it done.
So, after about a thousand miles and five days, we're finally in Canada! We took a short drive this evening into Aldergrove and found it to be much like any other medium sized city. I don't know what we expected....people required to say "eh" and free Molson, I suppose. We have seen a lot of soccer pitchs and hockey rinks, however, so all is not lost! We're here, some 40-odd miles east of Vancouver, for about 6 nights, so I will take photos and try to post them as we explore the area.
So begins our version of celebrating Canada's 150th birthday! The rest of this beautiful country will celebrate on July 1st, Canada Day, but we will celebrate all summer long!
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