Home - Friday, June 24

We woke to a very wet forest campsite this morning. I think it rained here most of the night.  As we were preparing to leave, I backed the RV into a log and smashed the taillight I had installed in the trailer hitch. I guess I should be happy that this and two rock chips in the window were the only signs of damage to the motorhome from this trip. We decided to eat breakfast down the road but passed by two or three restaurants with parking lots too small for the RV. We found a place between Concrete and Sedro Wooly with enough cars in the lot to satisfy our rules for good food. It was worth the wait. The Blueberry Café was an excellent choice with great food. 

After a small detour around Burlington, we drove over the Deception Pass Bridge onto Whidbey Island. We had made a reservation for a ferry to Port Townsend for 6:00 PM thinking we would arrive later in the day. Fortunately, they found room for us on the earlier boat so we had only a short wait. We stopped and filled both the gas tank and propane tank in Chimicum. We are ready for another trip on a moment’s notice. We arrived home about 3:00 PM and marveled at how well the place had survived. It was obvious from the green grass and plants that rain had been plentiful while we were gone.

The trip ended on day forty-eight. We traveled 6,850 miles and saw enough scenery and sites to last for a while. After some yard work and a little rest, we will be ready to start planning our next adventure. 

Ross Lake, North Cascade Highway, WA - Thursday, June 23

Today the full realization that our Alaska Adventure is coming to an end occurred to us. 

Our drive will take us across the border into Washington State at Osoyoos, in the Okanagan Valley. As we passed through the valley from Penticton, we again passed many wineries. I now see why there are so many brands and varieties of wines on the store selves. At the border, Karen was disappointed when she was told she could bring back as many as ten bottles. She had been worried that she would not be able to bring back the six bottles she had purchased. We immediately noticed that the Washington side of the border was not participating in the economic growth of the Canadian side. It looked like it had seen much better times. 

We drove to Omak and stopped for a lunch break along the river in the town park. Ominous clouds and rain ushered us out of town as we headed west over the North Cascade Highway. We had not traveled this road in many years and had forgotten how beautiful this park is. Steep roads with majestic views and then the heavily forested mountains above Ross Lake and Diablo dam greeted us after we reached the summit of Washington Pass. The views from Washington Overlook were amazing. A few miles later we found a pleasant campsite in Colonial Creek Campground. This is a no service type of park that is very quiet. Shortly after dinner the rains returned. This was a nice welcome home.

Views along North Cascade Highway:

 

Ross Lake Campsite

Ross Lake early morning

Penticton, BC - Wenesday, June 22

A great night’s sleep got this day off to a good start. We hated to leave the orchard campsite but we wanted to do some more stops on the wine tour route through the Okanagan Valley so we headed out for West Kelowna.

The first winery was not too special but Karen still came away with a couple bottles for the collection. She is becoming quite a connoisseur of good wines. The next stop was high on her list of must see wineries suggested by many people in the area. The Mission Hill Family Estate Winery was spectacular for both architecture and stunning views. The place is a concert venue for some big name singers and rates as one of the best restaurants in the world. With more wine and a couple gifts in hand, we headed out to find the RV park where we planned on staying. That one became just a drive by encounter. Neither one of us liked the looks or feel of the place. After forty plus campgrounds on this trip we have become a bit picky of where we stay.

We decided to just drive for a while and see what we could find. When we arrived in Penticton, a sign as we entered pointed us to two RV parks near the lake. We drove in to the Park Royal RV Park and chose this as our home for the night. It was in lush trees and bushes, making it a comfortable place to stay. To the delight of Charlie, it was only a block from the channel that flows between Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake. After quickly hooking things up, Charlie and I set off for some play time in the water (for Charlie). With a float-able Frisbee he was a handful to walk on a leash. I turned him loose at the water edge and he made a fast run to jump into it. Too much time on the leash for his liking. We took another long walk in the evening along the shore and really enjoyed the lake and beach area here. We will need to make plans to return here for a longer stay. Be warned. This place is crazy after school is out in July and August. The beach is full and places to stay are hard to come by. We all had a good night’s sleep again as we made plans to return home and dreams to come back – time frame to be determined after November election results. ;)

View from Mission Hill Family Estate Winery

Penticton, BC