Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington

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Lining up for lunch on the run

Pike Place Market

View from our lunch table over Puget Sound

King Salmon that Murray hopes to catch in Alaska

Jumbo Shrimp AND Jumbo Scampi

I have heard of Fiddleheads, now I have seen them

Bright, beautiful summer berries - the huge strawberries were $2.50 punnet

These bouquets were only $10

Bouquets made to order

This building reflected the clouds that moved across the sky

Oh my goodness. I have a few sisters, sister-in-law Yudian, and brothers-in-law Bill & Peter, who I am sure would have thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Pike Place Markets in Seattle with us today. I wish they were with us to share the pleasure! It was absolutely fabulous. Anyone who loves taste-testing and seeing fresh market food, seeing local crafts & appreciates beautiful flowers couldn't help but enjoy a visit to this place. We had a 25 min bus ride into the city for $2.50 apiece, and then enjoyed the plethora of sights & sounds of the market. What a busy and fun place to spend several hours. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and we were ready to enjoy whatever was on offer.

We wandered around for awhile revelling in the market vibrancy, then found a great place in the market for lunch that overlooked Puget Sound. We watched the ferries in the harbour as we enjoyed clam chowder and a cheese philly steak burger. We then wandered for another hour just absorbing the atmosphere: listening to the various buskers and watching the merchants as they advertised their wares. Across the road I found a delightful French Patisserie which sold decadent French pastries, so we rounded off our outing by having afternoon tea (expresso coffee and chocolatine (like a croissant with chocolate inside and topped with flaked almonds)) before we caught the bus back to our RV park. The patisserie overlooked the market and provided a passing parade of people & police on horseback. As we meandered back to our bus stop, we noticed one of the horseback policeman going up and down each alleyway. One way to maintain security in the numerous allies in downtown Seattle.

The red route is where we were last week, smiley face is where we are now, and blue is next week

Some deer at our last campground

The pub frequented by us & film crew

Beautiful scenery as we drove along

And again...

Looking up to Mt Olympus

Picturesque Port Angeles - heading to the harbour

Our current campground overlooking the bay - Murray hearing about halibut fishing

It amazes me to note that the temperatures in Alaska are warmer than what we are having here in NW Washington. That aside, we are enjoying our time in this region. We spent a few days on the coast at Copalis Beach. Around from our RV park was a little pub, so we wandered up there for a meal one night. How did the LA film crew know I was in town? I just can't escape! So instead of having a quiet meal in the pub chatting to some locals, 40 movie crew personnel had booked dinner there and it was a noisy affair. Thankfully they had a late shoot, and after finishing their meal and with a few words in their earpieces from the Fat Controller, they vacated the pub en masse. They were filming some science fiction movie called 'Safety Not Guaranteed' or something like that. Should be out later this year. Continuing to the most NW point of Washington state, we rounded the peninsula and drove east to the pretty city of Port Angeles at the base of Mt Olympus. Across the bay is Vancouver Island, Canada, and the city of Victoria. You can take a ferry from here to there, but we are calling in there next week when we kick off our Alaska RV trip. The next town of Sequim is where we pulled into an RV park overlooking the John Wayne Marina. Across the bay to the north is Canada, and to the east is Seattle. We'll stay here for 4 days and enjoy the view.

Mount St Helens Volcano, Washington

Mount St Helens volcano before 1980 eruption

Without its cap - post eruption

How we saw it yesterday, covered in snow

Dust (on rose petals) from explosion as far south as Portland, Oregon

This tells the story...

This tree stump is still standing to illustrate the story

Ash blackened landscape with tree remnant

Snow lined road

We loved the drive up

Finally: Murray locking the door of the RV at Johnston Ridge

In May 1980 (I was 6 months pregnant with my second child at the time) the awe inspiring Mount St Helen volcano, about 2 hrs drive south of Seattle, Washington exploded, precipitated by a series of earthquakes. Yesterday, Murray & I drove about 1.5 hrs from our campground to check out the area. The furthermost and closest accessible point, within the actual 'blast zone', only opened to traffic the day before we drove up. We weren't surprised either, as there was still several feet of snow in patches. The snow clearing machines would have had their work cut out clearing the roads in readiness. The winding, climbing drive up to Johnston's Ridge was beautiful - but stark at the same time where evidence of the blast zone was present. Despite it being the 31st anniversary of the eruption, many areas of blackened landscape remain. Burnt beyond repair. If you just drove up there and looked at what is left of the mountain (the top blew off and just a crater exists), that is one thing, but to see the videos and hear the story of what happened before, during and after that fateful day is really mind blowing. We called into 2 of the visitors centers, and watched 3 different videos. There were also great informative areas, showing a timeline and displaying memorabilia from the event. Scary really. We are now in a campground by the beach. We can see the Pacific Ocean from our RV, and the sun is shining - the landscape couldn't be more different!

Last Days in Oregon

Driving north on Oregon Coast...

Still driving...

A new vista at every turn (or tunnel)

Lewis & Clark - end of trail

Canoe docking location

Magnificent St Louis Arch (with Tina, Mike & Murray, 2007)

What a lovely coastal drive north to the aptly named & very popular town of Seaside, Oregon. While Murray was out on his walk, he met a local couple Kathleen & Bill who kindly invited us to a halibut (they fish in Alaska 3 weeks each year) dinner at their home, which was just across the road from our RV park. We walked over and arrived just in time to see a coyote slinking off into the woods and Bill hanging up his gun (hoping to scare it off). As well as coyotes, they often have elk in the back yard. While we were there horses were grazing happily, and a whole flock of wood ducks were waddling past the back door. The halibut was wonderful and the company was great. We really enjoy hearing about how the locals live - Bill is a builder and Kathleen is an accountant -their lively stories related to town politics and also Bill's hunting experiences. They have lived in the area all of their lives - and he tells of huge salmon (one was mounted on their wall) caught in the 'crick' not far from their property. All the big fish are gone from the rivers now...so they fly to Alaska instead. With their catch, they host a halibut dinner for 300 people each August at their home. It really is some house...Bill was hoping we would stay a few more days so that he could take Murray out Clam fishing, as a 'clam tide' was coming up in a few days, but the weather was cold and wet, so we decided to keep moving north. But not before Kathleen shared some tasty halibut recipes with me. Thanks Kathleen!

The next day we called into Fort Clatsop, Astoria (Oregon) which all Americans will know was the end of the journey for Lewis & Clark's (intrepid & most renowned adventurers who were first to do the western crossing to the Pacific Ocean, mapping the whole route). They crossed the Rocky Mountains and arrived in Oregon (it was just wilderness then) in November 1805. They built a winter fort, Fort Clatsop, and Murray & I checked it out under our umbrella - yes, it was a damp, cold day. We also saw the point where they docked their canoes at the mouth of the Columbia River. A truly amazing expedition that lasted just under 2.5 years and is remembered historically as the 'expansion of the west' and symbolised by the Gateway Arch in St Louis - the tallest man-made monument in the United States. Murray & I went up in the arch back in 2007 with St Louis friends Tina & Mike. That is when we first heard & learnt about Lewis & Clark. Now we have been to both Lewis & Clark winter camps - the other one being in Mandan, North Dakota.

From Casino to Ranch to River

Escalante, Utah

Riverside, near Spokane, Washington

Pecan Grove, Texas

Friend's Ranch, North Dakota

Favourite: Audubon Lake, North Dakota

Seaside Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada

State Park, California

Utah

Friend's Farm Fordyce, Arkansas

700 acre Ranch, Oregon

Current site, Oregon

One of the simple pleasures at the end of each travel day is arriving at a new campground. I guess the thrill could be sort of aligned with the excitement of moving into a new home - only our home is already set up! So for us it is usually all about the surroundings, as the amenities are fairly consistent - the only amenity variations usually relate to how many cable channels you get and how strong the wifi is. We choose some campgrounds for convenience en route, nature (trees, gardens, river, beach or animals), amenities (cable, wifi) or simply because it is one of our club campgrounds & we get 50% discount.

Three nights ago we were in a campground connected to a Casino. It was centrally located which is unusual for a start, as most campgrounds are on the outskirts of towns or in isolated areas such as State or National Parks. It was within a few metres of a department store and the Casino's restaurant. Two nights ago we were on a 700 acre ranch, overlooking a reservoir and surrounded by cattle. Our current site is right on a swiftly flowing river - a beautiful view - and within walking distance of the town. Tomorrow night we will be right on the Columbia River in Portland Oregon, looking across the water to the state of Washington. I have provided a selection of campgrounds photos for you to see how they differ. Except for the photo with the elk, you should be able to spot our RV in every one.

Delayed farewell to Salt Lake City

That's our campground in Salt Lake City - we'll miss the mountains

These 2 dogs live in the RV with their owners - pretty sunset walk

Great Salt Lake

Salt produced from the lake

Driving to Nevada

Murray taking photos of 3 girls on the Salt Flats

Fordyce on the Cottonbelt Salt Flats

Creating a map of Australia on the Salt Flats (didn't forget Tassie!)

The stunning snow capped mountains were about to become a thing of the past as we were driving out of our campground in Salt Lake City. One last stop to say goodbye to the campground hosts, and we would be on our way. As Murray bounded back to the RV to drive us westwards, he noticed our right front tyre was looking a bit flat. He checked it with his gauge, and sure enough, it had a lot less pressure than it had only a few hours earlier when he tested it. Darn. Being a Sunday, the main tyre businesses were closed, but fortunately a truck stop was able to help us out. It turned out some dust or ice must have affected the valve after Murray checked it early in the morning, but by the time it was checked, and re-checked, it was found to be ok and there was no puncture. However, as it all took time, we ended up checking back into the same campground.

The next day we headed west for the Nevada border. Before we got there, on our right for many miles, stretched the Great Salt Lake itself. We drove past the big salt producing mine and reached the Bonneville Salt Flats where the speed race for the 2005 movie 'The World's Fastest' Indian' was filmed.

Once you pass into Nevada, as well as having to turn your clocks back one hour (we are now on Pacific Time) you notice most towns have a casino. One dusty little town had a service station, a few houses, and a casino - that was about it. We drove on to the city of Elko - it has a population of about 17,000 and it has 5 casinos. We found one that had its own RV park, right in a central location. It cost less than half the nightly rate of the other two full service campgrounds, yet it had 30+ cable channels and free wifi. The restaurant in the casino is well patronised, and as luck would have it, today is their TBone steak dinner special. A 10 oz T Bone with choice of potato (baked, mashed, or fries), vegetables, baked garlic, and salad for a whopping $7.99. Afterwards we checked out the slot machines (pokies for us Aussies), and when Murray had won his $5 back with $2 extra, we went home.

We aren't noticing as many RV's on the roads this year - I think I may have already mentioned this. Instead of losing money, the campgrounds seem to be making up for it by accepting a lot of permanents who work on projects such as road works or pipeline construction in the vicinity. Owning a caravan/trailer or motorhome, workers can follow the job around and take their home with them.