September 10th, 2010

I'm back.  I had not forgotten but we were busy and it has taken a while to get my videos/pictures ready for use in my Tally Book.  In the interim we've had a great time!

Wednesday we went to Victoria via bus.  The weather was absolutely beautiful... sunny and not too warm.  We signed up for a bus tour that picked us up at our camp-grounds and dropped us off there too.  It was a great day although long... we left at 7:00 AM and returned at 10:00 PM.  Included in the price was the ferry between Port Angeles and  Victoria, admission to Butchart Gardens and a tour of Victoria.  There is definitely a lot of money in Victoria as well as some very beautiful gardens.

Gayle, this is one I think you should know... why is the pig's nose shiny?

The original Porcellino, or little pig, sits on the south side of the Straw Market in Florence, Italy.  For centuries, his nose has been rubbed for luck making it very burnished.  This little pig was cast in bronze and is called "Tacca" in honor of the artist who created it.

We met another couple, Jan and Tom Bell who are from California.  Tom is retired and Jan will retire next year.  They are a very nice couple that we will definitely meet up with as we go south.

We took a tour of the harbor and stopped at Fisherman's Wharf  to view the floating houses, the seals "begging" in the harbor, and fish and chips at "Sarah's".

We also walked through the Empress Hotel which is now owned  by a Saudi Prince.  They offer a "high-tea" for $55 per person.  Needless to say, we did not partake!  I also think the hotel decor was  disappointing as the lobby had been modernized which didn't go with the rest of the building... funny they never asked me my opinion when they did it - :)

Thursday was supposed to be a day of "rest" after the long day on Wednesday but we wound up going shopping (grocery that is) and doing laundry in the worst laundromat we've seen in all our travels.  After 2 hours in the laundromat, our clothes were still wet so we just took them  home and hung them up.

It seemed that every time we looked at Olympic Mountain it was  covered in clouds and rain.  Apparently that is not unusual in Port Angeles but Victoria has very different weather.  This is not my kind of climate...

Friday we left Port Angeles and headed west and then south.  We took hwy 112 along the coast and expected to see the ocean as we drove.  Well, our expectations were just that.  When the road did come near the ocean, the undergrowth had been allowed to grow up to the point where you couldn't even see water.  Additionally, the road was very twisty where we drove anywhere from 20 to 50 mph and everything in between in a very short distance... driving was not fun.

We did drive to La Push which is a small fishing village where the main catch is crabs in the months of December through March.  They have a short Haddock season (48 hours) and the rest of the time is spent long-lining for Black Cod.  Most of the fishermen  are native Americans.

We decided not to stay in La Push but drove further on to Forks, WA where we decided to stay at a local RV Park... it is nice to have Internet & TV at times but we also miss the National Parks where we have camp fires and peace and quiet.

If you are interested in additional pictures/videos, click on the following link... I am having trouble getting this to the point where I think it is presentable so will publish it in a later Tally.

We'll that's all for now.  Not sure when I'll be back but until then, keep your loops open.