Leaving Paradise

I guess Nanaimo is not really paradise after all.

For the last few days the rain has returned - not great quantities, but enough to keep the rain forest reputation intact.

Tomorrow, we leave for Edmonton once again. Medical appointments that were made months ago have to be attended lest they get put off into the sailing season. Hopefully the ferries will not be too busy first thing in the morning - the big hockey game and closing ceremonies are not till later in the day. With any luck we will be well out of Vancouver before they close all the roads.

Olympic impact

With the spring-like weather here, you would never guess that there are some Winter Olympic games going on just a few miles away.

However, one look at the ferry overflow parking lot would give you an idea that something must be going on. This is winter here, and normally the ferries are running (if they are not cancelled altogether) at very light volumes. In years past, I have been on late ferries with less than 10 vehicles on them. This lot never has a car in it, let alone having no space at all available. Suddenly all that has changed, as people who are not even necessarily going to the games are heading to Vancouver to join in the party. I guess we could hop on the ferry and join in the fun, but we have never been much on fighting our way through crowds. So for now we will continue to just watch it all on the tube.

This week has been nothing less than spectacular here, with blue sky and sunshine every day. The air is so clear that you can easily see the mountains across the strait. We definitely picked a great time to be back on the island.

Home Sweet Home

First, a short drive to the border, where we anticipated the worst but experienced the best crossing in years. Probably as a result of the Olympic games in Vancouver, the border was fully manned with every lane ready to receive traffic. As a result, there was no wait at all and we were through in under 5 minutes.

Then, on to the Tsawwassen to Duke point ferry. By this time it had started to rain again and when we arrived in Nanaimo it was coming down in buckets. We turned on the heat on the boat and retired to the Pub for supper. It was a cold, wet welcome to the coast, prompting us to wonder why we came back. The boat looks fine though and not much worse for wear for all the neglect for so long.

But, oh what a difference a day can make. We awoke to sunshine and blue skies and warm (12C) temperatures, making us wonder why we ever left. It was nicer here than a lot of the places we have visited in the last three months.

Over the last couple of days, the weather has been a little cool, but overall pretty pleasant. We have settled into our old routine, taking long walks to the harbour for coffee and such. It is a little surprising to see the trees are already starting to bud, and there are already some flowers in bloom. And the grass is that colour of green you only get in a rain-forest.

For the next while we are not planning any great adventures, just paying bills, doing some boat maintenance and trying to get used to the idea of not living out of a suitcase.

And, of course, we are watching a lot of the coverage of the Olympics, what with them going on just across the straight.

Time for the Ark?

All day driving in the rain.
Buckets and buckets of rain.
Non-stop rain.
Can't see the car in front of you rain!
I'm not sure why Oregon and Washington have not slid into the ocean by now. Sorry, no pictures - have I mentioned the rain?
We made it as far as Everett, Washington before we stopped for the night. Tomorrow we should be home in Nanaimo (assuming we can get through customs at the border tomorrow morning).

Luck Running Out!

Reno, Nevada

Yes, our luck ran out in Reno.

Not at the tables mind you. Our car, which has been flawless for this entire trip decided it did not want to leave the parkade at Harrahs casino. We checked out of our room this morning and loaded everything into the car only to discover it would not start - a combination of someone (who will remain nameless) leaving the dome light on for two days and a battery that was on its last legs, resulting in a bit of a delayed departure. Thank goodness for the our AAA card. Within an hour, we had a boost and a new battery installed on site, and we were on our way.

After going over the Donner Pass via Interstate 80, we headed through north-central California's nut growing orchards until we encountered Interstate 5, taking us into Oregon.

Our luck ran out with the weather as well. Fortunately it was fine over the pass (just some scary 20-foot snow banks along the sides of the highway). The real fun started on the last stretch into Oregon, with a very depressing rain on the twisty interstate. At least there was no snow!