Orcas !

One of my bucket list things:  getting "up close and personal" with the Orca Whales.
I have always thought they were the most beautiful creatures. So, here we are on the north west tip of Washington, the Olympic Peninsula, along the Strait of Juan de Fuca (channel between Washington and Vancouver Island).
The tourist signs call this the "authentic northwest".  It is very pretty. And we did the whale watch thing..... awesome.  Did you know the Orca is really in the dolphin family, and not a whale at all?   
The "resident pod" in this area number about 59, and most of them are well documented (thru photos) and named and numbered.  Whoever the authorities are that do this, track all the family ties that they can .... this year there are 3 new babies.  The white patches behind the dorsal fin.. called the saddle patch is different for each one, and can be identified that way.  The oldest orca in the resident pod, that they have records for, is 104 years old.  And is nicknamed Granny.... we saw her, and we saw two babies. The boat captain estimated there were about 20 orcas spread out all around our boat. Pretty cool.

The dorsal fin gets as tall as 6 to 7 feet.

this was one of the babies following his mama, he kept jumping and playing around

The "resident" pod lives in these waters year round, and they eat fish only.
The "transient" or migratory pods eat mammals, mostly sea lions.

We are hanging out on the Olympic Peninsula for a couple of weeks... then we'll move over closer to Seattle.  There is a labyrinth of peninsulas, islands and waterways thru here like you wouldn't believe.  The area, though rugged, is highly populated; and there must be a jillion ferries to get you across the waterways..... only ONE bridge.  It's is a real puzzle to figure out how to get where you want to go.

Later, Marilyn
P.S. to Darlene:  on the bike trail there was a shuttle to get us and our bikes back up to the top. The easy way to rough it :-)

170 miles and a gallon of ice cream

I've always been a great fan and admirer of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.  As a matter of fact, when we went to Montana a few years ago we traced some of their path.... so this trip I knew we were coming thru Idaho, and started reading and charting their travels again.
One of their stories I like the best is when they encounter and top out (on the continental divide), at Lolo Pass near Lemhi, Idaho.  And what do you know' there is a Lewis & Clark Scenic Byway that takes you over Lolo Pass ! 
So..... being the designated driver and therefore holding the biggest influence in planning our route...... I took us over the pass.   Well the scenic byway was 170 miles, thru wilderness, with a lot of twists and turns.... and Vera.... doesn't do real well with too many twists and turns.  Especially 170 miles worth  :-)
Bottom line:  she says "just because you enjoy ice cream doesn't mean you eat the whole gallon".   So now every time we take off on a drive or sight-seeing excursion; she wants to know how many miles, and if it is one of those "Scenic Byways".  I noticed that in Washington they designate them as "Mountain Drives".  Wonder how long before she catches on.
Some photos from the Lewis & Clark Scenic Byway:

I will concede that "twisty, turny" in a 38 foot motorhome requires a bit more fortitude.

We then made our way over to the Columbia River Gorge (awesome), and today drove to Mt. St. Helens.... (what's remaining of it). 
At the Visitors Center, we watched the film about its eruption.... and the continuing activity of the lava dome. Then we drove to an observation point near the crater.... and we all said "We came, we saw, now let's get the heck away from here".

We are now heading toward Seattle.
More later, Marilyn

Hiawatha Trail

Charlie and I had an awesome adventure...... a 15 mile bike ride on an old railroad bed thru an absolutely beautiful wilderness.  It is a small part of a total 73 miles of bike trail on old railroad right of ways. 

The best part was it was all downhill :-)  The grade was about 1.5 percent, so you could almost literally coast... I shouldn't tell you that secret, and you'd be much more impressed with our adventure.
Nevertheless, it felt like quite an accomplishment to me.... took us about 3 hours.... we stopped a lot to look at the scenery.

The trail starts a couple of miles below Lookout Pass, which is the Montana/Idaho border. The area is really remote and rugged..... a wonderful experience.  Went through  10 tunnels (longest was 1.7 miles), and across 7 trestles. They provided headlamps for the tunnels.

Unfortunately, Vera couldn't go.... she wasn't really "uninvited", but we all recognize that her balance on a bike is rather "marginal".  So she stayed with the dogs and coach.



looooong trestles

and high



this is looking down on the next trestle we will cross below us

Idaho is awesome !   Right now we are in Coeur D'Alene.  Tonight we go on a sunset dinner cruise on Lake Coeur D'Alend.

More later, Marilyn