Chpt-16 Canada

Instead of taking this picture, I better should have taken care of what it says. Well, we have taken the wrong turn but got into Canada anyways.
As we have decided to take the ferry to Ketchikan on Thursday, this chapter will probably be a shorter one. We will have to rush through a bit as it is more than 1400km up to Prince Rupert.



Vancouver had the first rain for me since Yellowstone.


On Granville Island you can find all sorts of stores and markets. Nice place!




You can get yummy "Candy Salmon" here.


Reminds me a bit of an old market hall in Barcelona. Many pictures have been taken there, if I remember correctly ;-)


The "Lion's Gate Bridge" over, yes, the Lion's Gate.


The road took us to the rainforesty outback of Canada.


A loooong drive for the two of us.


Next day, the countryside became even more spectacular.


Through my dirty window I could finally see "Burns Lake". Another good place to spent one night.


Next day: oh yes, we're in Canada now!!


I better let the pictures speak:
On the road again. Scenic road almost all the way. Still 600km to go to Prince Rupert.












Now we arrived in Prince Rupert. Ferry goes at 5.15am, and we have to check in 3 hours in advance. So, no Hotel tonight. Just hanging around, eat and wait for the time or the rain to pass. However, tomorrow it will be the ferry to my actual destination: Alaska!

Chpt-15 Olympic Parc / Seattle

Olympic Parc

After a long drive we arrived in Port Angeles and the weather turned out great. However, next morning: overcast. So we asked for weather conditions at the entrance of the Olympic Park. Should be great! That's what we saw up there:


An absolutely stunning view.


Oh, and we had snow again.


Incredible wildlife to see up here. Deer, squirrels, a mountain goat of the size of a horse, and and and...


Why did we ever leave?!?!


Seattle / Everett

Well, we did and were invited to Willa's house. Then we went to Carol's where Dennis, the BBQ-Master, took control over the BBQ-goods.


Well, who would I be if I didn't want to go here: Everett. The main facilities of Boeing. We went on a tour which is absolutely worth every penny! They took us close to the final assembly line of the 747, 777 and: 787, the Dreamliner. For insiders: I have seen maaaany many many desks and computers around these planes! ;-)


There is something in this picture I would not have expected to see...


Once more the facilities including a part of the assembly line, the Boeing "Dreamlifter", the painting hall and the delivery center. On the tour we passed just by over there. Pretty tough to get so close to those at Airbus as a non-employee.


As taking pictures was absolutely forbidden on the Boeing Tour, here what came next: The Museum of Flight in Seattle.


They actually flew with these constructions once.


Built in the 60's, this plane still holds the world's speed record.


Nice. However, I will drive up there...


A Must-See in Seattle, the SPACENEEDLE.


This is what you see from up there.


Well, this is now my last posting from the US for some time. So, time to say good bye to Willa and thanks again for letting us stay at your place for two nights!!


Tomorrow morning we will leave for Vancouver, Canada. Also I am booked on a ferry to Ketchikan, which is the first entry into Alaska, the location I came here for in the first place. Stay tuned...

Chpt-14 Napa Valley / The Coast upwards Oregon

Napa Valley

After driving up out of SFO, our next place to go is Napa Valley, the probably most famous Wine Valley in California. We are booked on the "Winery Train", a mega-touristy train, taking you out through the valley and, per bus, further on to some wineries, tasting their wines.

But having some breakfast in a little cafe, I learned something today:



The interior of the train: all noble, noble, noble.


View out of the window.





Ja ja, now I know, but this time I know more noble.


The locomotive has to turn to the other side of the train. What? That's half way? Already??


Well, no matter how nice these cars might look like, this is when we had to leave. They took us to the wineries where we have gotten so little of wine, that I could have driven home my car after that. However, we walked.


Well, nice countryside, but still sober :-/
(This shirt has seen the laundry in between!!)


Napa is a nice place.


"Cafe LaLa" in Gualala. Had some coffee la la.


The coast, look yourself.




Yeeey, I did it!! :-)


The entire tree once more. They carved the hole out at some time in the 30's and the tree is still growing.


They do all kind of things to trees here.


One even built a "Travel Log" out of it. However, the guy who did it intended to show people how important it is to preserve these trees.


Ah, right, Dennis has a tent now!


"The Avenue of the giants"

A scenic drive through an area where you can find the very largest trees in the world. Check out their diameter"


And their height!


Some of them are even inhabited!


Join us on our drive through these giants:


After seeing more trees than we can take, it was a scenic drive along the coast. An absolutely stunning coastline. No comment, just see yourself:










At night in Brandon we found a restaurant which served the best food I had so far in the States: a Seafood Platter. Different sorts of fish in an absolute superb sauce.


Das gibt's hier in Dosen!!!


What in this picture proves, that it has not been taken in the Harz Mountains???


The smallest VW-Bulli in the world.


Some more impression from the coastline.


The (new) Tacoma Narrows Bridge. It's predecessor had some bad luck. After only a couple of weeks after opening, the entire bridge collapsed in the 30's because of its insufficient aerodynamic characteristics.


Now we have left Oregon and arrived near the Olympic National Park. Updates will follow...