Life in the Slow Lane - Vancouver, BC Canada

Todays goal was to get to Vancouver, BC, and our Campground. Yes, we did drive though the Highway thru Hell.

We could see what they were talking about. It is extremely scenic. Much of it is elevated with steep drop offs on the side. The speed limits are very high, in our opinion. That is saying a lot considering how the hubs usually likes to drive. He might have done a little bit of wishful thinking as the cars whizzed past us. We decided the real problems arise in the winter and we did not plan to stick around for that! All in all, we totally enjoyed the drive. Much of the area is devoted to the state park system so the forests are untouched and provided breathtaking scenery.

Vancouver on the other hand, not so much. We love Vancouver. The plan was to camp one night in the campground and then leave the AS in storage. We were to pick our daughters up at the airport and spend the week with them and then pick the AS up and head into the US. That was the plan.

Upon arrival the campground did not have our reservation. The attendant looked it up and found it right away and was very apologetic. The campground had a lot of full timers living in rigs that were not in real great condition. The storage area was open and it looked like we were leaving our brand new, shiny Lucille vulnerable. That night I walked Kona around the campground and she, who is the friendliest dog you will ever meet, wanted no part of her walk or greeting anyone we met.

We hatched plan B. Plan B was to take the AS to his sister who lives outside of Seattle, on Bainbridge Island. The hubs thought we could make it there and back and meet the girls at the airport.

So, we set about preparing for the border crossing. The first order of business was to find a business center where we could print the rabies certificates for the dogs. Their health certificates had long run out. Secondly, we had to dispose of all fresh foodstuffs. Thirdly, I got paranoid and decided we had to dispose ALL foodstuffs. Fourthly, we had to pack everything we would need for a week at a hotel. Fifthly, we had to pack everything the dogs would need for a week at a hotel.

The next morning we left bright and early. The border wait was only about 30 minutes. We got through easily, with no additional time eating inspections. We are thinking this is is great until we hit Seattle traffic. Correction: Seattle traffic starts way before Seattle. The ferry wait was very long so we decided to drive around. More traffic.

We get to the sister's house and have to disconnect the trailer, repack the things we need for a week, and give her directions in case she needs to do anything to the AS which is now blocking her driveway. And in the middle of it all, we have to be friendly and chat a bit. (I only say this because we really didn't have time for that.) All the while the girls were sitting at SEATAC on a layover.

We got going again and just made it to the ferry in time. The girls caught their scheduled flight, which took about 50 minutes. Our drive? Hah!

We kept getting more behind schedule at every step along the way. At one point we were starving and trying to decide if we could make it three more hours without eating when we saw a road sign indicating delays due to an accident. We bailed off the freeway and ate lunch at Ivar's. Ultimately, we made it to the border where there was only a 40 minute wait. We ended the day by arriving at the airport 3 hours late to pick the girls up.

Where are the pics, you say? Hah! We had no time for that, we say!