US/Canada Travels for 9.23. 2010

The world according to the Greynomad

Washington, Oregon, California

Lets back up a bit, getting back to Olympic National Park, there I was
at Ozette, part of the national park, waiting for the day to begin
when Mother Nature decided that from the west to the east coast rain,
lots of rain was due. It continue for 2-3 days with no let up.
Spending 2 days cooped up in the Goatmobile was just not my cup of
tea. So south bound I was finding another military installation that
offered up an RV/tent site. So for 2-3 days I spent traveling up and
down Washington State routes 109/105 chasing Geocache's. Hot showers
every night, free movies, reading PD James novel "The Murder Room" and
having the Pacific Ocean within 200 meters.

Next leg was following Route 101 south over the border into Oregon at
Astoria and by luck again another military base that had camping
facilities. I'll be here until after Labor Day before heading east
toward Mt Hood and down though the center of Oregon following the West
Cascade Mountains. It is Camp Rilea for 4 days chasing the small
containers, Labor Day weekend, lots of traffic. The weather has been
quite nice when you consider what I had along the Olympic Peninsula.
This coastline of Oregon is quite nice with small communities as you
travel. Some of the housing facing the ocean in the Lexus Mercedes
neighborhoods are a million plus. The summers are nice but the winters
are wet and windy, very little snow if not none at all. I believe that
anyone that lives here on the coast grows a bit of green mold……………it
goes right along with their personalities.

Anyone that goes out Geocaching without long trousers or long sleeve
shirts is just asking to look like a wounded warrior. Even with the
clothes mentioned, it's many of days that I have looked like I've been
thrown in the briar patch.

Before I go any further I want to thank everyone for showing so much
compassion concerning my sojourn in the Spanish Jail. Especially those
heart retching comments on Facebook as to what I can do with the
monies.

Through the Oregon West Cascades we go heading for Klamath Falls. I
would love to be here in the winter when snow is on the ground; the
photography has to be just magnificent.

Into Collier State Park it is for 5 days, 30 miles north of Klamath
Falls, Geocaching to all points of the compass. I leave on the 13th of
September for Lake Tahoe, California. From there it's a quick trip to
Long Beach, California shipping the Goatmobile back to Hawaii. The
nice thing about Oregon State Parks, if you are a disable veteran,
there is no fee for your stay.

Into sunny California following Rt 97 until you get to Mt Shasta then
its route 89 through the Sierra Mountains. The Lassen National Park is
a must for those traveling south. Thinking of traveling Route 89
during the winter, believe me 4WD and chains and a lot of the roads
are closed due to snow. And Route 89 is a motorcyclists dream ride
plus the small communities along the way. Getting through Lake Tahoe
took some doing but once south of the lake traffic thins out, a
beautiful ride though and a great place along the way for pic's that
if you can fight your way through the traffic. South of Lake Tahoe you
lose Rt 89, which turns into 395, still enjoyable, and a double lane.
The price of petrol is $$4.10 but go 25 miles in any direction and the
cost varies from $2.99 to 3.25. per gallon.

There are some communities in the sierra's that I would move to in a
heart beat but
alas my daughter and son would not tolerate their favorite dad being
so farrrrrrrrr away. Matter of fact in this last faux pas with me
being in jail in Spain they were the first ones who told me to pack it
in as far as sending monies to get released along with the other low
life relatives from Maine to Georgia.

Deciding that I had to go through Death Valley for the third time, you
follow Route 395 to 120 to 6 back to 395 to Big Pine. This is where it
gets interesting; from Big Pine you turn east on Route 168 before you
pickup Death Valley Road. The first 25 miles is paved but after that
its gravel for the next 40 miles. Forty miles of washboard, hemorrhoid
adjusting, miserable bloody road. Me thinks the last time this section
of road was worked on was when Noah launched the Ark. As it is
September, the temperature in the shade is 100 degrees, but anything
is better then when I came through Nevada in July time frame when 110
was the norm.

The Goatmobile is scheduled for shipment to Hawaii on the 22 September
minus all the gear I've been accumulating over the last two years. The
vehicle is so dusty that I need to find a sheep dip tank somewhere
just to get it to the point of being acceptable for shipment to
Hawaii. There is enough dust/dirt on the vehicle to start my own wheat
farm.

Getting back to Hawaii, especially the townhouse on the hill, is not a
happy thought. Traffic, noise, people, and more noise, especially
after being on the road for 5 months where at times the only sound you
heard was your breathing. But next year we shall venture forth and
rediscover North America again with new Geocaches and the open road.
Those of you who were fortunate to follow my travels via Facebook can
expect the same next year, especially my travels through the jail
system in Spain!

If none of you have ever experience driving the maze of freeways in
the Los Angles area then you are in for a treat. Let me set it up for
you; 2-4 lanes wide, truckers in the 2 right lanes, everyone going at
70 mph, space between vehicles are measured in inches and of course we
have the race track enthusiast weaving around the vehicles as if their
life dependent on it. Now add multiple turn offs that everyone from
the far left lane have to move to the right in less then a hundred
meters, the inches that were originally there are now reduced to a
nano inch (no such word in Webster), but you get the drift.; that's
the LA freeway…………
If it weren't for the GPS directing me to the vehicle shipper I would
be still out there in the maze.

There is one more blog that puts everything into BS scenario and as
I've said before without the Facebook pictures you are only getting a
part of the travel log.

Aloha,

Norm
The Greynomad

Help me out please

Hope you get this on time? Sorry I didn't inform you about my trip to Spain for a program, I am presently in Madrid and am having some difficulties here because i misplaced my wallet on my way to the hotel where my money and other valuable things were. presently my passport and my things are been held down by the hotel management pending when i make payment.

I need you to help me with a loan of (€2,600 Euro = $3,300) to pay my hotel bills and to get myself back home. I will appreciate whatever you can afford to assist me with, I will refund the money back to you as soon as i return, let me know if you can be of any help? ASAP. I don't have a phone where i can be reached. I am so confused right now. please let me know immediately

Your help is much appreciated,
Best Regards
Norm

US/Canada Travels for 8.31.2010

Alaska, Yukon, British Columbia, Washington State

Alaska in 10 days, plus another wind shield and the pleasure of the visit. Of course going through Canadian Customs is always a pleasure especially when you declare 100 liters of wine for self-consumption. I will not even bother you with that wonderful ride from the Canadian Border south for 100 miles. They should really set it up as a carvenial ride, that way everyone has a very good idea just how miserable the road is. Then I have the bloody trip to Watson Lake before you can even think of going somewhere that means anything. But its okay as I sit here at the very southern end of Klune Lake, had 2 cups of Mom's wine and thinking of the bakery shop in Haines Junction tomorrow morning, fat pills to the max, life is good. What I forgot to mention was that it rained all night, wind blew and it was not a pleasant event getting everything together in the morn for the days trek.

First stop was the library at Whitehorse then another 450 kilometers to Watson Lake where I'll be turning south to Prince Rupert. Well we get to the junction for the southern turn and we find out that the road is closed to a raging forest fire that has already burned over 100,000 acres of land. It's the largest one burning in British Columbia right now. Being that it is late in the day and the fire marshal might let a convoy of vehicles go tomorrow morning if the fire is contained. We and there is a healthy group of people waiting to go south, will wait until morning before committing to the only route around the fire being it adds another 2 more days of travel. The following morning brings no relief and by all accounts I have 2 days of extra travel to get around this problem.

Did meet a retired US Army couple from Alabama waiting in line though as you had nothing to do but talk to people all day. The wife had shaved her head and has Obama on front with Sarah Palin tattooed on the back. The husband walks around a with a toupee, one foe each day of the week and a pony tail that is completely out of wack with the toupee's. From time to time you could hear them chant verses but its okay, they're retired……..

Not only does British Columbia provide great scenery, road construction, smoke from the forest fires but a gas bill that easily exceeds $250.00 getting around this road problem to Queen Charlotte Islands. I have never pushed the Goatmobile as hard as I did averaging 110 – 120 kilometers per hour for 2 ½ days to make the Saturday morning ferry to Queen Charlotte Islands. I made by 20 minutes pulling into Prince Rupert ferry terminal. Getting to the island is a 7- hour ride and if the ferry is ¼ full, consider it a busy day.

The first day was spent chasing Geochaches and as I got only 1/10 and the one I did find was last signed in 2006. Me thinks I am chasing ghosts of past Geocaches but I still have another 3 days here I just might up my find total to 2. If you come to the island try to bring as much food as possible as the prices will make you poor very quickly and as an after thought try not to buy food on the ferry either.
Queen Charlotte provided 2 days of sunshine after that it was overcast, rain and a very fresh growth of No-seeums (bugs) that where the worst I've seen. My hands and face looked if I had a bad case of smallpox but I keep forgetting that I was enjoying myself. Having had enough fun I left a day early and what amazed me was the number of people that come over with me originally where going back as early as I.

Off the ferry at Prince Rupert at 1800hrs, drive until midnight, sleep 2 hours, and then back on the road for another 3 hours before I crashed again. Spent a short stay at the library in Prince George before heading south with the State of Washington on the horizon. Heading south on route 97 pretty much humbug but once you pass the town of Clinton everything changes dramatically as you are now in the Cascade Mountains. Reminded me of going through Idaho with mountains on both sides of you. One of the nicest provincial parks to stay at is Lac le Jeune, no showers, but after 15 days who cares!

It is Washington the next day with petrol at just $3.00 a gallon, traffic, and attitudes on the road. That night found myself staying at the guest quarters on the US Naval Base Whidbey Island. A bed, hot shower, and 300-channel telly for $40.00 per night and you can just believe I reserved the room for 2 nights before I climb back into the Goatmobile.

The Goatmobile just crossed the 70,000-mile mark with 25,000 miles to date on this particular trip. We find ourselves heading for the Olympic National Forest then south along the Washington/Oregon/California coast.

Geocaching as "Na Kupuna", my handle, has gone over 350 found caches since April. If for any reason you would like to see where I've been go to the Geocaching web page and type in Na Kupuna. It will list all of the caches found through out the trip, enjoy.

The night was spent at Falls View National Forest campsite on route 101 after spending the day getting through Seattle and Olympia. Another primitive site which provides a loo and picnic table. From there its north to route 112 Geocaching as I travel. Ended up at Ozette, which is at the very end of the road with limited facilities but it does have potable water and flushable loos. The site has 2 boardwalk trails to the ocean both 3 miles in one direction. No wheel vehicles are allowed on the trails and didn't I try to convince them I should be allow otherwise. The park ranger just looked me in the eye, NO……….

My cooking has improved besides boiling water, I now take a can of chicken breast, drain the water, drop the contents into a fry pan and cook the chicken until it's a crispy brown. This along with the cuppa of black box wine has made the trip so much more enjoyable…………………..aloha
Norm
The Greynomad