To make a long story short, back at McKay Truck we found the rig parked in the lot. We packed away all our stuff, paid the bill (ouch), hooked up the Jeep and pulled out of the lot at 3:37. Port Angeles here we come! We had made reservations for the morning Coho ferry so would be home tomorrow,
Knowing that today would be rather long, and that Gillian would rather not drive the 101 up Puget Sound in the dark we planned out route to give Art a bit of a break before we got there. Fortunately the weather looked very promising for the trip.
Art started out driving and though we were into rush hour(s) the traffic was moving well. Even the 405 look around (now through!) Portland was uneventful though busy Once through Portland via the 405 loop and back on the I 5 we pulled into the rest area at Exit 11just into Washington state at 5:20. The dogs were a bit disappointed in that they didn't get a walk; we were on the high way again 5 minutes later with Gillian in the left hand seat and Art reclined in the right.
At 6:45 Gillian stopped at the mile 91 Rest Area just south of Olympia where we stopped for 20 minutes to feed and walk the dogs. Rested, Art returned to the driver's seat and in a few minutes we left the I 5 for the 101 to Port Angeles, estimating 2 1/2 to three hours enroute.
On the shoulder of the 4 lane highway leading in to Port Angeles we stopped to disconnect the Jeep. Art carried on the the motorhome with the dogs while Gillian followed along in the Jeep. At 9:45 we were at Safeway taking on fuel. Good thing we weren't much later: they close at 10:00PM!
10:15 we were in the ferry lineup, just past the Tourist Office. We took the dogs for a little walk around then decided to see what we could do for dinner. We were getting a little peckish! It had been 12 hour since lunch.
Almost beside us was a wine bar called appropriately enough, Wine on the Waterfront. We had thought about it before, so in we went. Finding the entrance was a bit of work and the stores below were closed. We finally found the way up and took a couple of stools at the bar.
Our luck being what it is, the kitchen was closed.
However all was not lost, we had a glass of wine, then another, as we considered our options and chatted with the bartender (who happily was quite knowledgeable about wines). They had a few small thing to offer including individual pizzas made locally daily and cooked there as they were ordered so which we took a chance. Good decision. We were both pleased, they weren't very big, but big enough.
Back outside the wind was a bit brisk so the dogs got a final quick walk and we were off to bed.
Saturday, 30 March
We were awake early enough for Art to boil the kettle and make a cup of tea, Gillian would get one later from the espresso stand beside us. We hadn't needed an alarm because the Espresso stand starts setup around 5:30!!!
One the gate opened we got into the outer parking lot where Art had to wait for the rig to be measured before walking inside to purchase his ticket. Gillian was infront of us in the Jeep and was able to drive-straight in to the inner lot via the ticket office. There was a lot of construction inside the terminal lot due to new security measures and devices being put in place hence all the traffic behind that entrance was sent onto the outer lot.
Art took this opportunity to make a bowl of oatmeal in the microwave using the inverter--sure sucks the amps out of the batteries! Gillian fed and walked the dogs and went over and got her coffee.
Mean while we enjoyed the view. The weather was beautifully bright and sunny, the Olympic Mountains were spectacular. We took a few photos from the lot, the motorhome on the right of the photo under the red Olympic sign is ours.
9:50 the ferry arrived at the dock. Once unloaded we had customs to deal with. We were just a tad over our duty free allowance--the heat pump alone put us into 4 figures! We don't try to fudge anything, nothing is worth being on their S*** list for the next 7 years!
By 10:15 we had paid the taxes and we clear customs, Gillian on her way home directly, except for a quick stop for groceries. Art, accompanied with the dogs, went to the Sani Dump provided (free) by the local Co-op, to empty the holding tanks. We cleared the dump site at 10:55 and were home at 11:15 AM.
13,233 kilometers since leaving home last October.
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