On Our Way. Really.

It almost seemed that we were never going to be ready, but it all came together in the end.

6:15 AM comes awfully early when you are not used to it. How did all those years of starting work at 6:00 AM or 7:00 AM seem so normal?

Several minutes before 7:00 we were rolling, Art and Tia in the motorhome and Gillian in the Jeep. It's cheaper and easier to take the vehicles on the ferry separately. We arrive at the Coho Terminal at 7:30 just as the gates opened, a few vehicles waiting ahead of us.

The motorhome was first. The agent asked Art if he had a reservation. No reservation. (There had been no reservations available when we tried to book them the day before.) He asked if the Jeep behind was with him. Yes. Some hesitation on the part of the agent, then he took out his tape and measured the rig. 32 feet. He then said, "I'm probably going to regret this, but go ahead".

Art pulled into line behind the only other RV in the lot. Speaking with him later, it turned out that he didn't have a reservation either, and had arrived in the lot the previous evening. Gill and the Jeep were near the front of a line of cars.

Art went up to buy the tickets while Gillian fed Tia. We then headed across the street for our breakfast at the Day's Inn. As we were leaving we notice that the agent who had so nicely let us in was a bit unhappy. It seemed that the rig in front of us had no reservation either and the agent hadn't been aware of that. The agent yesterday had not left a note. OOPS!

Back at the quickly filling up terminal we waited for US immigration to talk to us then took our passports into the office to be scanned then returned to our respective vehicles to wait.

The M.V. Coho soon arrived, disgorged a load of cars and semis and we began loading. And we both made it on. 

Another bright sunny day for the crossing. We almost wondered why we were leaving.

We arrived on the other side and cleared the immigration passport check at 12:15 but the motorhome was sent off to the side for the agricultural inspection. It seems that the list had changed since Gillian had checked it on line. Added—tomatoes! We had several pounds of green ones and a pound or so of ripe and nearly ripe. These were our own home grown Roma tomatoes grown from seed a local stone mason had brought back from the family farm in Italy. The seed has been collected for generations. Small, very sweet and lots of flesh. The rice too was taken since it was in a canister and not the original package showing country of origin.

While Art was waiting for this, Gillian carried on to the Safeway for groceries--things we couldn't bring across. We had been told on the other side about the tomatoes but didn't know about the rice.

Half an hour or so later the Aggy guy was done. Next stop Safeway for diesel and to meet Gillian and hook up the Jeep for towing. After Gillian topped up the gas in the Jeep.

She had also purchased two new phone cards for our pay and talk AT&T phones. However, since we had not used our U.S. phones in over a year the sim cards were no longer active. Now we need an AT&T shop. We know where there is one in Wilsonville, just off the freeway.

The weather continued to be gorgeous, a very pleasant drive down the 101. We were hoping to stop at our favourite lunch stop, the Tides, near Hoodsport, but were not sure it would be open. We seemed to remember that it closed at 3:00 PM. We arrived there at 3:30 to find that we were wrong. They closed at 2:45. Oh well, so much for the chowder. We parked on the dirt in front of the cafe and made a couple of sandwiches, walked Tia, and returned to the road an hour later.

We had thought to turn off the I-5 at Salem and follow Route 20 and 95 through southeast Oregon and planned to overnight at a Rest Area between Wilsonville (near Portland) and Salem. Then Gillian had a THOUGHT! Why not park over night at Campingworld in Wilsonville and get the new folding chairs we had been talking about. The ones we had were getting a bit thin and one had already had had some fabric replaced in Mexico. Also, a support strut for one of the overhead cabinet doors had broken and need to be replaced. Then, while Art was doing that, Gillian could take the Jeep down to AT&T a few miles away and get new sims for the phones.

With one quick P stop for Tia at the Toutle River Rest Area at 6:30, we arrived at Campingworld at 8:30.