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S2000 above Lake Koocanusa
On Thursday we were up nice and early and headed west, crossing over the super-scenic Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier NP. It was a day of driving, and we wound our way around westward (there are no good east-west roads in this area). We took one particularly twisty forest road in the Kootenai National forest that was quite fun.
Glenwood peace relic
Luke and Sophie briefly accompanied me into BC (the road network made the route westward through Canada a bit more direct). Near Grand Forks, BC, we split. As we were departing, Luke noticed some fluid around the driver's front wheel of his car. A look underhood revealed coolant leaking from somewhere, which, as we watched, turned from dripping into a solid flow. Not good! Luke and Sophie went off to find a service station to have their coolant leak attended to, while I headed off West towards Vancouver. As it turned out later, one of the RSX's radiator fins had been punctured by a small stone.
Kennedy's new place
Driving by myself through southern BC, I passed through many interesting towns, including the very resort-like Osooyoos, bathed in warm late-day sunlight as I was passing through. Apparently this spot has Canada's "Only desert", and "warmest fresh-water lake". And various other warm-weather firsts. By the time I reached Princeton, BC, it was getting dark. The road south and west through Manning Provincial park was remote, twisty and probably scenic, although I couldn't see much in the gathering dark.
courtesy Kennedy
 Kennedy and Maia
It had been a long day of driving, and now I just wanted to get to Kennedy's place in Vancouver. Kennedy is a childhood friend from my hometown of Bathurst, NB. We spent many years playing old computer games and exploring the local backwoods of Northern NB. He'd recently had a baby with his wife Jennifer and had also moved to a new spot in Pitt Meadows, BC (a suburb of Vancouver). He and his wife graciously offered a crash spot for the night. It was good seeing Kennedy again (I usually see him every 3 or 4 years or so) - plus he seems to have developed some very tasty cooking skills. Kennedy is an archeaologist by training and is a very good pacific northwest native artwork painter (see link here).
Crossing to Vancouver Island
The next morning I am up early, packed up, and ready to go. I am headed into the downtown core of Vancouver to the MEC flagship headquarters. I have to get a replacement pair of pants for Sophie, whose pants malfunctioned on the climb of Mount Henckel earlier in the week. My time schedule is tight - MEC only opens at 10am on weekdays, and I am supposed to meet Jenn at her work (Victor School in Victoria, a public school for the severely disabled) before 2pm, which means I have to catch the 11am Tssawwassen ferry in order to have enough time. Fortunately, I am in and out of MEC in reasonable time, and the traffic through Vancouver is not too bad. I make the ferry with not more than 10 minutes to spare, and there is still room for me!
Splash of color admist the bland
Churning towards Victoria
Halfway across
This is my first time on a really big ferry, and it is impressive how many vehicles they fit into this multi-decked vessel. My S2000 looks a little out of place in the middle of a sea of big sedans and SUVs. Up on deck, it is a fine day, and for someone who's never done this crossing before, it is interesting and full of new sights. I especially liked the passage the ferry makes through the small islands between the mainland and Vancouver Island.


Friday, September 10

Victor School
Once on Vancouver Island, it was a short drive down to Victoria. I was a little early, so I circled around and around the streets near Victor School, burning off some time. I didn't want to intrude on her last day of work.

Just before 2pm I pulled up and parked (a guy with a guitar case also parked near me and hurried inside). I followed, where I met a very cheerful lady who seemed to know who I was...."you are Andrew, aren't you...? Come with me, it's 2pm, and time for singing!". She led me into the gym, where all of the students were gathered in a big circle, along with the guy with the guitar. What followed was a combination of the regular music session and a going away party for Jennifer, complete with cake, ginger ale, and many heartfelt best-wishes speeches. Obviously Jennifer was well-liked and was going to be missed by her co-workers, students and students' parents.
Jenn's last song time
Cutting the going-away cake
Joan waves goodbye
I stayed at Mike and Cathy's place (good friends of Jennifer's) for the evening. The next day, we carefully fit all of Jennifer's gear into the S2000, proving that the car can be used for an extended trip for two people. If you're careful.
Heading back to the mainland
Luke and Sophie had called, and were at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State. They had gotten a campsite there and the agreement was for us to meet them there at that campsite later on in the day. We left Victoria around noon, and were back on the mainland by mid-afternoon.

Our drive down I-5 towards Mount Rainier was pretty straightforward. The weather was cloudy and gloomy-looking, but it never actually rained. We stopped for groceries not too far from the park, and then headed up into ever-increasing gloom. There were no views of the mountain at all as we approached (and Mount Rainier is quite spectacular, so that was too bad). We pulled into the White River campground late in the afternoon (5pm ish), and the ambiance was damp and gloomy. With the huge coniferous trees of the campground towering overhead, it made for a neat kind of feel. Luke and Sophie were at the camp, reading and getting ready to light an evening campfire. Through the back of our campsite ran the very trail that I had used on my ascent of Mount Rainier 4 years earlier. An interesting coincidence.


Saturday, September 11

White River Campsite
Sittin' round the campfire
Misty Mount Rainier
The next day was [again] gloomy and damp, but we decided to head up to Sunrise, a beautiful high-altitude lookout east of Rainier that offers excellent views (when clear). We got to the parking area and were actually treated to a veiled view of Rainier through the thin tops of the clouds. What an impressive peak. The clouds then closed in, unfortunately. We opted for a short hike up to Burroughs Mountain to see if we could get above the clouds, but it was unfortunately not to be. Jennifer and I got up to 7400 feet on the second knob of Burroughs mountain and still we could see nothing. To top it off, even though it was only September 11, the forecast for the next day was for some substantial snow. Time to head south!
Little Tahoma Peak
Northeast Aspect of Mount Rainier
Fancy rock seat on Burroughs Mtn
Luke, Sophie and Jennifer all were interested in seeing Mount Saint Helens. We went even though the weather was iffy, since it was on our way and because there is an interesting lava tube hike that we could do even if the weather above was rainy. We visited the windy ridge viewpoint and saw the lower flanks of the mountain, which on September 11 was still dormant (2 weeks later the mountain had a fairly major eruptive event that raised its central dome by up to 300 feet in places!).


Sunday, September 12

Desolated area at Mount Saint Helens
Are you cold, Sophie?
Parallel matchsticks
Lower end of spirit lake
Mount Saint Helens herself
We then did the lave tube hike (Ape Cave, which I'd done with Peter and Markus just two years before). All were impressed by the devastated area and with the underground hiking.
Descent into the Ape Cave
Underground highway
Marvelling at the stonework
Nicely shaped tube!
Jenn climbs a lavafall
Luke climbs the fall
courtesy Luke
courtesy Luke
Sophie at Ape Cave
Jenn and Andrew taking a cave break
Topping out
We stayed in a campground near Cougar, WA, on the south side of Mount Saint Helens. I believe it was called the Beaver Bay Campground, and it is situated on the shore of the Yale Reservoir. Nice campground - cheap, and with hot showers included!

When we arrived, I picked what looked like a nice flat bit of ground to pitch our tents on. The campground hosts gave us a knowning look and suggested we pick a slightly higher patch of ground in case it rained, which it often did in these parts. We took their advice, and were glad we did! During the night it rained pretty hard, and in the morning, when I poked my head out of the tent, the spot I had originally picked for the tent was a 2-inch deep lake of water. ooh.. that would have been messy!
where we could have camped
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