It is still a gorgeous drive through incredible county. This time we cut across the tip of Colorado taking a secondary road to reach Laramie, Wyoming. We stopped for lunch in Rawlins. Most rest stops in Wyoming warn of rattlesnakes so we were wary as we walked through the grass to a lonely picnic table under a cottonwood tree. You leave the rangelands of Wyoming and enter Utah through a canyon of red rocks (see photo). Spectacular scenery. Our destination was Best Wester Canyon Pines where we had stayed before. We couldn't remember the restaurant where we'd had supper so googled Polygamy Ale, the beer we'd enjoyed last time. For some reason, we didn't forget that name. Up popped Roosters Brew Pub and off we went. It was hot (35ºC/95ºF) but we didn't want to sit in AC so opted for the shaded patio. We asked for Polygamy Ale but they didn't have it anymore. Turns out it is only served at their second location in Layton, Utah. So we opted for Patio Pilsner and it was excellent--very refreshing.
We shared an order of calamari served with Cajun remoulade and Louisiana hot sauce. Glen had developed a love for hot sauce on this trip after he discovering Tabasco sauce on scrambled eggs were a great way to start the day. Then, I had the Ahi Rice Bowl, billed as a Light Plate, while Glen went with Roosters Ravioli. Both were tasty.
It was off to Oregon the next day. We forgot about the change to Pacific time so arrived early at our hotel in Pendleton. But first we passed through Idaho. The first rest stop in this state tells you about the Ferrugingous Hawk. I didn't see one on our first time in the state but did this time so I could check it off on my life-list of birds. It wasn't the only bird I added on this trip. I had seen Whooping Cranes as we entered Colorado although it took awhile to convince myself I had. But, they couldn't have been anything else! I also saw a Say's Phoebe in Mesa Verde. The story behind this bird's name is interesting. The nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte named it after Thomas Say who was the first scientist to see the bird near Cañon City, Colorado in 1819. Say (who discovered 10 new bird species) is actually known as the father of American entomology (not ornithology). Go figure.
The meridian of Idaho's Interstate 85 was awash with wild sunflowers which gave us a colourful drive and of course, we saw lots of fields of potatoes. I thought I'd give you a bit of trivia about the Interstates we traveled. The I-15 which leaves Sweetgrass, goes south through Montana and snakes its way to San Diego (2306 km/1433 mi), the I-90 which we took across Montana and picked up again in Washington state on the return trip, runs from Seattle to Boston (4860 km/3020 mi). The I-25 which goes through Colorado begins in Las Cruces, New Mexico and ends in Buffalo, Wyoming. Most interstates mark their exits by numbering them, starting at their southerly or westerly beginnings. So an exit 5 miles from the west border of Wyoming would be #5. Makes it easy to follow on a road map--and yes, I used paper maps!
Instead of staying in downtown Pendleton, we opted for a Best Western hotel (Pendleton Inn) on the highway. It was a quick drive down into the valley for supper at Prodigal Son Brew Pub, Pendleton's first craft brewery. It was a busy place enjoyed by families -- they even had a playroom with toys and books for kids while they waited for their dinner. We drank A Beer Named Sue--anyone who is a Johnny Cash fan, has to order this. It was called a Golden Ale made with barley and hops from the Pacific Northwest. The food was also from local ingredients and we enjoyed sharing Red Hot chicken wings although, Pendleton Sunshine sauce made with orange habaneros sounded tempting. The menu had lots of vegetarian options, unusual for a ranching community. I had the largest grilled portobello mushroom (appetizer) I've ever seen. I added Swiss cheese and sweet potato fries to make it a meal. Glen loved his Pit Boss burger with bacon, cheddar, and roasted Jalapeños.
In 2010, we spent a day in Seattle but this time we made the push for Victoria. Unfortunately, we made the mistake of not having lunch before hitting Seattle traffic. Our nerves were frayed when we finally stopped at the outlet mall north of the city. After lunch, we headed for the border. There was a 30 minute wait but our Nexus cards came in handy as we were through in 5 minutes. We had hoped to make the 3:00pm ferry but missed it by 10 minutes. As is our custom, we dined at Christie's Pub once we got settled in the condo.
Victoria was a whirlwind of socializing. Robb (Dutch friend) golfed with us at Mt Doug three times and Janny, his wife, joined us on the fourth time out but always met us for coffee after our 9 hole round. Monica (Slovenian friend) had a surprise operation so we visited her in the hospital and were thrilled everything went well. Diane and Tony (Manchester friends) had us over for coffee and we joined them for lunch at Smugglers Cove pub one day after golf. Tim and Ed (California friends) arrived on the cruise ship, Norwegian Pearl and joined us for supper at the The Beagle Pub. We met Iain and Janet (Scottish friends) at the Irish Times pub and were thrilled Glen could walk downtown with no hip pain. We drove 'up island' to the Crow and Gate pub south of Nanaimo to meet Murray (Canadian) and Yvon (Georgia, USA). We also did a day of crabbing at Sidney. Glen got out his bike and drove, with a picnic lunch, to Willows Beach and I walked down to meet him. We also went to our favourite breakfast place, Shine Café.
Normally on the way back to Calgary, we stay in Salmon Arm but everything was booked so we made reservations at the Best Western in Sicamous. We love the patio at Joe Schmuck's Roadhouse but we got there too late so had to eat inside. We snagged a table by the open patio door so the summer heat warmed us. Our room at the hotel was actually two rooms (3 queen size beds) sharing a bathroom so good to know if we ever travel there with family.
As we drove toward Golden the next day, the morning sun created tree shadows on the road. Its light flashed against the side of my head and I wondered if that's what caused the ocular migraine I experienced last year. It was like a strobe light hitting the corner of my eye. By wearing a hat, I avoided the problem this year so we made it home without incident. Yay!
After unpacking, we headed to our local pub (no, there are never enough pub experiences) for supper. We'd just ordered veggie pizza to share when who walks in but Meg and Mike. Our server didn't know we were related so she was about to tell Meg that her favourite table was taken. Getting caught up on all their news was a great way to end our holiday!
