From Old American to Canada

A short two hour hop from Spokane brings us into Newport, WA without incident (Does every state have a "Newport"?  Are there any "Oldports"? ... just curious...).  Our campground is called "Old American Campground" ...  and half of it is in Washington and the other half is in Idaho.  Everyone here is really nice.  We are greeted by Lois .. a really nice and friendly camp host, who suggests a really nice place to park, with wonderful views overlooking the river.  I drive up the steep slope to my spot ...  to get into the spot a bit of expert maneuvering is required (I have to dodge a post and a tree on either side).  My neighbor to the left runs out and helps get me in ... Lynda and I have met yet another really nice couple (Ray and Vicci).  We hook everything up and have a nice cocktail with new friends. ...  Very nice!  Here are a couple of pictures of the view from our front window:

One of the "must dos" in this area is called the Selkirk Loop.  This is a 150 mile loop that goes from Washington into Canada and back into Idaho.  It is a beautiful drive if a bit long.  Thick forests of cedar and spruce line the road broken by wide beautiful meadows and the occasional farm.  It travels along rivers and lakes with a new experience around nearly every corner.

We get to the Canadian border and stop at the kiosk on the Canadian side.  I remember visiting Canada in the 60s.  We drove across the border and there was a nice friendly visitors center to stop at and get maps and other information.  There were no accusatory looks and unfriendly questions...  The border guard was a typical government agent ... "just the facts ma'am."  Are you now or have you ever been a criminal?  Are you bringing in a gun? a knife? fruit? unclean underwear? the wrong deodorant? What is you business here?  How long will you be staying?   To this last question, we answered that we were just on a day trip to drive the Loop ... his reply ... "It usually takes 2-3 days to drive the Loop" ...  Oh, I'm sorry officer ... you got me there ...  Undoubtedly, I am lying about my plans ... I really am sneaking into Canada and plan on smuggling out moose burgers ....  So much for the nice welcome experienced in the 60s ...  this is the new century ... the suspicious, unfriendly, century ...  Oh by the way ... Welcome to Canada!

The Loop takes you up around Kootinay Lake.  It really is magnificent.  We have lunch in Nelson, BC.  We go into a couple of places and after looking at the prices settle on a Subway.  We pay $14.00 for a six inch sub  and a six inch sub salad ... when we get home our credit card charges us an additional .47 cents for the international fee ...  Everything in Canada is expensive (apparently the cost of the government taking away your individual rights in exchange for lifetime "care".)  Gasoline is $1.30 a liter (we filled up in Washington and wait to fill up again in Idaho so avoided this expense).  By the way $1.30 a liter equals $4.91 a gallon (1 gallon = 3.78 liters ...  $1.30 X 3.78 = $4.91 per gallon) ...  compare to $3.69 in Idaho ...  The difference is in additional taxes. 

Back to the Loop.  We take a Ferry over the lake (did I mention that it is a really large lake?) with marvelous views on all sides.  As soon as we drive on, we hop out of the jeep and go into the cafe for coffee.  The proprietor stiffs us on the US to Canadian exchange rate so we pay $8.80 for two small coffees ....  again, welcome to Canada ...  the people there were not terribly friendly ...  they were happy to have our dollars, but you get the impression they all wished you would just stay at home and mail them the money. ...  Back to the Loop (Did I mention how beautiful it was?).  Here are a few pics:

The border crossing back into the US was only a bit better than that going into Canada.  You present your passports and then the questions start ...  What are you bringing back into the US?  Alcohol?  Tobacco?  Weapons?  Drugs?  Are you a terrorist?  Did you meet with any terrorists?  Where do you live?  What is the weather like there?  What color is your house?  Who was the President during the Hoover administration?  What was Mickey Mantle's hitting average?  How many passes did Stretch Johnson catch in the 1946 NFL season?  Welcome home ...   ???  What a world we live in!!

We stay close to home for a couple of days and watch TV ... the park has cable and Jim the really nice maintenance manager helps us figure out how to get more than 13 channels ....  we get the whole load of 72 ....  Whoopie ...  we can watch "Pawn Stars".

We hear about a grove of old growth cedars in Northern Washington and are off again.  The last 13 miles is over a really bad dirt road ...  We are really appreciative of our 4X4 jeep ...  When we arrive at the parking spot it is a trail head... so we suit up and grab our walking sticks ...  Did we mention how much hiking we have done lately?  The hike is steep and it rains on us off and on the entire way ...  but we see some great scenery although the cedar grove is a bit disappointing.  Here are a few pics:

Lynda is pretty pooped by the end of the trail ...  ok ... me too.  We are looking forward to our next adventure ...  Until then ... do what you love and you will never have to work.