We drove over 7000 miles to re-visit Victoria, where Trish grew up, and Paul was stationed in the navy for a short period, we also wanted to visit Pauls sister and neice and her husband ,both of whom live in Comox, then we wanted to visit old navy friends from my Shearwater and Bonnie days, we just missed the Olympics ,but we really visited to Roll Up the Rim, and we won, we got two free coffee while here and will redeem them when we leave tomorrow, would hate to miss a great Canadian tradition!

What a relaxing time in Comox on the Wet Coast, actually it hasn't rained that much, threatens a lot, but the sun shines thorugh most days. Our income tax is done and sent, thanks to Dale on the best Coast! Spent a day with Ken Hutton and then a day with Bob MacDonald, old navy friends, then Ken arranged a mini-reunion here and I met guys I hadn't seen for forty years, it was quite a day. On Tuesday, we will cross into Washington once again and make our way South to much warmer weather in California. One -hundred and four days on the road and seventy-six days more 'til we return to Chester!

Across Canada in April or back to Sunny California, it's a coin toss and we want a coin with two heads, I think the Sunny South is going to win, we know there have beeen some unusual temps lately but you can have snowstorms in April and May in Canada, we plan on staying here until our income tax is done, then probably the warmer climes of Cal, Arizona, New Mex, and Texas will win. We have plans to be in Leesville, Louisiana for Lucy's birthday and Memorial Day, at the end of May. There are some people and places we would love to visit in Western Canada, but the Sun has won! The old truck made it Bernie, we figure over 7500 miles so far, and probably another 7000 to get home! We keep our fingers and toes crossed! Getting the brakes adjusted and checked before taking on the Rockies again! Hello to everyone in Chester Legion, see you in June!

Really relaxing in Comox, with family,haven't contacted any friends yet. Seen Paul's sister and going there for supper today!
Reading about how Halifax is the warmest place in the country, we have been chasing around North America looking for bathing suit weather for three months and not having much luck, we only went to the beach once in Florida, then had the odd really warm day in Texas, then New Mex., then California, but nothing to rave about. Paul's niece has a truck camper here that they are junking and he is stripping it for parts, we got a new door knob, new toilet, new jack straps, and Trish got a nice mini dish rack, and fly swatter, we will be practically brand new when we leave B.C. Hope to get to see a few old navy friends this week, namely Bob MacDonald and Ken Hutton!

Wilderness or Wal-Mart, all the same to us, as long as it's free, one night we stayed at a waterfall sight up in the mountains of Oregon, then last night it was the Wal-Mart in Aberdeen, Wash.!!
They say you haven't been anywhere until you have visited Humptulips, Washington, well, we have been there, but we didn't go to La Push in the bush, we had to catch a ferry. We went around mountains mostly in OR and WA ,unlike CA! We had reservations for the ferry from Port Angeles , WA to Victoria on Thursday morning. we drove into town looking for a campground and seen the ferry loading, we went down and asked if we could get on, in twenty minutes we were sailing for BC a day early! We drove off the ferry and immediately went to Beacon Hill Park, Trish was crying, she hadn't been there for forty-four years! Then we went to the Old Vic Fish & Chips, but the prices were new! $20.00 special, two pieces of fish & chips and a beer for $20.00 bucks, it was their 80th anniversary special, we thought $20.00 bucks was really special, Paul can remember buying enough fish and chips for Sunday supper for six people for .75 cents, Trish can remember her and her mom paying four dollars forty-four years ago!
Then we went to see St. Anne's Academy , the private all girls school, that Trish attended for junior and senior high school! The tears flowed again, and she reminisced about how strict and straight-laced the nuns were! If they could only see her today!!!! We took a photo of the Tudor House and then it was time for a Tim's, our first for three months, well!!! Our first from a Tim Horton;s, we actually had one each morning from our large tin of Tim's in the camper!

In the city of San Francisco you get to combine the crazy traffic with the mountains , I don't think they have a level street! We couldn't fit through the drive-thru redwood tree, we finally left California after eight days , mostly white knuckle driving with 1000 foot drop offs just out your window and few guard rails! Entered Oregon, gas cheaper than CA. Filled up in CA, then saw I could have filled up for $8.00 cheaper in OR! Saw an elk herd! While staying in Humbug State Park, there were men and women showers and one co-ed shower, in the co-ed shower room was a notice warning of earthquakes and tsunamis! I guess if you shower together ,you might feel the earth move!! We camped at a waterfall in Munsen Creek, OR last night, it was spectacular! Will enter Washington today, then take the ferry to Victoria on Thursday , then arrive in Comox on Friday!

Trish video taped us crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, during an earthquake !!!

Joanne, we could not afford any of the boats at Oceanside, CA but we think we found one to come home on in Fort Bragg !

Ask Paul all about Alcatraz, he served 25 years !

We found the last Hippie in San Francisco !

We sat across from this and ate our supper.

Thursday, we strolled the Streets of San Francisco, visited Fisherman's Wharf, Paul had been here 40 years ago in the navy, he wanted to see the tap in mid air, pouring out water in front of Ripleys Believe It or Not, it doesn't exist anymore, just like the Tupperware Museum, Darn! The street people at F/Wharf were great, Trish went to take one guys picture, he said it would cost two dollars to take his picture, we passed, then she went to photograph a calyspo band, again they asked for two dollars, she passed, then we came up to a guy with a sign that said, "I won't lie, I need money for beer!", she went to take his picture and he held two fingers up, I told Trish he also wanted two dollars, he said ,no man, I just want change, that was the peace sign, we seen the last hippie, he is still alive in San Fran. We had fish and chips on the pier with the seagulls and pigeons and weirdos. One bag lady waited behind us for our empty beer cans! They give you the beer in little brown paper bags so you can walk the wharf with it! Our door lock isn't working on the camper, we left it parked on the street for two hours, but we did take our passports and birth cert. with us!
We crossed the Golden Gate bridge in supper hour traffic for Sausolito, then another bout with mountains, when it got dark ,we just pulled over on a turnout and slept illegally , but we slept good! Today we experienced the Wet Coast, as opposed to home, the Best Coast! It rained all day, but we saw giant redwoods, daffodils, and lillies! We are in a marina with all the amenities! A place called Fort Bragg,CA!

Crawling up the California Coastline, and we mean crawling, if it's not traffic, it's scary, steep mountains, white knuckle driving , pull off often to let other traffic pass! Highest highway right up against the coast was 5000 feet. We will not go near the Santa Lucia mountains if we return. Can't enjoy the scenery when your knuckles are aching, don't dare take your eyes off the road! California population is larger than Canada, not counting the illegals and the traffic proves that! We seen killer whales offshore at Malibu! Seen Hearst Castle , then elephant seals by the dozens ,sunning themselves on shore, then we seen ground squirrels and fed them at the next vista! They had an earthquake at the Channel Islands ,near Malibu, the day we left. We are officially members of the "mile-high" club and we didn't even have to get in a plane!

This is what we seen for the first 100 miles entering California !

Paul with the background of the Oceanside lighthouse and yacht club !

Prairie girl sitting in a hot tub overlooking Malibu Beach, CA

Overlooking Laguna Beach, California.

We don't usually go on interstate hwys, but we drove right through Yuma to get to Cali-forn-i-a, we drove across a desert for 100 miles, every kind of dune buggy doing their thing, they camp out there in their trailers and motor homes for the week-ends, then we hit the mountains , steep ,winding roads, 4000 ft above sea level and only 60 miles from the Pacific Ocean. We pulled over an awful lot to let others drive at crazy speeds down the mountains! We seen the Pacific at Oceanside , Cal. then drove to Huntington Beach, camping on the Beach was $60.00 per night, we spent a second night at a Wal-Mart! Then through San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Beach ,Long Beach, Santa Monica and then Malibu. We are staying in Malibu Beach RV Park, sitting in a hot tub, soaking up the Sun. Trish cried at Oceanside, because she hadn't seen the Pacific Ocean for at least 30 years, her dream of returning to Victoria, where she grew up is becoming a reality! Just over a thousand more miles to go! Bernie, the brakes held well, never drove on such steep roads before, changed the oil when we were in Texas! We are sitting out tonight looking at the bright skys over Los Angeles! We never seen one movie star, maybe tomorrow!

We have been able to see snow-capped mountains for three days, but it is the first time we can wear shorts and t-shirts comfortably, what a contrast!

Looking out our back door at our campsite in Bisbee, Arizona. It is an open pit coppermine closed since 1974, I told the owner he was next to an old coppermine with a little gold mine, it was the most we have paid for a site yet!

We finally found our first cowboy movie cactus, a Saguero without a Sombrero, this one looks like it could use a little Viagra!

We are camping on the rim of an open pit copper mine in Bisbee, Arizona, all the houses are on the side of a mountain, very unique! We had to use the A/C yesterday as we entered Arizona, we seen a few mini-tornadoes taking dust up hundreds of feet. Heading for Tombstone today, then on to Yuma , supposedly the Sunniest place in all of North America, in Texas we travelled from A to Z, in Arizona it will be from Apache to Yuma! We would like to hear some more comments on our Quest for the West!

We are staying in Pancho Villa State Park in Columbus, New Mexico, this morning we met a relative of "Wrong-Way" Corrigan, from Oregon! Cactus, cactus everywhere, so many different kinds! We have yet to see the movie ones, they are in Arizona. I think they are called Saguaro?
We also met a couple from North Brookfield, Queens County, Nova Scotia!
This newspaper reporter came to the Columbus area in 1916, he asked an old Mexican if he knew Pancho Villa, the old guy said, I was riding near the Rio Grande and along came Pancho, he pulled out his gun and told me to get down off my horse. He had the gun so I got down off my horse.then he said, now take down your pants, he had the gun, I took down my pants, then he said " Sheet", I sheet, he had the gun, then he said, You eat that Sheet, he had the gun, I eat that sheet! As I was pulling up my pants, I knocked the gun out of his hands and now I said to Pancho, you take down your pants, I had the gun, he take down his pants, now I said, you Sheet, I had the gun, he sheet! Now I said, you eat that sheet, Pancho, he eat that sheet, I had the gun. You ask if I know Pancho Villa, about a month ago, down by the river, we had lunch together!!

We are leaving Alpine, Trish was startled by a Javelina (wild pig) while outside smoking last night, glad we are going tomorrow was her reaction, I also ran into him coming back from the showers, then he ran back past Trish a second time. New Mexico here we come, roadrunners arn't that scary!