Spoffords Travel

September 20, 2023 Day 6 Victoria 38.2 miles

We are headed to Butchart Gardens today. The skies are mostly cloudy but cleared off by about 9:30. The drive to the gardens was an experience all by itself. We twisted and turned, went up and down on a narrow road that zig zagged between trees. Houses are hidden somewhere back from the road. We saw driveways occasionally. The road is well paved and smooth with no lines. It is barely wide enough for two cars to pass. The speed limit is 15 mph. Eventually we came to a wider road. Unfortunately the surface was much more bumpy.

We arrived at the garden. The entry fee was $29.26 each. Several parking attendants guided us to our spot. Naturally flowers are everywhere. We did see several gardeners working too. The day is now beautiful. Cool but sunny. They have paths marked for wheel chairs and bathrooms in several places. The map doesn’t always show all the paths. A few more signs might have been helpful. Lots of tourists are here because several difficult languages can be heard. Sometimes congestion slows us down but usually the going is good. School age children are definitely missing. That helps with the crowds. A few babies and dogs. An ice cream shop is near the end. One scoop is $6.50 Canadian.

We decided to head for the warf to have fish and chips for lunch. The route takes us right through the middle of town. It’s bumper to bumper traffic plus pedestrians and bicyclists. The stop lights are close together. We had to stop at everyone. A protest was happening at the parliament building. A large crowd was gathered but they looked peaceful. We were lucky and found a parking place very close to Barb’s Fish N Chips where we hoped to have lunch. Parking costs about $3 US per hour. Even though the time was after 1:00 PM the place was busy. After lunch we walked down the pier a little. Water taxis are going all around the harbor. They are yellow with a checkered band. Some nice house boats are there too. Even a B & B on the water.

Back to the hotel for a short rest and then to Costco to fill with gas. The gas bar wasn’t as busy and the gift card worked just fine. Costco gas is ten cents a liter less than anywhere else.

Rob checked a few things on the car and then we watched the Hubley races. These are small Model A cars that race down a wooden track. The timing is accurate to 1/1000 of a second. What a fun way to spend the evening.

September 19, 2023 Day 5 Victoria Canada 27.2 miles

Today is the opening day for the tour. We started with a welcome breakfast of potatoes, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and toast. The kitchen staff had trouble keeping food out. I know they ran out of eggs and bacon. Maybe they need more staff too. Eventually everyone had plenty to eat.

We decided to go to the farm today. The owner has several Model As and the engine like Rob just installed in the woodie. He actually had three of them. One running, one opened up so you could see inside and one still in the box. They own about 12 acres where they raise produce and flowers for sale. He has shops in several outbuildings. Lots for the guys to see and discuss. He also has parts for sale. Rob bought a wheel to replace our cracked one. He had barbecued hot dogs available for lunch.

At breakfast we heard of another garden that was supposed to be very lovely so we decided to go there. The gardens are located in Hatley Park which is located in the Royal Roads University. On the same grounds is a castle built in 1910 which now houses administrative staff for the university. We found the entrance and a large billboard which stated a bear had been seen in the area so the gardens were closed. So disappointing. We drove around some just to look. The forested area has some very large trees. We did see the outside of the castle from the front and rear. Most impressive. The castle is 200 feet long and 85 feet wide.

By now it was getting to be late afternoon so we opted to return to the hotel with a stop at Costco for gas. That is when things got interesting. The Costco gas pumps only accept Mastercard. We only have Visa. The attendant told us a gas station was just down the hill. Another question was would the gas pumps accept a Costco gift card. Supposedly yes. So we headed for the store. A lady at the membership counter confirmed the gas attendant’s comments. She did say that the registers would accept Visa debit cards. We looked for frozen breakfast items but they only had a box of 72 Eggos. The bakery however had raspberry white chocolate mini cakes and apple pastries. We opted for those. Now to the register. Turns out they don’t accept Visa debit cards. Luckily they would accept a check and Connie had a check blank. They will convert your bill to US dollars. When we got outside the weather had changed to a light rainfall. So much for gas. Hot dogs here are $1.50 Canadian which makes them about $1.12 US. It started to rain when we left Costco so we rolled the windows down for the night.

September 18, 2023 Day 4 Bellingham Washington to Victoria Canada 101 miles

No flat tire today. A fuse had blown in the 6 to 12 volt inverter so Rob fixed that. Now his phone with the GPS will stay charged. The first order of business is to fill with gas. A Costco is nearby so we headed there. Obviously the cheapest gas in town because they had thirty pumps and the lines were four cars deep. The price was $4.499 per gallon.

The border crossing was simple enough. Not many questions. So off down the road to the ferry. We arrived about 12:45. A ferry was supposed to sail at 1:00. Our reservation was for 3:00. They asked if we would like to go on the 1:00 pm sailing. We said yes. Much better than waiting another couple of hours. At least three other Model A’s were in line waiting to board. We didn’t wait long and loaded on the bottom level with the big rigs. The trip was smooth and uneventful.

The traffic from the ferry to the hotel was significant. Except for the road signs you would think we were in Seattle. It was like the 405 parking lot for awhile. When we arrived at the hotel quite a few other cars were already here. The hotel reserved their back parking lot for our cars.

We took our box of potatoes to the raffle desk and checked in. The crowd looks all of retirement age. Not too surprising. By the registration numbers there must be about sixty cars ready for the tour.

September 17, 2023 Day 3 Renton Washington to Bellingham Washington 100.8 miles

Oh no another flat tire! Between Rob and his brother Ed they determined the problem was the tire tube. Rob repaired that and put the tire back together. The brothers repaired a few other things to include the latch on the passenger door. Hopefully it won’t swing open when the car goes over bumps.

We met Amy, Madeleine, Meagan and Mathew for lunch and a brief visit. Madeleine brought us a manifold cookbook. Very interesting. She found it at a used bookstore.

Then we went to see my cousin Darlene and Deyane. They live in Kenmore Washington. Good to see them even for only a few minutes.

Now off to David and Barbara Ann’s in Bellingham Washington. The traffic is terrible even up here. However, the scenery is better. More trees and less buildings. They live up on a hill. You can see the lake from their deck. David is smoking a pork roast that smells terrific. Amy, Madeleine and Mathew joined us for dinner. Everything was so delicious!

September 16, 2023 Day 2 Umatilla Oregon to Renton Washington 240.8 miles

Well the tire is completely flat this morning. So after a microwave breakfast Rob went out to change the tire. Getting the spare off took forty-five minutes because there was a problem with how it was mounted. Thankfully the weather is cool. We got on the road about 9:40.

The first part of the drive is very dry and brown. Once we got past the Tri cities of Pasco, Richland and Kennewick Washington we came to the area where lots of fruit and hops are raised. Now its growing lots of new houses and many more vineyards. Didn’t seem to be as many hops. Must be more profit in wine.

By the time we reached Yakima the temperature had increased and it was time for a break and lunch. Lucky for us the area has a Costco which means a better gas price and cheap hot dogs. This Costco also had strawberry ice cream. Connie tried one and said the flavor tasted very artificial. She probably won’t order one again.

From Ellensburg Washington to Renton the temperature was about ten degrees cooler. More mountains and pine trees. The traffic also increases. We did a brief stop at the Cle Elum Bakery for cinnamon rolls and cinnamon bread. Luckily the still had some.

When we got close to the exit to Renton on Highway 405 the traffic really slowed down. We are no longer the slowest vehicle on the road. They are doing major construction on highway 405. Last week the road was closed for four days. That must have been terrible because the road is bumper to bumper in all lanes both directions. Some of the ramps are scheduled to be closed this coming week. Boise traffic doesn’t look so bad any more.

The car has developed a few new problems and sounds. The passenger door comes open sometimes when going around 90 degree turns or over bumpy roads. Thank goodness for seat belts. A clicking sound comes from the front somewhere and when we brake a puff puff sound can be heard.

We made it to Rob’s brother Ed’s house. He says the clicking sound is most likely a broken wheel. The door can be temporarily fixed with Velcro and the puffing sound may be the muffler rubbing on something. We will review it tomorrow. The two guys soon went out and worked on some of the problems and changed the oil and refilled the radiator with antifreeze.

September 15, 2023 Day 1 Boise to Umatilla, Oregon 249.7 miles

We got a late start this morning. Rob still had some things to do on the car and then pack everything in. So we got on the road about 9:45. We are taking the Woodie which does have a newly rebuilt engine in place. First stop is Costco to fill up with gas.

We are taking the freeway this time. Lots of semis on the road. We are cruising at 60 MPH on the flats without pushing the engine. The hills are covered with yellow daisy like wildflowers. We crossed the Snake River into Oregon. More water flowing than some years. We took a break at a rest stop before Baker City. The drive so far has been cool but the temperature is beginning to warm up.

Baker City Oregon was the next fuel stop. Then just down the road to a beautiful city park for a picnic lunch. Lots of big shade trees. The car is doing great so far. It didn’t overheat going up the hills. Next big test will be going down Cabbage Patch hill into Pendleton. Things still going great. Stopped for cold drinks at McDonald’s in Pendleton. The Roundup is going on so lots of trailers for livestock and people.

We had to stay in Umatilla because places in Hermiston were booked full. Rob discovered that we have a low tire. The same tire that we filled this morning. He tightened the valve core and pumped it up. Hopefully we won’t have to fill it again in the morning.

Day 12 May 24, 2023 Tashkent Uzbekistan to Boise Idaho

The check in counter had a long line when we got there. It got even longer before we reached the counter. The process seems to take quite a long time. Signage is not the greatest but we did find immigration. They don’t seem to care what line you get in. Also not concerned about a visa. Through security and down to the gate. Others weren’t coming and then we learned the gate had changed. There were loudspeaker announcements but we could not understand them. Recovery was easy just down the hall. A bus ride out to the plane. We settled in for the five plus hour flight to Istanbul.

In Istanbul we walked forever to the transfer area. Then through security again where they took Connie’s kindergarten scissors. They have been there a long time and normally pass through security checks. Our gate is back where we just came from. The airport is huge. After some effort we got an electronic cart to the gate. We had 1.75 hours between flights and had very little time to spare. Another security check was required.

We flew business class to JFK which was sure nice for the 11 hour flight. The seats and food were much better. We had about six hours here before flying to Salt Lake City. Then on to Boise. We arrived about midnight.

General observations:

You have a choice of hot water or boiling hot water in most restaurants. Both water options are very hot.

The country is very clean.

The country is very safe.

Roughly 92% of the population is liberal Muslim. All religions are accepted and favorably embraced.

The literacy rate is 100%.

All men serve one month to one year in the military. Women do not.

Almost all cars are white Chevrolets made in country. Most vehicles are powered by a propane type of gas.

Muslim call to prayer only on Friday.