Spoffords Travel

October 8, 2023 Day 1 Boise Idaho to Logan Utah 305 miles

We left home about 9 am. Had to stop at Costco to top off the gas. Then onto the freeway. We will go that way for at least part of the day. We are headed in the general direction of Salt Lake City, Utah.

The stretch between Boise and Mountain Home is as boring as usual. Not even a jackrabbit or tumbleweed in sight. The windmills were actually turning today. They do seem to have more of them. We can definitely feel the wind on the car.

We stopped at the new Maverick gas stop in Jerome. We actually bought lunch there. Lots of other folks were doing the same. They have tables inside and outside so we ate at one of those. As we left Connie found a dime. That makes one more for the slot machine at home.

The land seems greener than expected. Touches of red and gold add to the color. We decided to stay in Logan Utah. That was a bit out of the way but better options. Major roadwork was occurring on the road into town. Therefore we had to take a significant detour. We wished we had known that sooner.

The GPS didn’t have the address in the correct location. Then the blockades on the street made getting back to the hotel very difficult. Not sure how you tell them about that. The hotel clerk said the turn restrictions on the road were very recent additions.

September 25, 2023 Day 11 Lewiston ID to Boise ID 264 miles

The skies were very cloudy. Luckily no rain had fallen overnight and it wasn’t currently raining. When Rob applies RainX to the windshield it usually doesn’t rain. Most of the drive was very windy. Traffic wasn’t too bad. Only minor construction. Still have traffic slow downs by Smith’s Ferry.

The grain fields around Grangeville have all been harvested. We stopped in Riggins for a picnic lunch. The rivers are running low as expected for this time of year. Going down the hill out of Grangeville was slow going. Model A brakes aren’t the best so we downshifted and used the engine as a brake.

We got home about 5:15. Good to be back.

1,827.5 total miles

20.02 average miles per gallon

$4.68 average cost per gallon

Total of 3 flat tires – No nails just poorly manufactured new inner tubes

September 24, 2023 Day 10 Creston BC to Lewiston ID 228 miles

We woke up to wet conditions. A fair amount of rain fell overnight. Hopefully the car will start. We loaded up and sure enough it started easily. We needed to make two stops before leaving town. One to get ice for the cooler and the other to get a quart of oil for the car. Our motel doesn’t have an ice machine and they have stopped selling ice for the season. Only one of the numerous automotive stores is open today and it doesn’t open until 9 am.

Forgot to mention that our room has a two burner stove that sits on top of the refrigerator. We have never seen anything quite like it. However the cupboard only contains two glasses and two tea cups. That most likely explains why the drip trays under the burners are so clean.

We got the ice and oil. Both are in the appropriate place so off we go. The US border is only about ten miles away. No line here. Very few questions so we are soon on our way again. The skies remained cloudy the entire day but no more rain.

The scenery continues to be beautiful even though we can’t see much. We left the windows down all day. That means the side windows are like looking through waxed paper about 9” by 18”. The view out the front is dotted with bug remains. The front visor also obstructs the view.

The landscape changes greatly on the drive. Mountains and pine trees give way to rolling fields. We passed through Sandpoint and stopped at the Coeur d’Alene Costco for gas and a hot dog. We shared a table with a very friendly couple from Spokane who were also retired Army. Lunch lasted longer than intended but was most enjoyable. Rob also adjusted the brakes because they weren’t working as well as usual. There was a marked improvement in our stopping ability.

Coming down the hill into Lewiston seemed very cloudy or smoky. What should have been a beautiful view wasn’t. We did see a turkey cross the road. I think others must have been there. Early in the day we saw an elk farm. Very tall fences and several head of elk in two different pastures.

September 23, 2023 Day 9 Princeton BC to Creston BC 288 miles

This morning is very cloudy but not raining yet. The room doesn’t have a microwave so there is no way to make tea. With the water quality alert not so sure we want to use this water to drink without a hard boil. Undoubtedly somewhere in town has coffee for sale. We headed out looking for the grocery store. We saw two deer in town before coming to a gas station. We filled with gas and got a coffee and hot water to go. Gas stations are few and far between.

We followed along what I think is the Kettle River. RV parks and camp grounds are fairly frequent. Lots of them are beside the river in the trees. Most have vacant spots so we are obviously past the busy time of year. Most are smaller trailers. No big motor homes nor fifth wheel trailers.

The vegetation is primarily evergreen with a few deciduous trees scattered between. Some of them have turned bright yellow. A few are deep red. We are surrounded by tall mountains. We went over six mountain passes so going was slow.

We saw two more deer and six turkeys. Frequent signs implied there were deer, elk, moose, big horn sheep and bears.

We came into one town with numerous farm stores. Apples, pumpkins and squash were in all of them. Some of the apple orchards were training the branches to grow similar to grape vines. Bet those apples are easier to pick. Vineyards are also common.

Somewhere along the way we saw Big Foot. He was a bit stiff and very dark in color. We also saw a bunch of fence made from old tires stacked like bricks. These Canadians are very clever.

Near Kootenay Pass a few raindrops fell. Not enough to turn on the windshield wiper. The sky looked very threatening however. Lots of chain up spots all along the route. Also signs saying all cars and trucks are required to have winter tires on and carry chains from October 1 to April 30.

We drove all the way without stopping for lunch. I guess the audio book was too good. Going up to Kootenay Pass was a long uphill climb. We rarely got out of second gear. Luckily there is a passing lane most of the time so we aren’t slowing down traffic.

We checked into the motel and then went to Tim’s Fish and Chips. A one piece meal comes with two pieces of fish. Busy little place and tasty food. Back at the motel Rob put a new fuse in the inverter. Looks like we will go through Idaho to get home and bag Glacier this time.

September 22, 2023 Day 8 Victoria BC to Princeton BC 237 miles

This morning is mostly sunny. Some of the cars left early to catch their ferry. Our ferry is scheduled for 11:00 am departure. We are supposed to arrive 30-60 minutes early. The drive should take 30-40 minutes. We filled the car at the Costco next door and then headed out. We passed the farm store where the first poker stop was yesterday. We arrived well in advance. In fact we were the first in line for the 11:00 am ferry. Three other Model A’s left on the 10:00 am ferry. Another one of our group arrived in time for our departure.

We visited with that couple for the entire ride. They said the Eggs Benedict on the ferry was really good. We decided to try it. Unfortunately they were sold out by the time we got there. We will safe this thought for another trip.

Off the ferry and off we go. Traffic is heavy most of the way. One major construction area really slowed things down. Not sure what they are doing because big equipment is working way up the hill.

We turned off the freeway onto Highway 3 with a warning sign about the distance to the next gas station and that the road was steep and windy. They were right on all counts. Another major construction project was happening on this stretch too. The road was in pretty good shape. Tall mountains are all around. We followed a river for part of the journey. Most of the way was two lanes with a passing lane every few miles. Rob pulled over if the passing lanes were not enough.

Finally stopped climbing and began the descent into the valley where Princeton is located. Those are 7% and 8% down grades. Keep in mind the brakes on a Model A are not the best. The scenery through here was really terrific.

Our hotel has a water alert going on. Don’t drink the tap water but it’s okay for showers, coffee and tea. Not sure the coffee pot gets the water hot enough and there is no microwave in the room. We will figure out a solution before morning.

Rob checked the car over and all is well. He did a Rain-X treatment on the windows since the weather forecast says that there will be rain tomorrow.

September 21, 2023 Day 7 Victoria Canada 77.8 miles

Today is the grand tour with a poker run. The day is mostly sunny. The tour is to start about 9:00 am. Most cars left before that. We headed out and misunderstood one of the early instructions and were headed the wrong way. We soon figured that out however and stopped. A school crossing guard came over and gave us instructions to get back on the right road. Luckily we didn’t lose much time or distance. We didn’t spend much time on main highways. The first poker stop is at a garden shop. Most of the cars got there before the car with the cards. They really got lost. We even got there before them. We drove through all kinds of neighborhoods, coastline and towns. Many of the roads are bumpy. The locals say because they are built on rock. Well those rocks cause the roads to go up, down, left and right. We spent most of the day in second gear.

At one point we had to wait about ten minutes due to a big construction job. Some of these guys drive really fast. The end destination was a small farm where the cars parked in a field. There were two big shops where we had a barbecue chicken lunch. After lunch one of the attendees gave a seminar on oil and sludge. Then back to the hotel.

This evening was the closing banquet. They awarded various prizes and made all the thank you comments. Connie won the table center piece. Now back to the room to figure out how far we might get tomorrow.

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.