After rearranging our things among our suitcases, we went a few miles up the road to Martha’s Restaurant. The building had been an Arby’s. You order at the counter and take your beverages and a number to a table, to which the rest of your meal is delivered. We both had omelets-Jim’s was garden, stuffed with a variety of vegetable; Ardith’s was bacon and cheese. Both were huge and tasty and were served with toast and a large mass of home fries. Neither of us finished our meal.
We drove through a very beautiful pass, past more snowy peaks and for a time paralleling the Columbia River. We attempted to pull off at an overlook, but the road was blocked with about 8 inches of snow.
We also passed an area that had been hit by a forest fire probably 5 to 10 years earlier. There were lots of young trees coming along nicely. Occasional fires are quite healthy for forests.
The passage was along Route 20. We were supposed to take it to Rt. 97 in Tonasket, Washington. When we got to the town, there was a policeman indicating that we needed to detour. We saw some members of the local high school band heading to cars. After guessing our way along back streets, we got to Route 97. Signs indicate that it was Founders Day and that there was a rodeo.
After several miles through apple growing country, we got to the Canadian border. We first were stopped by 2 US Customs agents. I think they like to amuse themselves with border crossers. After asking about where we were headed and if either of us had been arrested, they asked questions like which side Maryland was on in the Civil War. There were two lanes for Canadian customs. One lane had a large truck with 3 cars in front of us; the other had just 2 cars, so we chose that. The first car was gone in seconds. The agents spent a very long time with the car in front of us. About 6 vehicles passed in the other lane. The car in front of us was directed to a spot to be inspected. We got through quickly.
Once in British Columbia, we stopped at the visitors’ center and picked up maps and brochures. When we got back to the car, we saw chewing gum stretched from the car’s tire. 
We drove through more apple orchards, then crossed other mountains and valleys. We stopped at a trail leading to a beaver pond. We didn’t see any beavers, but the water was amazingly clear. The aroma there drove Jim’s nose to nostalgia. When he was a kid, his family had a little log cabin with incense that came out with the trains at Christmas time. The smell was the same – balsam, most likely. It was as intense as the pine in South Dakota, but distinctly different. There was a duck there that was very different than ones I know from the East.
There was a group of cars stopped by the side of the road with people out. They were watching bears. Jim hopped out to get pictures. He was just in time: they started sauntering away as soon as he raised his camera. He though they were brown bears, then had a thought they may have been grizzlies. When he got internet access and a chance to look at his pictures and decided his first guess was correct. Their coloration reminded Jim of the Duke Ellington piece “Black, Brown and Beige”.
Jim hiked another trail in the forest. It was called the Rhododendron – Cascade trail. He thought he would get to a waterfall, but there was none. There were lots of rhododendrons, but none were yet in bloom – probably 1 and a half to 2 weeks away. The ones at home were fading as we left. Jim discovered that Cascade was the name of the Provincial Park they were traversing.
We are staying in a lovely room at the Heritage Inn in Hope, BC. It is more than twice as big as last night’s room and there are plenty of lights.
Dinner tonight was at the Home restaurant within easy walking distance of our room. We shared the spinach salad that came with Ardith’s meal. It was especially tasty, including sharp cheddar, fresh grated Monterrey jack, mushrooms and a house dressing. Jim had a seniors’ portion of schnitzel which included broccoli and a huge mound of rice with carrots, a tiny amount of onion and parsley. He couldn’t finish it. Ardith had the pot roast special, smothered with onions and including mashed potatoes and broccoli. Both were very pleased with their meal. No room for dessert, even though we skipped lunch. Too bad – they had a lot of unusual pies like bumbleberry, raisin and rhubarb.
It got progressively warmer today. A T-shirt was quite sufficient. The car now has 3440 miles. We are one fifth of the way through our journey, but we shouldn’t have as many long runs over the next several weeks.
Beautiful photos!!
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