The man from the Clapham Omnibus

Thanks Lee it's good

All went swingly except for a move to a different gate till yours truly boarded the Alaska Airways night flight from Seattle to Orlando . I got on almost last , checked my boarding card and sat myself down in seat C15 - one of the few remaining empty seats . The last few stragglers had taken there seats and I had just taken off my boots when a smart looking lady , backed up by a not at all effeminate steward told me I was in the wrong seat . Surprised I checked my boarding card . There it was in black and white print - C 15 , problem was this was the old gate number not my seat number . I duly got up , grabbed my boots and hat and walked silently to the back of the plane to my correct assigned seat . Every eye seemed to be on me and for the first time in as many years as I care to remember I actually felt myself beginning to blush - It had been a long day ! Met up wilt Lloyd and the staff at Eagle Management who manage my Florida property portfolio . Stayed at 628 which was luckily av...

After gifting the sleeping South Africans with my no longer needed camping gear I took the early Port Townsend ferry . I sorted out my growing pile of goodies and checked out the free Naval Underwater museum at Keyport . It is excellent and worth a visit . Next the beautiful Island city in the trees Bainbridge Island and the big ferry to Seattle . Revisited the Museum of Flight which I popped in to on Labour Day and saw the actual museun . Decided to finish where I had begun and Visited American Life .I got my green card by the eb5 route by becomong a partner in a company which is helping regenerate SODO and employing Americans . Henry was on a fishing trip to Alaska but Jo took time out to chat about the business and things . She even recognised me from my earlier brief visits . The Investment building has come on a long way in the last month and the site was a veritable hive of activity . Hit the Museum of flight and did the laundry . Despite the sat nav ( GPS ) I still got to SET...

After a good nights sleep at my new friends Bill and Connie's house I had to take back a book I borrowed from my new Friend Darrell . We met up for a Maccy D in Oak Harbor with another friend . He offered his guest suite again but I was not sure where I was going to be later so I said I'd call . I went for another look at Langley . I am still enchanted with the place . Spent a happy hour walking about , met an English ex pat who had almost ( but not quite ) lost her accent . Everyone smiled and had time for each other . Had an omelette and ended up in the bar above the excellent Star Shop - (one of two in town) Everyone treated me as an old friend . Headed to the state park to renew my acquaintance with the South African Family working as assistant rangers but all was quiet so I Crashed out in my old friend the Blue Jeep for the last time . It is preferable to sleep under the Pine trees surrounded by happy American campers than cheap motels .

I revisited my thoughts on Port Angeles and its people . I think they seem the kind of folks you would like on your side in a bar fight . A bit rough and ready , diamonds in the rough . I definitely would not want to get on the wrong side of them . They have a good SCUBA business which helps divers find buddies through a card system instead of a more organised club . The houses near the down town area are relatively cheap and possibly a good investment as Webster park limits expansion to the north . I looked at a 1500 sq foot plus full basement and garage -A fixer upper but sound for a mere $165,000 . This would due to its central location rent well at about $ 800, a return of about 5% - a good one but at the moment not for me . I just don't want to tie up funds till my family is more settled . urThen there was Sequim . The businesses looked a bit more recently painted and the people a bit smarter . A smaller but very walkable downtown and other retail/services areas just a short d...

My last scenic detour of the trip was to Cape Flattery , the farthest westerly point of the continental " lower 48 " Even after seeing all the Oregon and Washington coast I have seen in the past few weeks the view is still breathtaking . There are also many deadly and easily accessible cliff edges with no stupid warning signs . The height of the cape gives a view down onto pine tree covered island stacks and glimpses into huge tall sea caves .( pictures here ) Finally got to Port Angeles which is also having a Twilight resurgence . It is bigger than Port Townsend and smaller than Bellingham . It has a dive shop and gives easy access to the mountains and the sea . Hiking hunting fishing diving boating ( inc kayaks ) Just an hour away by ferry from Victoria BC and 2 .5 ish from Seattle . Has a good walkable downtown with close by residential blocks of cheaper than PT housing . It has its own Cinema and Wal-Mart . It has a speedway track where I spent my fathers day evening for ...

Went on the mossy and spruce trails just before the Hoh rainforest visitor center opened at 9 . Although only two miles I did not finish till after 10:30 and I could have taken longer . Weird tree forms ! Diff. pic. lnk. Next Ruby beach , still aching legs from yesterday but again spectacular ! Went back to Forks which is riding the wave of a "Twilight " phenomenon and on to the hungry bear cafe for a steak - and the best wi-fi of the trip . headed to cape Flattery to camp for one last scenic detour -back to home hunting tomorrow . Here is me behaving like I was almost 15 not 50 !

Had a great night for only $12.00 then discovered no showers or even hot water on site . Early walk by lake stunning whistled and chatted to myself because I wanted to avoid bears and cougars . Drove up to Sol Duc Hot Springs along a glass clear fast flowing mountain stream with many good photo opps . Behaved like a kid and walked across a deep section on a fallen log (Pics here ) The springs did little for me so I headed for the beach Realto Beach - and La Push beach two , They are very photographic - a must see ! The walk to beach two has great shaped trees . Look like giant trolls turned to timber . Got a $1:50 shower at the local gas station shop . Entered the " twilight zone " of Forks Washington " a good honest loggers town but a bit spread out for me . They also measure their annual rainfall in feet not inches . I'm off to the rainforest tomorrow , will talk later . Nighty night !

Boarded the PTExpress at 0850 . Good crew , good passengers , good weather , good luck , good sightings , good stop in Friday Harbor , good legion museum , good icecream , good journey back , good drive to Crescent lake , good photographs , good campsite , Overall a really good day . A good time was had by all . Good ! More Picture here and here I think they are pretty good

Woke after a fitful sleep and a clear head . I booked another night in room 1 to take a day out for whale watching . Visited Hadlock and Irondale . They were not for me . Went downtown by jeep criss-crossing Port Townsend along the way . Walked the length of Water Street with occasional side detours .Ended up at the desk of Louis Scheck at Windermere real estate . Had a long talk and learned the advantages of this Victorian town of 8,000 . It is only two hours from Downtown Seattle via the continuous Bainbridge Island ferry service which offers good parking . It has a bus y schedule of events and is very walkable . In addition to the mainly touristy businesses of downtown it has another heart Uptown where among other more generally useful businesses it has the Uptown Bar which has live music and a busy darts club . ( pics here ) This would suit my family well . I headed for the nearby gun club jeffersoncountysportsmen.org which is run by an ex Alaskan Bush Pilot who li...

Said my goodbyes to Darrell and Cindy and headed back to Langley to look at that house As my builder friends back on the “Island” would say it is pissed ,as bent as a nine bob note , built with an Egyptian spirit level . I found the reason why when I went into the lower level garage . Some maniac had dug out a basement in the sand under the building . In fact he dug it so close at such a steep angle and below the foundations . This house could be demolished by a water hose in the basement or even by a severe downpour I would love to save it but not anywhere near the price the bank are asking . Maybe the building is listed and they just wanted the plot so were trying to destroy the house to clear the site or for insurance I’m going to let you in on a little secret . I’m a logical matter of fact kind of guy . I like mystic people but generally don’t take these things too seriously . But ! And it’s a pretty BIG BUT ! I had a weird experience , a totally unexpected emotional experience wh...

After a good nights sleep under the pines I went back to Langley for another look . Just 100 yards prom downtown I was drawn to an old red British phone box . It was outside a slightly sad looking place with an exterior lockbox . It was obviously neglected and empty and for sale I was interested . Location location location .As it was early on Sunday I did not pursue this interest . I took a few more pics of beautiful charming Langley and headed north towards Coupeville . As I passed a sign for the Central Whidbey Sportsman’s Association I did a left to see what shooting they offered I happened to walk in on a familiar range briefing . I explained my situation to the man running the shoot lyndell and he invited me to tag along . On stage one he offered me a .22 rimfire to have a go . By the end of stage 5 I had been given a 9mm Glock and a Smith and Wesson 8 shot wheel gun in .357 magnum and was writing down and adding up the times . This Speed Steel competition is a mont...

I was going to take the day off from driving . I was drawn to Langley and went to their library for free wi-fi but got there too early as it opens at 11am on a Saturday . On a whim I decided to try out Whidbey Islands free bus system . ( It is not free of course but is paid for by a 0.6 % sales tax instead of charging passengers ( riders) a fare ) . I rode the hourly bus to Clinton which was 15 minutes late on its trip from Oak Harbor . A local told me that here they operate on “ Island time “ a phrase “Calk heads “ will be very familiar with . WARNING TO CALKHEADS OVENERS AND OTHERS WHO TRAVEL REGULARLY ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT ! THE FOLLOWING PASSAGES CONTAIN DETAILS OF THE COSTS OF TRAVEL IN THIS REGION WHICH IS LAUGHABLY CHEAP COMPARED TO ISLAND PRICES ! at £1.00=$1.50. I took the ferry to Mukilteo which is FREE to foot passengers leaving the Island , the costs being covered by the high price paid by foot passengers going in the other direction ( $ 3.95 ) and the outrageously exc...

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about people and the way they are effected by their environment - the prevailing culture . Almost every personality wants to fit in with others thus they quickly conform to the behaviour patterns they witness around them . Here in the Pacific Northwest they really do seem to follow the golden rule - Treat others as you would want them to treat you . They always seem to have time for each other . This is self reinforcing , If you are good to others in your daily dealings that goodness really does spread around and even from a selfish point of view , in a small community , it will be passed back to you eventually . In the anonymity of a big city however this is not directly true . As people have smaller communities ( i.e. family , friends ,neighbourhoods ,clubs , societies etc.) within the larger ones ( Wheels within wheels ) behaviour patterns conditioned in these more personal environments are continued into the bigger ones thus there is still a cultu...

I awoke to find I had not been dreaming and I truly was a guest of two fine Americans . On there advice I first went to the small picturesque town of La Conner . It has a compact selection of excellent mainly tourist shops with small blocks of charming houses adjacent . It is growing but still has building land close by . A definite possibility and a good opportunity to get an ideal house built in a good yet affordable location . There is an excellent wooded park at the end of the down town area . There is a red iron bridge there known as the " rainbow bridge" which crosses over onto the Indian reservation . I crossed this bridge and looked at the retirement community living on land leased from the local Swinomish people . They were out in force raising funds for their upcoming canoe racing regatta by washing passing cars in exchange for donations . I still had desert dust on my rental jeep so I made a contribution . Anacortes somehow doesn't seem to have a single less th...

The angry young man in the baseball cap pulled to the side of the road blocking my path . Should I drive swiftly past him and make my escape ? It was entirely my own fault ! I had let time slip talking with an elderly lady about gang troubles in Sedro-Woolley . I then made a poor rushed left turn somehow missing his large 4wd truck as I crossed through a gap in the traffic . I decided to stop and face the music . " I'm terribly sorry " I said ."It was my fault I am an English tourist and I missed you completely .I am used to driving on the other side !" He smiled broadly " That's O.K. buddy , I just thought you were shouting at me ", his hand shot out palm first , grasped mine for a firm and totally sincere handshake ." Have a great day, Welcome to America ". ---In London I would have got a mouthful a fist or even a knife , here a handshake and a welcome ! --- Only in America "what are you going to do for work when you move her...

Verbage to follow .... i'm in the pub .... I started the day with a tour of the largest building in the whole world . The Boeing assembly plant at Everett WA. I wont boor you with the numbers but it could house all of disneyworld Orlando and still have 14 acres of covered parking to spare , It is B I G ! Met an ex marine called Wendle who invited me to see a restoration museum nearby .I was tempted but actually got itchy feet and decided to fire up the Jeep and enter the big city they call Seattle , Here I got lost in a marble tile an glass monolith - the home the Regal bank and many other leading businesses . I opened an account as they are linked to American Life and this will make my banking life easier .Here I met an actual Australian and was amused to learn that they are constantly asked if they are English . This was a big big building (pics here ) .$10 lighter for parking I headed along the radius of the rough circle I had drawn around Seattle and within 15 minutes...

Slept fitfully - sheet was too cold sleeping bag was too warm . Hit road early . It's weird but I have now driven 2,500 miles on my own without the radio or any music and the only time I was bored was briefly in a rainy Portland traffic jam ! Today visited the small ( ish ) towns of Spanaway , Sumner , Orting , Buckley and Enumclaw . The Jewel was Enumclaw which had a great central area but was not as cheap as the very pleasant Orting which has grown very quickly and thus has traffic problems for commuters and many bargains due to foreclosures . Both are worth considering as are close to Seattle ( football and everything ) and also Pacific Raceways . I had a long chat with Tom Fulkerson of the American Home Center who manufacture and deliver ( inc full site preparation ) manufactured homes . I was very impressed with the size , quality , construction and price of manufactured homes and am not surprised that they represent 30% of all homes on the market and would consider them quite...

Decided Kelso is not for me after checking on city data .net . As it was Sunday I decided to go on a detour to see Mount St Helens or what is left of it since the 1980 eruption . Is it really that long ago ? First drove to Castle Rock for a photo opportunity at the rock - couldn't find it as its covered in trees . Asked a policeman and made him smile .Went to the top for a view . Blocked by trees . took one picture ( added to general album ) . after many photo ops I reached the Johnson Ridge Observatory took pics got cold went into the film show which ended when the screen rose like a curtain to reveal a full view of the mountain itself . Unfortunately low cloud shielded the interesting parts all day . The rangers talk outside was extremely good ( wear warm clothing ) and not to be missed . They always seem to give a good mix of dry facts , human anecdotes and humour Went on the one hour walk called the Hummocks after the terrain created by the eruption now quite green . Was highl...

Vancouver is smaller and to me much nicer than Portland and many Americans commute daily across the Columbia River . This living in WA and working in OR also has the advantage that it is cheaper to buy things in Oregon as they have no state sales tax whereas Washington charges less property tax on residents . They also let you pump your own petrol . I have also yet to see a sign warning me of the illegality of unmuffled engine breaking . I went to the local Wal-Mart ,always. . . . . . . a good place to get a feel for the locals and it felt right . I discovered a place to shoot locally called the English Pit so I checked it out . Everyone was friendly but it was a business with no club or competitions attached so no good for me . As I liked Hood River so much I decided to check out the north bank towns of Camas and Washougal . They both had a really friendly small town feel and I would defiantly consider them as good places to live though a tad expensive - not surprisingly as they are v...

Visited the Lloyd Mall in search of wireless broadband with no contract . Found it , paid took it back to my cheap motel and it got no reception . Went to bed without posting anything . Woke early with no call to find out if the city tour was on . Drove south and looked at the following small to medium towns . Oregon City . Woodburn . Independance Dallas and McMinnville which was the best . Also visited the Evergreen aircraft museum . I then had to go back to the Lloyd Mall to return dongle and conveniently to get picked up for a 3.5 hour city tour . It was raining and the roads were crowded beyond their capacity so I had to queue much of the way back to Portland . Went on interesting historical tour . no one spoke much except for the guide . Tourists were from New Jersey and Russia .Saw many more ugly miserable or drunk looking people as we drove about . Back in the Mall it took 30 min. to get contract cancelled and have to post back the dongle myself . Glad to get out of the city ! I...

After a pleasant evening in Burgerville uploading files and chatting to the customers I crashed out only to be woken at 4 am by my alarm clock which I had set at that time for my afternoon nap . Went back to Burgerville early and finished my blog then went in search of waterfalls . Do not trust GPS - I wasted an hour in the wilds on dirt roads again and was glad to get back to the Dalles with a single small waterfall picture and one of a spillway . Then I head3ed for Hood river and Portland . I took the detour to the Bonneville dam . say a tug moving 3 huge badges downstream then the recommended detour along the old highway and another labelled waterfalls route . They were spectacular . especially the hour climb to the top of Multnomah Falls . I actually came down singing . Facebook pictures here . I then drove to Portland . It poured down the traffic was horrendous . The motel Internet was rubbish . I could not arrange a city tour . I drove to the mall to get a clear Internet don...

No sooner had I left Redmond heading North when I saw a brown sign pointing left to a viewpoint . Will I or wont I ? I dithered and then decided as it was early to check it out It was stupendous . More visually impressive than The Grand Canyon . Pictures here ! Called the Peter Skene Ogden Viewpoint . The Old Crooked River Bridge Don't miss it I almost did. Hit the road again - Followed another brown sign into Culver drove through town kept driving saw flat land for miles , went back to Culver drove about pulled into small place for breakfast . Got some advice - " You must visit the Coves " I did its also a must see . Pictures here .Also I had a scary experience following my nose to the balancing rocks as seen in the film about the dog and cat crossing America .I drove right past it twice for over one and a half hours on dirt roads without seeing another person or vehicle ! there sure is a lot of land here ! Then headed to The Dalles - not the Yorkshire Dales though it ...

As is my way and it seems with all Oregonians I greeted the Indian owner of the greenways motel in Redmond like an old friend and chatted widely . On hearing of my plans he said I must go to Crater Lake . I argued but he insisted so South I went . As he said it was unmissable only just ( almost ) fully open because of the snow . The national park is around 1,000 square miles of trees . The road around the rim of the crater ( US spelling ) is 30 winding miles long . In an overused word Breathtaking . Pictures here ! Went back by Downtown Bend . A beautiful low rise center with a grid of shops Emma ( my 19 year old daughter ) would just die for with an adjacent riverside park . Lovely . Went on to the Smith Rocks ( pictures here ) just by Redmond . You may well recognise them from western shootouts filmed here . Then returning to my old room and a cheerry welcome from its host , pleased to see me again .

Junction City to Redmond - Uphill all the way ( almost ) Slept better now the van is fully kitted out . The Bugs got me last night but I will ignore it . Tip take insect repellent ! Went into Junction city It was quaint and friendly but as I have learned in this state friendly is a given . Took back my Verizon mobile broadband dongle to avoid being tied for two years . Will have to rely on wireless networks which do seem to be pretty universal here . Toured Eugene and Springfield ( population 150,000 ). A tree lined Downtown with few of the tall buildings I had expected . A college town . Headed east along the McKenzie river . First twenty miles or so countryside was beautiful - like the best parts of southern England . There is even a place called Cheshire here in the Willamette Valley . The road steepened , the trees got thicker and the river faster and more narrow . Passed many boat launch sites . The river has some wider parts where you can fish and of course is a favourite for w...

After a fitful sleep - Select as many reasons from below as you think . I did not have enough pillows , I haven't been camping for years I am too old ! I turned in too early It was too hot I had an early walk on the beach with my camera to say goodbye to the Oregon coast for a while .I showered, broke camp and went in search of a map of California to plan my route . It seems that although its only five miles away the Oregonians see no need to have a map of California , I mean , Why would you leave Oregon for ? I failed but got a really good map of Oregon and was informed by two people in the gas station that my search for my perfect place was over as I had found it - Brookings Oregon ! Please note American phraseology creeping in ! I went shopping in Fred Meir for more bedding then in hunt of breakfast went to a local Sunday market . Here I purchased a hand tooled leather Leatherman To think in England this sweet lady would be shunned as an arms dealer pandering to the base instinc...