After a good night's sleep, we rose, got breakfast and coffee, and headed out to catch the noon ferry out of Sidney, B.C. Instructions told us to be there by 10:30 a.m., and we had no problem arriving at 10:23. As we waited in line to get on the ferry, and be checked by customs, I saw 2 little red-headed birds, probably finches, nibbling on the seeds of a bush by a fence. They were so cute, I thought I'd snap a close-up picture. But my camera wouldn't turn on. Uh-oh. Why won't the camera work? Uh-oh. I left the camera battery in the charger in the motel we just checked out of. I bolted to the officer checking cars in to ask if we would be in time for check in, if we returned within a half hour to check in. Since we had a reservation for the ferry it was no problem. We left our place in line, U-turned and high-tailed it back to the motel to retrieve the battery and charger, and were back in line within 15 minutes.
It would be appropriate here to note a few oddities about British Columbia. Their road signage is awful. Coming into a rotary, there were no printed road signs, just painted arrows on the pavement depicting 3 arrows going in different directions. Which way goes where? Guess. we also noted that the people who live in B.C., unlike those in most parts of the US, drive EXACTLY the speed limit or less. All I can say, is that my brother, Steve, would NEVER cut it here.
The ferry itself got off 1/2 hour late, and was pleasant. We passed the San Juan Islands,and arrived in Anacortes, WA at about 2:30. By the time we made it through US customs, it was 3:10.
We set off east to Marblemount, the site of our next accommodations, the Totem Trail Motel. On the way out of Anacortes, we noted that this would be a lovely spot to own property--so much of the area is surrounded by water. But first we stopped in Burlington, WA to pick up some groceries. Marblemount is not what you'd call a hub of urban activity, aka restaurants and services. As a matter of fact, The totem Trail Motel does not have internet access. Verizon is the only carrier that has mobile service here, and there is 3G here as well.
What a nice surprise the Totem Trail motel is. The room we reserved has a king and a queen bed. There were fresh flowers in the room, and clean wine glasses, dishes and cups and a microwave. The room itself had just been renovated a few months ago, with new bathroom fixtures, a new mattress, box spring and pillows, furniture and lighting. When we reserved, we were told that the only room they had available for 2 nights was their largest (with a queen and also a king bed), but that they would give us the rate for a single queen. when we checked in, the owner told us that we should just leave dirty dishes in the dishpan, and that she would clean the dishes, and replace them when she cleaned the room in the morning. Everything here is neat as a pin. We got a kick out of the notice in the office when we checked in. They have a "Wall of shame", noting patrons who had stayed there, and had not heeded the "No smoking" clause of the motel's requirements. The owners subsequently charged those people an extra $100.00 for cleaning. When we checked in, another couple rolled in behind us. They had the room next to ours (Did I mention that there are only 8 rooms in this motel?). They mentioned that they had left Knoxville, TN this morning, flew into Seattle, and arrived here this afternoon. We chatted with them for a bit, then sat outside our room, and enjoyed a glass of wine (maybe 1 1/2), had dinner, and just relaxed for the evening.
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