Four-Day Getaway Completed

No photos this trip...but...

Once again, I had a most enjoyable escape to Washington state, arriving back home Thanksgiving weekend.  The weather had cooled considerably from the week before, and there were reports of snowfalls on the mountain highways...so my choice was to stay in the valley bottom.  The cool weather created sunny days, perfect for travelling.

One place I hadn't stopped at for many years was downtown Chelan.  It's only a five-mile diversion off Hwy 97 South and I made time to visit it again.  The road veers a short distance from Hwy 97 South's approach to Beebe Bridge (a rusting iron-red hulk of a very-scary looking bridge) that crosses the Columbia River up a mountain on Hwy 150.  A few miles later, the road heads downhill to beautiful downtown Chelan.  Hungry, I stopped at the first Mom-and-Pop-appearing little restaurant, the Apple Cup Cafe for the BEST breakfast I have ever had!

My home away from home was again my favourite hotel, Cedars Inn in East Wenatchee.  I booked the first night on Expedia.com, and that was a big mistake as I could have gotten the room ~$20.00 cheaper if I had called Cedars Inn directly, which I will do in future.

Shopping in Wenatchee is always fun for me, as I've learned the town so well that I no longer get lost no matter what side of the river I find myself.  The ShopKo is gone, closed forever apparently, as are the numerous Payless Shoestores, but Macy's, JC Penney, Ross, Marshall's, and Target and--yes--Wal Mart meet the needs of shoppers.  New to me this time was the Fred Meyer store at the bottom of Grant Street...had never been there before.  Thought it was a huge food store, which it is, but easily one-third of it is clothing.  And they had the BEST selection of (-20F) winter jackets I had seen on my trip thus far...so I bought my daughter a new ski jacket at an incredibly low sale price!  The comparable jacket in B.C. would've been $250 to $300...at Meyer's it was $108 on sale (reduced from $180!!)...a bargain considering the quality.

With Cedars Inn as my home base, I travelled southeast, heading to Spokane, a trip I've never before made.  I certainly didn't need my brand-spankin' new Garmin GPS because directional signs in the United States are so well-placed, efficient and effective! 

What I always enjoy on the Hwy 97 South trip is the geology...the stunning valley and mountain landscapes, the numerous and large orchards and farmlands, the myriad rivers and streams (high streambanks from the heavy Fall rains), the increasing breadth of the valleys as one drives south and east.  And the dams.  Wells Dam was the first one encountered heading south, then Rock Island Dam just half an hour southeast of Wenatchee.  A good map will show numerous dams dotting the valley drainage in several directions.

Many years ago I had the good fortune to stumble upon Dr. Murray Roed's (spelling?) website on Ice Age Floods and glaciation in the valley beginning with the story of Glacial Lake Penticton...I spent many happy hours reading of ice age history of the interior south through Washington state.  Add to that the interior's volcanic history and marvels of geology occur every few miles on the highways.

So it is with great interest I viewed what appeared to be black lava rock deposits on the left side of the Highway as I left Wenatchee, via Quincy and Ephrata, heading for Moses Lake...black rocks no larger than fist sized, for miles and miles on the left.  A large fire perhaps?  No, as the rocky black landscape was covered in healthy grasses.  Obviously exposed but eroded volcanic remnants...so very interesting!

Before Moses Lake, near Ephrata (which has its own Wal-Mart!), the highway heads southeast up off the valley floor on an excellent well-paved surface onto a wide high mesa, a plain, a prairie with large hay farms.  Everything in Washington state is large:  large orchards, huge farms, large trucks hauling large equipment, everything is supersized (compared to British Columbia).

Shopping for my grandson is such a treat; at only 5 years old, he wears whatever I buy for him...Fall and Winter clothes and shoes from the vast selection stocked by U.S. companies, and at such reasonable prices I don't quibble at the exchange rate of 25 per cent on the dollar.  America's population being 10 times that of Canada's leads to a larger selection of virtually everything one may need, and children's clothing is exceptionally diverse and well supplied in most stores.

Imagine my surprise on arriving at new-to-me Moses Lake, pulling into the first shopping centre for a leg stretch and spying three or four shops that stock children's clothing:  Marshall's, Ross, and a WalMart Supercentre.  Hours later, with numerous bags stowed in the Tacoma, I found myself amazed at how much of my grandson's wardrobe purchases were satisfied at the Moses Lake stop.  There's an airport at Moses Lake, obviously adjacent to the shopping centre, as was evidenced by the droning sound of jets as they circled low above the shopping centre on their approach to the airport.

With many more miles to Spokane still ahead of me, I wondered just how much I wanted to go to Spokane...a long drive from Moses Lake was ahead...shopping had been so fruitful in Moses Lake, to my surprise, in addition to the day I had already spent in Wenatchee...but the drive was wonderful, sunshine each day, cool evenings, and fortunately no snow.  Television reports during the evening at hotels showed massive snowfalls in North Dakota from the system that "came down from Canada", as the newscaster announced.

After four days away, it was time to head back north...a bittersweet direction for me each year as it meant my sojourn was soon over.  I chose to retrace my drive, and stayed again at Cedars Inn in Wenatchee as the drive from Spokane north on 395 through the mountains was sketchy in case snow lingered, and Hwy 2 which heads west from Spokane to rejoin Hwy 97 at Waterville (south of Chelan) might be already closed (it is generally closed from some time in October through to April each year as it is subject to severe winter snow).

I'm never lonely on these trips...husband wouldn't want to spend hours languishing in the parking lots of shops and he enjoys his quiet time after a busy season.  I like the peace and quiet that follows a busy season at the golf course.

Now we're both looking forward to six months of doing whatever we want until the golf season is again upon us.

Good-bye once again, Washington State.
Loved it, as always!













 

Cheap Gas

No, not here.
In the U.S.A.

A short trip to WA state last week proves that British Columbians pay $5.23 a gallon for regular gas compared to $2.77 a gallon in Washington state (Omak).

The cheapest Canadian station was at $1.195. 
Everywhere else in B.C. we are now paying $137.9 for regular gas.

Filling the Tacoma at home now costs about $80.00, compared to the Omak fill-up at just over $40.00.  That's cheap, even with the currency exchange rate.

1 litre gas Cdn $1.379 = .264172 US gallons.

U.S. $2.77/gallon

Omak is growing, and no longer the little town known for annual horse races down a steep hill.

I had an hour to kill so drove around the older parts of town, admiring the 40's and 50's "retiree" homes, and their well-cared for gardens and shrubs.

Like Vernon, B.C., growth appears to be concentrated at the North end of town, with new malls (Wal-Mart, J.C. Penney, and a small Sears store etc.).

And just like in Vernon, it means the demise of part of the old downtown, with its empty storefronts.  Wenatchee is another example of the old downtown's demise.

Empty storefronts and quiet streets in the "old" downtown

There are many, many small businesses:  sheet metal and paint shops, recreation shops, beauty salons, farm and feed supply, car dealerships, tractor and recreation vehicle repair, and many old smaller motels.

Some of the nicest buildings are public works facilities including a small water utility.

I like the brick post office and the old fire station at the edge of the park along the Okanogan river.

Post Office

old fire station

Another sign of the times is the old theatre (pictured below), as much a victim of Netflix as age:

the old theatre

The drive from Vernon via Hwy 97S is a true joy for anyone who loves geology (as I do).

Having read much about the end of the last Ice Age (especially from Dr. Murray Roed's excellent studies), my travels invariably have me thinking of glacial outflows and how ice pressed and scraped the myriad rock formations and shapes, all the way from Penticton through Oliver and into Washington State.  Glacial Lake Penticton had me spellbound, and I've loved rock formations ever since.

There's so much to see when heading south on Hwy 97 from Vernon through Washington State.

And I see something new every time I venture south on that highway.

Long Hiatus Over

Wow, seven months since my last posting.

Was hoping Fortis would get going on--finally--planning to provide natural gas to the Buchanan Road pariahs...you know, the folks on Buchanan Road from Grey Road at the west end to approximately Warren Road at the east end.

Pariahs?  Well, what else would have prevented residents' receiving the virtual necessity--natural gas--due to B.C. Hydro's annual gouging other than to have been discriminated against...for some reason?  Especially since natural gas lines have extended all the way to Lumby along Highway 6 for many years.

Now, months and months after Debbie Fisher got the ball rolling with a petition to Fortis from residents, there's been no word from Fortis.  They had said in late Spring 2018 that they were focusing on getting natural gas to the VegPro operation on Highway 6.
Since then? 
Nothing at all.
Sigh.

So what's been happening since July when I last posted, a full six months ago?

Firstly, a huge catch-up.
Maria Besso was engaged late summer to list our property at 7961 Buchanan Road, Coldstream.
So far only a couple of people were interested in a further discussion.
Maria will do a good job, as she did selling my Mother's townhouse in Vernon after Mom had moved into Coldstream Meadows care home.

This year's golf season ended on its last day--September 30th--which was unusually rainy and windy.  September had been coolish but we didn't mind.  It was a nice change from the months of July and August--with their heat and fire-fuelled smoky skies which were, frankly, nasty.  Especially with newspapers and radio and TV all advising residents and tourists, on a daily basis, to "stay indoors".
National television coverage of B.C.'s second season in a row of devastating fires didn't help, and tourists stayed away.

It was a tough year in many ways.

My 94 year old Mom passed away on Mother's Day, May 13th, and a month later, my Mother-in-law in Abbotsford also passed, a week shy of her 96th birthday. Husband was named Executor which necessitated numerous trips to the Coast for meetings with siblings and agencies to conclude paperwork.
The melancholy continued as the second anniversary of Kia's passing was marked near the end of September.  It was tough to come home without that wagging tail at the gate, and it continued to be heartbreaking as some now-and-then customers enquired "where's Kia?"

October was unusually warm and sunny.

It was wonderful, and during the second week I jumped into the Tacoma for my twice-annual "three-day getaway" to Washington state. 
T-shirt weather, great shopping (for Grandson!), found a fabulous Bavarian restaurant in Wenatchee, one so-so motel (ugh, actually, but I was so tired I took it anyway).
I never make hotel reservations, as I'm determined to go whichever way the wind blows and the mood strikes, as they say.
The next night I treated myself to the Cedars Inn in East Wenatchee.

And what a treat the Cedars Inn was (especially following the so-so motel the night before).  On the Columbia River, the Cedars was almost fully booked (it was a Friday), but they did have a handicapped room with king-size bed, parking immediately outside, clean and very roomy. So roomy in fact that it was easily twice the size of any hotel I had stayed at in previously in Wenatchee.

I had planned to again meet Ed Payne, of Golfer's Edge.  Over the years, our meetings were more like friendly visits, but his business advice and camaraderie were always eagerly anticipated.  I had forgotten where he was now teaching since he left the Mission location the year before, but I luckily ran into an individual who said Ed was now at Three Lakes Golf Course.

Over numerous years of my Wenatchee getaways, I had come to know its roads well (with the exception of my getting lost a few years ago and ending up at Rock Island!  a story for another day).  I headed south toward Malaga and found the course (albeit more than the stated "four miles from Wenatchee"), tucked in the hills along a rural road.  "Golf Drive" had my jaw dropping at the lovely homes along a tree-lined fairway. 

Surprise...Ed wasn't there.
Anywhere.
The pro in the clubhouse chuckled and said I could find Ed at Highlander Golf Course "up by the airport".
I didn't tell the fellow that Highlander was only a couple of miles from where I was staying in Wenatchee!

Knowing exactly where the airport was--high up in the eastern hill above the Columbia River valley--off I went, customary donuts (for our meeting) in hand.  Winding my way through myriad identical cherry orchards on the high mesa, I saw the golf course's fairways before I found its entry road (akin to finding Three Lakes).  The road I took led me to a small newly-built subdivision of the most magnificent homes I had ever seen--even more spectacular than those at Three Lakes--and within three minutes I reached the end of a dead end road.  So it was back out to the cherry orchards to find a different road to the gigantic golf course that I glimpsed here and there through the cherry rows.

Succeeding at last, I was met by impressive open wrought-iron gates and started to enter.
I immediately stopped as a red truck was exiting, so I gave him the right of way.  The driver waved his thanks, and off I went to the end of the road where the rather unusual-looking clubhouse sat high overlooking the valley below.  The clubhouse looked small when I compared its exterior to those I knew at other 18-hole courses, but the interior was immense with high ceilings and marble floors.

On finding the pro shop, I was very warmly greeted by a sporty looking fellow, who directed me to the employees in charge.  Now-cool donuts in their fancy pastry box in hand, I asked for Ed Payne.  "He just left, you must have seen him in his truck, his red truck, he's gone for the weekend," I was told.

It was early Saturday afternoon, and I had goofed.
I was going home on Sunday and Ed would be back on Monday!
A mischievous glint in his eye, the fellow said he'd give Ed my apologies and a message.
"Yes please apologize on my behalf, but there's no message".
(I had briefly explained my re-routing to Three Lakes, blamed for the delay).
He continued to smile...and his eyes never left the pastry box, which I handed him with a smile.

As I turned to leave, he chuckled "I'm sure the crumbs will still be fine by Monday" when Ed returns.

Not all business meetings are fruitful, but some are certainly sweet!
So...it'll be in 2019 when I next see Ed...with a new batch of warm from the oven bakery delicacies!

The Tacoma chock-full of clothes and shoes for my grandson, I headed north the next day.
Despite missing Ed, it had still been a wonderful escape for me.
The rest of October was filled with the customary dentist and doctor appointments.

November was unimpressive generally.
December was wonderful with our grandson so delighted by, well frankly, everything.
Rather than gush on about this pleasant and pleasing young lad who will turn five this Spring, suffice to say he's the apple of my eye!  And skiing for his second winter.
Christmas saw visits by relatives and good friends, and there was finally (barely) sufficient snow for the little ones to toboggan and ice skate.

Then I entered the truly contented month of my year, January:  Ahhhh...books to read.
But first, I spent two days doing my business' year-end and calculating GST, issuing T-4, etc. etc.
The joy of keeping up with bookkeeping throughout the golf season is that it only takes me a day or two to complete it during the winter!

Now to the books! 

I started with the reasonably light-hearted "Matters of Vital Interest" by Eric Lerner, his recounting of his forty-year friendship with Leonard Cohen.  Leonard Cohen had died in late 2016 and I had for some time wanted to know more about this unassuming and complicated man. 

My next book was "Red Notice" by Bill Browder, "a true story of high finance, murder, and one man's fight for justice", its jacket states.
Interestingly, as I walked past the always-on family room TV today at 4 p.m., which is always tuned to BBC Canada, Katty Kay and Christian Fraser's comment caught my ear: "and in Davos Switzerland today, we're speaking with human rights activist Bill Browder".

What a coincidence!!!!!  I had only yesterday finished the Browder book.  Long before turning the book's last page, I was convinced Mr. Browder was placing himself in extreme danger of the Russian officials he exposed, alongside the apparent acceptance of the Russian president Putin.
Mr. Browder details in the book his considerable years of work in Russia and to have Russian criminals barred from entering the U.S.A.   The Magnitsky Act received unanimous support and was passed into U.S. law in 2012.

The next book (I'll start this weekend) is "Fascism--a Warning" by Madeleine Albright.

This winter's mild weather may be an omen for a difficult golf season, but I've learned to only sweat the stuff over which I have some control.  It mostly works. 

Half-Price Gas

Yup.

Just returned from another late winter getaway to my favourite place to get away to:  Wenatchee, Washington state.

This year's visit took place a week later than last year.

And, yes, you guessed it.  Regular gas is half the price of ours.


Forget the smaller U.S. gallon, forget the currency exchange rate, forget the smoke 'n mirrors about our fuel being on a "spur" line (away from the main).

Rather than tons of text, let's tell it in photos:

Credit/visa/debit cards are at a 10 cent premium over the listed price.  This was just south of Omak, WA.  Most prices in the Okanogan Valley, including Wenatchee, varied by no more than seven cents a gallon from prices shown above.

What's (happily) missing in the above?  (Time's up!)  Parking meters!  Parking meters were removed several years ago in order to support local business (the old downtown...away from where Wal-Mart and Target set up shop...just like in Vernon!)

Free parking for 3 hours has led to a busy downtown with shoppers and pedestrians sauntering along the sidewalks.  No-one rushing to plug money into a meter...people browsed the shops at their leisure.  What did Vernon do?  Vernon doubled the parking meter price!

Alternate streets are one way, with excellent signage.  It's absolutely incredible how much traffic can be moved on streets that are four lanes in one direction, with parking on only one side.  Wenatchee's downtown (easily three times the length of Vernon's) can be travelled in 5 or 6 minutes...the time we spend at two traffic lights here!

One downtown, one public market, conveniently accessible in a park downtown.

And lovely historical buildings, in superb condition, mix well with new construction.  Some examples follow:

Add caption

"Numeris" Performing Arts Centre

The massive civic centre building...

The whimsical is not out of place in Wenatchee.  Here, "Coyote Reading a Candy Wrapper" graces the museum stairs.

This bronze is an adjunct to the museum's popular geneology sessions.

Large public parking lots, also free, are located around the corner down any street.  Angle parking allows more parking per block than conventional systems...and yes, Wenatchee still provides bus stops every two blocks as well.

And here, one block behind main street, is more parking...free parking.  Block after block of free parking.

  Tons of it.

Oh, and if you're ever in Wenatchee and need anything golf-related, visit my friend Ed Paine, owner of Golfer's Edge (on a one-way street 5 minutes south of the old downtown).

Ed Paine's golf shop, includes computerized swing analyzer and retail store.

Oh...and let's not forget that 40-pounder of alcohol at $16.50 at the Duty Free, versus approx. $35.00 in Vernon!

The weather was incredible, 60F.
The people of Wenatchee are always warm and welcoming.

There's something about Wenatchee that truly feels like home away from home.  I'm drawn there each year at this time.

"You probably missed seeing parking--and water--meters," grins Kia.

Slap of reality. 

 

Gas in Wenatchee

A late-winter getaway provided some interesting revelations:

Regular gas in Wenatchee is $2.19 a gallon!
It's about a dollar a gallon more near Omak and Oroville, which is still a bargain for cross-border shopping Canadians.

$2.19 a gallon.
Holy Toledo!
Gas was $1.239 a litre here that day.

One litre =  .26 US gallons, so we British Columbians pay almost $5.00 a gallon here.

We pay 226 per cent more than folks in Wenatchee pay.
And yes, for the anal among us, it should be stated that the U.S. gallon is a bit smaller, at 3.79 litres.
And, despite the 10 per cent currency exchange, everything in the United States is still a bargain.

Yup, we Canadians get screwed here...firstly (world-wide) by the Seven Sisters (Exxon, Gulf, Texaco, Mobil, Socal, BP, and Shell: five huge American companies, one British company, and one Anglo-Dutch concern dominated the world of oil for most of the century).  Ahem...yes, Americans buy fuel from those people too.
Then there are Federal taxes.  Not to be outdone, our own British Columbia government imposed carbon taxes to assuage their western societal guilt.

More than 30 per cent of Canadian gas prices are taxes, and British Columbia cranks that number higher, being one of the worst offenders.
If you don't trust PetroCanada's numbers, here are Wikipedia's.

Yeah, but aren't there also taxes to Americans on their retail gas purchases?
Sure there are.

The American Petroleum Institute issues quarterly reports for Federal and State taxes, including state comparisons.  Washington State's taxes are found on page 48 of 51 here.

Oh, but our gas tax money comes back to us.
Yeah, sure....two billion annually at last count?
The B.C. government must have one hell of a daily interest savings account!

But the Union of B.C. Municipalities seems to be unable to do without gas taxes...all that funding for their members, albeit with considerable jump-through-the-hoops strings attached.

It couldn't be the sunshine tax, because Wenatchee has plenty of sun too.
"How would you spend 200-300 sunshine days?" ask several Wenatchee tourism booklets.
Visitor's guide is here.

Sure, Canadians earn higher wages, most dramatically the public sector.
However, I doubt the $2.35 monthly increase in Canada Pension payments will have seniors shouting off the rooftops just how much better off we are.

Oh...and did I mention there are no parking meters?
And 3 hours parking is allowed...yes...free.
One bylaw officer drives around chalking tires on South Mission Street.
And unlike in Vernon, you never see him again.

The City of Wenatchee, much like Vernon, has grown northward with Wal-Mart and Target locating there.
But their "old" downtown is completely different from Vernon's.

They have angle parking in the older section of town, with senior's apartments for rent signs.  The angled parking spots are chock full...and NOT with cars of employees of the businessfronts either.   You can tell, because every third or fourth parking space seems to be signalling to back up, all while one or two cars ahead are entering an angled spot.  Their old downtown area is a hive of activity!  Lovely older brick buildings, lots of people walking on the sidewalks, in and out of stores.  And yes, there was only one lane of traffic in each direction.  An old red and black trolley car--converted with pneumatic tires--slid easily among the downtown traffic.   People were considerate, block after block, letting cars back into lanes.  Didn't hear one horn being tooted to hurry someone up...!

Oh, and did I mention that Americans are better drivers? 
Yup...Americans do not speed, whether on city roads or highways.
They simply don't.
Not one mile an hour faster.
And when travelling on a two-lane road, cars always use it only for passing and move into the curb lane, especially on highways.

Even their highway signs are more considerate of Canadians.
Just south of the Canada/US border, the American sign is very considerate of visiting Canadians (similar to one of these):

Yet, returning north across the Canadian border, we Canadians have fallen down in the "consideration" department, with this first sign that greets Americans:

How inconsiderate of us...

Note to Golf Nuts visiting Wenatchee: 
Stop in at The Golfer's Edge and say hello to PGA Golf Pro Ed Paine.
Great little retail shop, repairs, custom clubs, lessons as well as indoor golf from a nice mid-Century house at 218 South Mission (Mission is a one way road, heading south to north, so drive south on Wenatchee Avenue (from near the convention centre) about a mile or so, then turn right, and turn right again...the next street is South Mission).  Ed's place is on the left.

Need a place to stay that's clean?
Try the Wenatchee Comfort Inn, 815 N. Wenatchee Avenue, within a short walk to the convention center.
Near 9th Street (for the east-west orientation).  Sara Baum, general manager, is a great hands-on manager who can meet your every need.  Breakfast (included) takes a bit of getting used to, flipping your own waffle in an iron contraption in the bright and spacious breakfast area...endless coffee and sausages and eggs and toast and bagels and cereal and yoghurt and...The room was $89 plus $7.12 state tax, $3.56 city/county tax, and $1.00 "occupancy tax".  Swimming pool, plus well-appointed rooms complete with HD television, hairdryer and coffee maker, iron and ironing board (what are those?).  Thanks for making my stay enjoyable, Sara!   Hope you enjoyed your time off this weekend!

Bye bye, Wenatchee.
Great place.
Great gas prices.
Great people.


"Maybe Americans pay 10 times what we do for water," suggests Kia.

The wager:  a bowl of dog kibbles that Americans do not pay more for water than we do.
The odds are with me.