Tacoma to Ilwaco

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We gave our farewells and many thanks to the Turney Family. Using the hire car we headed on Interstates 5 and 101 for Ilwaco near Columbia River estuary. I was still getting used to left-hand drive and right-hand roads again at a huge junction near the centre of Tacoma, when all these people start blasting their horns at me. Thinking I was somehow in the wrong, I gesticulate to show my embarrassment at such poor driving. Anyway, I was assured later the horn blasting was probably because we had Californian licence plates! They're not too pleased with Californians up here because they're migrating up in droves, buying all the houses and blocking up the roads!

West of Olympia it started pouring buckets and we hit a traffic logjam. Evidently, a tanker had skidded and spilled tons of diesel fuel all over the Interstate. Now we know why gas guzzling 4x4 are prominent in the States. They're great for doing U turns across the huge central reservations to get out of jams! We didn't have a 4x4 so two hours later the kind policeman tells us the road is blocked indefinitely and how to find another route to Ilwaco. So it was back to Olympia, a bite to eat and a mooch through a bookshop to find a good USA road map to aid our navigation through the complex diversion.

We got there but not much scenery feasted our eyes because it tossed down all day, fortunately drying up as we arrived at the Inn at Harbour Village. What a delightfully quaint B&B and such a lovely Innkeeper, Trudi, who provided introductory drinks and snacks while we met the other residents. Trudi recommended a local restaurant, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

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Photos

Doreen in the Harbour Room
She's checking the map for tomorrow