DAY-15 Departure from Canada, We're Headed Back To The USA

Day-15: Thursday, September 17, 2015

Starting Location: Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, Vancouver, BC
Interim Location: Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Vancouver, BC

Interim Location: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Seattle, WA

Ending Location: Silver Lake Resort & Camp, Silver Lake, WA

Jan and Pete were up early this morning as their pick-up was scheduled for 7 AM. They are headed to Calgary where they will recover their car and begin the drive eastward with a goal of reaching Minot, ND tonight and being with family late Friday in Minnesota.

The other six of us were up and packed by 0730 and waiting for our transportation to the airport in the hotel lobby by 8 AM. Our driver arrived punctually just as have every other arranged transport during this trip. She and the hotel staff loaded the "stretch", well actually she overloaded the "stretch" with bags in the front seat as well as the trunk.

The ride to the airport was uneventful and by 9 AM we were in the terminal and working our way through the check in, security and immigration maze. Vancouver is a location where U.S. bound passengers clear customs and immigration at the departure airport and technically enter the U.S.A. while still in Canada, well at least there's a "Welcome to the U.S.A." sign prominently hanging in the Vancouver airport.

We all cleared the check in and entry requirements and by 10 AM were wandering around the terminal spending our last Canadian currency on odds and ends and a light breakfast for a few.

Soon after 11 we boarded our Air Canada flight. Our aircraft for the day was a Bombardier DASH 8-300, heh, we're in Canada why not use a Canadian aircraft. All in all the flight was uneventful and very short; it seems our taxi to the active runway was almost as long as the flight.

By 12:30 we were in Seattle and had recovered our luggage. Soon thereafter Pat, Jack, Sheila and I had a rental car and with baggage loaded. Diane and Greg, with much relief found their car in the long-term parking lot much as they had left it. All-in-all by 1:30 PM we were driving south on I-5 bound for our next resort.

We stopped in Chehalis for gas and groceries as there seemed to be some fear about food availability at the Silver Lake Resort. At the local Safeway, we bought fruit, cheese, crackers and drinks anticipating a snack dinner watching the Broncos vs the Chiefs.

Around 5 PM after a brief ride through Castle Rock, WA on a restaurant hunt, we arrived at the resort. Diane, Greg, Sheila and I had stayed here in 2013 so we were familiar with our surroundings. As for Pat and Jack they didn't actually know what to expect and had likely been led to believe that the Silver Lake Resort was some two-bit motel but boy were they surprised.










If you haven't been to the Silver Lake Resort I would encourage you to check it out if you're in the Mount St. Helens area. Okay it's not a Fairmont, it doesn't have electrically controlled shades, it doesn't have a TV embedded in the bath mirror and if I had left my shoes out for a shine, well that probably wouldn't have happened. But what the Silver Lake Resort has that the Fairmont doesn't is a fireplace, a kitchenette, rooms overlooking a beautiful lake, fishing from your own private balcony, and views of Mount St. Helens in the distance across the lake. Also I doubt that at the Fairmont Jack would have struck up a conversation with guy out fishing and the daily limits for Crappie.

Oh, one other thing about the Silver Lake Resort; three couples stayed in three separate 2-bedroom suites with firewood and fishing rights for half the cost for just one of us for a night in Vancouver.

While riding south Jack had done some research on local dining and discovered Parker's Restaurant and Brew Pub. At check-in we chatted with the desk manager about local fare and with her confirmation we were off to Parker's. Well the meal was excellent and portions were more than even Greg could handle. Amongst us we had chicken, salmon, steak, spaghetti and linguini followed by simple ice cream and not so simple cheesecakes and bread pudding. By time dinner was over we knew we'd be back for breakfast.

Raspberry Cheesecake

We returned to the lodge and after my failed attempt to light a fire in the fireplace, "Firestarter" Jack took over and in minutes had a blazing inferno warming our living room where we had all gathered to watch the end of the football game.

Greg broke out the Oyster Bay SV and we were good to go with both Sheila and Greg interested in the game for Fantasy Football and Neighborhood Pool reasons, both needing a good showing and victory by the Chiefs. Soon after the game everyone adjourned to their suites and the night was over, well after I had burned through another bundle of wood my night was over.