Port Angeles, Clallam Bay, Victoria
Flying the Edge of America
Friday, July 4, 2008: Port Angeles, Washington
Looking back at 51-Juliet as she carried us to Washington.
We woke up in a motel in Astoria, Oregon, on the Fourth of
July. It was so good to sleep inside for the night; we feel so much better
today after such a good night's sleep. Camping is fun but we have not gotten
used to sleeping in a tent yet; perhaps things will improve as the trip
progresses.
Port Angeles Video
One of the things we were very concerned about while on
this trip was the food we would encounter as we stayed in small towns. Last
night we had a pleasant surprise and found a Bosnian restaurant! It was not
the best food I have ever eaten, but it was not what we were expecting. In
fact, who knew I would have my first taste of Bosnian food in Oregon? A good
start to small-town food in the USA.
Our B&B in Clallam Bay.
Today we were scheduled to land at a visual flight rules
(VFR) airport in Sekiu, Washington. However,
the weather is still IFR, so we had to change our plans a bit and land at
Port Angeles, WA, an IFR airport instead; better safe than sorry, I say.
Before the trip, we spent a lot of time thinking up a
question to ask people. Seeing it is an election year, we wanted a question
that might give us some measure of how people in America feel about the
future of the USA. We had many candidate questions, but being that Americans
do not like to talk politics, in polite conversation, we needed a question
that would give us a feel for a person's views without alienating them. We
wanted to ask our question in California, but could not raise the courage
to; we wanted to ask it in Oregon, but did not get a chance to. However, we
got the opportunity to ask our question for the first time in Washington, and
the answer revealed one for Obama. We hope to improve our poll's accuracy as
we get a larger sample. See sidebar for our current tally.
Two firsts occurred today. It was the very first time I
have landed my airplane in Washington State. The second was we turned our
first corner on our circumnavigation of the contiguous United States of
America. Think of the USA as a square, which it isn't, but just for the sake
of my explanation think of it as a square. Today, Julia and I turned right at
the top left-hand corner of the USA. Our general direction of flight will be
easterly from now on until we reach the east coast.
From Julia: We left Astoria in more cloudy, foggy weather.
At least we had slept better in a motel than in the tent. The plane took
off into the clouds, and we stayed in clouds for the whole two hours of the
journey. I find it is very strange and scary to be in a small space flying
up several thousand feet in the air, but having no idea what is around you
and trusting that the air controller is keeping you clear from obstacles
with their radar. And as we fly, the engine noises change slightly, which my
rational mind knows is normal, but my scared-cat mind thinks means serious
trouble. I find myself glancing at the instruments and expecting to see them
start whizzing out of control as the propeller sputters to a halt and the
plane spins into a violent descent. At that point, I decide to close my eyes
again and start getting back into my audiobook or even worse, Valium.
Anyway, despite my terror, we landed without problems and
were able to travel via the wonderful safety of a car to Clallam Bay,
Washington. It was a beautiful drive with lots of flowers and wild foxgloves
at the sides of the road.
Saturday, July 5, 2008: Clallam Bay, Washington
A view from the trail to Cape Flattery.
Today we shared stories with other guests staying at the
bed and breakfast while eating our eggs. I always find this part of staying
at a guest house the most fun. Julia told me it reminded her of an English
novel where people were taking the grand tour and meeting each other over
meals. For me, it is just interesting to get to know new people and share
their stories.
After breakfast, we drove to the Makah Indian reserve
where we walked to Point Flattery, which is the most northwesterly corner of
the USA. We flew over it yesterday but did not see anything as it was
obscured by thick billowing clouds. The view today was not too bad given
that it was pouring down with rain. The good news: the rain was not cold.
The bad news: it was really raining a lot.
Cape Flattery Video
From Julia: Later in the day, it cleared, and we walked out
through magical forests to a wild beach and back. This made us very hungry, so
we revisited the only restaurant in town for a second round of homemade
rhubarb and raspberry pie.