Seattle to Williams Lake

Got in a lot of miles (398) today, and made it to Williams Lake late in the afternoon. Left Seattle (Lynnwood) at 52 degrees and cloudy. Crossed the border into Canada at Sumas. From there, the route followed the Fraser River and Fraser Canyon much of the way north. The Fraser is huge (largest river in British Columbia) and runs in a deep canyon for almost 200 miles before opening into the Fraser Valley then reaching the ocean at Vancouver. Where the valley restricts it in the canyon, the river has huge whirpools and rapids. Passed lots of rafting companies along the way.

I've learned already that Canadians are very fond of the outdoors and proud of their many natural resources.

But as I passed this sign along the way to Williams Lake, I realized that they can also be brutally honest about the potential nuisances associated with being outdoors.

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Had two really serendipitous events today.

The first came early today as I was leaving Seattle and playing with the buttons on the car radio. I realized that I have Sirius satellite radio in the car. I spent part of the day (and part of this evening at the Sirius website) figuring out what the 200 Sirius channels are. Actually, this is a mixed blessing. Satellite radio will be great to stay connected withe the world when I'm in the backroads of Alaska. But maybe it's not always good to be connected. There's something jarring about being able to listen to Howard Stern while looking for moose in the Alaska wilderness.

Before I describe the second event, I promise that I won't be wasting your time with what I have for dinner (or breakfast, or lunch) every day. But today was an exception. After I got to Williams Lake this evening, I drove through the small town checking things out and looking for a place to eat. Out of desparation I was about to head for a Denny's (of all things), when I saw the Laughing Loon Pub and Grille. At the Laughing Loon, I had one of the more memorable meals of my life. I had a table on the patio, surrounded by rhododenron in bloom, an appetizer of wasabi encrusted prawns with melon salsa, and then pork loin with rosemary and roasted local vegetables (beets, onions, carrot,et. al) with homemade cranberry relish. All of this with a half bottle of a really nice California Cabernet. Wow!!!

I didn't expect this trip to be much of a gourmet's delight, but this was a great meal. Cost was about the same as dinner at Mickey and Mooch.

If you're ever in Williams Lake, don't miss the Laughing Loon.