Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Lacey, Wa to Chilliwack, B.C.
Woke to a dense fog in Lacey, just south of Seattle, this morning. We hung around the motel until 10:00am, waiting for the fog to lift. We have to go through Seattle which is daunting enough at any time, but insanity during morning rush hours in the fog. We chat with a charming couple from Oregon also staying at the motel, about our age and with similar travel experiences. None of us are in any rush to try the consequences of the fog and the highway.
When we finally started up and got on the road, I noticed that 'the problem du jour' was that the voltmeter was pegged at the high end of the scale, well into the red, charging at about 16 Volts. That will fry the alternator, and/or the voltage regulator, and cook the battery in the long run if it doesn't ruin the regulator or the alternator first. I pulled off at the next exit, one mile up I-5. I fiddled the battery terminals, and the alternator cables, started it again, and we were once again in the green. Problem solved, though I still don't know what, exactly, the problem was. Jan is now very quiet, just vibrating silently in the passenger's seat surrounded by her books, maps, and GPS. Poor Jan, she knows we have problems though she doesn't understand them, and can do nothing about anything in that right-hand seat.
On the road again, just entering I-5, coming up throught the gears, just up to speed, and the utility trailer towed by the pickup truck to our left gets a flat. First, pieces start to fly off the tire and bounce off our car and the windshield, then the tire starts to fly apart with the tread and sidewalls completely disintegrating. The guy pulls right, by now the right side of the trailer is running on the rim, and onto the shoulder. We had slowed as he crossed in front of us, then sped up again as his problems became a dot in the rear-view mirror. This was close, and shook Jan and I.
We were alert and on-edge as we passed through Seattle on I-5, luckily without incident. By now the fog has lifted, and we have sunshine, a very pretty day. Finally, Northgate passes by on our right and we are though Seattle, then through Everett, and drawing a bead on Bellingham. We exit on Hwy 542 and stop at an Applebee's Restaurant for lunch. Then, top down in the warm sunshine, we make for Sumas, the border, and home. After a stop at Garry and Marion's to say 'hi', we are unpacking at our front door. Thankfully, we are safely home and the journey is done. One more tick on the bucket list.
