We are in the Tacoma area this morning visiting old friends and enjoying the tulips and dogwoods under the always somewhat cloudy skies. We have been here two days and have yet to see Mt. Rainier. The western sky has remained a jumble of ominous gray clouds that completely hide the white colossus. It may yet appear in the remaining 24 hours of our stay.

During our visit here we are staying in a guesthouse. Minnie sits quiet and cold in the driveway. We both enjoy the spaciousness of the house and miss the familiarity of our cozy road abode. This morning we stepped back into the RV to retrieve various items, including the Mac on which I prepare this statement. Tomorrow we will have to make several trips to return our paraphernalia before departing.

On our arrival at Washington we camped two nights along the Columbia River and enjoyed a day’s driving and walking tour of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge on its banks. This park preserves a section of the waterfront that is now largely in agriculture and development. Three eagles soared and called from within a thermal. Red crossbills and varied thrushes were added to our year’s list. Volunteers gave us a tour of a reconstructed Chinook Indian lodge such as Messers Lewis and Clark may have encountered on their long stay here so long ago.

We also encountered flocks of Barrow’s goldeneyes in rivers and bays. We have unsuccessfully sought this “accidental” bird of the Northeast, but can now claim it as a life bird. The drake is superbly designed with a line of white spangles on the sides of its back and a flashy white crescent on the front of its round green head. Barrow’s is a tree duck and will shortly move inland to nest near lakes or mountain streams. We may or may not encounter them again in Alaska.

Resuming our journey we continued north on I-5 and heard the sad news from Blacksburg, Virginia and arrived here near Tacoma. Here we are on the coast for the first time since a romp with our daughter on the beach at Sandy Hook, NJ in January. No beach here, a deep arm off Puget Sound reaches the port of Tacoma and beyond. We shared a fine dinner at a bayside restaurant with our friends last night. A ferry moved from mainland to island during our meal, and a pigeon guillemot, our first of the year, appeared on a piling. Sea lions idled in the channel.

Spring has just barely arrived here. The trees are leafing out and the daffodils and tulips are putting on a great show. Some of the rhododendrons are starting to open. We are racing north with the season. Tomorrow we continue to Bellingham near the Canada border and will remain there until April 27 to allow the green to advance on us. Then the good ship Columbia will carry us in three days and nights another 600 miles north. We’ll find on landing if spring has arrived there.

Here the level of the thermometer reflects the level of cloudiness. A moment ago, the sun flashed brightly and shadows stood out. I could feel the warmth from its glow in this office. Now the intensity has diminished, the shadows are subdued, and the sweater remains in order. I won’t make any bets on when we will again experience a high of 70 degrees. It may be today or later this week. It may not be until June.

Our mail arrived on schedule this time, thank goodness. We enjoy a good cell phone signal here, but our friends have elected to live without internet and there is no stray wi-fi signal. We should reconnect at our next campground near Bellingham. We will have our vehicles serviced there before moving on. We are still removing desert dust from everything.

We don’t anticipate that the transition to Alaska will be too tough, but we fear an arrival on a rainy and blustery day to a closed downtown. We also can imagine that the road across high country between Haines to Anchorage will be wintery in mid May despite the many hours of daylight. We’re hoping that the temperature does not fall below 20 and that neither snow nor mud prevent our progress. We also hope that it is warm and dry enough that we can truly enjoy the long and supposedly very scenic drive across the 50th state.

The Alaska driver’s bible is known as “The Milepost.” In a state where gas stations can be 200 miles apart, a listing of what is on the road is critical for long-distance travel. We want to buy one and know that the 2007 edition is out, but so far have failed to find it. We could have purchased the 2006 edition at discount last week, but elected to get the new one. Yesterday we found only the obsolete edition at the Tacoma Borders store. The helpful clerk told us that another store in the Seattle area should have just received to new edition. We will look for it there today.

So, our journey continues. The birds keep coming and we find great joy in seeing old friends and relatives removed from us by space. Shared ancestry, ties, and remembrances provide contacts and emotional connections in this sea of humanity on a spinning globe. Sadly, we miss seeing our closest kin on this long journey even as we reestablish old contacts.

Our trek is not yet half over, but by the end of June we will have set a course eastward. Labor Day in Vermont does not seem so far away. By the end of that month we should begin our reunions. Some (of those reading this) may consider joining us for part of our walk across the Green Mountains. We’ll provide details as we define our plans.