Ferry Tales and Happy Endings

     The last part of this trip takes us back to Oregon, specifically Lake Oswego. Knowing we would have to drive the length of Washington we had reserved the 9 AM ferry off Vancouver Island. We left Victoria a bit later than we planned, but with the reservation we were not too concerned about making the boat. Alas, that was not the case. Although we arrived at the terminal at 8:53 we were sent to the end of the line as bad luck would have it the car in front of us was the last one on. We would have to wait until the next crossing which would be at 11:00.
     Two hours at a terminal? At least they had a cafe so we didn't need to sit in the car. And we were first in line so we should be one of the first off on the mainland. Apparently logic and logistics are not related to ferry loading. not only were we not the first to be loaded, we were among the last to be unloaded adding another 15 minutes to our two hour delay.
   I know, I know, What's the rush? We knew from pictures and communications with our new hosts that our cottage was on a flag lot so we really wanted to get there while the sun was still up. We also knew the route took us through Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia and Portland. Four cities on a Friday afternoon/evening during commuter hours? We hit them all and the two hour delay became longer with each city. Except Portland. By the time we arrived there, rush hour was over.
     As we feared finding the long driveway to the cottage was difficult. The tall trees and lack of street lights made it even more difficult to find the address. But with some help from a kind neighbor we found the entrance to the garden cottage.
Built in 1930 but updated last spring the cottage has vintage charm and modern conveniences.

 At almost 8 pm, we were not going to cook tonight! This was an excellent
decision as we found one of our favorite type of restaurants just around the corner; a farm to table seasonal bistro. At Tavern on Kruse http://www.tavernonkruse.com/  soup and salad was all we needed to provided a happy ending to a long and frustrating day.

Curried Butternut squash soup with hush puppies

Steamer clam chowder

Beet Salad