DanOCan

I’ve always said “Vacation doesn’t really start until you’ve been away from the routine for a long enough time that you completely forget which day of the week it is.”  I know today is Tuesday, but only because I know it is a travel day, not because I need to know for any work-related purpose, so that counts.

It’s been a wild three days since my last update.  We had the big GeoWoodstock event on Saturday in Carnation and a second event later that evening in Redmond.  I didn’t get back until midnight that night and then got up at 5am to go hiking Mount Margaret to find the oldest active Geocache in Washington state.  It wasn’t a difficult hike (6.5km round trip distance with 500m of elevation gain) other than for the snow up above 1400m.  Didn’t see a single person on the trail.

By 11am we were in the Fremont district of Seattle attending another event, this time at the Groundspeak headquarters, which is the company behind Geocaching.  We did some poking around in the Fremont Sunday market before coming home and going to bed early.

Yesterday I dropped Shirley off at the outlet mall in North Bend while I went caching with another fellow.  I promised him a ride to the airport, so after dropping him off at SeaTac we drove down to the ballpark and then had a bite to eat.  Last night we went to see the Mariners play the Kansas City Royals at Safeco Field, my first major league baseball game.  I had a lot of fun walking around the stadium and checking out the various views.  The Mariners blew a 4-1 lead and ended up losing 6-4 in 10 innings.

So, that’s three days of non-stop action in a few paragraphs.  We’re heading out for the Oregon coast today, with Manzanita being the first stop.  I don’t expect to have much internet access for the next week so updates will be spotty, if they come at all.  I’ve used about 11MB of the 75MB data plan I purchased for my phone, so the odd posting to Facebook might be the best I can do – I’m not sure how to deal with not being constantly connected anymore.

So, until I can find a convenient wireless hotspot, have fun!

Finally a day that did not involve hitching up the fifth wheel and moving to a new city. 

Our day started off with a bang – literally.  Just around midnight a large section of a massive cottonwood tree broke loose from near the top and crashed into a campsite two spots down from us.  I joined a small contingent of people who had been alerted or awakened by the crash.  We were able to confirm the site was empty and no one was injured.  That could have been an ugly scene had someone been camped in that spot.

We also managed to watch the Netherlands play Brazil in the FIFA World Cup before heading out the door to Fry’s Electronics in Renton, WA.  I managed to keep my purchases under $100 which means I got away much cheaper than previous years when I shop there.

We did some hiking and Geocaching in Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park.  There is a lot of mining history in the area which I found quite interesting.  Everywhere we went we were warned to stay on the trails because the number of deep mine shafts in the area means there are often sections of ground which collapse. 

We ended the day by attending another Geocaching event, this time the COWWS Friday Meet and Greet and Luau which was held in Lake Sammamish State Park.  We didn’t stay long, just enough to do our early registration for GeoWoodstock 8, which is being held tomorrow in Carnation, WA.

After leaving the event we made our way to Stan’s Bar-B-Q in Issaquah.  We had the “Who’s Your Daddy?” Combo platter.  The brisket and ribs were very good, the pulled pork was nothing out of the ordinary.  I still love Stan’s and make a point of stopping there any time we pass through the area.

That’s been about it for today.  We’ve driven around 1000 miles over the three days, so we’re packing it in early again tonight.  Tomorrow will be more caching and socializing in the Carnation area and then we’ll see where we go from there.

Today ended up being a much longer day than expected.  After not going to bed until after midnight last night, we were woken by the sound of a whining dog about 5am this morning.  After ignoring him as long as humanly possible we finally caved and got up.  That meant we were on the road around 7:30am, which is much earlier than we planned on.

Our first stop was Ritzville, Washington.  I’ve always wanted to stop in Ritzville – as you fly past on Interstate 90 it just has the look of your typical small American town, complete with tree-lined streets and whatnot.  We didn’t see much of the town itself because traveling with the fifth-wheel means narrow tree-lined streets are not where you want to be.  Instead we ate at the Perkins right off the highway, which violates one of our unwritten vacation rules – never eat at any place that we have in Canada.  One of the best parts about being State-side is eating at places we don’t have at home.

We didn’t do much Geocaching on our way to Fall City.  We did pick up a couple of finds at the rest stops along I-90, but the service at Perkins was so slow it put us further behind schedule than we expected. 

Another I-90 Rest Stop in Washington

After getting settled at the RV park, I was really happy to see they offered free wireless.  Last night in Post Falls we were able to connect to someone’s open access point, but the signal was weak and thus the speed was less than stellar.  Tonight I’m enjoying full bars of service and much better speeds. 

Our main meal tonight was at XXX Root Beer Drive-In.  This place is a legend around Issaquah, WA and after visiting it last year we knew we had to come back for a second round.  We came out of there just stuffed to the gills from root beer floats, burgers and onion rings.  The sign on the door says “Nothing you can eat here is good for you.” and WOW, it’s true!  We loved it, but I’m sure hoping to get some hiking in this weekend to work it all off now.

XXX Root BeerRoot Beer Float

After XXX we had time to grab two or three more quick drive-up caches before heading to the pre-GeoWoodstock event called “Just Around the Corner from GeoWoodstock” in Carnation, WA.  Along the way we met a couple up from California who are also in town for the Geocaching events this weekend.  Really nice people.

The evening was held in a 100-year old pub called Pete’s Club Grill.  Looked really interesting and the food smelled good but, of course, we were too full from the monster meal we ate earlier to partake in any of the grub.  We only stayed for about an hour before deciding it was time to head back “home” to the trailer for the evening.  We’re hoping to get some more sleep tonight, watch the Netherlands/Brazil FIFA match tomorrow morning and then head out for some hiking and/or shopping.  It’s a fairly open day until the next Geocaching event tomorrow evening.

Been a lot of driving the last couple of days.  We’re here in Falls City, WA for the next five nights, so it will feel good to put down some roots for awhile. 

Wow, what a day it has been!  Even though I don’t feel like we accomplished much, we certainly have been on the run.

We managed to get out of the house at 6am.  The drive down Highway 22 was pretty mundane.  It was only when we got into the Crowsnest Pass that we really started to hit a lot of wind.  The fifth-wheel tracks pretty well so it wasn’t a white-knuckle experience, but it sure made our lives more interesting.  We didn’t take much time in the Pass – just a quick stop at a roadside turnout to let the dog run for a couple of minutes and we were on our way.

Our first longer stop was in Cranbrook, BC.  After filling up with diesel we parked at the Husky and made some sandwiches from the chicken leftovers from last night.  Another dog run and we were back on the road.

Our crossing at Kingsgate was a non-event.  All the Customs agent asked to see was our identification and the dog’s health record.  Few basic questions:  Where you going?  How long you staying?  Any fruit?  Any vegetables?  Is the cat healthy?  Ever had issues getting into the US before?  Nothing serious and nothing out of the ordinary.

With the towing of the trailer and our stops along the way it ended up being an eight hour trip to get to the RV park in Post Falls, ID.  Immediately after dropping the trailer we were off shopping – not for anything “good”, but for basic groceries and supplies.  Wal-mart, Cabelas, and a bite to eat.  We then returned to the trailer where I was pleased to discover we could pick up a faint wireless signal which I am using for connectivity today.  I’ve already burned through 1MB of my 75MB data plan on the iPhone, and that was just to check an to the RV park on Foursquare.

We attended a Geocaching event in Spokane, WA with a number of other people from Calgary who are making their way to Seattle as well for GeoWoodstock 8.  It was a well attended event and we met people from Michigan, New York as well as the local area.  It’s the only caching we have done on the trip so far, other than to sneak away from the truck stop to find a cache in an industrial area with some locals.

Tomorrow we’re off to Fall City, WA which will be our home for the next five nights.  No idea what my connectivity will be like there, but I hope to have some updates along the way.  There’s another Geocaching event tomorrow night but that’s our only real plans for this next day. 

Until then, keep the shiny side up!

“Hey pretty baby, won’t you hold me tight?

I’m loaded up and rolling out of here tonight.

Maybe one day I’ll settle down

and take you back with me to the Guitar Town.”

– Steve Earle, “Guitar Town”

The Beast is dirty but ready to roll.

Preparing for any trip always leaves me with equal parts excited anticipation and worry.  There is the unsettling fear of the unknown, of what lies ahead on the road.  Mechanical problems, missed turns, lost reservations, illness – these all can lay waste to the best made plans. 

Vacations are like microcosms of life.  You can prepare and plan all you want.  You may think you know where you are heading and what you’ll see when you get there, but travel – just like life itself – can throw you a curveball you never expected and leave you in a completely unexpected situation.  Life on the road is about adaptability, just like life at home.  Keep your options open, keep your head up and prepare as best you can knowing some things are just beyond your control.  The best thing you can do is enjoy the ride as best you can, knowing it will be over before you realize it.

Ya gotta live it, you may as well love it.

“We can never know about tomorrow

Still we have to choose which way to go.

You and I are standing at the crossroads

Darling, there is one thing you should know.

You’re a part of me, I’m a part of you.

Wherever we travel,

Whatever we go through.

Whatever time may take away

It cannot change the way we feel today.

So hold me close and say you feel it too.

You’re a part of me, I’m a part of you.”

— Glenn Frey, “Part of Me, Part of You”

We’re in the final stages of packing now.  Everything we don’t expect to need tomorrow morning is loaded in the fifth-wheel or tucked away in the truck.  The plan is to wake up at 5am, have a quick shower, some coffee and perhaps a bite to eat and then get rolling down the highway. 

We’ll be heading down Highway 22, a.k.a. “The Cowboy Trail” until we hit Highway 3 a.k.a “The Crowsnest Highway”.  From there we’ll angle to the west, bound for Cranbrook and our expected first fuel stop.  Then we’ll drop across the border into the panhandle of Idaho and down as far as Post Falls.

Later tomorrow night we’ll meet with a bunch of Calgarians in Spokane, WA for a Geocaching event with some of the locals.  After sharing our tales from the road and having some late night coffee to keep us awake we’ll return to the RV, settle down in our home away from home and prepare for another day on the road.

My internet access will be spotty so updates may not come all that frequently – it depends on how lucky I get with finding Wifi.  I do have my iPhone, but I only have 75MB of data on my temporary roaming plan so I need to ration that out as best I can. 

Take it easy out there and we’ll see you online, everyone!