When I’ve walked 10,000 steps in a day, my phone gives me a cheerful accolade of “da,da,da,done!” That’s what we feel like at this moment. We have arrived! (Never mind that we still have another hour and a half to Bellingham, and a moving day ahead of us. Details!)
The wonders of a restorative night of sleep! I am ready to do a full-fledged, free-of-charge commercial for the Horse Heaven Best Western Inn. Up at our usual early hour of 8 am, we realized we had also gained that hour at the Idaho border. We actually slept until 9 am! (The added pitfalls of room darkening shades and a good fan in the background.) We are destined for late departures. Perhaps the airline industry would be a good fit for us?
A superb full, hot breakfast waiting for us, we enjoyed it as we amused ourselves with the lady trying to vacuum the lobby. The minute she started her work, the phone would ring and she’d have to stop. This went on for a good 15 minutes. She was pretty darn patient, and that was our motto for the day. I’ve already forgotten what my “angel” card was. My daughter had us each pick a virtue for the day out of her grab bag, and it was to guide us in our thoughts and actions. Hers was “freedom.” I inadvertently got three virtues to work on, none of which I can remember right now, but I’m pretty sure I did a fine job of exemplifying each of them. (One of them was not “humility.”)
We were on the road and actually remembered to return our DVD to the grocery mart before heading out of town. We visited the world famous Chukar Cherries factory and store. We took the scenic Yakima Valley Highway, rather than the faster interstate. We wondered where this pass was – the one that kept us staying in Prosser for the evening. I had concluded it was a ruse to get more business into the town, when lo and behold, we did have to pass through a pass. Snoqualmie Pass – beautiful, of course. And there was rock blasting. We would not have made it through there by 8 pm last night, so Prosser received the benefit of our business.
We connected with my Uncle and Aunt via phone and were assured that our arrival time around dinner was just fine. (We know not to miss dinner here as they are fabulous chefs!) Battling Seattle proper traffic, we went to the Chihuly glass museum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation visitor center. We also were just pleased as punch that a festival was being held in the area where we were trying to find parking. It was delightful to squeeze through the streets and lots, finally caving in to a public structure four levels below the street. At least the car was cool. Our wine appreciated that. (oops. we bought some wine!)
I could sit and stare at that glass for hours, but the benches there aren’t that comfortable. We eventually made our way back to the car, and the real city driving began. The usual – 4 pm rush hour on the only main highway through a coastal city. AAAUGHGHGH. Aforementioned daughter navigated like a trooper while I tapped my imaginary brake pedal. Let me take this moment for a commercial break.
COMMERCIAL BREAK: It can be tough to find someone who can put up with you for four days in a car, ignore your stupid remarks, keep the place as neat and tidy as possible, ignore your sarcastic and maybe politically incorrect comments, and not be driven by a personal agenda opposed to your own. My delightful daughter is one of the all-time, greatest travel buddies in the world. She is always upbeat (especially after her morning nap) and thanks you for anything you do for her. (like driving so she can take a morning nap) Easy-going. When the road construction started to irk me, her ever-positive take on life said, “We can read the license plates easier!” She complimented and thanked every single person who waited on us or helped us. I highly recommend a road trip with her. Plus, she packs a car neater than anyone and can wash a windshield extremely well. END
We arrived for dinner, enjoyed cheerful banter with family, and had a wonderful shrimp linguini dinner with strawberry pie as the dessert! We definitely needed and took a walk to get the 10,000 steps on my phone app and hear the fabulous, “da,da,da,done!” I will be returning to Denver with more of me to love, I fear. 10,000 steps isn’t going to quite cut it when it comes to waistline management on a road trip.
So, we pretty much end this trip here. I don’t think I’ll be blogging the rest, because it will be apartment hunting, job application checking, moving, and my eventual return to Denver. I will say that I saw a chair on the road today, and I am sticking to my theory regarding the inherent risks of being a home furnishing in today’s modern world of travel. We failed to find our full 50 license plates and am pretty sure we aren’t going to get them going to the furthermost point in the contiguous United States! I also don’t know how to spell check on my ipad, and don’t really know if “furthermost” is correct. I’m sure one of you can help me with that little grammatical detail. Son? I think I’m right, but I’m sure you’ll let me know. (Don’t look at the punctuation though, because I know I’ve screwed up on some commas.) I hope the photos of our trip turned out, but if not, I know the thought of them is good enough for me. I am most grateful to the gal for whom the aforementioned commercial was made. She took me along on her adventure and I’ll never forget it!