Bellingham

We left Seattle about 9 this morning - I wanted to give the traffic time to die down a bit. A truck rammed a bridge support on I-5 a week ago, necessitating the closure of a short stretch of the interstate. Traffic was diverted to a nearby bridge running through the center of a small town just to the East of the interstate. I'm sure that times have never been so good for that sleepy little burg as every traveler seemed to be converging at the same time as us. It was chaos!

Jack and I did located a shopping plaza that included everything we needed - a Walmart,a Cabelas, and and an enormous lot.

We just crossed into Canadian waters on the ferry - I've got to post before roaming kicks in. More on Sunday

5/30

We spent most of the day in Seattle with our guide, the Trip Advisor app (recommended by my wife, Janet). We hit the Smith Tower which rivaled the Space Needle in terms of view and, most importantly, price. There was only one school group that morning so it was relatively empty. We chatted with the elevator operator (one of the last few remaining outside of Washington DC).

Afterward, we spent most if the day raking in the sights and talking about where Jack will live in his city of choice.

Throughout the day, I was mistaken for an elevator repairman, a salesman at both the North Face and REI stores, and George Clooney.....ok, I made the last one up.

I dropped Jack back at the camper and made yet another run to Costco, Fred Meyer, and Trader Joe's in prep for our long stay in the retail desert of Wrangell.

We left Burley early (......poet?) around 8am and drove into Oregon, home of the it's a crime to pump your own gas gas stations ( oh, how I love nanny states). We stopped at Emigrant Springs state park around 3pm. Even though we both felt like driving, the lure of a shower was too much for either if us. I ran while Jack cleaned up. After a dinner of spaghetti (sound familiar), we built a fire and relaxed. Off early to Seattle in the morning.

Seattle

Jack and I left Emigrant Springs at 6 this morning under a heavy downpour. The drive took us through the brown hills of SE Washington state that I remembered well from my ride across it in the 90's - it was the really heat that I remember most - over 100 for the better part of a week. Our drive also took us over Snoqualmie pass an incredible climb over the roughest four lane highway in the nation. We arrived at the Vasa RV campground ion lake Sammamish around noon. I immediately unhooked the camper and headed to the Costco for the first of what will surely be many food runs. The load of meat came in just over $300. Jack helped me transfer the freezer from the truck to the camper and we topped off the night with a run to the local Chipolte for dinner. We'll head in to Seattle tomorrow before leaving for Bellingham early Saturday morning.

I'm posting from my cell phone - even though posting is a breeze with the Blogger app, it's not easy to proofread. I apologize for any errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation.

Our second day at the monument was spent relaxing and taking in the views from the plateau far above Grand Junction. It was hard to believe that camping spots were still available this weekend but most had been vacated by Sunday at noon. Our site was visited throughout the day by a tiny baby mouse who showed no fear of people. It was quite a cutie even though before long it would be spreading Hantavirus virus far and wide.... much like a chimp before it grows into a face eating machine before your very eyes.

We left the Colorado National Monument around 10am and said goodbye to Mom, Grandpa, Donna, and her niece Grace near Green River, Utah. Jack and I drove until about seven that evening when we finally stopped in Burley, Idaho at a Walmart. I picked up a new battery as the old one has completely given up the ghost. We watched The Man with the Iron Fists over a dinner of spaghetti and cereal..... Ah, dad's cookin'!

The Big Adventure of 2013

Graduation at Red Rocks amphitheater went smoothly. After a hectic week of packing, final exams, and packing, Jack and I headed West with grandpa to the Colorado National Monument. It's been a gorgeously dry and sunny couple of days with temps in the 80's. Dad brought a "flame sniffer" welded from spare parts by his friend Al - made to fit my oil lamp.