5/20/2009 Hello Washington!

To start off today, I have to say THANK YOU to Derek! When we left this morning I was online for just a few minutes. The counter was at 59,700 and change. I never, ever imagined it would turn to 60,000 today so therefore didn't post usual spiel about the counter turning blah, blah, blah. Well, imagine my surprise when we get set up and I turn the computer on and its OVER 60,000! The new reader (s) in or near Carlisle, PA are running up the counter because he/she/they must have started at the beginning of the blog. Thank you! Anyway, Derek from BC was the one who turned it over at 60,000 and he just automatically left a comment without any prompt from me. I'm looking at the counter already and I'm going to say it here, if you are # 61,000 leave a message and let me know. You guys are just the greatest!

So its moving day again and we're heading north. We didn't want to leave until nine because of traffic so we took our time getting ready today. We were both up early because the uh, "gentleman" staying next to us was loading chairs and small tables into his pickup at the crack of dawn with absolutely no consideration for his neighbors....US!

So as we pulled away we waved so long to our lodging host for the past two days.

A few more nights at the Elks and my yearly membership will have paid for itself.

It didn't take us long on road before this was our view....for miles and miles and miles.

We've often heard what a beautiful drive this is and that as RV'ers it certainly is one that we must take. I agree. It is beautiful. Bob couldn't answer that because he rarely got to look to his right or his left. Its a twist-y turn-y drive and when you have to pay such close attention to the locals who know this road and can travel it much faster than you and DO and keep track of the center line and the guardrail on the right when there is one or sheer walls of rock when they come into play and you are doing all this on a road you've never, ever been on before, well, sightseeing just does not come easily. Pull overs for sightseers, places to take pictures? Oh yeah, by the dozens! Convenient to the driver? Oh sure if you are driving north to south. Being 53 feet long does not make it easy to cross over a lane of oncoming traffic, especially when your wife is yelling, "Its so pretty, I want to take a picture, pull over, pull over" and you've got 27 vehicles behind you and line of 32 coming towards to you. AHA! That's why Bob pops that flip top on the beer can as soon as he turns the engine off! Now I get it!

I learned today that no piece of wood is safe from a chainsaw woodcarver.

It was really long drive today. No longer in mileage than the other day but the miles didn't seem to disappear under our tires as fast today. I was antsy. I didn't want to sit still and I couldn't get comfortable. But I was good, not once did I say, "Are we there yet?"

I don't think it helped that it was a dreary, overcast day, the same as yesterday. I'm one of those people that needs sunshine or I get cranky.

We went through this one little town and this stood in the median strip.

Another log that didn't escape the chainsaw, but hey, it could have been something as mundane as a telephone pole.

I was talking with my Quail Run friend, Kathy "I gotta have a drink in both hands" Weyer or as I affectionately call her, The Lush, the other day and she told me that whenever we get to her neck of the woods in Nebraska she is going to take me to a farm to introduce me to the animals. I replied OK and really didn't think much of it nor did I catch the significance of her statement. Until the next morning. I was sitting on the ...well that's not important... and it hit me. WHY does she want to introduce me to farm animals? She was making reference to my mix up of sheep and goats. Well Kath, these next two pictures are just for YOU!

COWS!

HORSE

The next town we came into was the last one we would pass through in Oregon. "Oregon, I wish I had seen a whole lot more of you, but we'll be back!"

This is one huge bridge we have to go over. I can't even get it all in the same picture, you'll see why.

Here we are on the section that is pictured above.

Then we had to go across the causeway.

Halfway across that Bob says, "We're getting ready to cross the state line". Yep, the state line is in the middle of the river! Here's a look at it on our GPS. Its the horizontal line in the top third of the picture.

Now I wonder whose idea that was! Why not just make it where you reach the land? If Oregon and Washington were to have a civil war and their minutemen were standing toe to toe at the state line...wouldn't they be treading water? Can you see it now, the non-swimmers doggy paddling out to the line of skirmish?

We had to cross yet a second bridge in this span across the water.

It was on this one we crossed the line.

Another new state! Washington state. Yes, that's what I call it. You see, when you come from the eastern mid-Atlantic states, like we do, you are close to Washington D.C. and when talking about it you fail to always add the D.C. part and just say Washington. So those of us in the area, to avoid confusion when talking about the STATE of Washington versus the place where our country is governed from, and the I use the term governed loosely, we say Washington state. I'm glad I cleared that up for you. The next time you meet a Delawarean and are discussing the state of Washington and that person says Washington STATE, you won't be confused.

We had heard the mosquitoes in Washington were BIG but we had no idea they could actually catch them and cage them!

We finally made it to our destination. Pacific Beach Resort & Conference Center, compliments of the Navy. We just wanted to get inside and set up when we arrived so I'll take pictures of the site and area tomorrow.

Before I close this please indulge me while I send out a very heartfelt HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear friend LaVon. Many of you longtime readers have from time to time heard me mention my sweet, quirky friend. Yes, quirky, the woman has a thing for dead trees, trust me, quirky fits.

Today is her birthday. Far be it from me to tell another lady's age....but LaVon, twenty four months till social security babe! You go girl!

LaVon, my friend, as we traveled the road today I searched east and west, remember we're traveling north so that was just my directional way of saying right and left, for the perfect dead tree to take a picture of. LaVon, I couldn't find one. Oh that's not to say I didn't see any, but I wanted it to be the perfect one in honor of your birthday. Oh wait, I did see one that was just fabulous, it would have been perfect, and I did try to get it in my viewfinder. Unfortunately by the time I loosened my seatbelt, got turned in the seat, got the camera up, pointed it in the right direction, looked through the viewfinder, well, we were two blocks past it. I tried, I truly, truly tried.

Then I saw a whole truckload of trees.

But LaVon, this just doesn't have your name written on it. And I kept searching.

Searching and searching for that elusive perfect tree for my friend who is changing DECADES today. I thought this one would do....after all .... it's dead.

But no, this one wouldn't do either, its only a stump, I want something special, really special for you LaVon.

I didn't find it in our travels today. Oddly enough I found it right in my very own house. I was looking in the cabinet and there, right next to the wart remover I saw it! (Note: we don't have wart remover in our house for we have no need for it but it was use wart remover or Ex-lax for the sake of my story here) (Oh yeah, Ex-lax we have) It wasn't a "normal" dead tree that I usually take pictures of for you though. But LaVon, at one time it was a tree! A mighty tree! Probably cut down in its prime logged right out of here in Washington state.

Ah, Washington, just think LaVon (Snookie standing at military attention, hand over her heart --- cue God Bless America music) this little pencil came from a tree that had it been allowed to live and grow tall and strong could have been, (Snookie wipes tear from eye) the White House Lawn Christmas tree! But it wasn't allowed to grow LaVon, no it probably didn't reach its full height, cut down in its prime by the greedy bastards who couldn't wait to make little penny ante pencils...oh, sorry, I got carried away there for a moment.

Did you take note LaVon that it isn't your run of the mill #2 yellow? No way, no siree, no common pencil that came from a great tree that didn't get to die and rot on its own for my friend LaVon!

Look LaVon....look closer.

Its a GREEN ARIZONA CITY GOLF CLUB PENCIL! Special paint LaVon, Arizona City GREEN....wow, there isn't ANYTHING green in Arizona City come to think of it. I guess that's what makes this all the more special!

And one more thing LaVon, this pencil, this once great tree, well, I use it write out my grocery list with.

Happy Birthday girlfriend!