Waiting for my Baby

It was nice to have dinner out last night after arriving in Bellevue around 4pm. I noticed the Outback Steakhouse on the way in to the RV Park, and just had to go……..I had Bloomin’ Onion on my mind from the second I saw it. So, the onion, filet w/baked potato, salad with Thousand Island dressing (when was the last time you had that?), glass of red……..ok, glasses of red, and I truly was a “happy camper”. By the time I returned to Plan B, only a five minute drive away, I was totally gassed, and hence the abbreviated message last night…….so a little catching up is in order.

The drive in from Idaho was spectacular, and passed by some places that might be on a future travel list. Coeur d Alene, Idaho, looked gorgeous in particular…….crossing the Columbia River was spectacular, and we will actually do that again on the way down to Bandon tomorrow……..quite a few up and over mountain passes along I-90, and the last before a long descent towards Seattle was Snoqualmie Pass, featuring a good sized ski area at the top called, you guessed it…..The Summit. They had great coverage and lots of people out skiing………60 degrees outside according to the truck! So now that the sprint across the country is done, I have to say I am so impressed with South Dakota and Montana in particular, but the thin slice of Idaho I passed through wasn’t bad either. Can’t imagine I lived in Colorado for 12 years and never really made it up this way! Beautiful country.

Bellevue is a suburb of Seattle, but you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. I was out shopping today and saw a little bit of town……nice neighbourhoods, lots of hilly terrain, and some big views of the city. The RV Park is a stones throw from the interstate, and it goes 24-7. This is a real in-town park…….all asphalt, but fully serviced and it serves its purpose…….for me, it is about 30 minutes to the airport, perfect for picking up Jutta tomorrow morning, coming in from a drunken boozy hen golfing trip in Victoria (I’ll here about that one!)………(and not just from Jutta). There is a real mixture of clientele here…….folks like me just passing through, vacationers, the guy next door is in town visiting family, some people here for work, and others live here permanently. I thought about it, and outside of “LIVING IN A TRAILER”……..its $50 a night……no property taxes……no grass to cut…….minor exterior maintenance, no water, sewer, or electric bill…….free cable and wifi……..onsite laundry, swimming pool, and nice shower/washroom facilities………BUT…….”YOU’RE LIVING IN A $%&*)@# TRAILER”. AAAHHHHHHH….AAAHHHHH…..couldn’t help but think of Sam Kinison when I wrote this

Some people might say to us, “You’re vacationing in a trailer”, but this is a phase I assure you………we will be back to glorious 5 Star hotels and all day pampering in no time.

The weather here to day was gorgeous, and looking at the forecast for Bandon, our first golf day calls for the possibility of some showers……..so its going to rain, its Bandon after all, but the next two golf days are mostly sunny and only a 20% chance of rain, so its going to rain, its Bandon after all……..actually feeling quite optimistic that the Jutta and Hugh holiday weather magic might just be in play once again. Hope so. I am honestly a little apprehensive about what my game will be like over the next few days………haven’t hit a ball since Florida in November, and had big plans to find a driving range today and work out the kinks, get the feel back, stay still, stack and load, groove my swing, and get back in the zone………but I had a little nap instead. I’m sure the 20 balls I get to hit before our first 36 on Tuesday will be just enough.

I have to get highway ready again tomorrow morning…….get on my mesh back Flying J Truck Stop ball cap and hit the road. There are probably about 30 things, inside and out, that you have to check before hitting the road……..simple things like don’t leave the toaster on the counter, because for sure it will be smashed up somewhere down the hall when you stop for the day………I haven’t done anything serious yet, but I really should make a list, or just not travel alone anymore…….Jutta is a great co-pilot (trying to make up for the golf trip comment) and being German is very detail oriented……I’ll let her make the list.

So tomorrow we are reunited, and phase 2 of this journey begins……..many more stories to tell…….cheers……..talk tomorrow, and thanks for your comments.