View Day 1:Snohomish, WA to Cottonwood ID in a larger map
Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye
We have been used to saying goodbye to a few things for a short while. We have also been used to saying goodbye to a few things forever. But today we said goodbye to many things for either forever, or a for a long time. All of this coupled with exhaustion lent itself to a difficult time.
But by late morning we said goodbye and left our home of 13 years, and drove off with a trunk full of our stuff in a Toyota Corolla. In the picture below you can see all of our junk that is slated for the garbage. A good friend of mine offered to pick it up soon for us. We appreciate all the help our friends and family have given this week.
Here is a close-up of everything left that we threw away.
Car Check
Before we left we stopped by Les Schwab and asked for a check on our vehicle. The back-end is loaded down and noticeably lower than usual.
They got our tire pressure just right and gave us reassurance that we were in good shape. There was no mention that our new tires were from Costco and not from Les Schwab, but they knew the ugly truth and yet were kind enough to help anyway.
Behind those short hair cuts and good manners lies an unprejudiced heart eager to service any tire.
Eastern Washington
We soon left Western Washington by driving over the geographical hurdle that separates these two very different landscapes, the Cascade mountain range. As we drove we still carried the tension of the week on our shoulders.
The drive was not taking us up through Spokane, nor the common route to Pasco, but directly in-between. Interesting. Well, I put my trust in the GPS and continued to drive east.
No Man's Land
At first we were apprehensive about this route: going directly between Spokane and Pasco. I wasn't expecting it to be very scenic or interesting. And guess what, I was right. It was about as desolate a drive as you can get.
Then it struck me. This is exactly what we need right now. The consistent element between traffic, people, cities, and things is that they are all stuff... We have been looking at "stuff" all week, now our journey has welcomed us to the road by removing everything - people, cities, cars....stuff. We enjoyed being able to stare at nothing.
Excitement from our Eastern Washington Route
Staring at nothing for hours lowered our travel expectations. Soon we were getting excited about things we saw and observed. Here are some highlights:
- Saw a patch of green after hours of brown
- Went through a town named Royal City. I could not find anything royal about it, nor could I find a city.
- Watched a windmill turning clockwise
- Observed the temperature slowly climb to 101 degrees
- We saw a raccoon! Although Nicki and I are not in agreement on this. She thinks it was a porcupine. Whatever it was, it was lying dead on the road and it's legs were sticking straight up in the air. I think they looked like raccoon legs. Plus it had fur and raccoons have fur.
- After seeing lots of crossroads with names like "Maple" and "Anderson", we saw one named "Gunky". At the time I was excited and thought it was a noteworthy find. Now I'm not really sure what the significance is. Perhaps the delirium of the road is to blame.
- A cop passed me going the other direction and I was going 1 mile over the speed limit. I didn't slow down, I just stared into his eyes. I sat a little straighter and tightened my jaw. There is something about the open road that just brings out the rebel in me.
Rip-proof Overalls
While driving through one small town, we also spotted a giant billboard for rip-proof overalls. It said, "Rip-proof Overalls - A new pair free if they rip"
I've never had the experience of crawling inside a pair of rip-proof overalls, but think about it - what would the first thing you would want to do once you bedeck yourself with this impervious exoskeleton? TRY TO RIP THEM.
My mind wandered....I would start by running through a field of blackberry bushes. Then maybe holding onto the bumper of a car and being dragged around in them. Then I'd probably enter us both into a gymnastics contest. And maybe enter a cage full of hungry lions.
I would then either ask for my new pair of replacement overalls or spend some time cherishing my trial-tested rip-proof overalls. Either way you can't lose!
These are the kinds of things a large sign about overalls gets you thinking about when driving through desolate eastern Washington.
Entering Idaho
We made it to Idaho! Hooray! Our first new state on the trip. The car is still running great and morale is high!
The landscape is changing to more of rolling hills. More green, less brown.
Lost?
Uh-oh. Something is horribly wrong. We must've taken a wrong turn or something. We are way off course.
I don't quite remember driving over the Aleutian Islands, but the signs don't lie. WAY OFF COURSE. Looks like I'm going to have to drive to the next restaurant and ask for directions. Maybe have a little borscht and vodka while I'm at it.
Cottonwood Idaho
The sun is setting, we are getting a bit road weary. It's time to settle in the for night. Our destination, Cottonwood Idaho, was a welcome sight.
Cottonwood Idaho seems like your average small town out in farmland Idaho. But there is something very special about this remote location. There is one bed, in one room, in one DOG....it was our room tonight.
More on this in the next article.
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