MONDAY, MAY 25th, a very memorable Memorial Day - DAY 12:
6:45am - I woke up late, 'cuz I had been planning to stay one more day, but when I discovered Mimi was gonna hibernate for the entire day, I decided to pack and go. "We gotta get outta this place. If it's the last thing we ever do."
9:00am - Off and away. Couldn't find Gertrude or my cooler. I'd already had 'Kenny' stolen off my bike, and now my gorilla had been taken off the front porch. And my cooler… who the f knows.
9:30am - Kent, the town of. Couldn’t buy a single beer. County ordinance. A six pack or more is ok, but not a single. Not until 10am. Funny huh? I couldn't charm the attendant to allow me to use his restroom either. Then I cut my finger trying to un-jam the zipper on Honey's tail bag.
Finally something good happened, when I was able to give directions to a gal looking for the cemetery in Covington. I was able to get her headed properly for Covington, and I could tell form the map, that is was a small enough town, that she wouldn't have any trouble find the cemetery, when she got there.
One full hour burned, but I wasn't gonna let it bug me. I was planning on lolly gagging all day anyway. The route I'd chosen was gonna take me past the foot of Mt. Rainier, and I wanted to play tourist and enjoy the scenery that I had never had the opportunity to see before.
10:00am - I was feeling wild and crazy, so I decided to do something different. I stopped for my poddy break at a Ford Dealership, instead of a GSMM (gas station mini mart). Rick, the salesman was amused, and happy for the distraction.
10:30am - I spent 45 minutes finding, buying, and securing an American Flag for Honey. It lasted about three hours before someone stole it. I'd never had such a run of bad luck, as in the last few days. Normally, things on my bike stay where I put them.
I started to get 'spooked' about it, as a bad sign, but was able to shake the mood. It was just too glorious of a day, to let myself get in a funk about anything as unimportant as a couple of stuffed animals, and an American flag.
11:30am - When I stopped in Enumclaw for gas, my mood got dramatically better. I met John and 'Yellow Jacket', his Goldwing (motorcycle). He said he was just out for a day ride and would love to join me.
I was honored. This man (and Yellow Jacket) were gonna go to Hawaii the next week, to ride in their 50th State together. Quite an accomplishment, and after personally only have ridden Honey in 13 States myself… I could appreciate the time and effort this feat took.
1:00pm - Crystal Mountain Ski Resort, at the base of Mt. Rainier. I met some of the ski patrol… all beautiful, young, healthy, and nice. Veronica, the mountain biker gave me a kiss on the cheek while John took our picture. Tianna didn't kiss me, but she let me kiss her… cheek.
Fellow biker brother and sisters Mel, Sarah, Mike and Mary were also there to enjoy the good times and spirit. It was a wonderful time, and I didn't want to leave. I have a sticker on the back of my helmet, and will remember Crystal Mountain for a long time.
2:45pm - Whiskey Jack's in Cliffdell. You guessed it, another beer pub - grill. Jan, a customer at the bar was a lively 65 ish. Tasha, Safauna were lively 25 year old bar maids. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Connie and Patricia showed up. Girls girls girls.
4:00pm - It took some effort, but after some friendly conversation, I was back on the road again. What an incredibly beautiful area. See pictures on the following pages, to save me several thousand words:
Mt. Hood from different vantage points
John was kind enough to turn around and give me a chance to get my camera out so I could take this action shot as we went over the pass near Mt. Hood
Random Biker Brothers at one of our turn arounds
4:45pm - Just south of Yakima, I stopped for gas, and spoke with Erma, a native Yakima Indian Speaker (someone who teaches the history of their culture). She was truly a wealth of information and spirit. We shared 10 minutes of meaningful conversation and hugged each other lovingly when we parted.
5:45pm - Just north of Goldendale. I was gonna visit the observatory, where you can see the stars in the middle of the day, but Jody got in the way. She was quite a lovely woman. I fell in love and hope to return to marry her soon. She was physically and emotionally strong… yet soft and feminine. With thick long sandy blonde hair and an inner beauty beyond compare. She's almost completed the restoration of The Lodge and Chalets, a bed a breakfast establishment she purchased not far from the beer pub where I met her.
8:00pm - About 100 miles short of Sunriver, my destination for the night, I stopped on the side of the road at a cattle ramp. I needed to add some layers… it was starting to get cold. The weather had been so spectacular for almost the whole trip… I'd almost forgotten that it was still springtime. Summer was still several weeks away.
10:00pm - Stopped in Madras for gas, and returned a phone call from the La Selva Beach Church Construction Committee. They wanted to schedule an interview with me. I was one of the three contractors that they were gonna interview, which they had selected from the original group of seven who submitted proposals. Great news. Maybe I won't have to try to sell these dumb stories to make a living for myself after all.
10:30pm - I arrived safely at Jacques and Lovely's, and we talked 'til midnight. Then I retired to what turned out to be a bit of a fitful night's sleep. My throttle wrist was killing me… even two vicadin didn't touch it. 454 miles for the day, and 2,439 for the trip. It was a very memorable Memorial Day.
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