"9 States in 13 Days"

... this is a story that happened 5 years ago:

CA~NV~UT~WY~MO~ID~WA~OR~CA… 3,388 miles in 13 days

                                   … from the 'lost archives'

                                                                        PREFACE

My middle daughter Ashley was going to graduate from high school, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. But as important as it was to me to be there, it was equally as important for me to turn the opportunity into an adventure.

Since road trips on Honey (my motorcycle) are one of my favorite things in the world, I decided that rather than riding directly from my home in Aptos, California, to Seattle, Washington, through the State of Oregon, I would take the 'scenic route'… through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.

Unfortunately, I lost my journal-log from the trip, so this story is based only on my memories from a trip that happened almost five years ago. Mostly, it's a pictorial essay about the trip.

Day 1 - 6/10/05: Aptos, California to Austin, Nevada

The first three hours of the ride was the same route I'd taken many times in the past.
Due east, over Pacheco Pass (Hwy 156)… thru Los Banos… then Hwy 33 to Merced, then the fun part of the ride, into the foothills on Hwy 132 thru Snelling and one of my favorite pit stops at the saloon La Grange, a little blink and miss it cattle town at the edge of the Sierra Nevada mountain range foothills.

One of the reasons it's my favorite, is because of the waitress that worked there for a long time… Laura serves a killer margarita, and then for special customers, put the second one in a plastic cup to go. She trusted me. I'm usually pretty good at making people feel like they can trust me. You can trust me on that.

Normally when I'm driving this route, it's when I'm on my way to "Tokosaben," the property my family owned, and I've always driven that section of road with great care, no matter how many killer margaritas I've had.

When I was 13, my family and 4 others bought 40 acres just outside of Greely Hill, and the name I came up with was voted as the unanimous winner. Here's how I came up with the name:

I took the "T" from the Tindall family; the "O" from the Opdyke (my) family; the "KO" from the Kobiashi's; the "SA" from the Sato's; and the "BEN" from the Benthin's. The really cool thing about the name was that before we voted on the name, we all voted on our choices for which of the five 2-acre parcels each family would get to build their cabin on. Based on the statistical math (5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5), the odds of each family getting their first choice were 3,125 to 1. And that's what happened.

Then, as if to prove what a 'special' place it was that we were creating… the parcels that each of the families chose as their first choice, was in the same order as the way I had put the letters from their names together. The odds of that happening are 9,765,635 to 1 (3,125 x 3,125).

Basically, Tokosaben had a one in ten million chance of happening the way it did. All of the families have always felt that this was how lucky we were to be together in the place we were. Two of the families have since sold their parcels, but the feeling of 'community and love' is still being carried on to this day, and I hope it continues that way forever.

I've spent parts of 39 summers up there (and counting), enjoying that part of the Sierra's, and it never gets old.

 Stout Lake

And then Rainbow Pool, one of my favorite places in the world, located on Highway 120, about half way between Groveland and the Crane Flat entrance to Yosemite National Park.

So... back to the Adventure Ride.  It was at the La Grange Saloon that my route changed on this trip. Instead of continuing east on Hwy 132, I veered slightly to the north, and went thru the town of Sonora, over the pass with the same name on Hwy 108, and down the other side to Mono Lake.

                                                                       Elevation 9,624'

Even in June the air was cold, and the snow was deep on the sides of the road, but the pavement was warm and dry, and I remember thinking to myself that I really needed to do a lot more of these road trips. Five years later, I've written stories about this one, and seven others.

Please visit my blog listed at the beginning of this story, to read about them, and see all the other pretty pictures.

As I remounted Honey, I said good-bye to the cool mountain air, and prepared myself for the hot desert variety I was gonna be in for the next couple of days.
After reaching the bottom of the east side of the Sierras, I traveled north on Hwy 395 for just a few miles, before turning east on Hwy 50, "The Loneliest Highway in America." My day ended in Austin (Nevada) after a first day of (+/-) 570 miles.

Day 2 - 6/11/05: Austin, Nevada to Heber City, Utah

                Welcome to Utah - still on Hwy 50… and still lonely… next services 83 miles.

Besides remembering how nice the road was, unfortunately, I'm at a loss to remember anything else noteworthy. Oh… there was one thing… I remember a stretch of about 100 miles coming into Salt Lake City, where I was riding thru a cool early summer rainstorm. Day 2: 317 miles.

Day 3 - 6/12/05: Heber City, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming

                        Welcome to Wyoming - drive thru cocktails… I Love Wyoming.

It was surprisingly cold, but fortunately I'd packed my warm weather gear, and it wasn't too uncomfortable for me. And no, I did not stop at any of the drive thru's.

Day 4 - 6/13/05: Jackson Hole, Wyoming to Livingston, Montana

          The Grand Tetons

That morning it was cold… really cold… and I stopped at a random person's home and was given hot tea and as much time as I had wanted. I just love (most of) the people I meet on my adventures. Most of them are really nice. It warms me to my cockles to think about all the wonderful people on this planet. That day however, I needed a little bit more to warm my cockles.

                      The road crisscrossed the divide three times, before taking me to…

                                                                          Old Faithful

But not willing to wait another 54 minutes… I continued on, and stopped in Livingston, Montana. It was a spectacular 213 mile day.

Day 5 - 6/14/05 - Livingston, Montana to Spokane, Washington

I remember enjoying the ride and the terrain, but cannot remember anything specific about this 426 mile day.

Day 6 - 6/15/05 - Spokane, WA to Seattle, WA

Same as above about this 293 mile day.

Day 7 - 6/16/05 - Seattle and surrounding areas

I spent most of the day with Kellie, my oldest daughter. It was a gorgeous day in the Emerald City…

... but I also made time to take a ride up to a place I found just before moving back to Santa Cruz way back in 1989:

                                                                           Denny Creek

THE DENNY CREEK DOCTRINE

You need to know where to go To meet the people you want to know
Life in the city is full of illusions
People in the city are full of... Shit in the water?! Don’t you care?
What are you thinking of?
You’re a fool to live in the city

You need to know where to go
To find the people you want to know
Life in the country is simple
People in the country understand
Shit in the water, and you get
Sick of the people in the city

I want to sit on the rocks
And watch the crystalline water
Tumble across my feet... no shit In the Denny Creek water

Day 8 - 6/17/05 - Party on the patio…

 Ashley's pre-graduation party took place at her mom Mimi's house and was attended by a small handful of her friends. Including, but not limited to: (3) friends - one seated in ponytail, one dressed in yellow, and one in aqua… aunt Tracy (Mimi's sister) - standing/ eating… sister Kellie - standing next to… her (then) boyfriend (now ex-husband) Jon… and (Mimi's mother) Blah - sitting, with last name the same as the color as her hair (Grey).

Day 9 - 6/18/05 - Father's Day…

                                                             … with Daughters #1 & 2

Day 10 - 6/19/05 - Ashley's Graduation from High School

When this picture was taken, it was only the 2nd time I'd worn this shirt. The first time was for Kellie's graduation from high school, two years previously. Since then, the shirt has (only) been worn for… in order… Kellie's graduation from college, Eron's (my youngest Daughter) graduation from high school (when she was only 16!), Kellie's graduation from college, and Ashley's graduation from college. One more (at least) graduation to go, before I can 'retire' the shirt, and put it in my cedar chest along with my high school and college graduation gowns and a few other priceless heirlooms.

Some pictures of the happy occasion:

The proud parents

The loving sisters

Art & Pat, the grandparents

… Look out World!

Day 11 - 6/20/05 - Seattle, Washington to Newport Beach, Oregon

Now I was headed south, back to Santa Cruz, but I had a passenger with me. My oldest daughter (Kellie) was sitting behind me! She'd already done a fair amount of riding with me, but this was our first 'inter-state' ride.

Instead of heading due south, we went west. Luckily, Kellie is like her Dad… she doesn't like straight lines either. At one of our stops on the north coast of Oregon, we found a photo op… several years earlier, I'd picked my 'road name,' and now… I have a picture of me standing next to my namesake…

             "I am Thor, master of the universe."

Of course there's always time to stop and kiss the girls

When we got to Newport Beach (Oregon), we were greeted and welcomed by two very loving relatives. They are technically 'ex' relatives… the brother and sister in law of my second ex wife, but to me they will always be my brother and sister… the same as Tracy and David, my first ex wife's sister and brother in law.
  

                                                                   Brad and Wren
Day 11: 334 miles.

Day 12 - 6/21/05 - Newport Beach, Oregon to Arcata, CA

It's interesting to me, how different people are when they get on the back of a motorcycle. Kellie had a really hard time. She was so relaxed and comfortable, that she kept falling asleep.

Kellie and Dad:

                                             Leaving Newport Beach

Kellie and I really enjoyed the Oregon coast, even though I had to wake her up when we stopped! =)

Day 12: 308 miles.

Day 13 - 6/22/05 - Arcata, CA to Aptos, CA; the last leg!

                                  We rode thru a redwood tree in "The Avenue of the Giants"…

                                             … and across the Golden Gate, in San Francisco

I dropped Kellie off in Los Gatos, just short of Aptos, so she could hook up with her mom, and the rest of her Seattle family, to attend a family reunion that weekend. It was a tremendous adventure. A 306 mile day, and 3,338 for the trip. And for those math wizards out there, this total includes 300 miles while I was in Seattle.

The Last Adventure... (of 2009): Day 5- 1.6k words

Tuesday 12/22/09

Kellie's cats were happy to have G and I as playthings on their living room floor that night.  I was relieved to have G next to me… her giggles about their running around making playful noises made the situation a lot more bearable for me.

Something that was not bearable for me was the air mattress that Toren had provided for us to sleep on.  It was barely big enough for me alone, so with G next to me, it was like sleeping on a space the shape of a popsicle-stick.

I rested and dozed until midnight… then got up and sat on the edge of the coffee table for about 30 minutes trying to decide if I was gonna go out and find a motel.  I decided I needed to 'tough it out'… Kellie and Toren were very gracious to let us stay with them, and I did not want to hurt their feelings by leaving in the middle of the night.  That simply was not an option.

So once I conceded to the fact that I was not gonna sleep that night, it was much easier.  I re-positioned myself on my popsicle-stick for about an hour and a half… then moved to the small couch.

At 3am I asked G if she would mind trading places, and she very lovingly and tenderly agreed.  I so much appreciate G's kind and gentle personality.  Even when things are not going well… she is a sincere pleasure to be around.  I do not recall ever hearing a 'cranky' tone in her voice… knock on wood.

I rested better on the air mattress after I had it all to myself.  I always toss and turn in my sleep.  I call it 'basting' myself.  First on my stomach, then my left side… my back, my right side… and then back to my stomach.  I think the full rotisserie cycle takes about an hour or so.  Without G pressed against me, the worry of smacking her in the side of the head with my elbow was gone, so I was able to get some sound rest until my 5am (inner) alarm went off, and it was time for me to get…

… up and at 'em.

I went down the street in search of the 'too many to count' coffee shops Kellie told me were there, and found them all… closed.  I went into one of my faithful and trusted MMGS (mini-mart-gas-stations) that have always been a part of my road trip experiences.  Cheap hotels and greasy spoon restaurants… G was finally getting to see another side of life.  I hope she can handle it.  It sure will be nice if she can become accustomed to this 'lifestyle' and enjoy these road trips with me.  I enjoy the open roads on my own, but so far at least… I am truly enjoying her company.

7am - Kellie and Toren are stirring… they'll be leaving soon, and then G and I are gonna pick her up at her work around 8:30 to take her to breakfast, before we say and hug our good-byes, and head east over Snoqualmie Pass.  The weather looks like it's gonna cooperate, but things change quickly in the Great Northwest, so there's always a chance for just about anything.  Which is just the way I like it.

10am - Off and away.

11am - A very nice family in a big SUV was kind enough to stop and help us get out of the small ditch I slid into, while 'practicing' driving in the snow.  I had taken the Denny Creek exit, wanting to show G one of my little pieces of paradise I had discovered years ago, when I lived in the area.  As we started down the side road to the small campground, I told G I was glad to have the opportunity to practice my driving skills on the slippery road.  I came out of a slight turn and gave the truck a small giddy-up, and the tail of the truck jumped sideways slightly.

The small slide was not enough for me, so I touched the gas pedal a bit more, and within seconds the back of the truck was moving down the road ahead of us, and we were totally out of control.

It was a good thing the side of the road was flat.  It was also a good thing the SUV with the good Samaritans stopped and offered there assistance, as it would have been a very tricky maneuver for me to install the cable chains on my tires, without being able to back up over them.

I hugged Jordon and Karen, and we were back on the road within about 10 minutes.  G was amazed, so I explained to her that this was a very common occurrence for me on my road trips.  I'm always getting bailed out of some sort of predicament or another.  And I am always grateful and remember to thank     the 'road gods' for their continuing helping presence.  I love (Snoqualmie) Washington.

At 2:15pm I pulled to the side of the road to leave a present for Jody Bonney at "Roadhouse 97"… a small tavern just outside the town of Goldendale in south-central Washington.  I had met Jody seven months earlier on my previous adventure ride thru these parts on Honey, and if you haven't read "From Here to There and Back Again" yet… you should… it's a real hoot.

When I came back out from the saloon and sat down in the truck next to G, I called Jody and left a message that she had a present from me waiting for her at the local watering hole… you guessed it… a sprig of mistletoe.

I was happy G wanted to go to the observatory just outside the town… seven months ago I spent too much time flirting with Jody at the Roadhouse, and didn't take the time to check it out.  I had been told that it was possible to view the stars from their telescope… during full daylight hours.  When we got to the top of the mountain, we found a sign on the locked gate that showed the hours of operation.  I was gonna hafta revisit the observatory (and Roadhouse 97) again… on a Friday, Saturday, or a Sunday from 2~5pm or 7~10pm.

It was just a hop and a skip down the road when we 'lost' an hour on our timetable, due to a missed turnoff, coming into "The Gorge"… a section of the Columbia River Basin that has sheer cliffs on either side of this massive river.  Fortunately G has the same attitude as I do on road trips… there are no missed or wrong turns.  Everything happens for a reason, and we enjoyed the ride on the side-road, even though we had to drive it twice.

After getting to within a few miles of where we were gonna be able to cross the river and get back on the 'right' road, we were turned around by a WaTrans worker, who told us there had been a serious accident and the road was gonna be closed for at least four hours.

G and I decided that the reason we had taken the 'wrong turn' was so that we would become aware of the accident and be able to 'pray' for the people involved.

About 'praying'… Christian style vs. Eckankar style:  To me it's pretty much the same thing, 'cuz the way I've always 'prayed' is to think about the person I'm trying to send 'positive energy' to, and simply positive thoughts about them, or the situation they're in, at the time.  G says the way 'they' pray is basically the same thing… to focus your thoughts towards a person or situation, and then "let the Eck take it from there."

After following the river along its north shore to complete our back and forth hiatus, we crossed where we should have, and began our journey east, on the south side of the Columbia River.  G got a lot of enjoyment out of the 'little baby frozen waterfalls' along the sheer cliffs.  The exposure this time of year doesn't allow any sunlight to hit the rock walls, and the water dripping down the sides of the cliffs had formed into beautiful still life waterfalls of ice.

JJ (Jeremy Joel… a cute gal with two boys names) checked us into our motel room in Pendleton, around 5pm, and gave us both a very warm and cozy feeling.  It's amazing how a small amount of interest and connection from someone can make such a big difference in someone's attitude.  Andrea had the same feeling about her, as she served us our meals at the restaurant next door.  I love (Pendleton) Oregon.

After the almost virtually sleepless in Seattle night, I was in bed after our meal by 7pm and asleep by 7:15.  I don't think G was awake much longer.  I'm hoping this adventure trip will give her the motivation to reset her inner clock.  She says she wants to start waking up earlier and going to bed earlier so we can spend more time together.  She also says she's been trying to get to work earlier anyway, so… I hope she can do it.

The Last Adventure... (of 2009): Day 4- 1.8k words

Monday 12/21/09 - Happy Winter Solstice

6am - Ned slept in, and G wanted to get up early, so we were awake at the same time, and had a nice morning conversation.  It's so nice to start off each day with G like that.  I enjoy her down to earth approach to spirituality very much.  Somehow, she can make even the most esoteric concepts seem so plain, simple, and obvious.  It's quiet a talent she has, and I’m very lucky to have her as my lover, my confidant, my friend, and my teacher.

7:30am - Off to Starbucks for foo-foo coffee and an internet connection.  G had seen a sign for one the day before as we were looking for a motel, so we went in the 'superstore/ mini mall', and looked around.  We couldn’t see the Starbucks sign anywhere from the entrance, so I asked one of the checkers.

She was on the phone to her boyfriend (is what it sounded like to me), and was too busy to turn to look at me.  She simply pointed her finger over her shoulder behind her.  I shrugged at her disconcern, and headed off with G, across the vast acreage of the mega-complex.

After traversing thru the isles for what seemed like a few city blocks, we ran into another employee and asked him if he knew where Starbucks was.  He said, "Yeah… go back to the entrance and go up the escalators to the second floor."

When we got to the escalator, we noticed the girl at the check out line was still talking on the phone.  I was surprised she didn't turn around as I burned a hole in her back with my disgust for her lack of interest in anything other than her obviously personal phone conversation.

When we got to the coffee counter, we were pleased to be greeted by not one, but two, happy and sincere employees.  Maybe the checker just hadn't had her morning coffee yet.  These two young things certainly made up for it though.  Not only pleasant personalities… they also had bodies on them that warmed me up, even before I had a chance to have any of their coffee.

The place didn't have an internet connection, so I bought myself a cup to go, and we headed back to the truck.  Not far down the road we found a little mom & pop restaurant that had a "free wi-fi" sign, so we went in, and found another smiling face.

I didn't get her name, but she was a very friendly waitress with bright eyes and a happy voice.  She brought us our food and kept our coffee and water glasses full, for the 45 minutes or so that we were there, and didn't mind at all that I had brought my own coffee in with me.

I felt like Goldie-locks… the checker was too-oo cold… the gals at Starbucks were too-oo hot… and the one at the restaurant was ju-ust right.

As we were packing up our laptops and folding up the roadmap, a gentleman in the booth next to us turned around and asked me if I wanted him to tell me an easy way to get to where I was going.  In my typical 'smart aleck' voice, I said, "Sure, you can tell me, but I'm gonna go the way I want to anyway."

Fortunately, he could see the smirk on my face, and the mischievous twinkle in my eye.  When he finished giving me his directions I asked him if the road we were on connected to the freeway, and he said it didn't.  Good thing he offered his assistance, he saved us who knows how much time we would have spent wandering around the side streets.  I love (Portland) Oregon.

As we were heading for the door, the waitress wished us a safe journey, and I told her that we really appreciated her attitude, and commented on her glowing personality.  She looked sincerely at us and said that she was glad that her effort was appreciated, and then explained that she was feeling down because her father had died several days ago.

Funny isn't it, how different people are.  The memory of the sourness of the check out clerk at the mega store was gone… sweetened by the friendly and caring people we found shortly thereafter.

We went out to the truck and just as I was ready to pull out of the parking lot, I stopped… jumped out… and grabbed a twig of the mistletoe I harvested the other day.  My intention was to share it with friends and family along our journey, and this gal was a perfect recipient of my holiday offering.

Neither Gaeir nor myself wanted to visit the arboretum as we had talked about, and since we weren't meeting my oldest daughter Kellie, in Seattle until around 5pm anyway, we decided to head for the coast, and take the scenic route to the next destination of our adventure.

About an hour out of Portland, I pulled over and had G take a picture of me, in front of my 'dream house', a log cabin with a large covered wrap around front porch.  The home was situated on what looked like it could easily have been turned into a little 'pitch and putt' golf course.  I spent a few minutes standing there on the side of the road, pretending I was the owner of this beautiful property.

 

The small highway thru the heavily forested mountains to the coast was very beautiful.  At two of the passes, the light rain turned to a gentle snow, and Gaeir and I were as happy as we had hoped we would be when we headed out from Santa Cruz.  It was only three days ago, but it already seemed like another lifetime.  We were both accomplishing what we wanted.  "Brain off", was the mantra I had been saying, and continued to repeat, as a reminder to her to relax and enjoy this time away from her responsibilities, schedules, and commitments.

When we got to the coast, we detoured about 12 miles, to visit "Haystack Rock" in the tourist town of Cannon Beach.  It was a little town with a big rock.

From there we headed north and crossed the Columbia River at Astoria.  We were now in the State of Washington, and G and I both mentioned almost exactly at the same time, how we felt the 'mood change'.  Something about this State has always made me feel different, and apparently it has that effect on other people as well.

Another minor detour just down the road had us going in circles in another vortex near Long Beach.  We were following the clearly marked signs on the road, but for the life of me it felt like we were going 180 degrees in the wrong direction.  My inner gyroscope is usually very dependable, so this was a very disconcerting feeling for me… the feeling of confusion and apprehension continued to grow for several miles, until at last I felt the effects of the vortex weakening, and that we were going north again.

At our next stop to empty our bladders I made G shake her head at me again.  It had been a while since I'd done or said anything goofy, so I was happy to get a little reaction out of her when I went out of my way to park in a spot that was clearly marked as a place not to.  Have I mentioned yet in this story how 'easily amused' I am?

4pm - We got to Seattle about an hour early, so I took G on a loop across the two floating bridges on Lake Washington.  First, we went east across the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, then west across the I-90 bridge which passes thru Mercer Island, one of the highest high rent districts in the Seattle area.

We pulled up to Kellie's house about 15 minutes early and gave her a call to check on her schedule.  Luckily my oldest daughter has a better sense of time and responsibility than Ashley.  Sometimes.

She told us she had been tied up at work, and that we could either wait there for 30 minutes for her to get home, or that we could drive about 10 minutes and pick her up.  It was an easy choice.

My feelings as I saw her come out of the building where she works, and walk across the sidewalk to the truck, are hard to convey.  Kellie has a very strong and distinct air about her.  Without anything close to cockiness, she is able to portray her confidence as an easy and comfortable self-assuredness.  I am proud of all my daughters, but there has always been something about Kellie that makes me feel that the world is a better place because of her.  Who am I trying to fool?  I feel that way about all my daughters.

When we got back to her apartment, we opened each other's presents and shared some laughs.  She had previously told me she wanted to wait until I was published, and then autograph her copies of my short stories before she read them, but when she gave me two HUGE books, and specifically told me she expected me to read them, I went out to the truck and grabbed my stories that I had originally planned to give her.  Both of us were polite in our excitement about the gifts we received.

We met Kellie's mom at the Old Spaghetti Factory, and had a pleasant meal.  I've talked quite a bit about Mimi in several of my other stories, so this time I'll say something nice… Gaeir LIKED her!  I cannot remember anyone's first reaction to Mimi as being anything but almost fearful of her (besides me).  G said she was able to see thru her loud, obnoxious exterior, and see the 'hurt child'  behind all her manic distractions.  I was touched… both by G's assessment, and… of Mimi's attitude towards Gaeir.

After she realized that she was 'being heard'… she calmed down enough to allow some of the other people at the table to be able get a word in edgewise.  I wish I would've been able to get pictures of the looks Kellie and I traded during the conversation… priceless.  The best way to describe them is for you to imagine what it would look like if someone was rolling their eyes, without rolling their eyes.

We got home to find that Toren, Kellie's roommate, had made our bed for us on the living room floor, and we all quickly settled down for the night at around 9pm.

From Here To There And Back Again: DAY 7- 600 words

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29th - DAY 7:

6:00am - Up and at 'em.

7:00am - Took Peter to school, and had some small talk and some big talk… about his mom.  Apparently she's been doing fairly well with her 'bi-polar' issues, primarily by staying faithful to her prescribed medications.  In my opinion she's a very good example of the old adage, 'there's a fine line between genius and insanity.'

She is one of the most gifted people I've ever met… focused and extremely capable of great things when she wants to be.  Like some of us though (me included), the voices in her head tend to distract her, and she gets sidetracked and goes in unproductive directions.  I used to tell her that if she went towards the light, instead of the dark, that she would get everything she ever wanted.

8:00am - Coffeeing, posting and emailing.

11:00am - Off to Tacoma for another visit with Ashley and this time with her unofficial fiancé John.  I gave Honey another day off.  It was dry weather, but still pretty cold and damp.  Tomorrow will be riding weather, and it should stay that way until Monday, when I'm planning on leaving town.

Noon - The three of us had lunch at their favorite local pub-restaurant.  It was very pleasant.  There was lots of good conversation about our families and their own personal goals for their lives together.  It was the first time I'd been able to spend any quality time with John, and I was very impressed.  With him personally, but mostly… with the way they are together.  They seem very compatible and happy.  Ashley continues to impress me with her maturity and communication skills.

2:30pm - Back to Seattle.

3:30pm - Chores for Mimi.  She'd asked me to load a bunch of garbage into her truck and take it to the dump, but while going thru it, I segregated the garbage from the recyclables… the Goodwill items… and the valuables.  The pile started big enough to fill the back of the truck, but after my segregation, the garbage fit into ½ of a regular garbage can.

I'm so glad I was asked to do this project.  I rescued two of Ashley's photo-memory albums… one from her senior year of high school, and one from the summer tennis camp she went to at The University of California at Santa Cruz. 

For Kellie I saved two of her dolls.   Neither of which she ended up wanting, but both of which looked great on Honey.  'Kenny' from the TV show, Southpark and a white gorilla I named Gertrude.  Kellie's other 248 stuffed animals went to Goodwill.

                                               Kenny and Gertrude on Honey

6:00pm - Truck loaded and there was still no sign or word from Peter or Kellie, both of whom promised me they'd be home by 4pm, to help me load the truck.

7:00pm - Still no word from my helpers, so I went to dinner solo at Leena's.  I met Entelia from Albania.  She was my waitress, and she was darling… very happy and personable.  I respectfully requested her to allow me to take her picture for my journal and she said she'd love to, but that if her husband found out, she'd become concerned for my life.

As much as I wanted the picture, I decided that it was not worth the risk.  I decided if I saw her again I'd ask her to call her husband, and invite him to join us, so he could meet me and see for himself that I was harmless.  Uh huh… that's right… that's me… harmless.

8:00pm - Zoning out on couch

9:00pm - Fast asleep in bed.

From Here To There And Back Again: DAY 6- 1k words

TUESDAY, MAY 19th - DAY 6:

6:00am - Up and at 'em.  Had to go down the street for coffee.  How does anyone survive without coffee?

7:30am - I took Peter (Mimi's son from her second failed marriage) to school.  He's a nice kid… a 6'1", 250 lbs. gentle giant.  A bright, witty and a very loving 16 year old.  He's also a talented artist… mostly pencil sketches… and a football player who already has the College scouts talking to him.

11:00am - Off to Tacoma to visit Ashley… my soon to be second (of three) college graduated daughters.  Mimi very generously told me to drive her extra vehicle, a '07 F-150 almost exactly like the one I own.  I accepted her gracious offer with extreme thanks.  It was about 50 degrees and raining, and it woulda been an unpleasant ride down and back on Honey.

 Side Note:  You can tell who the Seattle locals are… I remember when I lived here… when the average high temperature reaches 50~55, that's when it's time to break out the shorts, tee shirts, and flip-flops.  I'm still un-acclimated to the cold, but already I feel my body adapting.  The human body (and mind)… they're amazing things.  Thank ya Jesus.

Noon - Arrived at Ashley and John's apartment.  We sat and talked on the fourth floor balcony, looking out at the downtown Tacoma harbor.  Ashley's not a big Tacoma fan (I wonder how many there are), and is very much looking forward to moving to Portland and starting the next chapter of her life.

John works as a critical care nurse at several of the local hospital ER's.  Ash is graduating with a degree in Social Work, and is looking for employment and experience with a non-profit mental health association.  She's got a phone interview tomorrow morning, for a counselor's position in a re-hab facility.

She's turning into a very mature and well-spoken young woman.  I can still see the twinkle - sparkle in her eyes, that lets me know she's still got her youthful exuberance, but the way she speaks… with lots of well formed, and very clearly worded sentences, is very impressive to me.  She's easy to understand except for some of her vocabulary.  She speaks like a well-educated professional.  Ask me if I'm proud.  Never mind, I'll tell you.  I am.

We sat on their her and talked about all sorts of things… from her mother, to her sister and brother, to all of her cousins on my side of the family, and then she expressed sorrow about not knowing a lot of them very well.  Then we talked about the uncomfortable topic of how she lost her father at the age of three.

I'm gonna try not to cry while I tell you this:  She apologized to me for being so distant towards me for so much of her life.  She said she was sorry that she felt unable to be close to me for so many years.

My heart was breaking as she expressed this heart felt love for me.  When she finished, I cleared my throat and tried to steady my voice, so I could tell that it was not she that should be apologizing.

She's always known the reason I left.  I was dying.  After her mom divorced me, I tried to kill myself.  I had never failed at something so important to me before, and I didn't know how to cope with the divorce.  Fortunately I failed with my suicide attempt, and have turned that failure into success.  I knew it was God's way of telling me that my work on this planet was (and still isn't) complete.  I know I have something important to do.  I just hope I figure out what that is, before I get too much older.

Anyway… the conversation with Ashley about how she grew up without me was so heart wrenchingly bitter sweet, that words cannot express how I felt.  I do not know why God has blessed me with three of the best daughters in the world, but… Thank you God.

1:00pm - We rode to campus, and picked up her cap and gown and dropped off some paperwork.  She introduced me to two of her instructors, and several of her friends.  I love being the father of Ashley.  And Kellie.  And Eron.

3:00pm - When we got back at her apartment, we continued talking about much lighter subjects, and played some video games.  They've got this thing called 'Wii' which allows people to play games with people from all over the world… in real time.  What will they think of next?  Jeesh… next thing ya know, they'll be tellin' me there that people have walked on the moon.

Anyway, I played Mario Bros. Racing and I actually managed to not finish last on three different courses.  After that, I was pooped.  After all… I'd been racing around the country in real life for the last 1,800 miles.  It just didn't seem right to do it while I was trying to relax.

I watched her for about five more races, while I tried not to snore during my catnap.  She led a couple of the races for a while, but only won one.  Come on Ashley… suck it up… where is that competitive spirit you've been bred with?

I say that in total jest.  If anything, like I mentioned before… she's too competitive.  Tennis was her main sport, but her competitive spirit overwhelmed her ability to cope with anything less than perfection, so she would fight herself mentally on the court, more than her competitor.  She gained a lot of experience and knowledge from that part of her life, and is now much more able to loose gracefully.  She still has the fire, but has now been able to channel that fire into a more productive and efficient method of effort.

Right now, her work and her relationship are her passions.  In a year… after gaining some real life experience in her field of study, she's gonna go back to school and get her Masters Degree… find her dream job… and begin raising her family.  What a gal.  Could I possibly be more proud?  I sure hope this John kid doesn't fuck things up.

6:00pm - After a very nice dinner at The Spaghetti House, I dropped Ash off at her doorstep, and after a long tight hug on the sidewalk, drove back to Seattle.

8:00pm - Asleep on the couch.

10:00pm - Asleep in Peter's bed.  He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, and slept on the floor in their game room… his 'man cave'.