Road Trip – Omaha to Seattle – Day 7 – Many Glacier Camp to Seattle – September 17, 2010

Luckily, my sleeping bag did live up to its description. It is rated at 20 degrees, and when I woke up in the morning to 4 inches of snow falling, I was glad for that. But I was done with the cold. I broke down camp and was on the road by 7:30 am. My GPS told me to go back down to the “GTTS Road” and that would be the fastest way. I drove down, 25 miles to talk to the ranger there just to be sure that the road was open. She checked the internet and made some calls. Both had differing opinions, but the reigning one was that it was closed for at least another hour so the rangers could evaluate it. So we looked at the map and the only other way to go was all the way around the park. BUT, the quickest way was a mountain road, and since it was snowing and bad road conditions, she suggested I double back 30 miles and go around a bit. I reluctantly agreed. It took and extra 2 hours that I didn't want to lose, but even that road was a little scary at times, and I got to see wild horses running alongside the road! Really cool, and I got video.
So, Blah blah blah and blah blah blah, I started the beginning of my crazy drive west. I went through some beautiful areas and took some small highways, including one that I was the only one on it felt like, and it went through Paradise, MT, supposedly the place Jimmy Buffet got the cheeseburger that inspired the song. I wish I could have stopped, but, I wasn't hungry and was crunched for time, I thought. I pressed on. I did some of the craziest driving I can remember. I went down 6% declines in the pouring rain with switchbacks, right next to semis. Among other things. Prolly averaged about 80. Stopped once or twice to fill up, organize my stuff, and take care of my basic needs. Learned of a whole new place I never even thought of... Coure d'Alene, ID (PR Cortaleen) which was beautiful, with a mountain lake as the main feature. I pressed on.
Finally got into Washington and it wasn't quite what I expected. It was all brown and barren most of the way from Spokane almost to Seattle. About 80 miles east of Seattle, it finally got interesting. Started having some of the features I've heard about. Pine trees, greenery in general, winding roads, and of course, MORE rain. At this point, it has only stopped raining for about 5 hours combined, and I MIGHT be getting used to it. Or sick of it. Not sure yet....
I thought for awhile that crossing the time zone would put me ahead 2 hours, but finally realized it put me back 2 hours! So, instead of making it in at 9:30 and picking up Paddy and Tom at 11:05, I arrived at 5:30! I made it to the hotel, which is super fancy, and get valet parking and am escorted to my room with a bell hop and all my bags. Turned on the tube for the first time in awhile, and relaxed a bit. I took a long needed shower, the first in 3 ½ days, and decided to do my laundry. Contact the front desk to see if there is a laundry service, and I am directed to a bag with a receipt inside. I didn't really understand the thing, so they had a man come up to pick up my laundry and answer any questions I had. After a minute, we realize what we think are prices on the receipt. $7 for one t-shirt, $4 for a pair of socks, etc....... So, I ask the foreign nice man, after spreading my dirty laundry on the floor to try and get an inventory, what he thinks. He doesn't think that can possibly be the price, but the front desk confirms our fears. Are you kidding me? Two small loads of laundry would have cost me over $150!! I chuckle and hang up on the front desk, offer the laundry man a tip, am refused, and ask the concierge for the nearest laundromat. I drive there, they are going to close in two hours, but say I should be fine. Started the loads and went across the street to a Chinese restaurant. Ordered the Kung Pao Pork and it was delicious, as was the company of my friends at the bar, Lola, and her boyfriend, and Tara, the bartender. We had some nice conversation and I excused myself to switch my load to the dryer, then came back and finished my beer and meal. Lola had lived in China and was a Psych minor, so we had a nice talk, Tara was from Alaska and was pretty hot, and funny. I told my 9-11 knock-knock joke and wrapped things up there.
Picked up my laundry and still had a couple hours to kill, so I drove around Seattle and the city has a great vibe. It reminds me a bit of San Francisco, but it has its own feel, too. Went back to the hotel for a minute, watched a little NFL Live and then set out to pick up Paddy and Tom from the airport. Lola's bf gave me a good tip and I parked in the Cell Phone Waiting Lot, about 2-3 minutes away from the pickup point and wait for the call. Grabbed those fools and we set out back to the hotel. They were both equally impressed, but we were all excited to see the city a bit more. There were a bunch of husker fans out, and we fit right in. We just walked about a mile around the sound area and had a couple beers, but we were all in agreeance that we wanted to be fresh for the morning, when we needed to get tickets and go to the husker game, so we headed back home, which actually was pretty late. I am finishing this blog now to go to bed. Can't believe I'm still up, Tom and Paddy are both asleep. I drove for about 14 hours today, and need to be up in about 5 hours. It is 3:16 am PT, but I woke up and started my ordeal at 6:45 CST, which is 4:45 PT. Aaaah! Not looking forward to tomorrow. But at least I don't feel rushed anymore. I think my trip can finally slow down.....