SAYING GOODBYE!

There comes a point where you just have to stop packing and preparing and go with what you've got, and we hit that point Monday morning, August 11th (2014).  Part of the delay is caused by me preparing both for our short-term trip to Tacoma and, at the same time, taking care of some of the packing for our long-term trip. What to take and what to leave behind? Always a source of consternation for me, so I pack up bags and bags of 'stuff' and haul it to the motorhome wondering where I'll fit everything. After putting it all away, I realize I still have quite a bit of room left, so I go back for more.....

So we headed west a little later than we had intended Monday morning. Fritz was kicking himself for not previously checking out the gate and, upon attempting to close it, found that guests had taken up residence in one of the posts....the stinging kind of guests!  He had to gingerly close the gate while attempting to avoid the increasingly agitated yellow jackets and was praising God it was still a little cool for them to have the energy to attack with a vengeance!

We decided to avoid Spokane and took the northern route; Highway 2 to Coulee City. It was so hot, and smokey from all the wildfires, I could barely breathe! (Oh, did I fail to mention our dash air conditioner never really has worked?)  I should have taken pictures, but all you would have seen would have been a grey/brown deep haze over everything.  This route is a little slower than I-90, and it was getting hotter and hotter.  We were aiming for some relief from both the smoke and the heat by heading for a higher and more westerly elevation to stop for lunch.  We finally stopped east of Ellensburg and found no relief from either.  It was 97 outside and 92 inside!  Ugh!  Made me crabby, so we turned on the generator and ran one air conditioner to cool it down into the 80s inside, which made for a nice reprieve and comfortable lunch. 

After a short nap, we resumed our westward trek and encountered a first in Fritz's lifetime: the temperature on top of Snoqualmie Pass was a blistering 95 degrees!  This, at an elevation of over 3,000 feet!  The heat pursued us all the way to Tacoma where, upon arrival some 10 hours after departure, the temperature was still in the 90's.  We ran the generator to cool things down a bit inside, but relief eventually came by bedtime in the form of a thunderstorm and cooling rain. Ahhhh..... I haven't been this happy to see rain in a long time!

We are enjoying the daughters and their families immensely.  It's been too long since we've been able to hang out with them!  This in spite of the fact we are discovering more 'aging-motorhome-issues' for Fritz to address before our big trip.

Tomorrow we leave for Pt. Ludlow and a weekend of catching up with extended family at the Johnson-Cannon-Cramer family reunion. It will be so good to see everyone!  Next week, we return to Tacoma for a few days of final farewells before heading back home Thursday. The final pack-up will go pretty smoothly as we have already accomplished much on our lists.  Woo-hoo, and eastward bound!