Goodness gracious! That was some drive! Around 1900 miles!!! Through rain, sleet and snow!!! Oh my!Well, We (my dog Ranger and I) started our road trip heading from KC to Denver...where I was to drop off my good buddy, Katy, for a wedding. You don't know how happy I was to have her ride (and sometimes drive) along. You would understand, if you have ever been so inclined to take I-70 through Kansas! Uggg!!! Nothing compares to THAT drive! We stopped off in Denver for the evening, meeting up with Katy's friend, Jon, for dinner. Pretty cool guy...he is a music minister at a church just outside of Denver.
The next day (Friday), the journey would take us from Denver to Bozeman, Montana via Wyoming.
Ranger seemed to enjoy the ride but he was having some "digestive issues." I think the uncertainty of where we were going had stressed him out a bit. Poor guy. But I might add that everything is working properly now...yeah! (In case you wanted to know).
What should have been a good night's sleep after a LONG drive turned out to be quite exhausting! Bozeman....uhh....when I checked it I noticed that they had the forecast for the week written on a white board behind the counter. It looked like the temp was going down...down...down...over the next few days. The low that night was supposed to be 36 degrees with rain! Just the perfect weather to walk a dog that was taking a little longer than usual to do the deed! Yippee! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Ranger is not very fond of storms...thunder for that matter. So...the howling wind...did I mention it was HOWLING!!! did not settle very well with my little guy. Needless to say...I did not get very much sleep in Bozeman. Much needed sleep. But I can't get upset at the pooch. He couldn't fight the urge to go out in the driving cold rain...howling biting wind...chill you to the bone (yes I was wearing my flip-flops) every two hours. I had to take it all in stride because I knew that he had to feel 100 times worse than I did. (But then again...he didn't have to drive the next day).
The next day had us driving through Idaho and on into Washington. We would stay somewhere...but for the first time in my life I thought that I would just wing it...more on that later! Today proved to be quite interesting...and all that sleep really helped because I needed to bring my A game. Let me set the scene...low hanging clouds...howling wind (still here from last night), and precipitation. The drive took us up and down through various elevations. It was disorienting at times to know whether we were going up or down. However, the strain on the engine or lack thereof proved evident of our proper orientation. Up in the fog I noticed a low flying helicopter hovering overhead. What in the freak?!? I thought to myself. Who in there right mind would be up in this...in the fog...with very limit visibility? Well, it turns out that it was probably some sort of weather or county helicopter checking out the weather and road conditions. As I found out later...that area got anywhere from 5-10 inches of snow. As I headed down into Butte, MT...I had the pleasure of driving through the white stuff too! Who knew?
We enjoyed a nice walk at the rest stop before continuing on our journey.
We stayed the evening in Ellensburg, Washington. Finding dog-friendly lodging on the cusp is not exactly easy when you are traveling on a budget. Luckily for me, the nice lady at the Spokane Visitor's Center directed me to a travel book that listed them all out for me. So, all I had to do was call around. I, um, found a place that fit my criteria, um, it was pretty nice, um, teh-hee! I'll just say that the lady had me pre-pay for the room because...and I quote..."sometime my kind of clientele likes to skip out in the middle of the night." :-) What fun! However, as I unloaded my stuff into my room, I noticed that I was surrounded by several families...we all smiled at each other and headed in for the night. Ranger slept much better that night...and I did too!
As I woke up today, I know that there was an end in sight. Tonight we would be on the island. We had to stop for a few things at Home Depot (chain saw and weedeater, etc.) in Seattle before heading up to catch the ferry in Anacortes. This summer, I am going to be doing a little upkeep on my property here in hopes of making it more appealing to a buyer. Weedeater...I have done before...no problem. Chain say...hmmm...could be interesting?!?
After stopping off at Home Depot, I had to put Ranger in the front seat. There was no room anywhere else for him. He seemed to enjoy this new spot. As we got closer to the ocean, he stuck his nose up to the air vent and just kept it there. It seemed he loves the smell just as much as I do.
On the ferry...looking out at a passing ferry.
When we arrived on the island, we met up with my realtor, Jim. He had procured a house for me to rent for the summer, so he met us to show us the way. It is a nice place on the north side of the island up by Roche Harbor. I would have preferred something a little closer to the south side where my property is but beggars can't be picky. It suites Ranger and I quite nicely. I will post some pictures of the house and more of the island in later post. This is the first day that I have found a place to connect to the internet...so I don't want to make it too long. Oops! Too late! :-) I have NO cell service and NO internet at the house. So...the only way to get a hold of me is to leave a message on my phone or e-mail and I will get back to you when I come into town (at least once a day-hopefully).
Until then...here are a few sunset pictures to leave you with...my favorite time of day...in one of my favorite spots on the planet!
Hmmm? Little people...tasty for sure!
And this final pic reminded me of an angel...d0 you see it?
2 comments:
What an awsome trip so far. Wish I was there with you. Got Joe out of hospital on Monday and he is doing pretty good. Moving slow but moving! Had a suprise this morning at 5:30am. Ethan had left his ATV here so I could take it in for servicing, we had put it in the back yard chained on the trailer and the trailer locked. Sometime last night someone decided they liked it as much as Ethan so they cut the chain and lifted it off the trailer and put it in their truck. I say they because it would of taken at least 4 men to do this Oh and the tire tracks lead straight through my front yard into the back. They couldn't get trailer due to pad lock (apparently did not bring bolt cutters)but it was gone. Dealt with police, Ins. Co. and tonight I will call and tell Ethan. Fun Fun, he will be %$##@&... So we too are having fun here in Blue Springs. Your pictures are beautiful and I want to see the house. Take care and will check in often. God Bless & AAAY. I did see the angle in the last photo. (don't know why this listed Joey's email, I will try to have it assigned to me next time.
Take Care - Leisa
AMAZING!! Kandi, I am so encouraged by your trip and so glad you made it safe. I feel a tug at my heart to take my own adventure, and i can't wait to see where God will lead me in the years to come! Keep the pics coming!! Love you girl. thanks for the ride by the way, buddy! :-)
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