Hey, I missed updating my pictorial diary. Finally have some time to reflect on my doings in the past 9 months.
Loaded Golf
June of 2018, after I left my job in upstate NY, the next thing to do was to pack up and head home to Port Townsend, WA. So I have been well compensated for ditching the work and I was so needing a good adventure on my own, I decided on a solo drive from Saratoga Springs, NY to home in Port Townsend, WA, in my little Golf.
Fully loaded
… and yes 7 boxes of stuff were shipped by BusFreighter.com, which is the agent for Greyhound shipping. They were the most inexpensive by far, and yes only things that can be packed into boxes that can be loaded into buses are accepted, and yes their reputation is good or super bad, meaning so mixed in the extremes that it was hard to trust them or not…. but I tried them out since I am shipping things that are not too difficult to replace if I had too. All other stuff are loaded into my little Golf…. or onto….
So fully loaded is the little Golf that there is no view thru the rearview mirror and I could barely use the right side mirror. I manage to squeeze the 6 ft couch base above the passenger seats, such that when in the driver seat I could just rest my head on it. Yep, real comfy 😉
Most people say I am crazy…. I dun care.
Setting out late afternoon in the mid of July, perfect weather for such an adventure, I expect to be on the roads for 4, maybe 5 days. Would I be staying at hotels along the day, everyday? I dunno, not really in the plan and not really out of question. I mean staying in a room for the night is nice, but I will be worried about things taken off Scootz while I snooze… I am not keen on that, but I do need a break sometimes, so we will see.
Scootz hanging out with the big boys…
Night 1, still fresh out of the apartment, I continued driving thru the night with only 1 stop at the Kanona, NY rest stop. This was a major rest stop and lots of people were using the facilities even at 2am. The word is rest stops are really dangerous, but thats not how I felt about this one. And lots of cars were there with people snoozing in them too, and they are not at all junky beaten up cars, some are really expensive continental SUVs. So I joined the car group and snoozed right in front of a CCTV for 2 hours.
Day 2 started at 4am, on HWY 86 bound Erie, PY, where I will turn south bound for Akron, OH and visit a friend. A small detour, but should be fun. Hung out for an hour and off again.
Sure I made stops every 3 hrs, sometimes I rest, sometimes just to get gas or coffee or food. A good stopping place is wherever there is a Walmart. Clean enuf bathroom and great selection of driving food…. food that is not messy and can be handled while driving. And I take time to have fun too… like I couldnt resist placing Scootz with the big rigs for this fun picture…
See Scootz?
Well well… Scootz could handle the stares and I can handle the cute little comments that some people have made walking by.
Obviously, I was following Google maps direction. At every stop, I kinda search for my next rest stop and head for it. No, I could not remember all the stops that I made and the times when Google led me into some corn maze. But hey, thats adventure right.
Took a little afternoon snooze on Day 2 and back on the road by evening. I feel like a truck driver 😉 driving thru the night…. making 20hrs drive days. At this rate I will be back to PT faster than I think.
Check out this windmill wing that is being transported.
Day 3 begin after a long (3hrs) snooze stop. By now we (Scootz and I) are in North Dakota. Havent quite decided if I will visit the Yellowstone National park, thot I will decide when I get to Billings. Made it there late morning, and just didnt feel like it paying $80 entrance. Did a free drive around Big Horn national forest instead.
Back on I-90 before sundown. Now I am feeling kinda tired, but still not wanting to stay at a hotel. Rest stop facilities have been working out so well. Its so easy to park, get a few shower things, in and out with 20 minutes…. and free! Did just that and pamper myself with a highly reviewed on the road takeout food…. not as good as I thot… oh well, but it put me in a good snoozing mood. Did a long one at rest stop in Missoula, MT.
Going home
Day 4, driving in the dark from Missoula to Spokane, WA. This is the wee hours… and I just couldnt stay awake. Too many days of not enuf rest. Found a quiet rest stop just before Spokane. Too quiet for my liking. No facilities and no lights… Not eerie, but scary. Was too tired, so I parked and snoozed with half a ear and eye awake. Is that really possible? Well, got 1 hour out of it and back on the road. Nothing bad to report.
By 8 am, we were past Spokane and stopped at Moses Lake. I decided on a good country breakfast in a small town breakfast joint. Feels good to be back in WA! And home by the end of the end! But not before I drive around those huge farms and look at those crops.
And I did get home to Doug and PT before sun down, just as I planned. So while I made some detours, I still made good time on the journey. In fact I drove an average of 18 hours each day and wasted no time checking in and out of hotels. So proud of myself that I did just fine and had fun!
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