Econo Lodge Olympia

... As we pass over to the western slopes the air clears, the view opens up and we head towards Tacoma, trying to go around the city and avoid the rush-hour traffic. Our destination: Olympic National Park and the Pacific coastline. We finally set up camp in Potlatch, under huge pines and across the road from the water, which Victor must taste to verify that it's salty as ...

... br><br>It is interesting to hear people wish me well on the trip. Some refer to it as vacation, a sabbatical, international travel, fun, A year without work, a trip, and all that. I love it that because I have made this choice I get to hear everyone's idea on what they think I am doing. It has caused me to ask myself that very question. <br><br>What am I doing? <br>I don't know if I have a real direct answer to that question. I'm not sure I've ever had a ...

... at that.). Anyway, it satisfied my tongue's craving for something creamy and slightly sweet although next time, I think I will ask them to steam the milk to 160 degrees F. Maybe they do and I wait too long to consume it; fried taste buds really mess up the coffee-drinking experience for me. I'd like a little foam on top, too, which I guess would then make my mocha a mocha latte. <br><br>Anyway, back to why I'm still craving coffee ...

... the bread?!!" Bill: "Not this time." 11.2.09 Steph: "You're pushing me into the gravel." Bill: "No I'm not. I'm trying to cuddle." 11.10.08 (Riding bicycles side-by-side on a highway) "Dogs are good, but they have a flawed Target Recognition System. They are like dumb bombs." Bill, on the topic of dogs mistaking us for bad guys...or dinner. 11.10.08 "I think pretty much anytime there is food coming OUT of your mouth, it is low point on the Miss ...

... a few minutes in Seattle, I`m nervous and I am a little tired after 14 hours of flight, I had to do the check-in twice. Don`t ask me about, I had to drive my 111lbs luggage in all Philadelphia airport because I didn`t have any change for the kart (I should have listened to my daddy). But that`s ok I was so impatient of taking this flight that was going to take me to my host city of almost one year of my life. Enjoy the trip!

... but the satelite radio was perfectly clear. After a few pit stops we finally rolled into Leavenworth, aka, the Twilight Zone. One of the few cities in the U.S. that has it's own soundtrack, we could not escape the constant polka music in the background. By the looks of it, Raedie and I must have brought the average age of the German-town's visitors to maybe 65. We stretched our legs as well as mouths and ...

... more hours to wait in this stinking parking lot. Hey Matt, did I see a movie theater somewhere close? We perk up. A nice dark movie theater. SOMETHING to do during our unendurable wait. A block and a half, around the corner, what's playing? The Devil Wore Prada? No, not for a boy teen. The Ballad of Ricky Bobby? Egad I don't want to see THAT. BUT I'LL GO JUST FOR YOU, MATT. I thought I'd laugh my head off. Matt did. Hands down, the best part of the trip.

... fuel for the 50 miles or to go. However the road got so bendy and windy our gas guzzler decided to be a little more thirsty than normal. In the end the last 9 miles was a endy windy downhill which we cruised in neutral....and just made it to a garage with all the warning lights on, phew!! We managed to make it up to the start of the Redwood NP and caped again for the night in an Elk reserve. It was beautiful in the morning with the sea mist coming in over the trees ...

We got in late after taking the red eye to Seattle. The flight was decent, we got an exit row, although we could have gotten 1st class for an extra $150. It might have been worth it, someone got sick on the plane 2 rows behind us. We ended up taking a stretch limo to the hotel, because it turned out to be as cheap as a local taxi for 4 people. Arriving in style! And yes, it was raining.

... rain. I'm happy that I get to have at least one entry directly from Seattle, the rest will be fill in's of my Seattle days, hopefully from New York. I think I'm in Love Maribel, one of the ladies on this trip that I work with. She has a very severe mental disablity and she seems to live in her own world. We can never figure what she's saying or trying to communicate us. Everytime we eat, we have to just guess what she wants. At ...