So it’s my last day of total freedom … taking detours, exploring byways, eating or not eating whenever I please, sleeping in a campground or in a motel for however long I want; pulling into rest stops to take a walk, eat a sandwich, parking under a tree to read a book; skipping breakfast, kayaking on inviting lakes, having martinis at 3:00 in the afternoon, hitting the road at first light, no makeup, anything I want. I’ve never experienced having absolutely no responsibilities for anyone but myself; no consideration for anyone else’s wants or needs. Does that sound selfish? After 68 years, it didn’t feel selfish. It felt wonderful. I was somewhat reluctant to re-enter the “real” world.
I decided to kill a couple of hours in Couer d’Alene, Idaho because everyone raved about it and I didn’t want to arrive in Seattle before my kids got home from work. Couer d’Alene struck me as a mini-Lake Tahoe. The downtown area is sparkling clean, well-maintained, youthful with a vibrant, exciting air. There is a spectacular lakefront playground, a marina with restaurants, boat/kayak/paddleboard rentals and gorgeous hiking paths. The people are young, well-dressed and healthy looking. Kind of reminded me of Lake Woebegone, “where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” It is a lovely city in a Stepford wives kind of way. I wanted to stop for a cup of coffee or lunch but feeling a little “frumpy”, I decided to hit the road instead.
Five hours to Seattle. After the majesty of the land I’d seen, the farmlands of eastern Washington proved a bit unexciting. Beautiful, and I appreciate their bounty, but not as spectacular as I’d grown accustomed to. I knew I was gaining some altitude and drove around a curve to the splendor I was craving … the Columbia River Gorge. Wow!
The next three hours were eye-popping. Climbing, climbing, climbing through the Cascade Range and then I hit the Snoqualmie Pass. Breathtaking, heart stopping beauty. Lush and green and wet. No photos since I was busy controlling my descent traveling between huge 18-wheelers. The whole experience was unexpected and exhilarating. There was no place for me to stop due to the heavy truck traffic but, wait til next time. I plan to spend time at Snoqualmie Falls to really explore and possibly camp in the area.
And now the conclusion. I had driven over 3,200 miles alone with little to no anxiety but the thought of driving through Seattle to my daughter’s home made me break out in a cold sweat. I got lost in Seattle the last time I visited and almost had a coronary. I plugged her address into my phone and prayed for guidance. Literally. Siri delivered me to a parking space right in front of Laura’s front door.
Amen.
When I got up I was hungry and lazy. I didn’t want to get dressed up to go to a restaurant so decided to look for a fast food place in the neighborhood. I found a Panda Express nearby and thought, why not? Live life large, right? Try something new. Not. By morning my hands were so swollen I couldn’t make a fist and my face was puffy. Unless you can tolerate loads of MSG, don’t do it.
I slept amazingly well considering I was on bear alert and a little on edge. I waited for daylight so I could go across to the restrooms to get cleaned up and ready for the day. I was hyper-vigilant walking on the path through the bushes and carried my pepper/mace spray in the ready position. With my quick reflexes and physical acuity I’m sure if I ever had to press the nozzle of the mace it would be pointed in the wrong direction and I’d get it in the face instead of the bear. At least I wouldn’t be able to see him eating me.
On the way to Yellowstone I passed the Continental Divide for the first time this trip. An elevation of 7,988 feet may not seem like much to most people, but I’m from Florida where the elevation of my home is 6 feet. I checked Wikipedia for a refresher on the “Continantal Divide” since it’s been about 100 years since my last geography class. If you’re interested, America’s Continental Divide:
I had a late lunch at the Bullwinkle Saloon. An adorable restaurant but $18 for a cheeseburger? Oh wait, that included a Blue Moon and the tip. I finally had a wi-fi connection so I called home to let everyone know I was OK, caught up with emails and messages. Wait, maybe I had two Blue Moons. OK, $18 isn’t so bad. I checked my 
The WalMart parking lot looked like a campground (without the amenities) when I woke up after a comfortable and secure night. No wonder they allow campers. We re-stock, fill up with gas, buy coffee and donuts before heading out. I purchased a few supplies then filled up with gas and met a delightful clerk who seeing my Florida tags wanted to talk about his dream of moving to Key Largo. After I helped him clean up the coffee I spilled on his counter and register, he suggested I might enjoy the 
I had lunch at a cute little restaurant in Nebraska City and took a doggy bag with me for dinner. My eye was itching and sore. Back in the car I decided to just head toward Fort Kearney and stop at a motel mid-afternoon to reorganize, blog, relax and take a long, hot shower. What I didn’t realize is that in Nebraska there are long stretches of highway with no exits and the exits that exist do not have the convenient gas stations, restaurants, etc. that I take for granted. So I’m very cautious about keeping my gas tank filled and peeing whenever and wherever I can, even if I don’t have to “go”. I drove and drove and drove and finally located a motel in York, Nebraska and had a very comfortable night. I took some aspirin for my itchy, sore eye and swore I would not allow any physical ailments to slow me down. I’m anticipating great things tomorrow.
As we all know, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions and I intend to live a healthier lifestyle by riding my bike for any errand within a 3-mile radius of my home. Today was the first day of the rest of my life (do you like my aphorisms?) with a 3-mile ride to return library books and pick up a few audio books for my car trip next week. Mission accomplished in 40 minutes, including 10 minutes to choose my audio books.
Wander Woman 