SCATTER!!

 
It was high time to blow the popsicle stand that is Spokane!

Signs were appearing everywhere to tell us it really was time for us to go.   Consider these:

·       Spokane County appeared to be headed back to Phase 2 COVID restrictions.

·       The Washington Legislature has enacted the latest in a long line of  transportation “solutions” requiring another 5 cents per gallon gas tax, to a lofty 54.4 cents!  (We’re #4!  We’re #4!)

·       One more evening  of the “Do we need to take….?” game would overwhelm our cargo capacity

·       It's starting to look like yard work out there.

·       All the Scotch is packed. As is the Malbec. And the Fireball.  And the Cabernet.  And the……..

So, it was clearly time to escape east.   Here’s our journey, state by state.

Idaho:  Friday 4/30 saw us zip across the Panhandle with a quick stop in Post Falls to bid adieu to Wade’s Mom, Gratia.  We love you, Mom!

Montana:  Friday’s travel brought us to Bozeman.  Good roads, 80 MPH speed limit, the whole Big

Sky thing.   What’s not to like about long-distance travel in MT?  Yeah, BABY   (Memo to self:  Mircotel by Wyndham is truth in branding. It's like a ¾ scale hotel room.  Everything is small; the room, the towels, the beds, even the soap.  Ok for one night, but just barely.)

Wyoming:  Saturday took us to Wheatland, Wy, where Wade’s friend Scott Rodin assured us we would find “nothing”.  Instead, we found a nearly new pet-friendly hotel replete with all mod cons PLUS an 8-bay Tesla charging station. (An interesting juxtaposition to the two shuttered coal-fired generating plants we passed.)  And we had the dining room at the Hilltop Café and Golf Course almost to ourselves.    Before leaving on Sunday, we partook of Mass at St Patrick’s Catholic Church.  (But we left before the discussion of their fundraising drive.

  Whew!).

Colorado: We rolled into Colorado Sunday morning under gray, rainy skies.  Made a stop in Ft Collins for lunch with Wade’s college roomie Dave MacPhee, Professor Emeritus of Much at Colorado State U.   Our short day ended at the lakeside home of Jim and Ginny Deitchler in  Loveland.  Dinner followed with the CO arm of Clan McLauchlan (Kathleen’s cousins).  As we prepared to eve on Monday morn, Fur-Admiral Maggie announced she would rather stay on the grassy lakeside, despite the two cats, and had to be manhandled into the car.  Sheesh.

Kansas: Journeying thru eastern CO and across Kansas we saw our rate of advance dwindle in the face of lower speed limits, headwinds,  and deteriorating weather.  No wonder Dorothy and Toto wanted out.   Monday night brought us to Topeka (absent the Atchison and Santa Fe).  Ho Hum……

Missouri and Indiana: We blew through Missouri (and a little corner of Indiana) in the driving rain and  crossed the Mighty Mississippi at St Louis to arrive at Louisville, KY (pronounced 'Lou-vulle', BTW) on Tuesday night.  Strangely, we could find no sign of the monument TO Kathleen’s birth in Kansas City, MO.  (A stern letter to the mayor is pending.)  Indiana continued to underwhelm us (See 6/11/2020 post).  In all, it was a very long day, but we enjoyed a good steak and some decent ribs for dinner.

West (By God!) Virginia: West Virginia charmed us on Wednesday with sunshine on the mountain tops and mist in the valleys.  Not to mention good roads and light traffic.  But these eastern states have GOT to figure out their speed limits.  70, 65, even the dreaded Double Nickel in places.  Don’t these people ever have to GET somewhere?  Sheesh!  At least it was a blessedly shorter day, ending with  a nice hotel in Morgantown, WV. 

Maryland:  Our final day (Thursday) was a relaxed 4 hour downhill slide out of WV and into Maryland.  Very scenic and sunny, but it did seem the traffic got heavier and stupider the closer we got to the seat of the federal government. Go figure.   But our route and timing allowed us to dodge the worst and slip quietly into coastal Maryland unscathed, joyfully greeting the Irish Lass!

Irish beauties all around!

2865 miles.  11 states.   4 time zones.   143-ish gallons of rot-gut regular gas.  

Finnis!