Oyster Bay, Skip and Teresa’s, 366 mile jump
Penny enjoyed the ride on I-90 across the state of Washington. She even drove some to give me a chance to relax before the driving would get really tough up and over the Cascades through Snoqualmie Pass, then the grueling traffic snarls of the Seattle-Tacoma I-5 corridor. She drove across the Columbia River and up the ten mile hill to Ryegrass, a rest stop at the top of the climb. From there, we had a most excellent view of Mt.. Rainier, 100 miles away. She had ridden east on I-90 when we first met and borrowed Mike and Jean’s pickup camper for a trip over the North Cascade Highway to visit her daughter and grand daughters in Poulsbo, Wa. The weather was extra special on today’s drive; the Pass was dry and the views magnificent. The traffic on I-5 was special, too. NOT! We didn’t get to Olympia until almost 5 pm.
Mt. Rainier, about 100 miles away.
My friends, Skip and Teresa, have been dear to me for many years. They used to live in Spokane, but Skip was approaching retirement from the DOT of WA and wanted to build a house on the family estate outside of Olympia, on Oyster Bay. It is just about as far south as the water of Puget Sound goes. I call it heaven on earth; I gladly helped Skip build his house just for the opportunity to spend time there! As a mid western boy, I knew nothing of tide charts, clams, or oysters, but I got an education. Anyway, we still enjoy our times together and they always make me feel at home. Skip is a great cook and he dazzled us with delights such as eggs benedict and home made bread. We went for a long boat ride in Skip’s boat, went mushroom hunting without finding any so we filled our bags with litter left lying about, and took a nice ride through the countryside and stopping to enjoy a beer at a quaint rural bar.
