So I'm back in the States. Olympia, Washington to be specific. The wait at customs was about 45 minutes or so, but once it was my turn I was through in under a minute. Nothing to declare; same luggage, same laptop, same camera, same air in the tires.
Crossing the 49th Parallel.
Decided to avoid the interstate as long as possible. Wandered around on Route 9 in Washington for a while. It was cloudy and foggy, so no good views of the mountains yet. A few of the geeky spots near Mt. Saint Helens are still closed for the winter, so I might skip it. I mean, I've seen volcanoes before. In fact, I'm a little sick of volcanoes right now.
I stopped for lunch in (or near) Nooksack, WA. The gal behind the counter was amazed at my cell phone. I could almost hear the banjo music playing in the background.
While heading south I stopped to snap a few photos in Acme, WA. A local fellow wondered why so many people stop to take photos of their post office.
Acme, WA.
We chatted for a moment while I made sure his big black dog wasn't going to attack me, and he asked if I had one of them GSs -- which I correctly assumed meant GPS. Which I do. In fact, it came in handy earlier in the day when I missed a road sign on a back road and managed to head a few miles out of the way. Knowing that I was a few degrees further east than the road I wanted, I just doubled back and got myself back on track.
I was going to take Route 9 all the way south of Seattle before heading over, but for some reason I saw the sign for I-5 and made the turn.
Worst. Decision. Ever.
Let's just say that rather than taking I-5 out of Olympia tomorrow morning, I'll be heading west and catching Highway 101. Give me the two-lane blacktop any day.
So a nice relaxing drive through the country, bookended by a 45-minute wait in line at the border crossing and bumper to bumper traffic through Seattle. At least I've knocked another state off the list. For those scoring at home, I'm down to Washington Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. Gimme a couple of days to wander around and I'll have been to all fifty states in under 10 years.
