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A Team replica van commissioned by Mike Myers; WAY!
(Image source: autoblog.com)
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'Whale Goll-lee! Four lefts really does makes Uh
Circle! As low 'N behold, we'd make several circuits round some Roundy-round
Taxicab Driver's Hometown, affectionately known as "enumscratch..."
And as
already regaled, I've been fortunate enough to partake not one, but two trips
to Mount Rainier this summer, in what's quickly becoming Thy Summer 'O Camping
for Mwah! Having delighted in multiple Overnight camping outings in thou brand
new Pop-up tent, supplemented with our Yurt Roadtrip.
GONE CAMPIN'
Against
better judgment, as Tacoma Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Quizzically inquired, why
would we go to the Mountain on a weekend? That's NUTS! To which she quickly
divulged that both Paradise & Sunrise's parking lots were completely filled
at 9AM Friday morning via the webcam; SHEISA!
But we
needed to get outta Dodge; Err Tacoma, so reluctantly we set off in her trusty
"Eh-Team" van around lunchtime or thereafter, running smack dab into
the worst day of the week's Rush Hour traffic, when the south end of Seattle
becomes one Humongous Parking lot due to the ceaseless Gridlock of too many
automobiles frequenting every available road!
After
having squirmed our way thru Auburn, which is the south end's answer to Bakersfield,
CA, which I believe I've heard called the Armpit of California...
Having
been seated inside the van for hours, and nearing the end of available cellular
telephone range, which disappears once Yuhs venture into the mountains.
We
pulled off in a shaded nook on this fairly warm day along the side of the road
leading to Enumclaw, which many locals here, including myself prefer calling
Enumscratch, due to it's being out in
the virtual countryside! So Mary ELLEN could make her calls to inform others
we're going "Off the Grid" shortly.
As
Mary Ellen finished her call and looked towards me standing nearby, she said
Uhm, I don't think the tyre's supposed to be leaning in like that! Huh? As we
definitely had a problem, so we elected to putter over to the local Les Schwab
Tires store for an assessment, which we arrived there somewheres' around 4-4:30PM-ish,
on a Friday afternoon to which we were informed it would be an hour to hour and-a-half
wait before they could even look at our van.
Leaving
our contact info, because we didn't wish to sit inside smelling rubber and
cajoling a small dog, we ventured around town to the Public Library, where we
found an extremely uncomfortable wooden bench outside the library in the shade,
for which Mary Ellen asked me if I wanted my camping chair instead?
Having
drug Mwah to said locale, and now seated with Thy Pixolator atop my lap, her
phone rang, with Les Schwab saying they were ready to inspect our
"Eh-Team" Van, which we call it, since the 1991 Dodge Camper van
closely resembles the one from TV fame, albeit I'm certainly NO Mr. T! Whilst ours
enjoys travelin' Up North Eh! And you can figure out the rest.
Although I've previously been informed that
some clever Chap driving a red Dodge Camper van in Oh KanaDuh' has already
cleverly taken this personalized license plate name...
As
Mary Ellen departed, Pixie and I were serenaded by the continuous traffic drone
upon what's called the Honorary Kasey Kahne Drive, which is actually Enumclaw's
1st Street, but has been renamed in honour of its local driver having made it to the B-I-G' TIME! Y'all know, as in
'RASSCAR; SIGH!
For
which every time I hear Kasey Kahne's name, I always think of good 'Ol Awntie
Harriet, who was his Numero Uno Fan and would squeal in delight every time I
told her he'd won again...
And
with Mary Ellen being gone so long, I mused reluctantly to Thy Pixolator, it's
NOT looking good Pixie, and I hope we're not gonna be spending the night in
Enumclaw!
- Les
Schwab closed for the night promptly at 6PM, as Mary Ellen first telephoned
Mwah to say it wasn't good! Informing me that we had a broken upper control
arm, having returned to the library with her camper van parked inside on the
lift.
As the
mechanic was so worried about it, he wouldn't even back it out of the shop, with
Mary ELLEN grabbing some of our belongings whilst the mechanic told us we could
stay overnight at the hotel across the street from the Library, since they're
closing and the part would need to be ordered.
Unfortunately
it was the weekend of the Highland Games + another musak' Festival, actually
the 10th Annual Rotary Street Festival. ARSE-Sumedly replete with requisite Beer
Garden? Since there was a continuous throbbing 'O noise coming from a stage
with multiple live performers...
Having listened to
a So-So rendition of a Led Zeppelin song whilst seated in my trusty camping
chair with thy Pixolator perched upon Thy lap, awaiting Mary Ellen's return. As
traffic continued to roar by us on Kasey Kahne
Boulevard.
As can't remember what Zeppelin song it was?
But I'll go with Black Dog since Pixie & I Rocked out to I-T!
VIDEO: Black Dog
Mary
Ellen ran across the street to the hotel to inquire about rooms for the night,
joking 'bout how we could spend Saturday at the Highland Games watching them
toss logs around; Hya!
Which was a pretty good guess upon my part,
since I'm told it was the Caber Toss she was talking about, which is indeed a Scottish
form of tossing wooden objects...
VIDEO: Caber Toss
Returning
with some local pie; Hmm? This was certainly turning somewhat into a lost
episode of Twin Peaks! She told me that every single hotel in town was booked,
but there might be a single room cancellation, but he couldn't give it to us
until 9PM, which was nearly three hours away.
And
that was without even knowing if they'd accept our Puppy dog? Whilst trying to
get a quote for a Taxicab was quite entertaining, since I didn't know what
county we're in, and the lady Mary ELLEN asked said; What's the name of the
library you're at after she'd told her we're at the Enumclaw Public Library...
After
sitting there for nearly an hour and-a-half listening to traffic rumble by on
Kasey Kahne Drive, and with no guarantee of a room, we elected to take a cab
from Enumclaw to Tacoma, which took another hour's wait for our cab to arrive;
CRIKEYS! And then approx. 50mins later, we arrived home for the evening!
The
next day the van was ready to roll at 4PM (Sat) after having the broken upper
control arm replaced! Which is part of the suspension that holds the wheel on,
so it's kinda important! As ours was the original, and had two massive cracks
which were getting ready to meet in the center; Aye Karumba!
Thus,
we resumed our trek to Mt Rainier that we'd reluctantly began the prior day,
since typically the mountain's Ah-wash in people, especially during summer, already
knowing that both of Mount Rainier's main areas Paradise & Sunrise's
parking lots were completely full - after Mary Ellen had checked them out
Friday morning at 9AM via the webcam; SHEISA!
And
the State Park's campground was full when we arrived Saturday evening, so we
set up camp on a highly traveled logging road & were serenaded by the
sounds of Yeahoos' firing off multiple rounds of "full Metal Jacket"
ammo' from several different weapons, even in the dark! H-U-H?
Which
for reasons unknown, made me reminisce 'bout Jeff "You May be a
Redneck!" Foxworthy's skit 'bout blowing up Mama's propane tank after
rollin' down the Caddy's window and firing his Huntin' rifle from the Back
Seat...
Sunday
morning we finally made it to Sunrise, which had the worst traffic ever! As
won't bore Y'all with the litanies 'O sitting in traffic, Jackarses in Sports Cars
cutting in front of us - apparently needing to use the bathroom real bad! And
the Toll Booth shutting down for lunch and reducing Park admittance to one
lane.
Although
this was the first time ever that I've witnessed a Park Ranger actually
directing us where to park, wanting everyone to scoot in a little further, kind
of like parking in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield. Although don't
think the Parking Attendants, nee Yellow Shirts yell at Yuhs NOT to park on the
flowers!
And
what can I say about this wondrous mountain? Other than I could still actually
S-E-E part of IT! As I'd learn afterwards from Timothy Egan's The Big Burn book
that Gifford Pinchot National Forest was dedicated to him by his widow in 1949.
And it
was funny hearing Mary Ellen trying to mentally work out when we'd need to
leave so I could possibly catch the re-airing of the Mid-Ohio IndyCar race,
which I believe was re-aired Sunday afternoon on "Peacock-lite," nee
NBCSN. Simply telling her I didn't care about the race which most likely would be another
boring procession of follow-the-leader? Not to mention I wasn't in any hurry to
go home!
After watching the Toronto race, which wasn't
exactly spellbinding, it was kind of nice going a whole month without watching;
Err listening to any IndyCar races! Since after all, we'll need to steel
ourselves for another STUPENDOUS Off-season, eh?
Although even funnier yet was that Seattle was in
the midst of a HEAT Advisory with Red Flag warning! Whilst Pocono was being
Rained Out...
As we
meandered our ways back to Tacoma, we once again passed thru Enumclaw, which
although I cannot find any pertinent information over the name change of First
Street, other than it occurred in 2005? And there was even a Kasey Kahne Day
held, complete with 5k run, all that pops-up on the Intrawoods' is links to the
Kasey Kahne Store situated in Enumclaw.
Although
think I briefly ran across some dribble on the City's website over a Logging
Day? Or at least something commemorating all of the fallen loggers, subsequently
learning about some bronze statue glorifying the logging industry and all the Loggers
who denuded the forest by clear cutting the landscape, which surely would have
Gifford Pinchot turning over in his grave!
And that's
without even broaching the topic of the Oso Mudslide which killed 43 people due
to rampant clear cutting!
Or reading a great 'lil book titled The Worst
Hard Time, also by Timothy Egan regarding the Dust Bowl era, another man made
catastrophe...
"Humans should
Never take More out of the Earth than They Can Put Back in..."
Gifford Pinchot
