Washington - Part 1

"F-E-A-R has two meanings. Forget Everything And Run, or Face Everything and Rise. The choice is yours." - Zig Zigler

Fern and I traveled from Bozeman, Montana, to Spokane, Washington. It was a gorgeous drive, and we came across this little gem along the way!

This is Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park. It is located just off the I-90 Interstate. The sign explains that the park represents the most unusual petrified wood areas in the world. It is rare to have diverse flora that is rarely preserved in lava flows.

All I know is... It was breathtaking and worth checking out if you are in the area. I could have enjoyed this view for hours. I am always amazed at the unexpected sights I see along the way. Sometimes they are the most beautiful and exciting.

We followed the Yellowstone and Clark Fork rivers most of the day and made our way through the I-90 Corridor. We experienced Lookout Pass in the Rocky Mountains and the Bitterroot Range as we went through the Coeur d'Alene Mountains. It was a long, stressful day of driving, but oh so incredible to witness.

We arrived at our campsite at Spokane KOA Journey. It was a nice campground, and I was exhausted from a long day of driving. It took most of the day to travel 400 miles. This was the campground where my neighbors were a little overzealous.

Within 30 seconds of arriving at my campground, my neighbor, "Jake," had a level attached to the back of my camper. I was a little startled but thanked him. I have old-school jacks that have to be cranked. I had just gotten Fern level and walked away for a moment when I noticed he had my jack at his table working on it. I approached him and inquired as to what he was doing. He told me my jack was not working correctly and that he would fix it. I informed him it was a new jack and had been working correctly. He said he would return it to the camper when he was finished.

Shortly after, I was on the telephone with someone when he approached me and asked, "Hawaii or Mexico?" I didn't have a clue what he was referring to. He repeated himself, and I responded, "Hawaii?" Minutes later, he brought over an opened beer, I'm guessing, from Hawaii. I didn't drink the beer because it had been opened. I just wanted to be safe. All evening he was around my camper checking the tires, the propane tank, and other things.

Later, he approached me inside Fern and asked what I was doing for dinner and if I wanted to go out to grab a bite with him. I told him I was just going to start a fire and eat hot dogs. Minutes later, he came to my table with everything to make a hot dog dinner and appetizers. I'm sure he was just kind, but it felt intrusive. I didn't know what to do, so we ate dinner together.

While we were eating dinner, my other neighbor came over and started talking to us. He said his life was a little weird now, so he lived in an RV. I thought to myself... Okay, I have Stalker Jake, and My Life is Weird guy as neighbors. He came and went during the evening. Finally, after dark, my friends checked on me, and I told them I thought I had a Stage 5 Clinger situation. They immediately instructed me to send him on his way. Easier said than done. Subtleties didn't work with this guy. I told him I had to prepare for the next day and started packing all my food outside. Still, he sat by my fire. I told him it was nice meeting him, but I was going in for the night—still nothing. Finally, after standing at my door and trying to wait him out, he got his chair and left, only after inviting me to dinner the following night and a ride on his motorcycle. I told him I would be going in the morning, and he asked me to reconsider. He also told me there was no need to use the campground shower and restrooms because I could use the ones in his RV. 🤦‍♀️

After he finally left, my other neighbor (my life is weird right now, guy) came over and talked to me about the stars and how quiet it is where he lived. He pointed out every constellation; even the ones that weren't out yet but would be soon. He also told me he goes outside in a field in the middle of the night and records messages to himself. I didn't think I would ever get inside the camper for the night. I finally did and rose early the following day to hit the road.

I was packing to leave; I noticed my neighbor's jack still on my camper! He didn't return mine as he had promised. He was at work, and mine was nowhere to be found. Now I'm stuck with his old one that doesn't work as well as mine did in the first place! I learned a lesson at this campsite. I need not be so nice and set boundaries with people who are overly helpful or borderline aggressive.

The next day we traveled about four hours across the Cascades at the Snoqualmie Pass, and through the seven layers of the candy cane forest to Bellevue, Washington. lol This is one of the busiest mountain passes in the United States. We arrived at our campground at Vasa Park Resort. We got there just in time and could only stay one night because it was closing for the season the next day. Washington was my first experience driving Fern in city traffic. We navigated pretty well, but that doesn't mean I enjoyed it. I was looking for a Home Depot, thinking it would be off the highway. It practically took me downtown Bellevue! Again, Fern and I are learning to do hard things.

I was over the moon excited to meet my girlfriend, Wafa, here. I saw her beautiful home, and we had dinner downtown at a tapas restaurant. I was even invited to a friend's birthday party that night. We had so much fun! She is so full of love, laughter, and joy: I always enjoy her company.

The sunset from her house facing Seattle was just mesmerizing. I wish we could have spent more time together, but she was catching a flight to New York the next day.

I woke up the following day, made some coffee, and decided to walk around my campground. I knew it was on a lake but had yet to have time to explore the day before. I walked down to the water just in time to catch this beautiful sunrise on Lake Sammamish. It was a lovely gift, and I was the only one to witness it.

The campground was excellent, and I would stay there again if I were in the area. The skies in Washington were surprisingly smoke-filled, though, which was a little disappointing. I wasn't expecting that. Fern and I were on the road once more for a much shorter drive to Gig Harbor near Tacoma. This was our shortest trip so far, only an hour's drive.

I loved Gig Harbor and the Gig Harbor RV Resort, where we stayed for several days. It was nestled in the trees and very quiet. I had a little (a lot) of trouble backing into our spot because of the angle. My anxiety was rising when my neighbor quickly jumped in to help guide me, and it was such a relief. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers that have helped me navigate my life these days.

After getting settled, I got gas, went to the grocery store to get a few things, and then walked down to the harbor. I sat by the water for a while and collected seashells. The smell of saltwater in the air reminded me that I was in for a completely different adventure for what I considered the second leg of my trip... The West Coast. I couldn't be more excited to see what was to come.

This week, I found a new podcast. All There Is with Anderson Cooper. He talks about the death of his mother, father, and brother as he is sorting through his mother's possessions. He interviews others about their experiences with losing loved ones. It made me think of my brother and my dad and my thoughts surrounding their lives and my life since their deaths.

"A fatherless girl thinks all things are possible and nothing is safe." - Mary Gordan

I've gathered a few thoughts from this podcast that I would like to share with you.

1. If we live long enough, we will all experience the pain of losing someone close to us.

2. Though very painful, it is a gift to be with someone in their last moments as they leave this earth.

3. We can either become stuck and paralyzed by our loss and pain or allow it to flow through us in waves as it approaches. If we don't let the pain flow through us as it comes and refuse to sit with the grief and feel it: it will always come back and manifest itself in different, sometimes unhealthy ways.

4. To be grateful for our lives, we must be thankful for all of it: love and loss.

5. We should open ourselves up to be vulnerable and know the loss will happen, which will most definitely hurt, but it is part of our beautiful life.

Stay Wild 🌿