Got to be disciplined today. Need to be in Seattle by 3pm so
it is another straight plug up Interstate 5, not what the trip was all about
but necessary to link with the final leg of the trip – The 3000 miles of the Trans-Canada
Highway.
Nearly managed it, only unplanned detour was down into
Portland as I caught sight of the city and the river from the heights as I approached it. I
of course couldn’t stop on the Interstate and where I did pull off I could only
catch partial views of the city as houses had been built to take every
advantage of those views and in so doing blocked them for anyone not lucky
enough to live there. So after riding around among those houses and attracting
too much attention I pulled back onto I5 to ride “across” the city.
It was a tremendous – I’m using amazing too much. I hadn’t thought
of Portland as anything but a big port city but I was obviously so wrong. The
views of the Columbia River with all the houseboats and the skyline were unbelievable, really beyond my feeble attempts at
description – the bridges, new glass/steel buildings and interstate links just
mind blowing, at one point the interstate bridge I was on seemed to be the
highest point in the city. On a bike – more or less in the open - that was
awesome – another good word. One last bridge and I crossed another State Line –
I was now in Washington State.
Another slight detour – planned though this time – was to
Bruce and Nancy’s, friends of Lee and Gary who had kindly offered me a stop-off
point in Olympia, just 60 miles south of Seattle before I girded those loins
again for the anticipated playtime with Seattle traffic. I thank them for that
– and the coffee and sandwich they gave me.
The long interstate stretches today once again gave me time
to look at all the signs displayed for the
education, titillation or seduction of travellers.
I passed through Linn County, The Grass Seed Capital of
the World, Wow! A little later a sign advertising recycling said “I spy something green!”
Well, in the World’s Grass Seed
Capital you would wouldn’t you – even my youngest granddaughter would guess
that one.
Mind you, there was one for an artificial lawn company – tag-line
“We just keep Rolling a Lawn!” geddit! I’m surprised that company hasn’t been driven
out of business, at least out of town by the Executive Directors of the Linn
Grass Seed Growers Association.
If you die tonight – Heaven or Hell? Choice, fact, what? It didn’t tell you or how
you could influence it either way!
“Have an MRI Scan for just $545” – now I can see your
subconscious saying to you as you drive past a Starbucks sign “you know I could
do with a coffee” or with another perhaps “Will go there I was thinking the oil
needs changing” – (Legal Note: not suggesting that Starbucks coffee and engine
oil are at all similar) but does it really work with MRI Scans – I guess I’m
lucky enough not to know.
On a more serious note I was intrigued – and saddened a
little - by the number of bridges, interchanges, junctions, etc. that were designated as a “Memorial” to individual Police
Officers, Sheriffs, Deputies, Highway Patrol Officers and State Troopers. It’s
a bit of teasing point with Gary’s daughter that police officers in the UK
aren’t routinely armed – “Stop or I’ll ….. shout stop again!” is something she
often throws at me. But in the UK the death on duty of an officer is so rare it
is a cause for national mourning – look at the 2 female officers in Manchester
recently – and many of the officers names we can remember – WPC Yvonne Fletcher
for example.
However, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers
Memorial Fund, on average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of
duty somewhere in the United States every 57 hours. It does make you pause for
thought – that’s 1 family destroyed every 57 hours. You would think that as those killed were not harmless children cowering in a school room but trained, well armed, presumable alert, professionals this would
cause the NRA a little discomfort with it’s “we would be safer if everyone
carried a gun” argument wouldn’t you.
Rode past Garlic World – bet you don’t need a bumper sticker
to let people know you have been there.
Traffic into Seattle was heavy but not too daunting and by
now I am comfortable with both filtering through – here they call it splitting
- the traffic and using the “High Occupancy” lane – for vehicles with more than
one occupant AND motorcycles. As with other large cities I have visited on the
trip the thrill as I got that first peek was as electrifying as the first time
I said “I’m here – on my bike!” The Seattle skyline is instantly recognisable
with the Space Needle Tower and the backdrop of the Puget Sound and Lake Washington.
Up through the leafy lanes around the University and I
arrived at Becky’s wonderful early 1900s home.
After a very warm welcome and a catch up the plan was put in place to go tomorrow and spend a few days up at the house Becky and her late husband Fred had spent the last few years completing on Orcas Island .
Negotiation with Becky’s good friend and neighbour Martha
meant I could tuck my bike up for a welcome rest in the cool of Martha’s garage
while we were away – we were going in Becky’s truck - so any anxieties on that
score were cleared.
Laundry and a beer call, not necessarily in that order…..
