10/2/2015

Crystal and I left the cold weather outside for the evening. The chill never had the chance to creep into the room. The only noise that could jostle this bear from hibernation was the sound of his own growling stomach. We had gotten into the routine of waking up for breakfast and then returning to nap until checkout time. Rick had prepared extra coffee for some satellite repair men but they had not yet arrived. Crystal was the beneficiary of that pot. After I shut myself down again, she was moving like the Flash.

Eventually my limbs started to tingle and the sprockets in my head began to turn. The day ahead of me was long and I had delayed starting for too long. The jaunt out of town happened in an instant. I ran past some rodeo grounds and a pungent smell followed me...

9/29/2015

The Hotel Murray had charm oozing out of every room. I climbed into the bed after watching the band in their pub. The mattress cradled my body and I passed out in an instant. In the middle of the night however, the nerves in my legs nudged me awake. It was a strange pain, not like a cramp. Somehow my muscle moved into the wrong place. After rotating my leg around in the air I heard a loud pop. The pain fled and I was free to return to slumber.

The next morning I had the chance to thank Kathleen on my way out. She had been a friendly host. I couldn’t stop raving about her place. It was hard to believe such a stylish and charming place could exist in a small town. I wished I could stay longer but I knew I was still trying to beat the winter to Seattle.

The road was a slow climb ...

9/27/2015

I didn’t see a hint of the impending winter. The sun beat down on my skin while I said good bye to Laurette at the Riverside Guest Cabins. A handful of miles were on the itinerary for the day. I knew we were headed to the middle of nowhere. It was possible that we would park the camper next to the river. With a big question mark for the day, I was lucky there were no twists or turns for me to worry about. I ran along the flowing river for most of the day. The sound of the rushing water put me into a tranquil mood. I was in my zen zone as the clean air pumped in and out of my lungs. I hit a point where, I had to choose between, running onto the freeway or putting extra wear and tear on my feet. I chose the path of least resistance...