Broken Little Person Sitting On A Tree Limb

Sunday, 07/23

 

9:00AM: Our last day in Seattle …we are still sad. But regardless, we're going to make the most of it! Off to breakfast at a restaurant owned by the same group as owned the one we went to for dinner last night, hence this one changes themes/menu items monthly as well. The theme for this month is 'Greece'. A wonderful meal was had by all.

 

Hmmm, I sense a trend with this WRT …most meals on the past ones seem to consist of pulling into a 7-11 for beef jerky, Krispy Kreme donuts, and the caffeinated beverage of choice (just to keep things on the cheap …which, of course, is one of the tenants of the WRT). This trip has shown us the benefit of visiting a locate where friends live, in that we've had the advantage of visiting a number of great restaurants that only locals would know about, including this one. Mmmm …salmon sausage …gingerbread waffles …lemon drenched potatoes …da-rool, da-rool.

 

11:30AM: Prior to coming on the WRT we had heard about Seattle having a Science-Fiction Museum. We had actually walked past it yesterday just to scope it out, but events of the day were such that we didn't have the chance to stop in. Today seemed an opportune time to do so …last day here …extreme heat so spending time inside in the air-conditioning seems prudent …geek factor.

 

In the front lobby there's a life-size (which in this case equates to 8 feet tall) replica of the robot 'Gort' from the movie 'The Day The Earth Stood Still'. We sense a photo opportunity …we don our Mexican wrestling masks (including our hosts …yes, we brought ones for them as well) and impose upon the person at the ticket counter to snap our picture with the afore-mentioned robot. The locals viewing this are amused.

 

So, in we go …Truthfully, while I thought it would be somewhat cool, I wasn't terribly excited (thinking that it would be rather one-note and gimmicky), but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a rather serious representation of the science-fiction phenomenon, from movies to art to novels. The highlight for me was that there were a number of displays (theme based) that contained quite a few first-edition science-fiction novels. That, and the pictures/displays of girls with guns …can't stray too far from the old base instincts, now can we?

 

2:00PM: We head back to Alice and H-B's home to wind-down before we go out for dinner and then hit the road. It's a somber ride, as we're all somewhat tired from the long weekend and still a bit sad that we'll be leaving in a few hours. Well …when you're down there's always one thing you can do to perk up …that's right …we sing, Sing, SING! (And, with apologies to Alice …sorry about this …it went so well the first time, we bring it back for an encore) …

 

"High on a hill stood a lonely goatherd,

 

Ladey-yodelayhee-yodelay-hee-oh!

 

What would you give for a girl and goatherd,

 

Ladey-yodelayhee-yodeloh!”

 

 

You get the idea.

 

3:00PM-6:00PM: Last minute packing, naps, and clickee (i.e., smashing vehicles in a visual ballet of bloodletting via H-D's X-Box).

 

6:00PM-8:30PM: Our last dinner in Seattle. We eat at a seafood place that's on Puget Sound (very nice), spend a bit of time on the boardwalk there, snap a few last minute pictures, and then head to Starbuck's to get some caffeine for the road.

 

We bid our fond farewells to Alice and H-D, and then off we go, basking in the warm glow of camaraderie and enlivened by the fact that, although Seattle will be fading into the distant memories of time, we still have 30+ hours on the road to look forward to (look forward to?) …oh well, Huzzah!

 

9:30PM: But before we get too far down the road, we call Alice and H-D one last time and share with them our group yell/goodbye/WRTIV mantra of …"Shave it, F**ker"!! …(Long story).

 

11:30PM: So here's the thing …on past (and present) WRTs we have yet to run into any encounters with 'The Man' (i.e., being pulled over by the police). The code of the open road seems to suggest that, theoretically, as long as you aren't going any faster than 9 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, you should be fine. Well, in the grand scheme of things theories run the risk of being proven wrong, and as such our time had come …well, more to the point (since I was driving), my time had come. Sure enough …while still in Washington the red flashing lights appear in the rear-view mirror. My mind briefly flashes back to 'Eastbound and Down' from 'Smokey and The Bandit' (the first song on the first Wacky Road Trip Mix CD that we played) and I consider making a bold and manly vehicular maneuver and leave the officer of the law in my dust …hah!!! I then remember that we're in a minivan packed to the walls with six guys in it, as opposed to a souped-up Trans-Am with a hot girl in the passenger seat. I pull over.

 

As a related side-note …one of the things we noticed when in Seattle is that people there are very nice …one might even say that they were consistently bright and cheery (and even though these states of being/mind/demeanor are, for the most part, foreign and somewhat frightening to me, I still found these interactions to be rather pleasant). Now granted, we were basing this observation primarily from interactions with the Baristas that we encountered at various coffee shops (whether Starbucks or other local-only establishments), but nonetheless …

 

So, the officer of the law walks up to our side, and after taking a look at my license and the minivan rental agreement and reminding us that the speed limit is 70 miles per hour (not 79) continues our interactions with very nice (one might even say consistently bright and cheery) Washingtononians and wishes us a good rest of the evening and a safe trip back …no ticket, no warning, no lecture …just a bright and cheery good evening to send us on our way.

 

I regret my passing thought of throwing one of the rookies out of the minivan (pantsless, or course), shouting “look out …he’s got a hologram” (sorry …inside joke), and thus enabling the rest of us to speed away in the ensuing chaos.

 

11:35PM: The drive home continues.