VW ADVENTURES

The road to Stevens Pass is a beautiful exhilarating drive in the mountains with raging rivers running next to the road and mountains soaring above us. In the distance we can see some monster water falls high on the mountain, then middle of the mountain (they must be huge for us to see them so easily from the highway and still looking so big). We have to stop a couple of times for one way traffic through construction, but the road is good and the bus is doing great pulling the grade. We hum along about 30-35 mph keeping our own slow steady pace. The ’63 Westy moves up the hill with traffic, not slowing anyone down and we even get to pass a few semi trucks!

Stopping at one rest area, we receive accolades from a fellow traveler who is impressed that we’ve been keeping our speed up so well (you know — those SLOW ‘old VW Buses’!)  The summit is 4061 Ft, not high but we started at sea level so the climb is significant. The ski area is pretty with the summer green slopes.

Dropping down the east side is easy: 4^th gear and no accelerator and still going 55.  Our average gas mileage went up here!  We come to another Rest Area and pull off to take a break (Washington has free coffee and wifi hot spots at the Rest Areas). Two people come up and comment about the Bus. When we were on the beaten path (Interstate) no one spoke to us in the Rest Areas. Guess they were about their business and in a hurry whereas the ones on the ‘road less traveled’ have more time and curiosity (and perhaps appreciation?!) One of the visitors is super excited at seeing the camper and we have a challenge getting back on the road, taking a longer break than we anticipated!

Leaving Seattle, we adjust our sights and follow ‘Plan B’ heading our VW Camper north toward Monroe. By the time we get there, both the bus and us need fuel, so we take the first exit and head into town.  By-passing a couple of gas stations, Tommy spys a Shell that looks good to him and he pulls in. It looks nice and clean, but we discover it isn’t open….yet. Apparently is is brand new and they are just putting on the finishing touches before opening. No wonder it is so clean!

We drive on up the street searching out another.  About a half mile further on, we find another older looking Shell station. This turns out to be a happy find!  While Tommy fuels the ‘61 Westy, Julia checks out a little restaurant attached to the gas station office.

Curious by the name and it’s advertising of  “Cuisine of India – Take Out” (Indian Cuisine…??? at a gas station?) ‘The Clay Oven’ is a pleasant surprise with an inviting inside dining area.

The menu is intriguing and the little bowl on the reception counter offering a ‘mouth freshener’ mix of roasted fennel and sesame seeds  (which we haven’t seen since a Washington D.C. restaurant experience) we are convinced that this is definitely a place to eat!  We enjoy a delicious and satisfying lunch of excellent Indian curry, paprika calamari and special Indian ‘bread’.  This is a totally unexpected discovery in the Washington Cascades, and especially at a gas station!! Pleased with our find and with happy satisfied stomachs and a bus with a full tank of gas, we settle back in our trusty Westy, ready to brave Stevens Pass and the climb over the Cascades!

Some days you just have to go with the flow.  Tommy has a route in mind that would be a fun drive in the VW Bus taking us around the base of Mt Rainier as we begin our trek across Washington to Spokane and his class reunion. Julia realizes how close we are to Seattle, and decides we should make an effort to visit some elderly friends of her family (her Godmother,  ‘Auntie’ Peggy, who is her mother’s best friend from childhood) …we are so close and because of their age, this might be our last opportunity to see them!

So we call to see if they are home and in a position for visitors. Yes and yes, we can stop by. We arrange to be there about 10:30.  The drive from Tacoma doesn’t take as long as projected, even in our ’61 Westy, especially since we can scoot along in the HOV lane past the commuter traffic!

We arrive in record time! but don’t want to show up early and possibly interrupt their morning routine, so we enjoy looking around the neighborhood.  At the end of the street we discover a little park at Enatai Beach on Lake Washington close to Mercer Island. It is windy and cold but beautiful and a nice place to relax  and pass the time.

Their lovely home is just around the bend from the park, looking out over Lake Washington, but from the street, it is hidden by the lush growth.   We make our way down the steps feeling as if we are discovering a ‘secret’ hideaway.

It is such fun to be with these wonderful family friends again and we enjoy a delightful visit.

Marcus wants to share one of his favorite restaurants on the water in Tacoma with us so we head to the Tacoma Harbor on the scenic route. It is a bit of a drive but worth getting to see the area-Mt Rainier seems close enough to touch!  Seeing the shipyards and getting to be on the water is a treat.

The restaurant, C I Shenanigans, is very nice, built out over the sound. We didn’t call ahead for reservations and are told it will be a 30-minute wait for an outside table but could be seated inside immediately which might have been better as the sun is setting and it will be chilly outside, even with gas heaters. But being outside for sunset AND the harbor activity is part of the experience, so we settle in for the wait.

We sit on the deck and watch the activity on the water while enjoying a delicious meal and a wonderful visit with our grandson. This is the first time we have had an opportunity to hear about his experiences in the Army and specifically his tour of duty in Iraq.  We are pleased that he seems to be doing well with his journey, both physically and emotionally.