The distraction Roadtrip! Spokane and beyond!

[furtech]

Here is the Flickr page with the full complement of annotated photos!


The evening after the excellent Indian dinner was mostly spent at a local park tossing Rondo the frisbee, with Jasmine watching (and occasionally trying to chase). Apache got her dot and scampered all over the park chasing it. Bed was not as restfull as I'd hoped: the dogs kept using me as a springboard to get over the couch, hopping on my stomach and parts south in the process. And they would bark suspiciously every time Karena or Shawn went to the bathroom (yeah-- that's exactly what I need a watchdog for!). I even came up with a word that describes Apache *perfectly*! "Adorevil"

Still, I love Karena's place; it's fannish and has a ton of cool books and stuff. Plus, she has a guinea pig! and ferrets!

The next day dawned bright and clear: we went in search of waffles.

Spokane is a beautiful city: a mix of old and new, with that small-town friendliness that big cities don't have. Quaint, but with a real mall and a Barnes and Noble-- that kind of thing.

The dogs were restless, so we went over to the big park by the river where a hemp fest was in full swing. Very old and very young hippies and tie-dye and dischordant music and general spacey-ness. We found an area that was a little isolated (a huge grassy bowl) and let the hounds go. Rondo was happy to chase frisbee and Apache waited and hoped (in vain) for the red dot. Eventually someone came by with two beautiful Australian Shepherds and gave Rondo and I a show on what a REAL frisbee dog is! I even found out more about the competitions and such: I doubt Rondo would ever enjoy the actual competitions, but it would be neat to go to one (Freestyle Disc is crazy-good: that's the one where the dogs jump off their owner's head and stuff to catch the disc!).

We also visited "The White Elephant": a surplus store of huge proportions and amazing inventory! Wish there was one near me the next time I want to go camping! Or buy holiday gifts! Incredible! A short stop at a gun show for Steve (looking for 11mm Mauser brass) and we said our goodbyes and headed North!

The drive was smooth and uneventful: lots of bucolic scenery: rolling hills covered in golden grain and wide skies dotted with clouds.

Rondo express his joy at being in the back with three crazier dogs...


We stopped for dinner at the Grand Coulee Dam: what an impressive piece of engineering! There were all kinds of signs about security and forbidding bags (even camera cases and plastic bags!) in the visitor center. I asked Steve what it would take to actually damage this huge ediface and he said that nothing short of a HUGE bomb could even scratch this thing. Guess they need -something- to keep from being bored!

Speaking of that, we also got a very surly Canadian border crossing officer at the border: he grilled us with all kinds of questions, was snarly and then took all our papers (passports, dog-papers and driver's licenses) and stalked off for several minutes. Eventually he came back and let us pass. I'm told by our local Canadian (Hi, Amy!) that the night shift is almost punitive for border guards and that they don't like being disturbed by people crossing late at night. Still, we made it through, dogs and fruit and chicken-bits and all!

Next Stop: Penticton, Canada!