When Plans Go South

  

Last gas stop before the Border

Day 1, August 16th 2012
We  pack, we repack, we organize, we finish things at the house.  I check my lists and make lists for checking lists.  The Milepost arrives so we can plan our Alaska adventure. The borrowed (thanks Michael) Yakima rooftop carrier is installed and packed and repacked.

Finally at 1345 hrs PST we LEAVE Ritzville, heading north for the Canadian border.  Road construction and reroutes slow us down a bit but we arrive at the Border.  We stay at the Border and talk to Canadian Border agents.  The van is searched for contraband.  And we are turned back.  The USA Border agents talk to us and search the van.  And three hours after we hit the Border, we are back on USA soil.  Options are discussed.  Yes we could revise plans and continue to Alaska but by now we are all three just a little jumpy about the probabilities of success so we decide to exercise Option 2.   Option 2 was one of the original plans for the Summer 2012 Adventure and staying in the USA sounds pretty darn good by now.

 

Carlsbad Caverns is the new destination - South!  On the way are many of the National Parks and Monuments, some of which I have never seen and more that I haven't visited for mumble mumble years.

 

The drive to Cle Elum is filled with adventures and reroutes around the fire.   We can see the fire lines against the night sky, angry red in the dark, with flashes of crimson and orange. The sense of driving in circles grows stronger but we are firm in our determination not to return to Ritzville.  At the Lodge, the night clerk smiles and greets us.  Later we find she hasn't slept properly for days.  A fire fighter comes in for a few hours of sleep and we willingly give him priority.  The fire is mostly contained and the weather outlook is good for completing the containment.  It is past 11pm but after chatting with us the clerk opens up the hot tub room.  We slip into suits and jump in the hot tub to destress.  It is large and hot with powerful jets.  Heavenly!!  OK I realize that sounds like the very definition of a hot tub but really, how often do hotel hot tubs meet all the criteria? 

And sleep!  Day one is over.

PS:  We are all doing fine, we are now in Arizona and will tour the London Bridge tomorrow.  The cell phone coverage has been sketchy to non-existent and wifi even scarcer.  Will try to get caught up with the adventure blog.  Honest.  I will.