To the Finish Line...

Ok. I know its been a loong time since I updated. That's my fault for being home and lazy. No apologies, thats just the way wizards are. Live with it. ;) Anyway, back to the story...

My next stop for the night was Wenatchee, Washington. Not much to the place for me. Its a regional agricultural area which seems to be a center for wine production and fruit. You know those apples grown in Washington you always hear about? This is the "Apple Capital of the World"(so they say). For me, it was just a place to sleep for the night. however, once I passed through I noticed a lot of vineyards. Perhaps a return is in order for some wine shopping?

Aleksandra surprised me in the morning, by being ready to go! She finally got the program down and was waiting in her carrier before I even got showered. Silly cat. NOW she gets it!




One thing of note was a motorcycle in the motel parking lot. The Harley-Dee was registered in Edinburgh, Scotland! Weird. I didn't meet the rider, but that could have been an interesting conversation. I did meet a biker earlier, in the Dakotas from Malaysia. His English wasn't that good and neither is my command of Malay, so that made the conversation brief. He was on the way to Sturgis, SD from the Malaysian UN mission in NYC. His bike was the only one I have ever seen with US Diplomatic License plates. Who knew they even made them?






After Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Washington was next on the road. The entire town center is modeled on a Bavarian village. As was expected, it was filled with tourists, so I didn't stop. I have been here before, and will likely do so again. It's a nice little tourist town (population under 2,000) nestled in the mountains. I suspect it would be great during Christmastime when there's snow (or mebbe Oktoberfest?).



And now, ON TO THE COAST!

Washington State

After getting a $1.25 Mexican Pepsi-Cola (made with cane sugar, not HFCS) at a gas station in Idaho, I took a quick zig over to Spokane, WA. Nothing much to report from there, as I was visiting a long time internet friend from the old AOL Chat room era. We chatted up and had dinner twice...my first baby steps into authentic Indo-Chinese delicacies.

I won't get into the details, as I am a complete novice, but the Vietnamese food (especially the soup) I had was very tasty. I also had a "Vietnamese Coffee": a glass of cold coffee, sweetened and with cream and ice. Where have I seen that before?

We also visited a so-so exhibition of Leonardo DaVinci stuff, in Spokane. I say "so-so" because it wasn't even close to what I saw at the Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, Italy. (MUSEO NAZIONALE DELLA SCIENZA E DELLA TECNOLOGIA LEONARDO DA VINCI). That was awesome. But I suppose for folks not so lucky to visit Italy, this traveling show was good enough. Perhaps its enough to get those interested to seek out the real thing or at least follow up for further information? On a brighter note, I did get a pamphlet that shows how to make paint from scratch. I always wanted to do that, and use them in a painting.

Anyway, after Spokane, I zagged on over to the Grand Coulee Dam. Like most people, I have heard about it, but never saw it. Hydroelectric dams are not on many people's bucket list of things to see before you die. Its not on mine, either, but since I was close, why not? Isn't that the purpose of this road trip? Well, see the photo at the top. Not too impressive from a distance, but up close...Click on that whopper of a photograph!

It's HUGE! About a mile long from end to end. The largest dam in North America.


I stayed at the Visitor's Center for awhile and read most of the exhibits and stuff. I was surprised that there was so much PC propaganda, and nothing on how the power provided by the dam was instrumental on the production of the atomic bomb during WWII. Anyway, I was almost going to take the tour of one of the electrical power plants, but it was getting warm, and I had to consider Aleksandra in the car. In addition, they also didn't allow firearms. No real biggy, I guess. I just feel so nekkid unarmed.

It is pretty impressive and a testament about what Americans can do. Remember, this was built during the Great Depression (1933-42) and the beginning of WWII. Think we would do that today? I seriously doubt it. This is what "green" energy is all about: NO pollution and it enhances the environment.

Next up: My Journey into the "Forbidden Zone".

Sorry...

I know I have been negligent in my posting, but the last week or so, I have spent a ton of time visiting friends and family. I will catch up, soon!

Promise!

Meanwhile, Aleksandra says, "Hi!"

Traveling With a Cat.

People have asked me if it's difficult traveling with a cat.

The answer is yes and no.

In some respects, cats travel well: They don't need to be 'let out' to do their business. Cats are good at holding it...better than a human. Cat boxes work well. I put Aleksandra's in the bathroom so when she does kick some litter out, it can be easily swept up. I also use some wet/dry kitty wipes. These are good for minor messes in the carrier or wherever. I've only used them a couple times and they smell swell.

I keep her in a pet carrier, that has a hatch on top so I can pet and otherwise console her (or give her a treat). I don't want her roaming around the car freely. I'm afraid she'll get down by the pedals at an inconvenient time. She mostly sleeps and occasionally takes a drink/snack break.

Her usual routine once she is released in the motel room is to scout the place out, and visit her kitty box once it's "all clear" in the room. After that, she'll plump her butt on the bed and watch TV.

When I check in to places, I always notify them I have a pet (usually a $10-20 fee...sometimes for the stay and sometimes per night). Cats are usually cheaper by $5. (In all cases the fee is far less than having a human companion) I have even managed to get rooms where they have a NO PET policy. This happens when its a Mop & Pop place where the manager is the owner---and female. Gals tend to adore cats and give them a break. In addition, it is rare for people to travel with a cat. Even other guests are surprised to see a lil kitteh. The park attendants at the entrance booths like to see a kitty too. I have gotten a lot of good unsolicited advice from folks, just because I have a cat co-pilot. There are a lot of "cat people" around, and all of them are nice people.

Cats are also very quiet, unlike those folks who travel with those damn yip-yip lapdogs. Ugh.

Cats don't complain about where you are going, how much money you are spending, or give driving instructions. Cats could care less if you visit the "boring" places. If they wonder at all, it would be something like, "Does Badlands dirt make good kitty litter to poop in?" They also don't ask if you are lost.

Now, there is a downside as well. Cats don't really like to be confined in a cage, even when all is well. Just the other day, Aleksandra decided she didn't want to go in her carrier and decided to escape my grasp. We had a bit of a tiff over that, but she lost. She's been kinda peeved at me since. She'll cuddle and sleep next to me all night, but in the morning, she'll be under the bed. This morning she came out as her food bowl was empty. Not a big deal as I am staying here for a couple days. She can pout to her hearts content.

When we leave, it will be a different story.

Another downside is what to do when you are on the road, yet out of the car at meal time or other stop. I am very careful not to come back to a cooked kitty. You really have to watch the temperature and ventilation. I keep the air conditioning cranked up, so the car is actually rather cool or even cold. This allows a longer time than you might expect for extravehicular activities. This could be a limiting factor, but I haven't even gotten close to a crisis. I also keep the sunroof open and in very hot areas I crack the windows a bit, too. I am sure the dark window tinting minimizes the 'green house effect' as well. I find that I am ready to hit the road again after an hour or so, anyway.

Did I mention cats like venison?

Halftime Show

This is the new, revised Road Trip map. I am presently at F and will be at G sometime later today.

I am a bit behind in my blogging, and will attempt to catch up ASAP. I have made an interesting discovery that needs proper attention.

A note on Aleksandra: She has adapted well to travel, and has seemed to settle on a new routine. When she enters a new motel room, she paces until I turn on the TV. Then she claims the bed and watches the tube.

Go fig.

Preface: Part 2

Fast forward to my retirement in 2008: Aha! Now I will have the time! I can tour to my heart’s content!

Well, life events didn't allow an immediate scheduling, or the exact methodology. My original intention was to get a Toyota FJ Cruiser and perhaps a small travel trailer. As events turned out, I inherited a 'hauler' vehicle (1994 Dodge Caravan) so getting another (the FJ) was rather redundant.

Lo and behold I discovered a hottie...the new Dodge Challenger.

I was looking at some car porn online, and I spotted a Challenger they had dropped a Viper's V-10 engine into. Man she was awesome. She was a 1970’s retro styled muscle car that reminded me of the days when I envied one from the seat of my Schwinn.

I got to wondering what a 'normal' Challenger was like. I became intrigued. Correction: I was getting a crush on a car. Since a Dodge dealer was only a few blocks away, I decided to see one 'in the flesh' to see what it 'felt like'. I did and I was smitten right then and there. Fortunately, they didn’t have the top of the line SRT8 I desired.

A few weeks later, I had received a brochure in the mail and had been contacted by a local salesman via email and phone. There was the exact model and color in transit. All I had to do was put down a deposit and she would be mine. I did, and in May 2009 I took delivery of the car I always wanted, but didn’t exist until 2008. It was almost like one of those ‘twist of fate time travel’ movies.



So, now I had the vehicle to make my ‘road trip’ fantasies come true. It is the perfect Grand Touring automobile for me, although it cannot tow a trailer. Looking at the car, it would be a crime to do such a thing. It would be like hooking up an oxcart to a thoroughbred race horse. It just isn’t done. I guess I’ll make do with hotel/motels, sleeping at rest stops, and mooching off friends.

2011 is also the year of my 40th year (!) high school reunion. For my 30th year, back in 2001 I flew to my hometown. This year, I would drive and make it the only scheduled stop. I planned out a very squiggly route there, giving myself about a month to get there to hit many places I wanted to see and visiting friends along the way. As events worked out, I ‘consumed’ most of that month being sick at home. I did manage to take a test travel trip from Salem OR to Bellingham WA and back. From this jaunt, I managed to not only see the car would be perfect (as predicted) but also managed to add to my ‘to do’ list of necessary preparations. Additionally, I also discovered my highway mileage was about 19.6 mpg! At least that’s what the car computer said. I will crunch the actual numbers later to find the truth. However, approximately 20 mpg is remarkably good for my Challenger ‘beast’ (which I have named “Blackbird” after the SR-71 spy plane).

My planned route had only been mapped to my high school reunion. I had no idea where I was going after that. Now, I will do a straight shot to Minnesota, and after that, I will take a leisurely route back, retracing much of my path but open for detours and whatever else takes my fancy.

I have waited to the last to introduce the final factor: I am traveling with my pet cat, Aleksandra. She is the one pictured on the header of this blog and inspiration for the title. She used to be quite a good car traveler, but that was many years ago. I decided against leaving her with a caretaker or kenneling her. Besides, why shouldn’t she be along? I have traveled w/cats before so I have an idea of what I am getting into. It will have its difficulties, but also its rewards. In any event, she will be my travel buddy.