CURBSIDE IN BRIER, WASHINGTON

Two days of travel moved us from the Elks Lodge in Tillamook, Oregon (yes, we were able to get out over the trench!), to the Elks Lodge in Hoquiam, Washington, to the curb in front of Terry and Vicky’s house in Brier, Washington, just north of Seattle (and still in the metropolitan area).  Our weather on both days was cool, cloudy and gray, and the drives were pleasantly uneventful. 

This is the bridge that crosses the Columbia River near its mouth.  At this point, it is so wide that the bridge spanning it is 4 miles long.  The surrounding banks on both sides are crammed with Lewis and Clark historic sites, now state parks, state recreation areas, and historic waysides.  I love the name “Dismal Nitch”, where there is now a rest area on the Washington State side.  The Corps of Discovery spent 6 days there in November, 1805, when William Clark inadvertently bestowed the name through an entry in his diary.  Oh, can’t you picture how miserably cold and wet they must have been?

We arrived in Brier and set up camp in the street yesterday afternoon. Happily, the record-setting heat wave that gripped Seattle and the rest of the northwest last week has eased and we’ll have moderate temperatures for our 5-day stay.

This is a rare occurrence for us (curbside camping)!  Terry and Vicky offered this site when they heard we needed to spend a few days in the area to meet with Sydney and Frank, who are visiting nearby Kirkland from Bisbee, AZ.  We get a place to stay AND the chance to spend time visiting with Terry and Vicky – perfect.

Another rare occurrence: Odel has taken our laundry to a laundromat!  Too many consecutive days of camping without a sewer hookup resulted in a huge heap of dirty laundry, so he set off a couple hours ago with the laundry and a map.  Other highlights of our “catch up when we’re in an urban area” list:  Trader Joe’s, Costco, REI, Teavana, and AAA, all within a short drive of each other and our current camping spot.  What could be more convenient?

So we’ll be catching up and stocking up today and tomorrow, then visiting with Sydney and Frank in Kirkland over the weekend.  They are in Kirkland for an art show opening (Oil Painters of America) where Sydney has a painting.  If you would like to see her works, click here.