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Last night was quiet possibly the worst night of my adult
life. Upon Chris Goodwin’s suggestion we decided to spend the
night at the lot at which the bus is supposed to be kept while
he does the conversion. Steve knew, but didn’t share, that there
would be trains around. Well, two tracks were directly behind
our bus – fright lines – and it seems that they do most of their
business in the middle of the night…and of course there are
spotlights illuminating the lot, and our bus, the entire night.
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Oh, and let’s not forget that we have either a broken
water pump or an empty fresh water tank, of course the black
water tank on the other hand is full…
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It was simply a horrible, horrible night
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Right now we are sitting in Chris’ suburban, which he was
kind enough to let us borrow for the time being. We are waiting
for Steve to finish up with a dude who is fixing all the
scratches we put into the bus…$600 later Steve is happy with the
work the guy did.
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We are still looking for a hotel to stay in while the
work is being done on the bus…
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Steve still has to work.
Later on
Tuesday – Mossyrock
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Well, well, well, just when you think it can’t get any
worse…
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We left Seattle in the hopes that Chris G. would complete
the outside components of our conversion in about the next 1-2
weeks. One of the problems and reason for us physically leaving
Seattle was that there are absolutely no hotels available in the
entire greater Seattle area. I mean NO HOTELS AT ALL…finally I
talked to a guy at the hotel hotline ad he said that there was a
Microsoft Convention going on… I did find a hotel for $250 in
Bellevue, but even that was crazy…I must have spent at least 2
hours on the phone alone, plus Steve’s time on the same
project…the poor kids I feel so bad for them…they haven’t done
or seen anything since we started this “adventure”…Steve STILL
has to work…
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The plan had been to find an RV park with WI/FI and spend
2 nights there. I picked a place called Mossyrock b/c it seemed
beautiful and had internet access. I suggested a place closer to
Seattle so we did have to drive so long and get to a place in
the middle of the night, but Steve said no to that…of course, it
was pitch dark when we got anywhere…Steve’s GPS ended up sending
us the wrong way up a mountain side…at this point I woke up from
being bounced up and down on the bed, we were way up some dirt
road next to a field. It was absolutely impossible to see
anything, I was scared to death. Not the last time either, as I
was to find out. Again we decided to turn around and try and
find another RV park.
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I made Steve get out to check the ground to make sure
that field was solid enough to support 40 tons…as we crawled
down this mountain road, I am stunned that he made it up here in
the first place.
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Tired and dazed he says he saw another RV place on the
way up here…on the way down we find it. As we drive in I realize
that all the RVs are rusty old Junkers, the cars in front of
them are in the same condition. We both recognize that we can’t
stay there. We try to turn Elbee; it is very tight in there.
Going around the last bend we drive by an RV a little ways off,
the doors swinging in the wind, back and forth…no lights are on
anywhere…we are both freaking out…thinking of cheesy old horror
movies… we are both so tired, it’s so dark, we are scared…
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Steve tries to snake his way out the last tight turn…we
hear a crunch. Everything stops. While the kids are thankfully
sleeping in the back bedroom, we are trying to figure out what
we’ve just done…we hit one of two yellow metal posts, put there
to protect a huge tree, and crush the right rear bay door. This
seems especially bad since just this morning we paid $600 to get
a big scratch fixed not two feet above from where now yawns the
newest wound inflicted on our poor bus. Where I wonder is this
going to end? Are we going to make it home with this thing in
one piece? I am not at all certain about that.
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Two guys come out of the main house on the property, at
this point I am expecting chainsaws and metal hooks…
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It turns out both of them are very sweet and help Steve
maneuver out of this spot with lights and hand signals…
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We make it out without any further incident and are dazed
and bewildered by the time we are out on the empty, very dark
road. Of course, we still have to find a place to stay for the
night. Steve is beside himself b/c of the crushed cargo doors…he
is beside himself with exhaustion…I punch in another RV park
destination into his GPS and try to follow those directions. I
don’t know what makes us think that this time that would be
successful, because it takes not too long to realize that again
we where send to nowhere…apparently this particular area of the
country is very sketchy in this high tech contraption. It sends
us again into the middle of nowhere…we go on a little further
and end up at the entrance to a State Park, which while maybe
doable in daylight is completely out of the question right now.
I am thoroughly fed up by now. I refuse to one inch into this
woodsy, I am sure very lovely, park in the pitch black night. I
make Steve turn around. The GPS, which by now we named Mary, has
proven to be completely useless around here and so I try to
simply navigate back to a main road.
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This means that we have to cross back over a very narrow,
long, unlit bridge out of here. The road extends in front of us
into the darkness. To either side is what we know to be a lake,
although what we can see is merely infinite blackness. With no
other options we roll on over this daunting passage, knowing
that Steve is exhausted, anxious about large bodies of water,
unsure of the vehicle, pretty much lost in the woods, I am
sensing something is not right with my hubby…this is when his
general state of worry erupts into a full anxiety attack. He
starts rocking back and forth on the stirring wheel, slowing
down the bus as we come to the end of the narrow bridge. “Hit
me…hit me,” he yells. To my surprise I do. I slap him on the
back, and then harder on the side of his head…and amazingly he
calms himself…he is back enough to cross that bridge. As we go
on into the darkness I pet his head where I hit it, horrified
that I did…
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We end up in some lonely town (Salkim?) with a Fire
station and a library.
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Steve is obsessed with finding a place that has a spigot
– we still don’t have water – and I don’t care at this point.
The dishes are piled high in the sink and we all need showers,
but somehow that no longer is at the top of my list
anymore…finally I persuade him to pull into the parking lot of
the Fire station and fall into bed. It’s 12:30 am and it’s got
to be enough for one day…
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