Martinez Rules!: Our Crazy Road Trip: Day 16

Departure Time: 12:00 pm
Odometer: 10,761
Destination: Vancouver, Washington, The Residence of Mr. and Mrs. Cowbell
Miles Travelled Today: 404
Miles Travelled to Date: 2,352

It was so lovely and sunny when we arrived in Couer d'Alene yesterday afternoon, and then the rain came. It poured down all night long and all morning, so we decided to go ahead and leave at noon instead of 3pm. Good call on our part, since it took us A LOT longer to get to our destination than we expected. Ya' see, the motorhome and wind do not get along. It's a surface area thing, really. We thought that at some point the wind would surely have to die down; the whole State of Washington could not be a wind tunnel. No, it is. So, not only were we contending with gale force winds (only a slight exaggeration), but I almost died of panic attacks driving over two of the most perilous river crossing bridges ever conceived of by mankind. More on that later. I did alright in the wind for some time while Pat was asleep in the back. I was actually quite proud of my self for staying on course through the many completely circular interchanges I had to navigate to stay on Highway 395, all this with the wind screaming across the bow of the motorhome no less. Driving through the Columbia river gorge was beautiful, but awfully precarious. To top it all off, we got lost due to some shady directions given to us by AAA Triptik, and the last 10 miles took us over an hour. Lynn had to hunt us down and escort us back to his house so we could stop wandering around his neighborhood, terrorizing the residents with our high beams and our gigantic vehicle.

We did arrive safely, visited with Mr. and Mrs. Cowbell for a few moments, and then turned in for the night.

Madeline's photo shoot with my super handsome Chachi, and of course, a self-portrait.

We busted out the rainy day craft kit and got to work. We were rather prolific, completing a pipe cleaner daisy, a popsicle stick pencil holder, a beaded bracelet, and some foam/ sticker hearts. Fifi had a rough time accepting that she is not yet cleared for glue and scissors. It's hard to be the little sister.

Fi absconded with the camera again and documented many important images, such as her pile of Polly Pockets (or Pahwee Pawtits), Daddo going about his business, Chachi catching a cat nap, and Mama.

Welcome to Washington! What kind of State puts their welcome sign on the driver's side of the roadway? The driver can't take pictures!

Meet the first of the bridges that almost caused my demise. I saw it coming from about 1/2 mile back, and frantically called to Patrick, who was peacefully sleeping in back. Thankfully, traffic slowed down enough to make this bridge crossing almost bearable, and I was able to make it over with only a severe increase in blood pressure. Pat was even able to snap a few pictures of this treacherous crossing. The second bridge however, was far, far more hazardous, and came very shortly after crossing this one. The wind was blustery enough to cause whitecaps on the river below, which I of course spotted right before entering the bridge. There was no where to stop or pullover to switch drivers; I just had to grit my teeth and get over it. To make matters worse, traffic was not slowing down at all. Semi trucks and other vehicles came racing past me. Much like a hostage negotiator, Patrick was very reassuring that I was not in fact going to pass out and plummet headlong into the river below. He was very calm and collected. I think I might have been hyperventilating, and I was trying not to vomit, pass out or cry. No pictures this time, not even of the "Now Entering Oregon" sign. He talked me through to the other side and then promptly insisted that I find an exit and relinquish the driver's seat until we could get to a State that doesn't consist primarily of rivers. I think that driving the RV has brought my fear of bridges to an entirely new level of dysfunction.

Fi wanted to hold Baby Charlie. She got rather upset when I told her that she couldn't hold him while we were moving.

It was starting to get late, so we stopped at Viento State Park in Oregon for dinner. It is a really nice park, and it provided a much needed break for the girls and Charlie to get out of their carseats and stretch for a bit.