Anyone have an umbrella?

I am officially in the Seattle Metropolitan area. I have a few pics on my Facebook page that I uploaded from my phone along the way.

A few observations:

1. There are very few RMW's left actually driving on the roads. I drove 3100 miles of mostly interstate. Besides mine, I saw only TWO Roadmaster wagons on the whole trip, both of which were in Ohio. Not to say that there aren't plenty out there, but I've taken many long trips (mostly to Oklahoma) and have never seen such a drought. The only one I saw after that pulled into the Best Western after me in Kent, WA (in the foreground below - mine's in back.)



2. If you have never driven across the country's midsection and you have the mettle, time, and resources, there isn't a better tour than I-70. Gritty midwestern towns, hilly countryside, flat horizons that appear to have no conclusion, thunderstorms that drop temps 25 degrees in moments, majestic mountain climbs that'll test your wagon handling skills, desert wastelands where you can see the rescue but never reach it, high plains that stretch before you after a wicked descent, water, trees, rocks and more climbs and descents. I started the trip at 300 feet elevation, reached over 11,000 and now sit at 55.



3. I got a nice wet welcome to Seattle with a downpour that you could literally see coming like a shower curtain closing. I got my wipers on just in time - the instantly obscured brake lights of traffic in front of me clued me in. Wicked.

4. The weather this morning was beautiful and lasted most of the day. Then the rain. Again. My guess is that that's how it is here - no day is a washout, but every day gets a little something to add to the rain gauge.

5. So far, I have not had to shovel any of said rain. And I have not had a chill, despite temps in the 40's - the humidity really blankets you, but it's comfortable humidity at those temps.

6. Only tourists and recent transplants are permitted to use umbrellas and raincoats here. The natives and long term residents must use a sh!tload of Scotchgard because almost NO ONE uses an umbrella. They just walk along, getting soaked, and it's like they don't even notice. I walked across ONE street during a short pour (using my umbrella so that I could instantly be identified as a foreigner) and my shoes have not yet dried out 3 hours later.

First, I'm going to find a house so Katie and Kelly can come. Then, I'm going to start planning WagonFestWest.

congrats on making it to the other side!!! Glad you arrived safely.

Love the second pic in your post.
I was lucky enough to drive to Cali twice in 6 months back in the '80s.
I recommend a cross country jaunt for everyone, they are very cool and you'll see ALOT.

I was amazed that Arizona really does look like a Road Runner cartoon in places.

Glad you and family arrived safe. I'm sure you will like it. Like I told you my wife is a Washington native and we lived there 6 or 7 years. Where are you going to be living?

If you come back for WF10, you will be in contention for the coveted prize for traveling the most distance.

Good Luck

Tom

Glad you arrived safely! That's a great shot of the wagon there.

Make sure you ask someone if there are any coffee shops which AREN'T Starbucks. Then duck.

Glad you made it! Yeah, I-70 is a wild ride! I did a couple cross country trips a few years ago (in a minivan though *cough )

Love that second pic!!!

Nice pics, Fred! Glad you mde it safe and sound. I really want to do that some day, too!

nice trip,. lucky bastard,.

Nick