If you're not getting passed then you're going too fast!!

If you're not getting passed then you are going too fast! - this has become our motto for driving, as the camper's well worn engine doesn't really like speeds much faster than 55, and we're hoping we can encourage it to last a little longer by not pushing it too far out of it's comfort zone.

Let's be honest, we knew that taking this trip was a good idea, and dang were we right. So far Kelsey and I have spent one night in Portland, one night in Olympia and one night in Camano Island, WA. The interesting part is that we haven't really begun "camping yet" or pushing ourselves to unusual living conditions, but the adventure has surely started and I'm tempted to think it should continue as it has began: seeing family and friends we do not often get to see.

The first day of our trip was centered mostly around the relief of driving Blue Bones, our 1982 Westfalia Vanagon, from Sisters to Portland in one piece and working condition. Bones is a slow mover up hills, but that's ok because we aren't in a rush to get anywhere. My sister, Jana, kindly invited us to stay at her house for the night, so after dropping Bones off for a much needed rest, Kelsey, Kiska, and I traveled with her to pick up my brother Taylor, and then we all headed over to have dinner at Neil's house, the oldest brother (all three siblings are related via Dave) We had a great dinner in Neil's backyard as we caught up on the years it had been since we had all been in one place together, and ended the night sitting around the fire pit. If Kelsey and I end up in Portland after this trip, we look forward to having many more evenings like this.



The next morning it quickly became evident that all was not right with Bones. In idle, where she should be relaxed and quite, it sounded like the gas was being floored and she was working to harder than normal. So after a quick run-down of the options: 1. Call AJ for help (our family mechanic ;) who would likely know the issue but give a solution over my capabilities of doing) 2. Call Chuck for help (nah... too early in the trip to need bailing out/worry Kelsey's parents we weren't going to make it out of the state let alone see them in Santa Fe for Thanksgiving) I decided taking Bones to a local VW shop was the answer... Right decision, and long story short, our decelerator was broken (or maybe it was the tubes) but after 30 mins the mechanic had us back on the road.

After a short lunch break at a rest stop alongside the freeway, we arrived in Olympia around four. Kelsey, who is still working on perfecting the art of driving a stick shift, did a stall at the main intersection in town right in front of the capital building and in front of a long line of cars and to top it off Pat drove up beside us to wittness the whole situation. I got the car started again and we all made it safely down a couple blocks to the house where we were greeted with open arms and chilled glasses of wine. Karla had prepared a magnificent feast for us, and we ate in their beautiful backyard full of blooming flowers and an incredible fountain along the back wall fence. We then went on a beautiful walk by the capital and down towards the water before loading back up in the van and heading to Seattle.



Kiska was really excited about Karla and Pat's beautiful lawn and garden!



We only had a little bit of time to see Kyle in Seattle, so he met us at the van with lunch in hand, and we walked down by the canal in the Fremont district to eat the amazing sandwiches from Homegrown. We then went up to the Theo chocolate factory where we sampled many of their amazing chocolates for dessert.

Then it was off again to get up to Camano Island. Grandma Mary and Clyde have an amazing house just up from the beach on the west side of the island, and their view looks out over Puget Sound and to the Olympic Mountains just across the bay. The first night we we again treated to a lovely home cooked meal, featuring crab that Mary and Clyde had caught on their boat, and a delicious peach pie. We spent most of Friday relaxing, Kelsey went to a little farm on the island to get some fresh veggies for when we actually start to cook our own meals, and Clyde and I worked a little more on the fridge in the camper, then spent the afternoon reading and napping. We had dinner in Conway at the Muse, a real funky little place with an eclectic theme and live music.




Nate and Kiska on the beach in front of Mary and Clyde's house


Kis enjoying getting to play on the big lawn in front of the house



Nate with Mary, Clyde and their dog Sophie


This morning we are packing up and headed out to the San Juans! More to come soon!