090802 - The Washington Interstate

Washington Interstate 5 rest area
August 2nd, 2009

Just another example of good plans gone wrong.

After leaving the supreme hospitality of Joe and Penelope, our plan was to spend a week at a bayside member campground before heading south.
When making the reservations I was told that the campground wouldn’t be available right away so I made reservations at PLAN B for a couple of days. Then I find out my weeklong reservation will be further cut down because it is a major holiday weekend. Now I have to tell you, I check the calendar pretty carefully for holidays since I was almost stranded for lapse of awareness so I quickly responded with “what holiday?” and was told it was some Canadian celebration. I asked if the campground was really in the United States but my query seemed to fall on deaf ears. We accepted the short reservation but as it turned out, became a blessing in disguise.

When we got to the front gate I was told to find a campsite and then come back to tell them which I had selected. This was a new concept to us and not very comfortable. To start with, it was a large campground with a couple of hundred sites spread out over a large area, and a lot of gravel roadways. I told them I was handicapped and would not able to walk back to the main gate to report my selection but I was waved on so I decided to survey the area. The handicapped spaces were filled and I couldn’t find any sites that were convenient so I drove back to the front gate to ask for assistance.
They quickly dispelled the notion that the management and staff are happy and wiling to be of service in ay way we can.

I was given a few suggestions as to where to look and told that there was no one available to assist me in backing in or recording my site number and reporting it.

I finally found a spot that would allow Danny some roaming room (most sites were side-by-side) but gravel everywhere. We settled in, turned on the air conditioner (it was really getting hot – in the 90s) and took a nap. I never went back to report my selection. We spent 4 days there, struggling with the gravel (the natural enemy of the disabled) and when we left a feeling of relief and joy came over me.

We spent the next 4 days at an interstate rest area. It was much more comfortable than the last campground. Our stay there reminded me of the movie “TERMINAL” with Tom Hanks, where he is confined to an airport lobby.

Danny and I would sit out by the picnic tables and watch the trucks and RVs and buses and cars and their occupants come and go, as we remained the only constant residents. Many of the people would stop and talk to us, of course wanting to meet and pet Danny. Some would engage in interesting conversations. Many Rvers stopped for a break and one or two would spend the night. The truck drivers were friendly and offered greeting both verbally and with hand signals. Some tour buses would stop for bathroom breaks and the tourists would exit speedily and then shuffle back to the bus for reloading. One carload of people even got out, spread out their prayer rugs and prayed to Allah in the parking area.
Danny got to meet a few new doggie friends and I trusted him enough to let him go off leash when the area was pretty empty. He really is a very well behaved and mostly obedient dog.
With plenty of gas, propane, food and water, these “urban camping” days were a pleasant experience – and not a piece of gavel in sight.