I wake up about a half-hour before the alarm rings. I had some strange and vivid dreams overnight, and remembered them. That's fairly odd for me. Not going to describe them, just pointing out that I remembered them.
I'm doing a bit of lolligagging this morning, thinking about how to post pictures from the road so I can start getting some of this writing online, and I end up figuring out a few more PHP scripts I'm going to have to write to make that easier. I don't think I'll actually get much posted before I get home, since I don't have all the image-handling tools I want and don't feel like writing those scripts while I'm on the road.
While I'm waiting for the shuttle, I sort through the receipts I've accumulated in Canada. There are a lot I don't need to keep, plus some maps I can throw away, and a few more I can pack away, since I won't need them until I get home and start posting these pages. Going through the reciepts, it looks like I don't have enough to worry about the GST refund unless hotels count toward the total. Most of my money went to food and drink and transporation. Hey, reading the little brochure, it appears hotels do qualify, so I should be getting some money back. Cool!
Now I've got exactly an hour to kill. The 8:45 shuttle just pulled out, and I'm on the 9:45. I guess I could've gone an hour earlier, but I didn't want to feel rushed in the morning, so I reserved the later time.
The shuttle was a small bit of a hassle. I forgot to get my confirmation number from the hotel, so I had to call back to have them check that from the records of my stay that they'd already tossed away.
My GPS doesn't work that well on the shuttle, either. There's just too many tall trees, buildings, and powerlines around to get a clear view of the sky out a bus window (where I'm already limited to less than half the sky). Quicker acquisition on the GPS seems like the biggest feature I'd like to have.
When we stop at the Vancouver airport, the driver passes out the customs forms we'll need to enter the US. It's pretty easy to fill out since I the only things I bought in Canada are a book and some Claritin (which is over the counter in Canada, but requires a prescription in the US). The only minor headache is converting the costs of things back into US Dollars, since I've started to think in Canadian Dollars, rather than converting everything in my head. I think that's a sign of having acclimated to another country.
At the Campbell River Store (just before the border), we stop for our last possible purchases in Canada, and a chance to grab something for lunch (which we'll have to declare if we don't get it eaten before the border). It's about ten minutes in and out and I wolf down a ham sandwich while we're stopped. Then about the same at the border. The only slowdown at the border is a british couple who didn't have their visas already and had to take a few minutes to fill out the paperwork.
I notice almost immediately that I-5 is a much rougher road here than Canada 99.
The GPS likes the open road here. I get a good track, and there are plenty of satellites visible at the moment. I'm getting accuracy good to 22 feet, which is good enough to even know which lane I'm in on the freeway.
In Seattle, we get dropped off at the north end of downtown, and I'm staying on the south end. I end up splitting a cab with a guy who's from Australia (he's actually from New Zealand, but has spent the past 20 years in Australia) who's staying at a hostel about halfway to my hotel. There's a slight problem checking in at the hotel, since they've gotten my smoking/non-smoking preference wrong, and all the available rooms are the wrong choice. After explaining that I'd reserved the room a month ago, the desk-manager puts me in the room I asked for.
My hotel's on Spring and 4th in Seattle. Fourth is a little farther up the hill in Seattle than I'd like, but I get the feeling that I'm going to exercise my calves here and in San Franciso anyhow.
I walk down the hill and find Las Margeritas. It's a little Mexican joint (complete with Univision on the TV) and the appetizers are cheap and tasty, and Pike Pale Ale works surprisingly well with Mexican food. It's pretty dead here for happy hour. The business day isn't done, and it's a Monday, but still... A few folks have looked in and when they see that I'm the only patron and the bartender isn't behind the bar (he's walking around cleaning things up, talking to the cook in the kitchen, or sitting and watching TV), they move along.
After a few beers, I move on and walk to Pioneer Square, where I end up settling in at the Central for a beer or two. I talk with Walt, an Alaskan who's originally from Detroit, and look at a number of his photographs. He takes some pretty good pictures. I'm starting to get enough beer in me that I'm feeling like The Belonging Kind, but I don't quite have it. After a while, I get some appetizers and talk to the cook a bit. The bands start playing and one of them comments We suck so you don't have to!
which draws a cheer from the crowd. Laura (aka Spike), the bartender has a nice body, with tight leather pants and a shirt that shows off her tits pretty well. She seems to do quite well on the tips because of it. But being a friendly sort probably helps, too. Finally, about midnight I decide to stumble home. The walk back up the hill sucks, and if I were a little more sober, I'd be able to regret choosing a place this far up the hill. As it is, I just think this hill sucks
and keep stumbling until I'm at the hotel and then suddenly asleep.