Scavenger Hunt, with Bonus Sighting
I've been more offline lately than on -- I just spent 10 days in Seattle, having been paid to go there to attend another three-day training intensive on a Very Speshul software platform. It is Truly Wondrous when somebody pays for your plane ticket to go somewhere you really like going! I took a few days off both before and after the training, and did errands and saw friends and also got some groundwork done for the wedding, including running out to the venue to see it in person. I had been in the area before, but never actually in the place itself.
Without getting too specific: it's east of Seattle, in the mountains, along the I-90 corridor. Basically, you drive about 30 miles out from Seattle, turn right, and drive to the end of the road. It's quite a lovely drive, which is good, because I had to make it several times, partly due to my being a terminal flake on one particular day.
I am not posting about that day. I'm posting about a different day, the first day I drove out.
Most of my friends, and the tiny remnant of my birth family, are in the Northwest; but most of my partner's family are in Ohio, except for the ones in Florida. The wedding has to be in Washington state itself, so from the point of view of that side, it's a Destination Wedding. I would never have intended to inflict a Destination Wedding on anyone deliberately, but in this case, it's unavoidable. It's also a DW for my online friends.
We do have a slightly Cunning Plan to help ease the strain: we're hoping that at least some of the people who come in from out-of-area will make it a full vacation, and take time to see more of the area than just the airport, the hotel, and the wedding venue. We're planning on assorted touristy activities, with myself as Chief Tour Guide and Advisor. If people can come that far, then by heavens we're going to do all we can to make sure it's worth the trip!
Ironically, we keep getting asked "What are you doing for your honeymoon?" and the question is rather baffling. Well, we're kind of having a wedding for our honeymoon. Yup, trying to get the whole family to come! With their kids! And as many friends as can make it! Because that's a really special thing!
So, there I was, driving up into the Cascade Mountains, thinking, Now, if we can get [family member] to come and bring his wife and kids, this'll be their first visit to this kind of environment, and that will be so cool . . . if I were driving all those nieces and nephews up this road, what would I say to them about it? What's unusual? It could be a kind of scavenger hunt, or auto bingo! All right, kids, who'll be the first to spot . . .
An "Elk Crossing" sign?
Cedar trees?
A mountain cascade?
A volcano? (dormant counts!)
A glacier?
Old-growth timber?
A Christmas tree farm?
A treehugger bumper sticker?
A full set of recycling containers where you'd just expect a trash can?
A sign telling you which way the Wilderness is?
Alpacas?
Wetlands?
A Tibetan monk?
Um, WHAT?!?!
Yeah. As I passed the Very Full parking area for a popular picnic and recreation spot, wondering why there were so many cars parked there on a weekday afternoon -- I saw an honest-to-god unmistakable Tibetan monk hurrying from one part of the parking area towards the picnic area. I have no idea what event was going on there, but it was a truly surreal and ridiculous moment.
I don't think I can include "Tibetan monk" in my scavenger hunt list, though. You do see them around Seattle (there's a Tibetan Buddhist temple and monastery), but not consistently. Maybe I'll have them spot hippies . . . those are easier.
Without getting too specific: it's east of Seattle, in the mountains, along the I-90 corridor. Basically, you drive about 30 miles out from Seattle, turn right, and drive to the end of the road. It's quite a lovely drive, which is good, because I had to make it several times, partly due to my being a terminal flake on one particular day.
I am not posting about that day. I'm posting about a different day, the first day I drove out.
Most of my friends, and the tiny remnant of my birth family, are in the Northwest; but most of my partner's family are in Ohio, except for the ones in Florida. The wedding has to be in Washington state itself, so from the point of view of that side, it's a Destination Wedding. I would never have intended to inflict a Destination Wedding on anyone deliberately, but in this case, it's unavoidable. It's also a DW for my online friends.
We do have a slightly Cunning Plan to help ease the strain: we're hoping that at least some of the people who come in from out-of-area will make it a full vacation, and take time to see more of the area than just the airport, the hotel, and the wedding venue. We're planning on assorted touristy activities, with myself as Chief Tour Guide and Advisor. If people can come that far, then by heavens we're going to do all we can to make sure it's worth the trip!
Ironically, we keep getting asked "What are you doing for your honeymoon?" and the question is rather baffling. Well, we're kind of having a wedding for our honeymoon. Yup, trying to get the whole family to come! With their kids! And as many friends as can make it! Because that's a really special thing!
So, there I was, driving up into the Cascade Mountains, thinking, Now, if we can get [family member] to come and bring his wife and kids, this'll be their first visit to this kind of environment, and that will be so cool . . . if I were driving all those nieces and nephews up this road, what would I say to them about it? What's unusual? It could be a kind of scavenger hunt, or auto bingo! All right, kids, who'll be the first to spot . . .
An "Elk Crossing" sign?
Cedar trees?
A mountain cascade?
A volcano? (dormant counts!)
A glacier?
Old-growth timber?
A Christmas tree farm?
A treehugger bumper sticker?
A full set of recycling containers where you'd just expect a trash can?
A sign telling you which way the Wilderness is?
Alpacas?
Wetlands?
A Tibetan monk?
Um, WHAT?!?!
Yeah. As I passed the Very Full parking area for a popular picnic and recreation spot, wondering why there were so many cars parked there on a weekday afternoon -- I saw an honest-to-god unmistakable Tibetan monk hurrying from one part of the parking area towards the picnic area. I have no idea what event was going on there, but it was a truly surreal and ridiculous moment.
I don't think I can include "Tibetan monk" in my scavenger hunt list, though. You do see them around Seattle (there's a Tibetan Buddhist temple and monastery), but not consistently. Maybe I'll have them spot hippies . . . those are easier.