ROLLING ROCK CALIFORNIA 2005 NOTHING IS FUCKED TOUR

oneownercollectorcar.com

Written by and Copyright G. A. Cox

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THE CAR

1975 Plymouth Valiant. Blue 4 door post with blue interior. Slant six 225 one barrel engine with automatic transmission, power steering and brakes. The broadcast sheet below has the final sequence of the VIN removed for internet privacy.

The Valiant was bought new at Lakeview Chrysler Plymouth Ltd in New Westminster, BC, Canada which is profiled in the DEALERSHIPS section of this website.

To see a complete history of this Valiant check out the article in the 20 YEARS PLUS section of the CAR STORIES section of this site. There is also a MPG summary in the GAS LOGS division of the TRAVEL SECTION.

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ROLLING ROCK CALIFORNIA 2005 NOTHING IS FUCKED TOUR

THE STORY

July 23rd ~ 12:30–1:00 Leave New Westminster Canadian Tire after replacing right headlight and filling tank with STP. Remember next time to not drink and smoke so much the night before departure. I have a big box of blueberries and four bananas (b-fast+).

Onto the #1 we go. Somewhere outside Aldergrove the traffic is not moving. I convince B that we should get off the highway and turn on to a side street.

B: “But this is one way?”

Me: “No no, not there! There!”

A squeeze b/w the concrete abutment and the car next to us and a sharp turn off the highway and B is pointing the car into oncoming traffic. An easy turn to the left and we’re back in business. Goin’ South. Albeit slowly, lotsa stop signs, but at least we’re moving.

Quiet rolling country roads down to Zero Avenue and along toward the border crossing. Intersection-sized speed bumps here boss. The detour we have made allows us to make up some time and we arrive at the border close to 3:00.

We declare the bananas and blueberries and they let us through. We’re in the U S of A. Stop at a gas station where B wants to try the new Coke Zero – not quite what he expected – he’ll spend more time searching for the new low carb Pepsi. Pepsi One.

We hook up to I5 and skirt Seattle via #205 and make it down to Millersylvania State Park at around 7:00 – it’s full. It’s a Saturday. What to do. It’ll be dark soon. I’m getting hungry. And cranky. The not-so-helpful lil’ girl at the check-in desk gives us a list of other places in the ‘neighbourhood’ and we discuss our options in the growing darkness.

We drive south to Tenino for directions to the Offut Lake Resort. B speaks to a woman with a coupla kids – says it’s just down the road. We find it with little difficulty. On the way I notice a place called “Wolf Haven” and wonder what that’s about. Offut Lake Resort is a nice little place – we find a spot and the pony-tailed guy we spoke to, who’s in the middle of hosting the Saturday night Karaoke-fest, says “we’ll settle up tomorrow.”

Back to Tenino for food and provisions. 50s style diner for buffalo burgers – some old leather-faced cowboy hat-wearing guy drinking coffee at the counter gives me shit for ordering buffalo - “S'posed to be endangered!” I say, “The more people eat buff, the more they’ll be farmed, the more there’ll be.” He’s not convinced. Must be a cattle rancher – or maybe a dairy farmer, or just an old nutter. We order our food and tell the waitress that we’ll be back; we’re going to the supermarket for some stuff. B ‘races with the Devil’*(“Race with the Devil” – a Peter Fonda, Warren Oates vehicle, ostensibly about getting spooked by the spooky locals) in downtown Tenino - getting the spooks here boss.

Look for blueberries. Nothing Jerry nothing. Rolling Rock and ice, bananas and yoghurt for my granola and we’re back at the diner. Good burgers. Needed food. Feeling better. Back to OLR to set up camp and start with the drinking. There’s mosquitoes about and B is painting himself w/DEET. Mosquitoes love B. Not so much me.

Later, around 1:00 a.m. meet David and Rob, who appear to be drinking something w/a tobacco chew chaser – much drooling and spitting. However, they turn out to be really cool. Rob’s mom owns the OLR and David came up after doing his army stint and fighting fires outta helicopters and has stayed so far 8 months. We talk about various things, including supervolcanoes, politics, the universe, environmentalism, nature, whose pot is better BC or WA – offer us a line on some if we come over to Rob’s house tomorrow morning.– Rob and Dave mention the Wolf Haven and that you can hear the wolves howling in the night. – Rob’s been to some bar in New West, asks B if he’s heard of it, and yes, B has been there. Wow, small world.

Later, after they have gone, B and I conclude that Perception is 1/10th of the Law. *(See racing with the Devil).

Soon, we crash. Around 1:30 after we have crawled into our sleeping bags and 5:00 B hears the wolves. I am dead to the world.