"The Way West"...Day 24...Friday, July 6, 2012

I've got an easy drive today...about 180 miles from Chelan to the KOA in Kent, Washington, just south of Seattle. So...this morning I am able to "sleep in" until almost 9:00AM. I can also linger over fresh coffee and a bowl of cereal.
Around 11:00AM, I'm on the road again...up and over the Cascade Mountains through the Snoqualmie Pass.
Along the way, I stop at the "Twin Pines" burger stand in the town of Cle Elum. I figure that it's a good place because the parking lot is full, and there's a long line at the counter. It's a good old-fashioned burger...the kind they used to make before McDonalds, Burger King, etc. The bun is good, there's plenty of meat, and everything is cooked to order. Also, the chocolate malt is pretty darn good.
Around 2:30PM, I pull into the KOA Campground in Kent. At $50/night, it's pricey...but it's very well maintained and the facilities are first-class. Before I can relax, though, I've got "chores" to complete. I've been on the road for 24 days, and my laundry bag is full. So...quarters in hand, I head over to the laundry building...four loads...much folding and repacking. While the laundry is washing/drying, I empty out, clean and repack the coolers with fresh ice. I also stop at the Campground office and pick up a ferry schedule. From here, I'm heading to Olympic National Park, and that route includes a ferry ride from Seattle to Bainbridge Island.
Around 4:00PM, I'm hungry, so it's time to make the twenty minute drive to downtown Seattle for dinner at Wild Ginger. Wild Ginger is one of my favorite restaurants...it's Asian "Fusion" cuisine...and everything on the menu is outstanding. Soon, I'm sitting at the bar, perusing the menu and enjoying a glass of local Washington bubbly. As an appetizer, I order the Cambodian short ribs...slices of marinated beef, grilled and served with a fiery pineapple sauce and house-made pickles...delicious. For my main course, I get the "special"...a whole Dungeness crab served Singapore-style...a spicy sauce with lots of black pepper and curry. Man...it is really, really good. After dinner, I walk across the street to "Gelatismo" for a scoop of pistachio and a scoop of salted caramel...wonderful.
Back at camp, I relax with a few beers...some nice music on the iPod player...a hundred pages or so of reading.
Then...around 11:00PM, it's time for bed.
It has been a very

good

day.