Last spring was great because I had an amazing adventure I will never forget. Just prior to this excellent weekend that I will go into in a minute, I had been going a little stir crazy at work and I had been putting in some late hours and I was feeling a bit burnt out. In addition to this problem, was the lingering depression that seemed to be growing deep within me. It is inherent to some of the locals with the nonstop rain that is common in the Emerald City, and like many of them, the wet and gray days were really getting to me. I absolutely wanted to get away, but I wasn't sure where to go. So, I felt a little stuck in my rut.
So a few days later in the breakroom at work, I shared these thoughts with my buddy Eric from the Accounting department. He just looks at me blankly and says,
"Do you want to check out my time share?" "I am scheduled to use it next week, but I don't have any plans or anyone to share it with." If I don't use it Terry, it's just wasted cash. Just leave it clean is all I ask so I don't have to pay an extra cleaning fee."
"So where is this place?" I asked him.
Eric smiled and said, "Its right next to the beach in Gold Beach, Oregon." A few of my college buddies and I have been sharing this pad for years. It is a great place to get away and just enjoy the coast, some west coast sun, have a few drinks, and just totally relax and unwind."
Eric looked at me and said, "Believe me, you will love it and it is so worth the drive."
So, I took him up on his offer and the following afternoon he tossed me the keys and threw the parking pass on my desk and said "Enjoy the beach house! It's really a great place to wind down and totally forgot about everything...trust me Terry, you will thank me for it."
After a quick handshake, I plopped down on my computer and submitted my vacation days. I also took two comp days of vacation time that I had coming to me. That afternoon, with my bags packed for a nice weekend, I headed south on my drive to Gold Beach.
About an hour into my trip and I am just south of I-5 around Olympia, Washington and I get off the exit and look for a place to gas up and perhaps get a bite to eat. I pull into to truck stop and as I do, I notice a brunette leaning up next to the gas pumps with a sign that says "San Diego?" So I drove closer to get a better look at her and then I parked my blue Chevy Cruze around the back and thought...why not check her out.
So I walk over to her and simply throw my offer down without really talking to her.
"Hey, there...I am only headed as far as Gold Beach, Oregon, but if you want to get that far, you can ride with me? It's your call."
I turned to walk around and head in for a bite to eat at The One Shot Truck Stop...and she called back to me.
"I'll think about."
Then she looked at me and as she was trying to size me up I was simultaneously doing the same to her. She looked as if she was 27, but no older than 30. I am a good guesser on these things, and I certainly knew she was in that range. She had an attractive face, long brunette hair that was pulled back into a shoulder length ponytail. She also had a nice rack and for the most part, she seemed pretty athletica and very attractive. I was so engrossed with profiling her, that I didn't hear her the first time she asked me...
again she repeated it..."And your name is....?"
"Oh, sorry, I'm Terry, I snapped back into reality.
"Well, I'm Lynn, and I am cool with that...ya know...your offer?"
I nodded back at Lynn and then asked her if she wanted to eat first and get to know each other a little bit before we head off down the road?"
"Yeah sure...but before we eat, could I put my bag in your car so I don't have to lug it into the truck stop?"
"Sure" I said." And then I started back towards my car.
As we walked to the car I asked her
"So, how did you get here...and where are you coming from?
"Well, I've been stranded at this truck stop a day, maybe two looking for a ride, but at least the food was decent."
"As for my story...well I was living up in Bellingham, Washington. My boyfriend was a navy type and we were really cool together for the past two years, until I picked up his phone one day last week and found a few pics of him and some blonde...and they were, being overly friendly...if you know what I mean?
"So, you just up and left?"
"Absolutely, why wouldn't I?"
"I guess that makes sense...sorry to hear that."
"Well, it's his loss, not mine."
Feeling like this was a bit sensitive, I just changed the subject and moved on...
So, what do they have good to eat in here?
"They have some pot pie that reminds me of my Gram's from way back. That is really good."
"That is something I haven't had in forever...guess I will try that."
Minutes later, we had ordered our food and we were talking again and asking each other questions, trying to get a feel for something to latch on to. We continued to talk while we ate and we continued talked about some of our travels...the waitress wandered by and politely dropped the bill on the table she seemed as if she did not want to bother us. We finished up, I tipped our waitress and paid the bill, and then we rolled to the car.
Lynn walked around the car, opened the passenger door and got it. I thought to myself, this might be fun. When I got in my seat, she pointed to me to go to the pumps closest to the exit, so I could get some gas and avoid the big trucks lined up just around the corner. After being fed and fueled up, I was on the road again, but with some company."
Ten minutes later, we had the music playing and we were cruising down I-5 and headed south to Portland and beyond. We had a few hours to go, so we continued to chat and have small talk between us. After about 45 minutes, I looked over and the poor girl was out cold. I figured I would drive as long as I could so she could catch some "Z's. Without trying to be sneaky, I glanced over at her and just kind of looked at her, perhaps staring at times, but hey, I was driving and I had to keep my eyes on the road. After staring at her about a half a dozen times, I gather that she was tough, but also quite pretty and I would enjoy spending some time with her if things worked out that way this weekend. Never expected my weekend to start this way, but what the hell...why not right?
I drove for a few hours and she slept peacefully curled up by the door for almost the entire duration. She must have been pretty drained. She woke up in good time as I was needing a rest stop to take a piss and get more gas. She looked over at me and then shook the cobwebs from her head..."Is that time right on the day?" She asked.
"Sure is."
"Wow! I guess I must have been pretty tired from the last few days. So uh, where are we now?"
I glanced at my phone's GPS app and said, well, we have about an hour, maybe ninety minutes till we are at Gold Beach." I need to stop up ahead and fill up the car's tank and empty mine. How about you?
"I could use a break myself and maybe a Coke too."
We pulled into another truck stop. I gassed up the car while Lynn went to the restroom.
I was just topping off the tank, when she walked back out with two Cokes.
"Thought you could use something to drink." By the way, thanks for lunch earlier. I appreciate it.