the mountains kiss high heaven

Washington is a beautiful state, especially the western third. I went to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula this week. My boss Julie and I are working on a waterfront project there, planning their industrial area and marina. After work one day, we set out for Hurricane Ridge, a "scenic vista" in the Olympics (I can see them from my apartment building).

Port Angeles was once a prominent logging town, but that industry now lingers like a ghost. Logging isn't so hot right now. The town reminds me of Twin Peaks-- beautiful in the way Northwest coastal towns are, but physically chilly and a little eerie.

Our journey up the mountain was a challenge. First, our map generally indicated the location of the access road (not the one we chose). So we turned back down mountain. On the way back into town, Julie and I were talking about flat tires. I asked how often I should fill my tires (because I never had). She said she was going to buy me a pressure gauge. Once in town, I realized we needed gas so I pulled into an Arco station because their fuel was 20 cents cheaper than the Shell's.

And for good reason. Their pumps haven't been replaced since the 70s, you have to pay before you pump, and they don't take credit. Our strategy was for Julie to pay and scout out a map while I filled the tank. Sounds like a simple plan but we found ourselves standing there 20 minutes later with a clear idea of where to go, but no gas. Apparently the pump "timed out" after I failed to lift the metal lever to get the gas a-flowin'. There was a communication failure between parties.

Once we found our way, we were happy to be heading under the arches of the Olympic National Park....only to be stopped for 15 minutes a half mile in due to construction. There were three more elaborate road blocks along the way. I was jealous of the white-tailed deer who hopped past our car, twirling their tails, as we sat in a mountainside traffic jam. What should've been a half hour journey turned out to be three times that. When we made it up, the view was beautiful and the air cleared out my lungs.

The next morning as I walked to my car, I saw I had a flat. A big ol' not-going-anywhere kind of flat. My first flat ever! Yep, this is definitely Twin Peaks.