Splish, splash, I was...making a phone call?

Day One of my 2011 road trip...I'll call it the Bash Road Trip after the charity event I'll be attending in a couple of weeks. I only got about 5 hours of sleep last night because my final road trip preparations took longer than expected. After I got the Blazer all loaded up this morning, I went to say Goodbye to my cat, Kimi...but she was nowhere in sight. Kimi was hiding because she thought SHE was going, too...she hates riding in the car. I reassured her that she was staying put, and gave her a hug...a friend will be tending to her in my absence.

As with my two previous road trips, the first CD I played in my car was Five For Fighting's Slice album. It just gets me in the mood, and sets the tone for the day. The drive south went smoothly, with periods of on and off rain showers. It was because of this uncertain weather that I canceled plans for a zoo visit. Instead, I headed directly to Vancouver, WA and Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. In the 19th century, this fort was headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company and one of the most important settlements in the Pacific Northwest. When you think trappers and the fur trade, the Hudson's Bay Company at the center of it all. By the time I got to Vancouver, the rain was gone and the sun was peeking through the clouds. I used my National Park Service pass to access the fort...I bought it last April and would be using it for the last time on this trip before it expired. I found the historic site similar to another one I visited on my last road trip, Fort Sutter in Sacramento.

Afterward, I went to the adjacent Pearson Air Museum. This facility in Vancouver is one of the oldest operating airfields in the U.S. I found the interpretive exhibits on early aircraft and aviation during World War I extremely interesting. Wooden airplanes that can break under stress and flammable hydrogen balloons makes you appreciate the brave men who took to the air back then.

I finished my sightseeing early today, which gave me the opportunity to pick up something from the grocery store for lunch tomorrow. With a favorable weather forecast, it looks like my outdoor plans are a go. When I checked into my hotel for the night, I realized I forgot something rather important at home. I always transfer the photos I took during the day to my laptop, and I found out that I didn't have my flash card reader to do so. Alas, no pics to go along with my blogs, at least not until I get home. Don't worry, I'll add them later. Oh, one strange thing I found in my hotel bathroom...a phone installed on the wall! This is a first for me...never seen that before! So, someone can talk on the phone while they're sitting on the throne? I guess.