Well, it's that time again...time to hit the road. Even though I would love to say I'm going on another Five For Fighting groupie road trip, I'm almost beginning to forget what that was like. Actually, it's only been three years since I last did that, but it seems much longer. There IS supposed to be a new Five For Fighting album this year, so another groupie road trip is (hopefully) on the horizon. In the meantime, I'm just going on another one of my fun road trips. I DO have one concert on the agenda...no, not Five For Fighting. And, there is also a very special visit to a Hollywood studio. But, you'll get the whole story after it happens...don't want to spoil the surprise.
After packing the last of my stuff in my Blazer, I kissed my cat goodbye and headed south. Thankfully, the rain had pretty much gone, and I was looking forward to some sunshine. I had heard there was going to be police emphasis patrols for the St. Patrick's Day holiday weekend. I guess they got an early start, judging from what I saw as I was passing Arlington on Interstate 5. A state patrol had stopped a motorist and was giving her a field sobriety test. And, this was at 8:45 am!
One of my greatest fears, if you want to call it that, is getting my windshield cracked on my road trips. I've already had my Blazer's windshield replaced TWICE because of rock dings that turned into cracks. I was hoping to avoid that on this road trip. No such luck. I had rocks flying at my windshield not once, but TWICE today! One was a pickup towing a flatbed trailer that threw rocks at me when it hit a bump in the road. The other was a dump truck dropping residual gravel from its bed. When I stopped to fill up gas, I checked my windshield. Yep, a rock chip! The good thing is, the chip is in the black strip at the bottom of the windshield, out of view and not turning into a crack...yet.
I stopped for food in Portland, OR. I had a couple of places picked out, both having appeared on the TV show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I bought lunch from BUNK Sandwiches...pork belly Cubano. It was very tasty. Afterward, I dropped in to grab dinner from Pacific Pie Company. I got their classic chicken pie, and for dessert, a slice of chocolate peanut butter pie.
As I continued south on I-5, an old friend paid me a visit again. If you've followed my blog, you'll know what I'm talking about. After passing through Roseburg, I came to some steep grades. My engine RPMs shot up as it kicked into gear. I knew what was going to happen, and it did. Mr. Service Engine Soon light popped on, teasing me as it blinked on and off. Then, the light stayed on...yep, just like I expected. My auto shop reassured me it was just a cylinder misfiring...in other words, nothing to worry about. Still, it does bother me since I'll have to look at that light for the rest of my road trip.
After a long day of driving, I'm spending the night in southern Oregon. Tomorrow, more driving, with one stop to look at some old things. When I left home this morning, the temperature was in the high 40s. At my pit stop this evening, it was sunny and 70 degrees! It sure felt warm! I'll be looking forward to more of that when I cross the border into California.
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