Return to Cougarville

It's spring and that means ROAD TRIP!  I left home this morning after telling my cat Hoshi to be a good girl in my absence.  It was raining...not a good way to start my vacation.  Traveling south, I made a brief stop at Uwajimaya in Bellevue to pick up some food for dinner and other meals.  There won't be as many places open for Easter, so I was planning accordingly.  As I crossed Snoqualmie Pass, the rain stopped and the sun appeared.  It also became quite warm...low 70's!  I'm currently not accustomed to those temps, but it probably won't last as I head into the Rockies.

I drove east to my destination of the day, Pullman, WA...home of Washington State University!  As a Cougar alumnus, I always feel at home on the campus. Since it was too early to check into my hotel, I parked my car in their lot and walked up to the Compton Union Building...also known as the CUB.  As those who attended Wazzu know, the campus sits on a hill, so that means walking up...a lot!  I got a good workout hoofing the mile to the student union building. I was there to attend a special presentation by former Cougar quarterback Ryan Leaf.

Most who are familiar with Ryan know about his lofty expectations playing in the NFL...and his tremendous fall and failures.  But, there was also his refusal to give up and his amazing comeback and redemption.  His story is truly inspirational and I found myself mesmerized with him telling it. I didn't get any photos from the event, but here is one courtesy of Washington State Athletics.  That's me sitting in the front row, third from the right with the glasses.

After his presentation, Ryan took questions from the audience and also did a little meet and greet.  I took the opportunity to shake his hand and tell Ryan that I enjoyed hearing his story.  I wished him good luck with his life and future endeavors.  I probably should have gotten a pic with Ryan, but I was just happy to meet him.  Before leaving the CUB, I stopped by The Bookie...the student bookstore...to grab some Coug gear.  Then, I made the mile walk back to my hotel...much easier going downhill!  And what did I have to greet me in my hotel room?  My old friends, the half pillows!

As usual, I brought my own pillow since there is NO WAY I can sleep on those!  Tomorrow, I'll be continuing east to Idaho and Montana.  Unfortunately, it looks like rain all day, so I'll be planning indoor activities.  I'm just hoping by the time I reach Yellowstone, the rain will be over!