It has taken me a while to write this blog. Erasing, deleting, re-writing, re-arranging and re-evaluating what I want to say. So as I sit here listening to Machines of Loving Grace "Butterfly Wings" and finish my final edit, I find myself with a smile on my face, a posative outlook on life, and happy to tackle what ever obstacles are ahead.
And so...
It is October 3rd, 2010. I have come home from work to my new place, a rented room at a house in North Seattle. Today is the day I leave for Las Vegas with Nirvana, my new best friend and confidant. We are heading to the City of Sin for a vacation, photo shoots and the Las Vegas Renaissance Faire "Age of Chivalry."
A couple hours into the drive, we have picked up a few extra camping supplies for the Ren Faire from a friend in Bonney Lake and decided instead of driving 30 miles back up north to I-90, we should just take Hwy 410 and drive through White Pass. The climb is steady as we get higher and higher into the mountains. Nirvana and I have been listening to a great assortment of music on her Android phone. With wonder and amazement, the trees just keep looking more and more beautiful as it is apparent Autumn is on the horizon. The rivers flowing by the road remind me why I love the Pacific Northwest so much. When we finally reach the summit area of the highway, the clouds are low and thick, giving us fog-conditions. The road also begins to narrow with caution signs that we should be driving slow. Nirvana and I notice that it would take much to drive off the road and down the cliff, so we naturally obey the speed limit.
After we made it through White Pass, we began travelling through eastern Washington. Passing through Yakima and then heading south to Oregon and further on into Idaho. During that trip Nirvana took over driving duties for a while. While my part of the trip seemed uneventful, Nirvana had to go through some crazy-ass construction. We even had a situation where a Semi and a Ryder truck had an accident. The Semi's trailer was taking up all the lanes on the road, with the cab mushed up sideways on the right. The Ryder truck had crashed into the back of the trailer, probably causing it to slide sideways. After careful assessment while sitting and waiting for emergency services, many of us drivers noticed we could probably squeeze inbetween the back of the trailer, the Ryder truck and the concrete barrier on the left side. So, Nirvana handed over the wheel to me and I slowly navigated the truck through, and we were once again on our way.
The rest of the drive was somewhat uneventful. Taking advantage of a Rest STop, we slept for a couple hours in Idaho. Breakfast in Twin Falls, Idaho, was breathtaking. You could see into a canyon there that was absolutely amazing. It even had a golf course in it. Storm clouds through northern Nevada helped keep the trip cool since we were travelling without air condidtioning. Then, after almost 24 hours from starting our trip, we saw the signs for Las Vegas and the happy, yet tired, smiles began to grow on our faces. We entered town just in time for Nirvana to make a Photo Shoot. The Photographer understood that we were trying hard to make it by Monday night and so it was great to be able to make it into town on time. After the photo shoot Nirvana and I went to check in to the Trump Towers. And what an amazing room and service. We enjoyed our stay so much that we signed up for a second night and even wrote a letter to the staff and management. They were polite, courtious and helpful. Both Nirvana and I plan on staying there again during the week next year if we go to Ren Faire 2011. Or possibly any other trip.
After checking out of the Trump Towers, we went over to a friend of Nirvana's near Lone Mountain and Shepard's Pass so that Nirvana and I could get our own photo shoot in. We ended up hiking a mountainside that wasn't so much difficult, but something I had never done. And at one point I really had to climb probably a 15-20 foot face area. Again, not something difficult, but something I had never done. This was a personal big step in my life, having never done this before and it was such a good feeling knowing I got to climb what I did. While taking some photos on the way up was fun, the real fun happened when we reached the top. We did a few wardrobe changes and then got started. After the shoot, there was a moment of amazement when you look out over the horizon at the city of Las Vegas and all the Mountains in the area. You just stand there in awe of everything, happy to be alive. After the climb, our third Hotel night was at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Our opinion is rather low of this Hotel unfortunately. If we were staying there, ready to party and have people over, then I could see this room being useful. But after the long day of climbing and such, both Nirvana and I were just ready to crash and burn. We were able to get out for dinner at a wonderful Italian eatery, but when we brought home the leftovers we realized there was no fridge in the room. Additionally we wondered if we could just put the left overs in the mini-bar, not realizing that all the items are pressure sensative so that even Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible couldn't steal a mini-bottle of rum if he wanted. (I jest... of course Ethan Hunt could do it!).
After sorting out the "billing" issue and checking out of the room at the Hard Rock, Nirvana and I moved on to one last photo shoot for her, and setting up our camping at Sunset Park, Las Vegas. Meeting with members of The Port of the Black Sail, a guild eventing with the Las Vegas Ren Faire, I quickly began to realize what I missed about going to events both SCA and Ren Faire alike. A great assortment of people that, while it took me a while to warm up to, ended up being a wonderful group that I hope to event with again. They had a great set up complete with rope, fish netting, and the highlight for me; a 15-foot tall Crow's Nest. We spent a good portion of the event playing Pirates/Privateers. Our job was to bring people visiting the Faire from off the street in for Floggings and Drubbings. Floggings of course would mean they would be put into the stocks and flogged. And Drubbings they were put into a second set of stocks and drenched with water. With audience participation, everyone had a great time and joined the fun. We would ask the audience to count to three with us and told them that the louder they would count, the harder we would hit. (which of course was just part of the act). By Sunday, close of event, we were all tired and exhausted... but couldn't take a break yet, because it was time to break down all the equipment and store it in the U-haul truck.
By the end of the event we were heading back on the road again to Seattle. This time we ended up going to Northern California and then up through Oregon. Not because we wanted to, but because I went on the wrong highway. *smiles* Regardless, we knew how to get to I-5 and eventually made our way into Southern Oregon before we finally hit a major snag; loss of transmission fluid. We were climbing up a mountain hillside of I-5 near Sunny Valley when I noticed the accellerator was going all the way to the floor, and we weren't going any faster. Looking in the rearview mirror to get over to the shoulder of the road, I noticed a bunch of smoke/steam coming out the back. My heart sank as we got closer and closer to the shoulder and off the road, almost reaching the top of the hill. We were stuck and weren't able to go anywhere. Eventually with the help of some locals, we were able to find the cause of the transmission fluid leak, clamp it up, get new fluid, and then later that morning get back on our way. A situation that could have been worse, made simple.
As we pulled into the driveway, finally making it home, Nirvana and I both smiled...tiredly. We had a great trip, but it was also good to be home. It was time to go back to work and keep earning our way in the world. The start of many road trips and vacations together, Nirvana and I look forward to the next adventure!
