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Earlier, as I was driving around the airport looking for a parking space, I noticed the battery indicator light was dimly lit. I didn’t really think much about it and figured once I got back on the freeway it would be fine. Wrong! About 20 minutes after leaving the airport, ol’ Toad starting coughing and sputtering so we took the first off ramp and managed to safely hobble to a nearby Shell Station, where we waited under a shade tree in the heat of the day until the tow truck arrived. We had a great driver who recommended a nearby reliable repair shop and he even give us a 10% off coupon. The repair shop was great too. Annie and I went for a short walk to find some grub and by the time we got back to the shop, they had replaced the alternator, and Toad was running like a top again and ready to go.
When we arrived in Ocean Shores, I was excited to show Annie the beach but, as I was driving along and yapping, I didn’t notice the sand getting deeper until it was too late, we were stuck. Fortunately, we were able to flag down a truck with four young dudes who were willing to push us out. We were thanking our lucky stars as we dodged another bullet. After that ordeal, we decided we had better get to the RV before any more calamities occurred.
Other than Annie setting off the alarm while cooking her chicken, we had a peaceful night. What could have been a disastrous day, turned out to be a pretty good one. Somebody up there likes me, or Annie.
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5/6 August - Annie and I rented a car from Hertz in Aderdeen and headed for Oregon to visit the oldest cache site in the world. En route we stopped for a couple of short walks and to track down a few caches at Lake Sacagawea Park in Longview and in Jantzen Beach.
On May 3, 2000, the original stash, a five-gallon bucket containing Delorme Topo USA and 2 CD Roms, a cassette recorder, a "George of the Jungle" VHS tape, a Ross Perot book, 4 $1 bills, a slingshot handle, and a very famous can of beans (now the O.C.B. T.B.!), was placed alongside a rural country road in the boonies about 25 miles southeast of Portland. It was very exciting to locate this site, which is now marked by a plaque, and the nearby replacement cache.
We spent the night at the Econo Lodge in Milwaukie, Oregon before returning to Ocean Shores the following day. It was a great 2-day geocaching adventure.
7/8 August - Spent our last two days at Ocean Shores walking, hiking, and picking up a few more caches near the RV park.
