It was exactly 22 months today that I first went to Seattle. That might not seem like so long ago, but, just think. Back then, I’d only been RVing a little over six months. I’d never had a bad accident with the rig, never been to the Yukon, never toured Vancouver Island. I was still very much at the beginning of my RVing life.

I went to Seattle to attend the Seattle RV Show, and that wound up coinciding with a trip north by reader Joan, with whom I’ve been corresponding for months about decor issues. So, we finally had a chance to meet! She had a little gift for Miranda that I will show off soon as I get my darn library chair recovered! Thanks!

The drive to Seattle this morning was blustery, but uneventful. I’m glad I arrived early since major rain was in the forecast for later in the day, so I was able to head back in daylight. I can do rain or night driving; both is a bit too much for me if I want to get home with my sanity intact.

Even with a stop for breakfast, I got to Seattle in two hours flat at 9:45. I’d bought my tickets online to get a free parking pass, so I wandered around the general vicinity of Qwest Event Centre to find the ‘north parking lot.’ I knew I was going in the right direction when I encountered very slow traffic. I just followed the column straight into the parking lot! I didn’t get parked till almost 10:30. That was a long time riding the clutch!

The show was surprisingly disappointing! There were a lot of rigs, but many were duplicates and most were towables. I think I counted a half dozen Jayco Greyhawks! There were also no vendors to speak of; what was there was mostly not RV related. I think it was  probably a good place to shop for a rig, I saw some great deals, but it wasn’t such a great place to go out and see what new RV-related products are out.

I did find a few rigs that I actually liked in terms of layout and appearance, but I don’t know about the quality. There was a Coachman model that had beautiful rustic flooring and solid wood cabinetry like Miranda. It was the first rig I’ve ever entered where I wouldn’t change anything about the factory decor! I had a chance to tour a Born Free, which is one of the top class C manufacturers. Very disappointing. I liked the knotty pine cabinetry, but that was it. The whole thing felt shoddy and was missing finishing touches. I found one A, a Winnebago I think, that I really liked. It had bunkbeds in a slide out across from the bathroom and a full bedroom in the back. Rip out the beds, put in a custom office in an armoire, and I’d be very happy!

But I am thinking of down, not up, sizing, so I spent more time looking at the truck campers. I saw some models with slides and dry baths that I really liked and could see myself in at some point down the road.

So, the show was barely worth the drive down, but the company more than made up for it. I’m hoping to make it to Joan’s neck of the woods next month and am therefore grateful that I had a chance to meet her and some of her friends.

I left Seattle around 1:30. I hadn’t thought to bring my camera and the weather wasn’t conducive to wanting to hang around and do tourism. Getting out of town was fun since I got caught in traffic going up James street. This picture illustrates what I mean by fun:

Even though I am an expert at driving with a standard transmission, I’m shocked I managed to crawl up that hill without stalling once, especially since my clutch leg was shaking by the time I cleared the top. Seattle, Montreal, and San Francisco are three cities in which I would not own a manual transmission car!

Rain started to pour around Marysville, so I pulled into the Applebee’s for a late lunch. The service was appalling, but the food was awesome, and I have a full meal left for tonight, so my $12 went far! The restaurant was surprisingly busy for mid-afternoon and I was told I’d have to wait for a table since the only free space was in the bar area. I said that’d be fine. To which the server responded “Sorry, you need to be at least 21 to sit there.” HOW YOUNG DO I LOOK PEOPLE?! I actually had to pull out ID to be able to sit in the ‘bar area’ to order a pasta lunch!

The rain didn’t let up the rest of the drive and now it’s not only coming down in sheets, there are huge gusts rocking the rig back and forth. I’m glad I got with daylight to spare. Now, a beer and a chance to review some of the information I picked up at the show!