Landing in Seattle and having to collect baggage, I had a vision of the baggage apocalypse that greeted us in December. Fortunately, since December, all of the bags had been claimed and carrousel 14 was empty. It did take the full 20 minutes to get my bags, but I didn’t bother with getting a coupon for more miles, as I had important business to take care of.
Our driver sent me a photo of himself, and the vehicle he
would be driving. I thought that was a very cool idea. When we collected our
baggage and I rang him up, he said he was a couple of miles away, as the
airport police had increased patrols at the arrival ramp, and he couldn’t have
waited for us there. He said he was on his way, but before he arrived this
strange car arrived.
The driver stopped in front of us, removed the vehicles steering wheel and pulled a cover over himself. I thought this was odd but no one seemed to be paying him any mind at all.
We moved away from this strange vehicle, and when Tom arrived, he alerted the ramp police who soon surrounded the car and were taking phone photos, talking on their walkie talkies and poking the car with sticks, as they waited for the tactical cars with removable steering wheels team.
Tom was driving a huge pickup truck, and just like our cab
driver in Paris he had a back injury and couldn’t help with our cases. He did
know where we were going as he worked there and soon enough, we were at the RV
sales department store.
As I suspected it turned into a full day of haggling, negotiating
and more haggling. Halfway through this process I remembered the last time I bought
a motor bike outside I used the line “Well I rode in here on a bike and will be
riding out on one, so I really do not care which one.” I was about to use that
line but then I remembered I rode in here in Toms truck, so it probably wouldn’t
work this time.
Buying the thing was only half the process as after the
dotted line had a signature there was a whole other group of humans who had to
show me all the buttons and switches, the solar panels, generators, water
heaters, toilets and how to drain the “Black and Gray Water tanks”
Gifts of power cords, water hoses, water regulators, t
shirts, day packs, certificates for free camping, the hose to drain the “Black
and Gray water tanks and a couple of things that I have no idea what they are
for, but I gladly accepted.
I was way past ready to go, as I climbed behind the wheel, sounded
the horn, waved goodbye, and pulled out onto the pacific highway, heading to
the grocery store to commandeer supplies, and then head to the nearest
Washington State Park, Dash Point for our first night of Glamping.
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