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Apr. 28th, 2014 05:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolariPacific Northwest Fact #1 - Emily was a much more adventurous explorer than I was.
A few weeks ago, I posted a map of my "stomping grounds" in Texas, Washington and Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania map is much smaller than Washington, which is odd given I spent the same amount of time in both states. And while Washington and Texas's area are gigantic, Texas is almost completely explored. There's very few spots in the Hill Country I haven't been. But that's over 30 years of exploring.
Washington's "stomping grounds" are both a large area AND sparsely explored.
When I began exploring Pennsylvania, I stuck to the main roads mostly. I wanted to know the area, but even the major roads were new to me. I explored I-80, the towns immediately around State College and Bellefonte. I rarely made side trips into smaller roads and towns, simply because so much of the easy stuff to get to, I hadn't gotten to before.
Pennsylvania also had another issue...the few times I had gone exploring, I'd nearly gotten myself killed. I wanted to check out the top of Mt Nittany - so I went up Greens Valley Road. And when I saw there was an "Old" Greens Valley Road, I drove down it. Only to find myself on two ruts, a mountain on one side, a sheer drop on the other, and a car coming at me. One knows no fear until you've driven that BACKWARDS for two miles.
Emily, however, had a different reason for exploring than I did. I wanted to see old roads, ghost towns, and vistas. She wanted to check out railroad anomalies. Trains were a hobby for her, and one I learned to appreciate as well. But her want to see where the rails went led us to some interesting out of the way places - some of which, even in Texas, I'd never seen (Did you know there's a half diamond interchange in West Point, TX? And that, at night, when it cools off, the rails click and snap as they contract?) She'd taken me somewhere I'd never been, just to see rails.
When it came to exploring - we were a good match.
After I moved to Washington, I began exploring...but again, stuck to the major roads. I'd never lived here, so even the sights on I-5 were new to me. I began exploring the freeways, then the major US and State highways. And then Emily began with the railroads in Washington. And we went all over the Southern Puget Sound area finding railroad spots and the beautiful views you got out there. She took me to more rural places in Washington than I ever went. Even after we broke (and before we cut ties completely), we were still exploring. She took me to a wye someone out near Black Diamond that ended up near a river in the mountains. A beautiful destination on what would be our last outing together.
When we broke up, I continued exploring on my own. I'd begun going off beaten paths by that time, although still sticking to semi-major roads (and the occasional forestry road). My last major trip before (1) Cheyenne breathing her last and (2) moving back to Texas, I'd managed to drive to Mowich Lake, on my first real trip into the mountain wilderness. It was a beautiful trip, someplace I'd never been to, someplace most of my friends have never been to.
Had I stayed, I'd probably had begun exploring the smaller areas. I'd already started by visiting places like Bow, Carbonado and the the Chehalis/Centralia areas...but if it weren't for Emily, I'd like not have seen half as much as I did.
I learned why the Doctor always has companions. Exploring alone is not as enjoyable without someone to share it with. Crystal and I went down a forestry road twenty miles to Snoqualmie Bend in the White Elephant. That ended up being my last roadtrip in Washington, and, I think, a lovely way to end my Lost Weekend in WA.
A few weeks ago, I posted a map of my "stomping grounds" in Texas, Washington and Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania map is much smaller than Washington, which is odd given I spent the same amount of time in both states. And while Washington and Texas's area are gigantic, Texas is almost completely explored. There's very few spots in the Hill Country I haven't been. But that's over 30 years of exploring.
Washington's "stomping grounds" are both a large area AND sparsely explored.
When I began exploring Pennsylvania, I stuck to the main roads mostly. I wanted to know the area, but even the major roads were new to me. I explored I-80, the towns immediately around State College and Bellefonte. I rarely made side trips into smaller roads and towns, simply because so much of the easy stuff to get to, I hadn't gotten to before.
Pennsylvania also had another issue...the few times I had gone exploring, I'd nearly gotten myself killed. I wanted to check out the top of Mt Nittany - so I went up Greens Valley Road. And when I saw there was an "Old" Greens Valley Road, I drove down it. Only to find myself on two ruts, a mountain on one side, a sheer drop on the other, and a car coming at me. One knows no fear until you've driven that BACKWARDS for two miles.
Emily, however, had a different reason for exploring than I did. I wanted to see old roads, ghost towns, and vistas. She wanted to check out railroad anomalies. Trains were a hobby for her, and one I learned to appreciate as well. But her want to see where the rails went led us to some interesting out of the way places - some of which, even in Texas, I'd never seen (Did you know there's a half diamond interchange in West Point, TX? And that, at night, when it cools off, the rails click and snap as they contract?) She'd taken me somewhere I'd never been, just to see rails.
When it came to exploring - we were a good match.
After I moved to Washington, I began exploring...but again, stuck to the major roads. I'd never lived here, so even the sights on I-5 were new to me. I began exploring the freeways, then the major US and State highways. And then Emily began with the railroads in Washington. And we went all over the Southern Puget Sound area finding railroad spots and the beautiful views you got out there. She took me to more rural places in Washington than I ever went. Even after we broke (and before we cut ties completely), we were still exploring. She took me to a wye someone out near Black Diamond that ended up near a river in the mountains. A beautiful destination on what would be our last outing together.
When we broke up, I continued exploring on my own. I'd begun going off beaten paths by that time, although still sticking to semi-major roads (and the occasional forestry road). My last major trip before (1) Cheyenne breathing her last and (2) moving back to Texas, I'd managed to drive to Mowich Lake, on my first real trip into the mountain wilderness. It was a beautiful trip, someplace I'd never been to, someplace most of my friends have never been to.
Had I stayed, I'd probably had begun exploring the smaller areas. I'd already started by visiting places like Bow, Carbonado and the the Chehalis/Centralia areas...but if it weren't for Emily, I'd like not have seen half as much as I did.
I learned why the Doctor always has companions. Exploring alone is not as enjoyable without someone to share it with. Crystal and I went down a forestry road twenty miles to Snoqualmie Bend in the White Elephant. That ended up being my last roadtrip in Washington, and, I think, a lovely way to end my Lost Weekend in WA.
