When I was a youngling I remember being in a courtroom in Ephrata, Washington. No, I wasn't on trial. I was patiently waiting for my father, an attorney, to finish whatever very important case he was trying in the Grant County courthouse. I was there so we could leave the courthouse and head to a local stream or lake to fish the rest of the day. While in recess, the judge innocently asked whose beautiful daughter was sitting in the back. As compensation I received a peek into the judge's chambers and emergency escape tunnel. Totally worth it.
This was a common occurrence in my childhood. I'd play hooky for a day so we could adventure somewhere near wherever my father was working that day. Sometimes I think he scheduled cases and depositions when and where the fish were biting. Regardless, it's one of those memories that has stuck with me.
When I was tasked with working at a site on the other side of the state on a Friday morning I immediately flashed back to those days. I arranged for Henry to skip his half day of school on Friday and we left Thursday night for the four hour drive.
6am comes awfully early when you've slept in your car in a Walmart parking lot. (Why in a Walmart parking lot in Spokane? Because I'm cheap. Also: Scored 4,000 points in the Dirtbag RewardsŪ loyalty program.) Henry declared he was ready to get up and go, but even after using the local Starbucks' bathroom we were still several hours early for my appointment.
Since we were still in Washington Trails Association territory we easily found a short trail system just a few miles from work using their Trailblazer app. (If you're hiking in Washington you need this free app.)
Bonus: The area sounds just like our last name. Double bonus: It was on Henry Road. How could we not go there?
The Saltese Uplands are a remnant of the shrub-steppe habitat that was once prevalent in the area, but has been consumed by Spokane. For us it was a perfect, easy walk in the bright sun. Three miles of wandering up and down the hills, watching the hawks, and taking pictures of flowers.
It's not a hard, sweat-drenching kind of trail. I suppose it could be, if you really pushed, but for us it was just a leisurely warm up for the day. I can see how it would be a great leg-stretch for locals. In fact, we saw a bunch of people arriving as we were on our way down. It's probably pretty cool in the snow, too.
Back at the parking lot, I got dressed for the day while Henry tried to organize the chaos of our mobile bedroom. We made it to my appointment with plenty of time and Henry relaxed in a conference room with his screen while I worked on mine.
To really align with the tradition established by my father we headed further east afterward. Of course, that's part of the next adventure so you'll have to read about Henry's Idaho Adventure in the next post. Suffice to say, the long drives, sleeping in the car, and changing in parking lots was totally worth it. Just like it was for me so many years ago. I hope it's a tradition that will continue for many years to come.
