Road Trip To Amberhill & Sunnyport

Last Saturday, Cat wanted to take her new car out for a long test drive, and we both wanted a little holiday out of the house, so off we went to the Olympic Peninsula right next to our own peninsula. Cat chose a scenic route, and though it was a very dark, cloudy day, there was little rain.

I’d never been anywhere in that area of the Pacific Northwest, and so it was high time I got a little introduction! We opted for the area in the rain shadow of the Olympic mountains, which sees more sun than anywhere west of the Cascade Mountain range. I will call these towns we visited “Amberhill” and “Sunnyport.”

The drive was smooth as silk and so quiet! It seems clear that though Cat’s electric charge in town lasts about 40-45 minutes, depending upon traffic, highway driving at a higher speed, the battery lasts a half hour almost exactly. Then the hybrid part kicks in and all is well. Cat gets 56 to 57 miles per gallon of gas using this thing! And it was fun to just be in a crazy techno car with all the gadgets and gizmos. Cat is a tech head, like many aspies, and she loves that, so she got the perfect car to suit her taste. Heated seats, huge dash screen, all these displays and controls. Confusing to me, but Cat reads her owner’s manuals, even the Prius Prime’s 2-inch thick one! So she was on top of it. I just sat back and relaxed myself, only too content to be brought along.

Amberhill was very pretty, though I never got to see the historical parts of town. We were in the main drag/new build stuff, and it was incredible how many housing developments were obviously put up within the last 5 years or less. They must be having an explosion in population growth. We stopped at a winery for some wine tasting, and it was Cat’s suggestion. That surprised me. I LOVE going to wineries and tasting wine, but Cat has never done it before. She and I stepped up to the counter, got some crackers and cheese, and had sampled 5 wines for $5. It was quite early in the day, so we got a lot of attention from the someliers, which was also nice. Apparently, this winery does social events all summer long, and Cat and I were thinking it would be fun to do some next year. We also bought 2 bottles of our favorites each before we left.

Next, it was Sunnyport. We drove around it a little more and stopped in their historic part of town. Nice to see an active downtown, just like in Cedar Cove by where we live. Aren’t many of THEM around anymore, you know? They were having a post-Thanksgiving holiday thing on Small Shop Saturday, and there were sales all over the place. Children’s choirs were singing. Families were walking all over in the area of town closed off to traffic. We checked several shops and Cat found a few things.

By 4 pm, a nice restaurant opened up, and we opted for an early dinner. It was expensive, but it was SO cool! Lots of timber ambiance– in an old building from the original down town, built to send lumber to San Francisco to rebuild after their famous earthquake at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the kind of place that took reservations, and I dare to dine in such a place maybe once a decade. We showed up early enough to get seating easily in their bar area, though.

They had a special on steaks. I went for it. And I’m glad I did because it was the very best steak I’ve ever had in my whole life!!! I didn’t know steak could even TASTE like that! I mean, wow! I’m used to flank steaks and cheaper cuts. This was some primo piece of grass-fed beef and now I know why people pay so much for that type of thing because I swear I had multiple oral orgasms! SOOOO good! The rest of the dinner was also good, and I had one cocktail, which was surprisingly big and not that expensive, and yet not full of ice, either.

I floated out of that restaurant heading for the sweet, new ride of Cat’s, feeling all kinds of spoiled. Right outside the restaurant, though, in the alley, was an elderly homeless couple with a small dog. They weren’t dirty and they didn’t look like they had substance abuse issues. They didn’t ask for money either. They were quietly and politely waiting for any leftovers from the kitchen. I guess if you have to beg for food, going to one of the best restaurants in town is the way to do it.

Still– the encounter made me thoughtful. I feel so lucky right now. Secure for the next 9 months until alimony payments drop (and I’m saving every month to cushion that fall). I’m in a wonderful home with good friends and we have a lovely life. We’re all just adjusting to life being okay either again or for the first time– depending. Being reminded that a lot of people are hurting all over was a reason to pause.

The ride home was in the dark, passing forests and little towns. My favorite was going through a Native American reservation, where they had many roadside buildings and parking areas for various official museums and such. (They had a casino near-by that paid for it all, which we did not see.) They had wrapped all the trees and bushes in their parking lots with massive amounts of LED lights– it was incredibly beautiful! For a few miles in a row there were these light displays on either or both sides of the road, and the traffic convoy we were in slowed down reverently as drivers enjoyed it while passing through.

We are definitely going back! That was a gorgeous drive with lots of things to do along the way and in the tourist and trading towns.