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Hi Everyone,
21 June - The start of two long days driving to Yellowstone Park. Rog has been debating whether to purchase a lap top or not. In order to decide we needed to find a suitable shop along our route. We drove from Portland on the West coast in Oregon along the Columbia River Canyon on Interstate 84. A great route but after hundreds of miles even Canyons can get boring! We then turned onto Interstate 82 and 90 before finding our shop in Spokane (see map). Before we looked at anything we both needed to stretch the legs and have a coffee. We found a small air conditioned Mall and upstairs was the food hall. Imagine if you will a small horsehoe shaped area off the main upper walkway. Around the outside were various food outlets with a large central serving area and round tables which could seat 6 or 8 people spread around the remaining area.
The serving area had about five people queing up so we stood there and stood there and didn't move. On our left was an empty table with two small rectangular boxes of mini doughnuts sat there looking very lonely. One box had one doughnut missing. To say that we both noticed this at the same time is probably true but possibly not! We didn't move for some time, the doughnuts had no apparent owner, no-one was making any move for the table and we didn't look like getting any coffee. So deciding to move to the left of the food hall we purchased our coffees from a small stall and looked back to where we had come from. The queue still hadn't moved and those doughnuts were still there calling to us! No-one was claiming ownership and I needed sugar. I KNOW THAT WE SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE IT - OKAY!!
We then moved to the table, skulking along, looking to see if anyone was paying any attention, apparently not. We sat at the table and had that, go on you first conversation. Behaving like a couple of naughty schoolboys, someone had to do it. BANG. There another one had gone and very nice it was too. My driver then picked one up (no names please), placed it in his mouth and had it stuffed in his cheek, he gave a very appreciative grin, just in time for the guy who had been holding up the queue to come to the table, look at the doughnuts, register that something was not quite right but appear to not register exactly what. It was as if you could read the expression on his face which said, ' Did I eat one or three?' Stiffling guilty laughter I apologised for sitting at what was probably his table (not for eating his doughnut, remember, never cough anything unless you are banged to rights, and only if the Cops have you, even then demand a lawyer!). Without saying a word this guy swept up the (our) doughnuts and just walked off heading down the Mall. We just collapsed into laughter which continued, stupidly, for several days! Still they were nice. I must apologise to the man however. I am really very sorry, it was a thoughtless and selfish thing to do and I am really really sorry. I know that if you have five kids then one went without and that is a horrible thought. If you haven't got any kids then you are a greedy git so bring back our bloody doughtnuts! (possession is 9/10ths of the law after all!)
We stopped the night at a place called Wallace which just short of the time line for Mountain Time. Now this really is something out of a Western and had previously been a mining town where lawlessness had been the way of life. Fitting then that WE had arrived!!
The Hotel was great. Hotel Ryan is recorded as the oldest in town, dating back to 1890, still having many original features including my bed! It was stylishly shabby and cheap, hence the bed, but it was really good and another place I would heartily recommend to you.
22 June - We hit Yellowstone Park in thick black cloud, lightening and intermittent heavy rain. We had clearly missed the worst but it was bad enough. Again we were lucky to find good accommodation and stopped in Gardiner where we rented a Cabin for three nights. This was recommended to us by our fellow traveller in Castle Rock, thanks Martin, and worked out to about 28 quid per person per night, fabulous.
So started a really great part of the journey, see you soon,
Regards,
Chris
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