Hey Gang,
So 30 years ago on March 6th, a very amazing thing happened! ME!!! Ok, now that I got that over with... This year marked the Big 3-0 and so I had to do it up right and spend it with some of my most favorite people in the world or at least those who could make it from the Northwest! One of my favorite hot spots to this day is downtown Kirkland by the waterfront! Its so beautiful there and there are so many good haunts with good food, drink and merriment!!! The Time Out is a great hole in the wall where I used to spend a lot of my time in my early 20's so I decided to throw down there! To make a long story short... It was awesome! Besides those who said they would show up and did, I even ran into a friend I helped initially place out at Microsoft who went full time after I recruited her and an old friend of mine that I hadn't seen or even knew was still alive from like 6-8 years prior! As you can see from my Facebook pics, its was truly "RADICAL!" I managed to throw in a night of Guitar Hero/Rockband with some other best friends along with Lunches and Dinners at some of my new and old favorite places like Red Lobster (Don't Judge) and Bone Fish (Try the Coconut Shrimp!)
In fact I was having so much fun extending my 30th Birthday like I have been previously well known to do, that I almost had to postpone the start of my trip! With SNOW still presenting itself in Seattle (Which ALMOST never happens...period!) I had to act quick and get the heck out of dodge before I got stuck again like the last time it snowed and iced over! The Yaris (Her name is: Yarissa...Get it!?) is pretty decent in weather but black ice did it in once before! It wasn't pretty trying to get out of my neighborhood over the holidays and I wasn't going to let that happen again!!!
I headed off in the start of another blizzard but made it out of Seattle with out a scratch! Over the course of the next 7-8 hours I would see it transition from Snow, Rain, Sleet, Sunshine, Snow with Sunshine, Rain with Clear Skies, and a number of other RI-DONK-ULOUS combinations that are unexplainable to or by the skilled Meteorologists but in the NW this is often just another day in the life!
Luckily, I avoided all major traffic jams and rush hours on the way down! Portland is usually a bottle neck but for the first time in recent memory... I flew right through! I enjoyed driving through Oregon as it reminds me of the drive I've done (no joke) at least 40 times between Seattle and Pullman, WA to my Alma Mader, Washington State University! Its so beautiful over there and the drive is great though a little long! On this day, I passed Oregon and Oregon State University and thought of those great chapters and brotherhood down there! I wish I could have had more time and stopped by to "shake some babies, and hold some hands!" but alas my mission outweighed my wants this time around! I still shouted a hearty hello from my car as I passed so if any of you heard something and labeled it as a just another crazy man screaming at the top of his lungs...!?... You were probably right! ;)
Before I continue in my description of this Mack Expedition, I must first include what many of you already know that I am well known for, and that is the Matt Allen disclaimer! All opinions, descriptions, verbiage and jokes to come in this blog are meant to be MODERATELY entertaining, OCCASIONALLY funny and ULTIMATELY something that you could read right before hitting the sack! That said, if you are ever offended, put off or unsure about a post! Please feel free to share with me in private but none of what I write is meant to illicit that! Take everything with a grain of sand, a light chuckle and an "oh goodness" if you must! I love this life, I love this opportunity and I love that I can share it with others! So follow along and see just how PASSIONATE I am about life, love, learning and growing/sharing along the way! "Much Professional LUV" to all of you!
Some Mack Trip Notables To Date...
1. Did you know that Linn County, Oregon is the Grass Seed Capital of the World! I sure didn't, but I was enthralled and must do additional research to fully grasp this fact! ; )
2. Does any one else find it ironic that "Butte Creek, OR" resides very close geographically to "Brownsville, OR" or the fact that something smelled very familiar as I rolled past with my windows down...???...Rather quickly I might add!? Again if you live in either of these areas, do not be offended, it was probably just the day I drove through or something!
3. It isn't until you live in Washington State and then travel elsewhere that you FULLY realize just how expensive GAS is in Washington and how much LESS it is in other parts of the country! My Yaris gets 40mpg, thank goodness! But I must say I love states with less energy taxes!
3. a. Anyone else still get sort of weirded out when you pull up to get GAS in Oregon and someone knocks on your window! I almost had an accident...when the car wasn't even moving! Goodness! ; )
Well that's about all for my first night on this journey! Nothing too crazy yet but I was productive and had a blast and avoided any potential disasters! Hope you enjoyed my rants and I look forward to providing you with more Fouder in the coming days and weeks!
Cheers,
Matt "The Mack" Allen
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