Argitaratu: 06.06.2018
I wake up at 5:30 am. Erik slept well last night. He falls out of bed, fortunately without any injuries. David wakes up again and takes an hour to fall back asleep. We're already familiar with this from Germany. The beds are too soft, and now I have back pain.
Before breakfast, I order a large taxi from the reception for 7:30 am. Now we have to pack everything and bring it downstairs. We are ready in the lobby on time. There is no taxi yet. The lady at the reception starts making phone calls. Unfortunately, there is no large taxi available. She calls many different providers, but no one has a suitable car for us. In the end, we have no choice but to order two small taxis. We want to be at the camper rental Roadbear at 8 am, and it's already almost 8 am. The taxis arrive quickly, and we each pay $30. Roadbear reimburses us once. Rene has to pay a generous tip because the driver allegedly can't make change. We handle all the formalities, and the camper briefing can begin. Fortunately, the company offers a briefing in German, and we understand all the important information. We manage to get a grill, high chair, and various small items from the previous renters. So the additional cost for the taxi is offset.
The briefing is very detailed, and the camper is great. It has a kitchen with a refrigerator, oven, stove, microwave, freezer, and sink. We have a large bed and separate shower and toilet. The length is about 9 meters, and the width is about 2.60 meters. That's the size of a fire truck. Luckily, Rene can drive something like that. I will refrain from driving on this trip. After the briefing, we throw our things in the trunk and start driving.
We reach Walmart around 11 am because we need food, drinks, and some other products. Before that, we have a snack for lunch. Then we spend 2 hours going through my shopping list. Someone steals our second shopping cart, but we find the 4 items in a display stand. David and Erik are doing great, no one is complaining. As a reward, Erik chooses a fishing rod and a net. We pay $340 for two full shopping carts, equivalent to 285€.
Now everything needs to be stored, and Rene properly secures the child seats to the bench with two straps.
At 4 pm, we leave the parking lot and head towards the campground. It's estimated to take just under 2 hours to cover the 100 miles. Unfortunately, we encounter multiple traffic jams. It's rush hour in Seattle, and the streets are very busy. The landscape is characterized by many forests with mountains in the background. There is agricultural activity and some roadside sales. Along the road, there are many small, well-maintained houses. Many of them have large barns for their agricultural equipment. We finally reach Rasar State Park at 7:00 pm. Erik and David fell asleep during the drive. It takes us about 20 minutes to wake up Erik. He is very tired and just complains. Nothing satisfies him, and David also just wants to be carried. We quickly throw some sausages and thin slices of beef on the grill. It's not a cozy meal because both kids start protesting after a short while. So we put them to bed quickly. Then we unpack the suitcases and store everything in the compartments. We're being loud, but the kids are sleeping so soundly. The last half hour before going to bed, we sit outside, in the middle of the forest, with only a few candle lights shining, and enjoy the peace and quiet.