Day Three by Dave Schultheis
Saturday, September 6, 2003 - Long Beach, Washington
I awoke shivering uncontrollably around 2 a.m., concerned that I was having a heart attack. I dressed and walked to the bathroom, where I used the facilities, then stayed for a little while to warm up. It turns out I was just cold.
There was a young "couple," and I use that term loosely, "talking" in the shower portion of the men's bathroom. It was more like a drunk male trying to convince a drunk female to ... well, you know. But she wasn't having any of it, especially when he mentioned his ... uh, symptoms. Eww!
So I walked back, past our campsite, to the noisy party, reminded the guy with the booming radio about quiet hours, but they didn't really quiet down until "Little Brother" went down there on the ATV about 4:00 a.m.
Later, some idiot walked by our campsite, and was heard to say "F*ck all you people who want it quiet." So much for the younger generation's version of respect for others.
I was up and out of the tent around 6:30 a.m.; it was cool and misty. Scott had rolled in from Salem late last night. Derek was up and brewed some coffee, others arose, and conversations ensued.
About 8:30 a.m., a crowd rode out to breakfast at Chuck's restaurant, about a mile away in downtown Long Beach. The sign in front said "CJs." We all sat at a long table and had a great time. I had a strawberry waffle, scrambled eggs, juice and milk.
Traffic through the downtown area was bumper-to-bumper, as the car show was in town.
I got 92 octane fuel for $2.199 a gallon at a Union 76 station in Long Beach at 10:35 a.m., where it was a chilly 60 degrees, overcast and misty.
I parked downtown for a little while, earned some public relations points by helping some tourists take their child's picture on my motorcycle, then returned to Ma & Pa's about 11:35 a.m.
We were really close to the ocean, but I hadn't been there, so I walked down the trail, past where the noisy partiers were [now] sleeping, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The trail was really sandy, and it was cool and breezy. There were a few vehicles driving on the hard-packed sand right near the water.
Back at our campsite, Bob Veatch had arrived, so I greeted him. I also greeted Ralph & Dawn. They didn't have a lot of time, so they didn't stay too long. Snarl & Jeanne had other responsibilities, so they packed up their tent and left after a while.
Several of us took lawn chairs out to the street in front of the RV park and spent the afternoon watching hot rods and classic cars roll by. There were dozens of people on both sides of the roadway. Occasional units from the Washington State Patrol and other local police agencies would drive by.
Young men held up signs saying "Show me your tits," "Light 'em up," and "Your car sucks!" There were a few excellent burnouts, which the crowd really appreciated.
One of the (probably drunk) young men kept lifting his shirt, as a way to encourage young women in cars to do the same, but it wasn't working too well. One young woman said, "Doesn't do anything for me," and another young male wise-guy said "Nice rack."
One young man would fill a bucket with water, start to walk across the road, then "accidentally" spill the water in the street. Then the crowd would encourage the next fast-looking car to do a burnout. There were a few good ones, when the police were not visible.
There was a bit of rain, then it stopped, and the crowd stayed about the same size. Eventually, several Washington State Patrol motorcycles, including a Supervisor, arrived, and relieved the local Sheriff. A few cars were stopped and warned about exhibition of speed.
About 7:00 o'clock, a bunch of us piled into three vehicles and went downtown, parked and walked over to Las Maracas Mexican Restaurant for dinner. It was crowded, but we were seated right away, although we had to sit at separate tables.
I don't enjoy spicy food, so I consulted with our server, who didn't speak very much English, and decided on "arroz con pollo" (rice with chicken). She especially appreciated it when I asked for a "Siete Up" (7up), and she kept my glass refilled.
After dinner, we walked around the downtown area, looking at cars and, following Curly's lead, "woo-hoo"-ing quite a bit. Some of us stopped for ice cream cones. Somewhere along the way I picked up a dollar bill with Where's George stamped on it.
After some more wandering, and shortly after the appearance of rain drops, we got back into the vehicles and went back to Ma & Pa's.
Not long after our return, the rain started. Then it kept up. It rained a lot.
I got back into my tent around 10:00 p.m. and tried to sleep. It was not a pleasant situation.
Miles for the day = 6. Miles for the trip = 956.
Tomorrow: Homeward bound. If I live though the night.