A number of weeks ago I presented a talk about “water ways” for the Lakewood Lions Club. Some of the things I talked about then fell into place just recently as a good reminder about the joys and elements of our wonderful Pacific Northwest. “Be Aware” should always be a NW reminder stamp for our life here in general at the Pacific Northwest.
A couple of years back the commander at Fort Lewis spoke at the Transportation Club of Tacoma. He told a simple story that has echoed through my mind numerous times. The commander simply remarked that on the drive from Fort Lewis to Fife he merely counted the number of overpasses he went under via the freeway. I believe he stopped counting at twenty, his presentation was about earthquakes. The point was that it wouldn’t take more than one damaged overpass to throw us all into a panic about food, health issues, work related needs, and many more. I-5 is our main way to travel, up and down/north and south in Western Washington.
These problems all came streaming back when I had review tickets for “Cabaret” at the Harlequin Theatre in Olympia. Actually, I was one ticket shy, but if I got there at noon on Sunday, I could probably get the very last ticket they had. Peggy and I with my cousin Lavinia were all set. I figured we could get the ticket we needed and then proceed to Orca Books, Peggy’s favorite book store. We took the back road through University Place and then along the water front at Steilacoom and then got on the freeway at DuPont and headed south. We passed under the overpass where the Amtrak train derailed a few years back and then went down to Nisqually, where I had read that Marilyn Strickland mentioned the bridge didn’t have great support if there were ever a large flood. There are always concerns in transportation and travel. As we reached the top of the hill, traffic went down to a crawl. On the other side however, traffic was at a dead stop. We managed to change lanes a number of times and rolled along fine, but the traffic on the north going side wasn’t moving much . . . if at all. We saw cars not moving for much of our drive south.
When we got into Olympia, I thought we had some time to spare so we parked and shopped for books at Orca Books. Within two minutes I had two excellent books from the used books shelves for $1 each. Peggy’s selections took a bit longer and cost considerably more. Next, I dropped off Peggy and Lindy at the theatre and drove six blocks, to finally find a place to park. We managed to get our three seats together and enjoyed the sold out production of a superb Cabaret. Often we’ll stop in at the Spar Cafe well before curtain time and chat about upcoming productions. The Spar, just a few steps away from the theatre, is a great place to dine before or after productions at Harlequin. The Spar is not alone in downtown Olympia for good food and a drink or two. There are a number of excellent restaurants within three of four blocks from the theatre.
At the end of the play we decided to avoid the freeway for a while. We drove the old highway and then looked for one of our favorite restaurants in Lacey. Koibito had the most diners we had ever seen there. From the car licenses we guessed they were probably waiting for the northbound traffic to clear as we were. We hoped it had already cleared. We had 7 o’clock seats we wanted to fill at the Tacoma Musical Playhouse for “Beautiful The Carol King Musical”. After dinner we decided not to get on the freeway right away, but to drive the side roads until we got almost to Nisqually. When we finally got back on the freeway we could tell it hadn’t been cleared yet, but we were moving . . . at a reduced speed . . . but we were moving. As we went down the hill we sped up a bit and once across the bridge we were back up to regular speed, which was a relief. Again we took the back way through Steilacoom and University Place. I dropped off Peggy and Lindy by the main theatre door and went to park. We had seats in the very back row. I was on time as well . . . almost.
Connecting with our state capital in Olympia is an important necessity and as we continue to grow in population, we need developing connections, ample roads and perhaps even more freeway lanes. Traffic, construction, removals, speed limits, weather, maps, beauty, entertainment and weather are all parts of our varied travel movements. Lately, I have added a two gallon container of gasoline in the way back of my car just to make sure I can get home, no matter what. Preparation never hurts.
Cabaret in Olympia cast: Karin Terry as Sally Bowles (center), Adam Rennie* as the Emcee (standing), with the Kit Kats: Karsten Tomlin, Percy Wait, Amy Shephard, Mariesa Genzale, Araquin Boome, David Breyman, Emma Bradley, Travis Tingvall, Jacqueline Tardanico, and Lola Havens – Harlequinproductions.ORG – Production Photo by Shanna.
