Thursday 13 - Omak Stampede & Suicide Race 2008

Thursday 13

THE PURPOSE BEHIND THE THURSDAY THIRTEEN:

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. What do you do? Write Thirteen things about yourself, summarize your week in one entry, make it easy for other bloggers to get to know you on a weekly basis. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun!

For my 23rd Thursday 13 post, I am going to share with you

13 things I did on my trip:

1- Thursday, I drove about 2 1/2 hours south to Oliver where I have 2 friends. Dump-truck Driver lives in a 5th Wheel in an RV Park, and Care Taker lives in a trailer in the same park. I spent the night there in Dump-truck Driver's place. He always gives me his bed and sleeps on the couch.

2 - Friday Dump-truck Driver & I got into his motor home and drove further south, across the boarder into the USA, all the way down to Omak, WA. Care Giver had already gone to the US on Thursday, to Wenatchee.

3 - Dump-truck Driver & I parked the motor home in our usual place, walked around the rodeo grounds, had lunch at one of the vendors, and then sat around at the motor home waiting for Care Giver to arrive. Then took another walk around Indian Encampment, then back to the motor home to wait some more.

4 - Once Care Giver finally arrived, we hopped into her car and drove up to Wal Mart where we all did some shopping. Groceries for the motor home, bottled water, a few clothes, stuff like that. Ate supper at the motor home.

5 - More walking around looking at vendor wares and such. It is extremely unusual for it to rain at Omak at this time of year, but this year that's exactly what is happening. Showers and down pours off and on all day.

6 - Friday evening we all went in on gas and drove out to Grand Coulee Dam where we set out our lawn chairs and waited about half an hour until the show started. It was pretty incredible (Dam it was Grand, Coulee! Haha). You see, then hold the water back until time for the show, then let it run... white water running down the face of this huge dam, then the lazer lights are projected out onto the water. As there is music playing there is a voice that narrates and tells of the history and usage of the dam while the lazer lights show pictures on the water flowing down the face of the dam. It's hard to tell... something you really must see to "get it".

7 - After the light show we went to the Grand Coulee Casino where we had a small meal and then headed back to Omak. It was pretty late by the time we got back so we all went to bed. The motorhome was so hot we had to open all the windows, and even the blinds so the air could come in... and the roof vent too. It was too stifling in there to sleep otherwise. Not that I slept much. I laid awake much of the night, listening to the loud music from the dance and to the drums from the Indian Encampment. I love listening to those drums. During the night there was a storm and none of us realized until next morning, but a lot of water came in that roof vent. Oh well.

8 - Saturday morning we ate breakfast in the motor home and lazed around in there and in our lawn chairs for most of the morning. After washing and changing clothes, another walk around the area.

9 - While at the Kettle Corn & Lemonaid stand, I was talking to Lemonaid Man. All these 4 years I've been going to Omak, he's been there and thinking I was 'with' Dump-truck Driver. This year having found out we're just friends, Lemonaid Man asked if I would like to come back later and sit around with him and his friends, other vendors, once they get off work. I said I would.

10 - In that vendor area I bought a purse, then later Care Taker & I each bought a dress at another vendor, and at Indian Encampment I bought a drum.

11 - we ate lunch down town at Magoo's, then drove in Care Takers car out to the Colville Casino and spent a few hours there gambling on the machines. This is the only time each year that I go to a casino &/or gamble, but this is an air conditioned place in which to spend what is usually a very hot afternoon.

9 - Back in Omak we changed clothes and went to the rodeo & suicide race. At 10pm, when that was over, we were all leaving in the crowd and I lost my two friends. I thought they went to the dance as that had been the plan, later found out they went back to the motor home as Dump-truck Driver wasn't feeling well. I went over to visit with Lemonaid Man as we'd planned. It was very nice. He made sure I always had lemonaid to drink, offered to add vodka to it, and offered me beer, but all I wanted was lemonaid. When her saw his smoke was floating towards me he suggested we change places, this happened 2 times. When other vendors and people he knows came by, he always introduced me to them. He was very much a gentleman and made me feel like a special person. This is something I very much enjoyed as I find it rare these days.

10 - Sunday morning we walked down town to Magoo's for breakfast, as we do every year with out lawn chairs, then sat on the street watching the parade.

11 - After walking back to the motor home, we said our good-byes to Care Giver as she was headed home separately from us, to get her dog from Doggy Daycare before they closed. Dump-truck driver & I went for one last walk about the grounds. Lemonaid Man was not at his booth, his friend was. I got my one bag a year of Kettle Corn to bring home, and a lemonaid, but Smiles & Chuckles wouldn't take any money... he said Lemonaid Man would kick his ass if he took my money. Hey, sounds good to me, haha.

12 - Dump-truck Driver & I went in the motor home to Wal Mart again. We each got some groceries and such to bring home with us. Got our receipts and such in order and headed north to the boarder. We got some of the US cheap gas (about $1.20 a gallon less than ours), crossed the boarder, and drove back to Oliver.

13 - After unloading all our stuff and putting mine in my truck, Dump-truck Driver moved the motor home and his pick-up truck out of the way so I could get my truck out. We said our good-byes, and off I drove, headed north... headed home.

There were a few things I did on the way to and from Oliver, but to tell of them would be to run over the number 13... haha. So, in a nut shell, all compressed and zipped up, there is the story of my 4 day holiday.

Happy Thursday 13!!