I got it, I got it!!

I got up earlier than people should have to on a Sunday morning, but thankfully later than I'd have to get up to travel to a race. The dogs and I were on the road before 8:30 and made good travel time up to the border. Going to the race the weekend before we'd gone through the Peace Arch and it was a slow go so I decided to go for the truck crossing, a bit east of the Peace Arch crossing. There was no waiting, hurrah! I made it up to Jericho Sailing Center a little before 11. Ross was still out paddling for his club practice, they'd gone 10 miles on OC1s. He was looking like he'd had a good long workout when he came in. He went to shower and change and I went to change into paddling gear for another test drive.

This Pahoa felt really good, much more responsive than Steve's Kaimana that I've been paddling all winter. The more I tooled around the more I was feeling like this was a very good decision for me. Ross was very indulgent, took some snapshots with my cell phone and digital camera for me. It took a few tries to get the correct fit on the seat. This model doesn't have an adjustable seat, it's a foam block cut with a butt print with a varied span behind the seat, the broader the span the closer you sit to the steering pedals.

We brought the boat back up to take it apart and bag it up. It came with sturdy bags for the hull and for the ama. We loaded the boat on top of the car and tucked the ama inside, much to Gus' dismay. An OC1 ama will fit inside my car but it extends from the dashboard all the way back to the rear window and as far as Gus is concerned that's no ok, not the way it's supposed to be. I asked Ross about where I could grab a bite to eat before driving home. We went to Milestone's on 4th. It was rather crowded but nothing too bad. We placed our order and chatted while we waited for our meal to arrive. After 45 minutes or so I asked a staff member, our waiter couldn't be found, when our food might be arriving. Turns our our waiter never placed our order with the kitchen! D'oh! She put a rush on the food and then comped our entire meal. Not a bad deal.

I was finally on my way around 3:30, I think. I got a little turned around trying to get back to 99 south, I missed Oak St, good thing I've got that AAA map, I had gone a few blocks beyond and there is a big construction project that made going back the way I came not an option. I often use 'the force' when driving in an unfamiliar region. It took half an hour or so to get back to where I wanted to be and I was on my way towards the border. I went back to the truck crossing only this time there was a line, it took me 50 minutes to get up to the agent's window. It took me less than two minutes to get through and continue back to Seattle. I got down to Sail Sand Point around 6-6:30 and then needed to rinse the salt water off the boat before I could put it away. I walked the hull down to the lake and dunked it in the water to clean the salt residue off and then tucked it into it's storage rack inside the container. Then back home for some supper for the dogs and me, and a little relaxation from the long drive. Time to wrap my brain around the idea that I now have my own OC1!