And we're off!

It was a late start for everyone after that fine shindig at the Uptown Hideaway...there was an after party gathering at the bar next door that turned into an early morning stroll through Seattle Center by a few hearty souls. The photos and videos from that little excursion are being withheld for screening by the Censors for Preservation of Reputations and Employment. ;o)

Imagine the packing job to get this merry band on the road! A note about our trusty steed, Juliette. Our transport for this one way trip is a vehicle rented from Bandago (that's pronounced -ah-go!)...a company that specializes in touring vans for touring bands. Great niche, eh? We were informed that the vehicle has a name, and it's Juliette. booking the van, images of "band van" came to mind...imagine the potential skank factor when it's touring bands who occupy the vehicle day in and day out. We got so lucky! Our Mercedes Sprinter has 9 captains chairs, and she's brand new, only 10k miles on her!!! She comes equipped with an XBox 360 that plays DVDs and, infrared headsets for the passengers to enjoy whatever's on the screen while allowing music, or silence, to prevail throughout the cabin. She has an iPod adapter in her stereo, power outlets for charging various and sundried electrical devices,165 cubic feet of gear and equipment storage and onboard wifi!

So the packing began quite methodically, taking into consideration what equipment should go

where and how to

secure everything for the drive. One might ask, how many people does it take to figure this out? Dan and Leslie took the lead and masterfully loaded her up.

After our best intentions to leave at 1pm became a real time departure of 4pm, we hit the road!

It was a painless and quite beautiful drive south for about 4 hours to Manzanita, Oregon. A beautiful wide open stretch of beach along the Oregon coastline. Our sleepy little motel, the Sunset Surf, was right on the beach. We took a stroll to "town" and persuaded a little mexican restaurant to stay open to serve us...it was 9:00 pm by the time we sat down and enjoyed great beers and margaritas and some pretty darn delectable mexican fare. Day one, done.