Saturday, September 27, 2008

Don't Drink and Drive

It's the only picture I could find on the Internet. Pretty funny, but this is a "serious" post. Please don't drink and drive, especially if you're driving from Sherwood, Oregon to Wenatchee, Washington. At about 3+ hours of driving, about the time you are thinking it's bathroom time, all rest stops and gas stations dry up. Literally. Well, I should say that there was a bathroom along I-90 but it looked sketchy and I thought I would find something better farther up the road. Silly Sara.

I kept driving, a rest stop sign posted a few miles up. Unfortunately for me, my exit came first. So I got off, all the while thinking, it's okay, I'll find somewhere. I was wrong. Nothing for the next hour and a half. It was awful. I saw a "Don't Drink and Drive sign" and it took on a whole new meaning for me. I couldn't concentrate on anything else other than my NEED to go. To make matters worse, I kept getting stuck behind RV's going well below the speed limit who seemed oblivious to the slow vehicle turnouts. Every mile on the road ticked by slower than I ever thought possible. I kept praying, "please, just let me get to a bathroom. I don't want to pee my pants in my car".

I finally stopped in the first town I came to, Cashmere, a mere 10 miles outside of Wenatchee. I knew there was a gas station somewhere in this uber small town but I couldn't find it. Instead I desperately followed signs to a school. It was a little past 4. Surely schools would still be open. I think I came to the elementary school. I parked and waddled with all the dignity I could muster to the front doors. Both locked. While I was walking up I noticed a woman cleaning up what looked like an after-school program. I went to her door and asked to use her restroom. She said they had all been locked. All bathrooms locked? I was surprised and down-trodden . I asked where the town's nearest gas station was and she directed me to the closest (a mile or so away) one. I thanked her with all the good nature I could muster and tried not to squeal my tires to bad as I high-tailed it out of the parking lot. I even ignored the no left-turn sign. I just knew that any cop would be sympathetic to my plight.

I finally found the gas station. I walked inside and found the bathroom locked. Someone was inside hacking away (the way a 20-year veteran smoker would). And as I waited I considered whether I would want to touch anything in this said bathroom. Leave it to me to get picky even at my most desperate of moments. I finally opted for the bathroom next to it marked handicapped. And moments later I was in heaven.

So the moral of this story is don't drink and drive. But if you do have to drink and drive make sure you stop at the sketchy-looking bathroom along I-90. You'll thank yourself later. And now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

4 comments:

NW Harbert's said...

I will remember that!! Thanks for that very funny story. I love reading funny things.

Natalie said...

LOL! You were always good at getting into scrapes, and then sharing the morals so that I could avoid them myself. Thanks for being so caring!

ME said...

I was laughing so loud that Aaron came and asked what's so funny now I have to read it too him.

ME said...

Dear Aunt Sara,
I know this is funny but I heard the story. And I thought it was really funny and I was just laughing out loud. I knew that I just couldn't stop laughing.
Love,
Aaron