Driving Miss Crazy

Well, I've done it. I've finally gotten behind the wheel and driven again.

I actually did it yesterday, but that was a two-minute drive to the market in Port Ludlow. And I think I've mentioned this in yesterday's update...

I'm pleased to say that, due to not driving in England, I am not confused about which side of the road to drive on. I only get confused when crossing the streets on foot.

Today I decided to really go wild and drive (alone!) to the nearest town to Port Ludlow, called Port Hadlock. It's about 8 or 9 miles away, and you basically have to drive through a forest to get to it. Seeing as how we pretty much live in a forest, this is not surprising.

Anyway, driving again was rather anticlimatic. I popped in my Beach Boy's CD, adjusted the seat and mirrors, and got on my way, wary of cops with radars and deer. Apparently these are the two biggest hazards of driving in this part of the world. Only deer I saw was a gorgeous red-brown doe, right here in our neighborhood. And the only cop I saw was driving the opposite direction.

So I made it to Port Hadlock just fine. It's a straight shot from here; easy enough. I stopped at a scrapbook store (oh, heaven!) and then the grocery store. From there I took a road that I was 90% sure leads to Chimacum, the neighboring town. I made it there, then drove around a bit before turning around to head back to Port Ludlow.

This is where it got a bit tricky. I knew that the road I was on would eventually take me to the Hood Canal Bridge, and I can find my way home from there. But way before the bridge is a turn-off that goes directly back to Port Ludlow. Fortunately, I found it without problem and came out a couple of miles later (after passing a rather distressing "No shooting beyond this point" sign) at the Ludlow Market. Excellent!

I'm quite pleased with myself. Everything is new to me up here, and it can be a bit daunting. I realized yesterday that left to my own devices, I'd probably let Mom and Dad shuttle me around for a while. Before I could drive myself crazy doing that, I grabbed the key to Rosie the Protege and hit the road.

Next challenge: Port Townsend (beyond Port Hadlock) and Silverdale (across the Hood Canal Bridge).

Cheers,

Meg