Our road trip to Apple Cup started in the same way as all our spontaneous adventures -- with good friends and one craaaaaaaazzzzzy idea!
Like all crazy ideas -- (e.g. Greenlake in January) -- this one was alcohol-induced and fueled by plenty of smack-talking. It all started Friday night at Kona Kitchen (surprise, surprise), where a bunch of us gathered for drinks with out-of-towners Aaron and Deven. Initially, our mundane and safe Saturday plan was to watch the Apple Cup at a sports bar in Seattle. However, after several Mac & Jack pitchers and Washington Apple (Cup) shots, our plan morphed into a spontaneous road trip to Pullman, five hours away.
As our road trip excitement grew, the smack-talk heightened. Several key players guaranteed that they were in it for the long-haul. The boys, (of course), pushed in their chips and proclaimed "ALL IN!" while Amy and Yee Ning -- the token party girls -- were right behind them. In very Jerry MacGuire-esque form, the five of them turned to the rest of us with hopeful "WHO'S COMING WITH ME" eyes.
Court, Naomi and I paused slightly, stealing confused glances at each other, trying to determine if they were really serious, or if this was just another "talk the talk, walk the walk" challenge.
When the roadtrip idea started to materialize into a real plan, we frazzled few still on the fence got skittish and started spitting out conditional clauses:
Naomi: "I'll go if Court goes."
Court: "I'll go if Liz goes."
Naomi (whispering to me, in a last-ditch effort to form an alliance): "You're not going to go, are you?"
Liz (whispering back): "I don't think I have a choice!! Amy and Yee Ning are sleeping over!"
Finally, as our Friday night wound down, the realness of the road trip settled in and we all prepared for an early morning start. We made plans to be on the road by 8 a.m.
And here's where the picture story begins, at 8 a.m. on an Apple Cup Saturday. Enjoy the 46 shots of our 18-hour journey across I-90, through a streak of "nothing," down to Pullman, and into Cougar territory.
[Our "Before" picture, taken at 8 a.m. Saturday morning, after we loaded our sporty Buick Rendezvous with clothes, snacks and water. We six were in it for the long haul.]
[Can't go to the Apple Cup without a Husky foam hat! This puppy led the way.]
THE GORGE
Despite some of Amy's questionable facts (like the purpose of the pole on the boat), she never disappoints when it comes to unveiling simply GORGEous Washington scenery.
TAILGATING
Before parking at WSU, we stocked up on beer and brown bags for the tailgating portion of our road trip. We layered up and cracked open the alcohol to keep us warm. The weather outside was mighty cold at 37 degrees Farenheit.
With not much else to do in the parking lot but drink, we huddled in a circle and played drinking games. We started with the name game, then moved on to Categories. After a few hysterical, yet halted rounds of Categories, we decided to move on to something faster: Rhyme. The Rhyme game starts when one person says a word that starts the rhyme chain. Everyone else has to say a different word that rhymes with the first but doesn't repeat any previous words. Yee Ning threw out the first word.
Yee Ning: "Boat"
Amy: "Moat"
Matt: "Uhhh....Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay?"
All: "Huh?"
Apparently, Matt never got the memo that we were playing Rhyme (he heard "Wine") and thought we were still playing Categories. He thought "moat" was "Moet."
(IF this story's not funny to you, then you just had to be there. A story like this one is why I packed extra panties.)
Buzzed, happy and ready to see the Huskies kick some Cougar ass, we started to make our way to the stadium. As we meandered about the parking lot, we realized that there was no road or stairs down from where we parked. We asked a friendly Coug how to get down.
GAME TIME
"Just hold the fence," he said.
"Whaaaat?" we replied, quizzically and suspiciously, wondering if he was trying to dupe us.
"You've gotta hold the fence down the hill" he said, pointing toward a mud-sodden trail next to a flimsy wire fence.
FUUUUUCKKK, I thought, as I held a full Bud Light and realized I'd have to throw it away so I could cling to the fence.
Step-by-step we descended down that damn hill, passing a woman in the brush who wandered to a trail less traveled so she could pee in privacy.
[Holding on for dear life as we skidded down through the mud to get to the game. (But look how happy we were!!) This was another pee-in-the-pants moment for me. FREAKING fantastic.]
THE DRIVE HOME
There are no pics or stories from the drive home, because as you can imagine, after a 4.5 "mile" trip to Pullman, three hours of tailgating and a 4-hour game, we were exhausted. The ride home was pitch black and pretty quiet.
Huge chocolate KUDOS to Deven, Matt and Aaron for driving us to Pullmn and back. It was an insane drive for them, but the trip in its entirety was well worth the journey.
THE END
Eighteen hours and nearly 600 miles later, the six of us made it home safe, sound and happily exhausted. No maimed roadkill, very few bug splats on the windshield, no injuries or carsick follies, no food poisoning or pants-peeing. (Thank goodness.)
This trip just proves that spontaneity pays off when in excellent company. I haven't had so much genuine fun with these old friends in a long time. Definitely looking forward to the next whimsical trip. :)
