Breweries, Wineries, Sailing, Oh My!

For the first fifteen or so years of my life, I lived in relatively close proximity to most of my extended family. Considering I have eight aunts and uncles and sixteen cousins, I think that's a pretty considerable statistic. Most of the family still lives within a couple hundred miles of Southern California. While some of them have tried other places at various points in time, the most notable current exception to the Southern California rule is me. Prior to that, my dad's youngest brother and his family of six held the record with their move to Oregon fourteen years ago. I figured after fourteen years it was probably time to pay them a visit. Plus, I wanted to make sure my four cousins know there's more to cousin Sean than weddings and funerals.

Before I began my trek to Eugene, Oregon, I finally got an opportunity to visit the main assembly building where 787 final assembly is taking place. It was great to finally see the airplane in person and up close. As a lean practitioner and Industrial Engineer, I saw a lot. Unfortunately I can't share any of it with you, but I did manage to snap a few photos from across the street of one of the airplanes sitting on the flight line as well as the Large Cargo Freighter, or Dreamlifter. The Dreamlifter is a modified 747 built specifically for the 787. It is used to ferry oversized pieces of the new aircraft from our partners around the world to the final assembly line here in Everett. Airbus has a similar aircraft dubbed the "Beluga".

After my somewhat eventful morning I departed for a fun-filled Oregonian weekend. The drive mapped out to about 300 miles and Vicki was estimating five hours. Puget Sound is notorious in my experience for perpetual traffic, so I left the factory about 12:30 PM hoping to keep the drive in the five to six hour range and be in Eugene in time for dinner. 7:30 PM I arrived. SEVEN THIRTY. Have I got a few things to say about that.

First, NEVER EVER rent a Dodge Avenger, or as I call it, a Dodge POS. Last time I was up here I rented a Dodge Magnum. Argue if you will over its aesthetic value, it had a Hemi, and it was cool. My red Avenger is not that car. I have more zip in my lawn tractor and I've never heard a car with only 4,000 miles on it ping so much. As for comfort, I'd rather be in a center airline seat. The car sucks.

Second, I found out what happened to all those 55 and 60 MPH speed limit signs when the rest of the country raised their highway speeds to 65+. They are strategically located along Interstate 5 in the Pacific Northwest to cause the most traffic congestion possible.

Third, and speaking of traffic, I hit some. On the bright side, it was only for the first 200 miles of the trip. Had I used "7 hours in an uncomfortable Dodge POS" for my cost benefit analysis of airline flights from Seattle to Eugene, I probably would have flown and settled for a middle seat--or just let my cousins think I'm a professional funeral crasher.

Once I finally arrived in Eugene, the trip was fabulous. The family prepared an Italian delicacy for me I haven't had in years. The geography of the area reminds me a lot of California's Central Coast, complete with its own wine country. In fact, Eugene features all kinds of fermented fun. I visited three breweries (Ninkasi, Steelhead, and Hop Valley) and the King Estates Winery. Some bevvies were better than others, but all were accompanied by good times and good company. I also met a second cousin from Northern California who has been living in Eugene and went sailing with my uncle on his yacht. My uncle Brian, his son Nicholas (my first cousin), and Matthew (my second cousin) have actually become quite the sailing team. After I left them Sunday afternoon, they embarked on a road trip adventure of their own to compete with the pro's in San Diego this weekend. Hopefully their Dodge is more comfortable than mine for the 20 hour drive.

In a twist of irony, this same group of cousins (minus Nicholas and Matthew) will be visiting us next month while on a trip to San Antonio. They actually arrive a week before I do. I hope we can show them at least half the good time they showed me. As for the rest of my trip, I made it back to Everett in an expeditious six hours, shaving nearly ten whole miles per hour off my average speed. It's a wonder I didn't get hauled off for speeding. This weekend I hope to visit Olympia and tour the State Capitol, which I passed from a distance on my way to Eugene. It's only about 90 miles away, so I'm afraid the cost benefit has me back in the uncomfortable, underpowered lawn mower. At least it has satellite radio.