The Inland Northwest

When being compared to other days, today ranks as one of the longest. I'm exhausted, stinky, unshaven, and hungry. So much has happened in the last 24 hours that waking up seemed forever ago.

My one night at the hostel in Boise was difficult. I just haven't quite gotten the hang of this whole hostel experience. I brought a sleeping mask and ear plugs to cope with the Saturday night traffic, but it really didn't work. Numerous times through the night I was jostled awake by people staying in the same room as me. The earplugs I were wearing kept putting pressure on my inner-ear that they became uncomfortable.

Hostels are really cheap options that are close to where I'm needing to go. But after these past two experiences, I'm debating with myself whether or not it's worth it. Maybe if I were to be in one city for an extended duration, and if I didn't have as detailed a plan as I do, then maybe. It'll be something I have to think about very hard for the future.

After trying to get cleaned up, I grabbed a quick bite to eat and took the bus out to the Boise Airport. My flight to Spokane had a whopping 29 people on it, so it was basically a charter flight. The less-than-an-hour flight was almost a mirror image of the one to Boise as we would takeoff, level off for about ten minutes, then descend for landing.

Southwest has to be the best airline. They serve drinks, give out peanuts, have friendly crew members, and really have their act together. I'm making a bold statement: whenever I fly, my first option will be on Southwest. There is no other way I would do it.

I got into Spokane and got on the bus to Downtown. I was surprised that it wasn't super hot as the weather reports leading up to the trip had said. Temperatures in Spokane were a comfortable mid-80's during the height of the afternoon.

Bus riding in Spokane is a lot better than in Boise. More options for travel and more people riding made community study a lot easier. Especially when I got into Downtown, I was really surprised how nice Spokane is. While it didn't have the 'hip' vibe as Boise, Spokane had a bigger city feel to it with the amenities and attractions in Downtown.

My first stop was to the Central Spokane YMCA. Being an employee of the Eugene YMCA, I was naturally curious as to how a different Y operates and functions. It is hard to describe, however, just the awe I experienced in seeing the Spokane Y. It made our little facility seem like a paltry little cousin. Teen Center, three pools, family activity center, three cardio rooms...the place was incredible.

What really made the experience fun was being able to talk with the person who holds my same job in Spokane. The gentleman was a littler older than me, but he had been on the job about the same length of time. We talked about the challenges we face, techniques for how to Improve, and just general camaraderie of similarity.

After taking advantage of the facility and soaking in the hot tub for a half-hour, I grabbed some lunch. I had about 90 minutes before my next scheduled activity, so I went over to Riverfront Park, found a shady spot under a tree, and took a nap.

When I woke up, I made my way down Howard Street to the Spokane Interplayters Theatre for their matinee production of Greater Tuna. Set in the fictional town of Tuna, TX, Greater Tuna is a portrayal of life in Texas. It is a comedy that is unique in that it only involves two actors who act out all of the characters.

The play was hilarious and well worth my time. The acting was great and the plot made for some great anecdotes. I normally don't involve myself in the theatre scene, but I might look to it from now on if I need things to do. This production was all done using local Spokane elements, so I was directly supporting a local arts and culture directive. That is always a good thing and a great way to further envelope myself within the community.

Once the play ended, I made my way back down to the Bus Plaza to catch the bus out to Avista Stadium. The roughly twenty minute ride dropped me off about three blocks from the park in what was, obviously, a red-light district. I had planned on calling a cab after the game, but I made the executive decision to try and catch the last bus of the day while it was still daylight. I didn't want to be hanging around in a bad neighborhood waiting for a cab.

Three blocks can, however, make a huge difference. Avista Stadium is a beautiful ballpark that feels too big for Single-A. Set at the Western Washington Fairgrounds, you enter Avista Stadium from a main home plate gate that is adorned with commemorative plaques signifying former Spokane players that had been successful in the Majors. This plaza also had a string quartet and outdoor food stands. It was a neat thing to see and it made you appreciate the park before you even walked in.

Avista Stadium is huge. First, there is a TON of foul territory that shorten the fences. It is only 296 feet down the line in Right. But, to be honest, Avista Stadium is too big for Single-A ball. It is comparable to Colorado Springs or Tacoma in size and draw.

It makes me wonder why there isn't the same buzz for Triple-A ball in Spokane as there is for Boise. Spokane is certainly a big enough market to support Triple-A, and the ballpark is up to the standard, so I ponder why.

The Eugene Emeralds and Spokane Indians fought to a 1-1 tie and send the game to extras. The Ems pushed across two runs in the 11th to beat the home team 3-1.

The game went extras, but I didn't stick around. I caught the last bus into Downtown right after the end of the the ninth. This brings me to a fact that I am super proud of myself for: I made every single one of my transit connections. I didn't miss any buses, trains, or planes. I never got lost, either. It pretty much rocked and it was the result of lots of meticulous planning.

My train didn't leave until almost 3am, so I grabbed a bite to eat and saw a movie. When I got out, things got interesting. I got an email from Amtrak about a "service disruption." I called the hotline and didn't get any answers, so I looked on Twitter and saw that a mudslide had knocked out the track by Pasco. Amtrak put us all on charter buses for the ride down into Portland.

I wasn't thrilled with the prospect of taking a crowded bus. I was looking forward to stretching out on the train, being able to charge my phone, and have access to running water to brush my teeth. Well, that wasn't going to happen, so I decided to prepare for the ordeal by getting a few drinks and taking in some of the Spokane nightlife.

I went to two bars and got two drinks. The first place I went to started out fine, but after hearing a grown man try and karaoke to Katy Perry and the bartender get into a fight with a patron, I left for a different establishment.

I didn't get drunk because I hate drinking alone. It was times like those that I do start to get lonely and long for someone to talk to. I found that while at the bars and waiting for the bus, I tweeted a whole lot. That was my only companionship.

The bus ride, actually, was not that bad. As you can imagine, I was plum exhausted and sleep deprived. I probably would have slept on a bed of nails if I could. I woke up just outside of The Dalles, so I got about four good hours of shut eye. I'm on my last leg of travel south to Eugene.

I'm going to sleep on these experiences for a few days before authoring up a Final Thoughts. Today was incredibly busy and action-packed, but I am really glad to be coming home.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)