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No, I wasn't in the last one, just had to get past it.
Anyway, I headed over to the Japanese Gardens this morning. Lovely. Got there about a half-hour before the general open, wandered, and walked out at general open. Fortunate: just about to come in was what looked like about 40 or so grade-school children. I'd rather not share the Gardens with them, thankyouverymuch. Got rained on most of the time I was there, and didn't mind; that's what umbrellas are for. I haven't checked yet whether or not any of my pictures came out, so I'll have to say on that later.
On the way to the gardens, I stopped for gas (on the theory that otherwise I wasn't going to get back from the gardens). Pulled into the Shell in Tigard (best rates I can find lately except the Astro, and they're so slow with their service, I figured an extra two cents a gallon was survivable). It's got two entrances, one on 99W and one on a side street that hooks into 99W. I always go in the side street if I want to go out and make a right on 99, as it's actually easier from the lot (the street slopes a fair bit and makes the turn a pain; the lot was leveled). As you pull in the side, there's two rows of two pumps each, and you're aimed straight for the space left of the right-hand row (that is, in the center, next to the right-hand pumps). As my car has the gas on the right side, I pulled up to the farthest pump on that side.
I had cause to feel sorry for someone that I had done so, before I left. As my car was filling, really only just after it started, I heard a beeping. I look around and what do I see but a school bus, trying to get into the gas station. It's short enough, no problem - but the fills are on the right-hand side and, rather than wait for me to move, she's trying to pull it left to the other set of pumps. If she'd filled on the left, she'd have been fine, but the far side of those pumps is about a large pickup and a half's width from the curb for the little plantings that mark the edge of the lot. The school bus hadn't a prayer of getting in there but, in apparent ignorance of that, she kept backing and filling, trying to find some angle that would let her do the impossible.
While she was doing that, someone came in the 99W entrance and swung around, needing a left-side fill. Wisely deciding not to face a school bus head-on, he occupied the pump behind me on the same side. She really would have been better off waiting. The folks at the station at least convinced her to stop trying eventually, and proved they could actually reach the school bus to fill it in spite of its awkward position - but they had to wave her down and talk her out of it first.
I had a full tank and left, but I still wonder how she got it out of there again. If getting in was hard, imagine it in reverse...!
On the way back from the gardens, I stopped and picked up my prescription at Bi-Mart (where my insurance is good, which I was finding out today, so color me pleased). I also dropped into Haggen. And that's when I decided to come home.
I love accidents, really I do. </sarcasm> Man, what a mess that freeway was. From where I was, I needed to get on 217, take 217 to I-5, and take I-5 south to Wilsonville. Exit order from there is: 217, Carmen Drive, Boones Ferry, Nyberg/Tualatin, 205, Wilsonville.
There were accidents in the southbound lanes at Carmen Drive and again at Nyberg. The one at Carmen was a small one, the one at Nyberg was three cars and summoned multiple ambulances. Even just getting from 217 to I-5, the backup was almost onto the 217 ramp already; two ambulances and a fire truck passed before I got to Carmen, even. (Each time, I slowed up, not because they needed space I was or would be in, but to let the idiots in the left lane get over - you would think they'd learn.)
I took one look at the parking lot that was I-5, and got off again at Carmen (the accident was under its overpass). I debated taking back-roads from there, which I'm capable of, but I was at this point ignorant of the second accident, and the light was green, so I crossed and returned to the freeway. See that the backup continues on forward, swear a blue streak. Well, that's okay. I'll just get off again at Boones Ferry. I really hate the backroad route home from there, but it's the same one I'd've ended up on from Carmen Drive, so not much loss.
As I get off at Boones Ferry, I hear the next accident is 'under' Nyberg. Okay. Nyberg/Tualatin exit lets me get on 65th, which tees into the main road I take home. It will be a lot easier to get home from that exit than it will from this one, so I go forward again....
...and find out the radio was wrong. It's north of the exit in question, and blocking both the exit-only lane and the rightmost freeway lane. Of course, before I learned that I got to sit there a while, since two lanes of four blocked made for an icky backup. And while I was sitting there, a tow truck passed in the right-hand lane of the main freeway, cutting over to the exit lane, to get to the accident. Of course, he passed through the triangle divider area...and it's been pouring...and no one drives there, so the sand and whatnot was still there. I got sprayed heavily: the left side of my car is now in dire need of a hose. I made it over two lanes and passed by the accident; it was a truly ugly one. Three cars (maybe four: another was pulled off to the side but didn't look damaged), an ambulance there with someone being loaded, and still one guy sitting in his car - older gent, convertible car - with a bunch of officers and fire fighters standing around him, one touching his head. Probably either the second passenger for that ambulance, or waiting for yet another one. Nasty accident, but it didn't look like anything flipped, at least. Small blessings.
Traffic seemed a bit better in front of me, but I tallied up my odds on the freeway and swung right again, taking the Nyberg exit. The odds of a traffic jam on 65th are zero, unless someone manages an accident that entirely blocks the road. My one concern was that the ambulance might come up past me: 65th right where I was driving leads to Legacy Meridian Park Hospital.... So I was watchful in case I needed to get out of its way, but that didn't happen. The rest of the drive was uneventful.
Of course, it's been raining off and on and they've forecast rain, possible small hail, thunder, and potential lightning. I'm not clear on if the lightning's for my area or just for the gorge, but the rest of it's general. So far, I've seen the rain and heard the thunder. We had small hail yesterday, for about 10 seconds. I could do without another dose of it.
I hope it clears up tomorrow. I'm not exactly thrilled about the idea of weeding in the pouring rain.
Anyway, I headed over to the Japanese Gardens this morning. Lovely. Got there about a half-hour before the general open, wandered, and walked out at general open. Fortunate: just about to come in was what looked like about 40 or so grade-school children. I'd rather not share the Gardens with them, thankyouverymuch. Got rained on most of the time I was there, and didn't mind; that's what umbrellas are for. I haven't checked yet whether or not any of my pictures came out, so I'll have to say on that later.
On the way to the gardens, I stopped for gas (on the theory that otherwise I wasn't going to get back from the gardens). Pulled into the Shell in Tigard (best rates I can find lately except the Astro, and they're so slow with their service, I figured an extra two cents a gallon was survivable). It's got two entrances, one on 99W and one on a side street that hooks into 99W. I always go in the side street if I want to go out and make a right on 99, as it's actually easier from the lot (the street slopes a fair bit and makes the turn a pain; the lot was leveled). As you pull in the side, there's two rows of two pumps each, and you're aimed straight for the space left of the right-hand row (that is, in the center, next to the right-hand pumps). As my car has the gas on the right side, I pulled up to the farthest pump on that side.
I had cause to feel sorry for someone that I had done so, before I left. As my car was filling, really only just after it started, I heard a beeping. I look around and what do I see but a school bus, trying to get into the gas station. It's short enough, no problem - but the fills are on the right-hand side and, rather than wait for me to move, she's trying to pull it left to the other set of pumps. If she'd filled on the left, she'd have been fine, but the far side of those pumps is about a large pickup and a half's width from the curb for the little plantings that mark the edge of the lot. The school bus hadn't a prayer of getting in there but, in apparent ignorance of that, she kept backing and filling, trying to find some angle that would let her do the impossible.
While she was doing that, someone came in the 99W entrance and swung around, needing a left-side fill. Wisely deciding not to face a school bus head-on, he occupied the pump behind me on the same side. She really would have been better off waiting. The folks at the station at least convinced her to stop trying eventually, and proved they could actually reach the school bus to fill it in spite of its awkward position - but they had to wave her down and talk her out of it first.
I had a full tank and left, but I still wonder how she got it out of there again. If getting in was hard, imagine it in reverse...!
On the way back from the gardens, I stopped and picked up my prescription at Bi-Mart (where my insurance is good, which I was finding out today, so color me pleased). I also dropped into Haggen. And that's when I decided to come home.
I love accidents, really I do. </sarcasm> Man, what a mess that freeway was. From where I was, I needed to get on 217, take 217 to I-5, and take I-5 south to Wilsonville. Exit order from there is: 217, Carmen Drive, Boones Ferry, Nyberg/Tualatin, 205, Wilsonville.
There were accidents in the southbound lanes at Carmen Drive and again at Nyberg. The one at Carmen was a small one, the one at Nyberg was three cars and summoned multiple ambulances. Even just getting from 217 to I-5, the backup was almost onto the 217 ramp already; two ambulances and a fire truck passed before I got to Carmen, even. (Each time, I slowed up, not because they needed space I was or would be in, but to let the idiots in the left lane get over - you would think they'd learn.)
I took one look at the parking lot that was I-5, and got off again at Carmen (the accident was under its overpass). I debated taking back-roads from there, which I'm capable of, but I was at this point ignorant of the second accident, and the light was green, so I crossed and returned to the freeway. See that the backup continues on forward, swear a blue streak. Well, that's okay. I'll just get off again at Boones Ferry. I really hate the backroad route home from there, but it's the same one I'd've ended up on from Carmen Drive, so not much loss.
As I get off at Boones Ferry, I hear the next accident is 'under' Nyberg. Okay. Nyberg/Tualatin exit lets me get on 65th, which tees into the main road I take home. It will be a lot easier to get home from that exit than it will from this one, so I go forward again....
...and find out the radio was wrong. It's north of the exit in question, and blocking both the exit-only lane and the rightmost freeway lane. Of course, before I learned that I got to sit there a while, since two lanes of four blocked made for an icky backup. And while I was sitting there, a tow truck passed in the right-hand lane of the main freeway, cutting over to the exit lane, to get to the accident. Of course, he passed through the triangle divider area...and it's been pouring...and no one drives there, so the sand and whatnot was still there. I got sprayed heavily: the left side of my car is now in dire need of a hose. I made it over two lanes and passed by the accident; it was a truly ugly one. Three cars (maybe four: another was pulled off to the side but didn't look damaged), an ambulance there with someone being loaded, and still one guy sitting in his car - older gent, convertible car - with a bunch of officers and fire fighters standing around him, one touching his head. Probably either the second passenger for that ambulance, or waiting for yet another one. Nasty accident, but it didn't look like anything flipped, at least. Small blessings.
Traffic seemed a bit better in front of me, but I tallied up my odds on the freeway and swung right again, taking the Nyberg exit. The odds of a traffic jam on 65th are zero, unless someone manages an accident that entirely blocks the road. My one concern was that the ambulance might come up past me: 65th right where I was driving leads to Legacy Meridian Park Hospital.... So I was watchful in case I needed to get out of its way, but that didn't happen. The rest of the drive was uneventful.
Of course, it's been raining off and on and they've forecast rain, possible small hail, thunder, and potential lightning. I'm not clear on if the lightning's for my area or just for the gorge, but the rest of it's general. So far, I've seen the rain and heard the thunder. We had small hail yesterday, for about 10 seconds. I could do without another dose of it.
I hope it clears up tomorrow. I'm not exactly thrilled about the idea of weeding in the pouring rain.