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:: Tuesday, July 11
 We met in front of the Hostelling International in Seattle,
put on a name tag, and boarded the van with Eliza driving and Chris along for
the ride to Spokane. After a few miles of "getting to know you"
conversation, we reached the cloud covered Cascades and stopped for a view of
Stuart Ridge. Lunched at Moses Lake after which Chris drove us the final
stretch to Spokane. We checked into Dooley Hall with the help of Phil (did
anyone get a photo of him?) and made spaghetti.
:: Wednesday, July 12
 Day two of our journey took us to the Magnusson Butte – about
40 minutes from Gonzaga University. There we first encountered the dalmation
toadflax. From the Butte you can see about 40 miles in most directions. The
area is surrounded by wheat fields … and planes from the nearby Air Force
Base occasionally flew overhead. Upon our exhausted return to Spokane, we
were greeted by Cris & Nora – who made us a fabulous chili
dinner and gave us the lowdown on what to do in Spokane.
:: Thursday, July 13
 By end of day on the butte, we were pretty spent. A homemade
lasagna dinner awaited us back at Dooley. Later we decided to explore the
nightlife of Spokane and headed downtown in search of an internet café or at
least a good micro-brewery. Although not terribly successful at either (did
find the library – closed; no internet café – and a bad band at the
micro-brewery) – we ended up at O'Doherty's Irish Grille … where Luc became
our designated driver … and Laura introduced Alvaro & Nadine to Shanty.
::  Friday, July 14
On day four we got some help in the form of
TNC Volunteers who assisted us with the weed pull. They were a remarkable
group – two of which had done 28 senior hostel experiences all over the
world. That night we had a "Mexican" feast at a local volunteers
house … complete with tour of house & local park.
:: Saturday, July 15
 We had a surprise guest at the butte on Saturday … a volunteer
who mismarked his calendar and ended up making our day. Chris Janett is a
local wheat farmer who not only entertained us on the butte, but invited us
to his hometown of Davenport for a trip to the local pharmacy soda fountain
and cherry picking at his oasis in the wheat fields. He transformed our
impression of the "typical" farmer. Chris promised cherry pie at the
volunteer pot-luck on Sunday. Maria pulled out all the stops to create a
riverside picnic of paella and sangria – perhaps the best meal of the entire
trip. Later we drove the van 20 miles South of town to view the stars – and
with any luck the promised Northern Lights. The full moon did us in.
::  Sunday, July 16
After our final day in the weeds – and
another trip to the Waste to Energy Plant (read "dump") – we dashed
back to the dorm – and then headed out to Dishman Hills for the volunteer
pot-luck and hike. We prepared a salad – but the star attraction at the
dinner was Chris' cherry pie. Later, we picked up some videos and watched Diabolique and Hearts of Darkness.
:: Monday, July 17
 Monday was our day off to play in Spokane. We started the day
late by having a "real" American breakfast per Sue's request at the
highly recommended Frank's Diner – complete with hash browns, silver dollar
short stacks, bisquits & gravy, and some serious coffee. The setting of
Frank's was a 1906 observation car from Northern Pacific Railroad (car No.
1787). Frank's is a Spokane institution – which opened back in 1931. We all
went our various ways until 4:00pm – where we were handed off from Eliza
(heading to OR for a well deserved vacation) to Roger (fresh off the plane
from Seattle). We slummed and had pizza and beer for dinner and watched Open
Your Eyes and Pi.
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