Ocean Shores
From The Extended Group
Ocean Shores refers to a trip taken by several group members over the Summer of 2004. It is widely regarded as a defining moment of that Summer by those involved in the trip.
Contents |
The Trip
Prelude
The trip was conceived during the summer of 2004, when it became known that the days of Brett's drivers license were numbered. Wanting to "Go out with a bang", Brett and friends mounted a series of late-night road trips taking place in the comfort of Brett's Volvo S-60. Aided by Bretts generous use of the "gas card", these trips were ever expanding the range of hangouts. After several so called "Bigfoot Hunts" (see Bigfoot Hunt 2004 the group decided to get serious and drive to the coast. Group members assembled at Terry's house to discuss plans. The team for this trip consisted of Brett, Terry, Jamie, Lukas, and Kevin.
It was decided to "get food" first, so the quintet went to Shari's and ate prior to leaving. The group left Shari's somewhere between 12:30AM and 1 AM and drove southbound on I-5. Like on prior trips, the soundtrack consisted primarily of Weezer, Ozma, Muse, The Simpsons, and various Brett-mix's. Pausing only for directions near Ft. Lewis, the team made excellent time due to light traffic. It was under these circumstances that Brett decided to test the true capabilities of his car.
New Speed Record
Although heavily laded with passengers, Brett began accelerating along a long, straight stretch of road. The slight downhill pitch allowed the car to accelerate rapidly, surpassing the previous record of 120mph. With shouted encouragement, the needle crept ever higher as Brett’s fingers clutched the wheel with white knuckles. As the car careened through the darkness, the needle finally edged up to 130 mph, at which point Brett slowed down. Still traveling at a speedy 90mph, Brett rounded a bend in the road, not realizing that at such speeds, a decline of 40mph makes one feel as though travelling much slower. Some would almost consider this a brush with death since there were no streetlights, and visibility was limited to the extent of the car's high-beams.
The trip went along fairly uneventfully with the exception of Lukas and Jamie sticking their heads out of the sunroof at 80mph causing their faces to contort and their mouths to fill with air. The group stopped to urinate behind a Wal-Mart in Aberdeen into the tidally regulated Wishkah river, which just indicated the proximity to the ocean. After an ad-hoc rendition of Catch-22's "Inspector Gadget Theme" by Kevin, involving supposed descriptions of genitalia, the group was almost there. After taking a turn off the road at around 3AM in ocean shores, the group found themselves on a wide, flat, dark, sandy expanse of the beach, with waves being illuminated by the headlights.
The Beach
Euphoric jubilation gripped the travelers, happy to be out of the car after several long hours, and people began running out into the waves illuminated by the headlights. Brett could be seen "prancing" around about 30 yards further out with his pant-legs rolled up holding his shoes over his head. After much consideration, the decision was made to jump into the churning Pacific Ocean, as now wet clothing was discarded for boxer shorts (and in Terry's case, nothing at all).
Screaming and laughter filled the foggy night as karate moves were executed and charges mounted into the blackened waters. During the final charge "Sing along with the patriotic punks" by Death by Stereo was blasted from the stereo as group members charged screaming as loud as possible into the waves. After observing the brilliant night sky and discussing how awesome this night had been, the group realized soberly that their clothes were not drying in the cool, damp air.
The Drive Home
It was decided then to start the long drive home. With wet clothes and nothing but a long drive to look forward to, the mood dropped somewhat. Speeds were kept safely below 80mph for most of the trip. Moments of hilarity appeared again when Brett pulled into a gas station in Olympia around 5 AM when the sun was beginning to rise again. Brett clad only in boxer shorts and a three-button woman's business blazer, stepped out of the car to fill his tank as Kevin, Jamie, and Lukas went to go pee, also just wearing t-shirts and boxers.
The team members climbed back into the car and drove, while attempting to stay awake. Jamie, Terry, and Lukas eventually fell asleep for at least a short amount of time as the car became bogged down in morning Rush hour traffic. Kevin and Brett passed the time by (correctly) guessing which Weezer singles would be played on The End while driving over the Ship Canal Bridge.
Brett finally steered to Shoreline and exited at 145th street. In a move questioned by some, Brett let out a "woahhhhhhh!" and then accelerated quickly down Meridian Ave, northbound past Meridian Park and crossing the 175th street intersection at upwards of 85mph. This shocked some of the tired people into wakefulness. People were delivered to their houses exhausted at around 6:30 AM, and Brett spent approximately the next 60 minutes frantically cleaning the car of all signs of oceanic activity ahead of his mom's morning commute.
