Bainbridge, Marysville and World War III

After a night spent camping, our next stop was Bainbridge Island, just across the water from Seattle. Once again our friends Woodie and Moira treated us beyond well, and we enjoyed a couple nights of barbeque and friendship on the banks of the Puget Sound. We camped in front of an abandoned Country Store by their house, and with all the “For Lease” signs we see on empty businesses locations everywhere we go, it seemed very appropriate.

We had taken the Airstream on a Ferry ride across the Puget Sound and ended up at Kate’s sister’s place in Marysville, WA where we planned to finish some work on the Airstream. Although this was rapidly turning into a “Tour De Friends” we were still kind of on a “shake down cruise”, and still working out a few bugs with the trailer.

Kate’s sisters’ place is on the edge of the Tualip Indian Reservation which is famous for its fireworks. Being just before the 4th of July, there were literally hundreds of fireworks stands within a mile or so of the house. For days before the 4th, the fireworks would begin going off around dusk and continue unabated until 11pm or so. They finally reached their crescendo on the 4th, and from what we were told, through some sort of bizarre arrangement with the State, any fireworks left at the stands on the evening of the 4th had to either be sold or “destroyed”. This led to World War III breaking out on the night of the 4th. At one point, fireworks were going off so hot and heavy that the debris was hitting the Airstream like pelting rain. Since we had had some pretty good rain, that’s actually what we thought it was until we walked outside into an unmistakable cloud of gunpowder and a torrent of ash. Finally around midnight, somebody signaled a truce, and we got some sleep.

When we drove by the stands the next morning, they were completely abandoned and tons of fireworks debris was strewn everywhere. Perhaps a little odd when you think about it, Indians celebrating the 4th of July, until you learn that this is where they are forced to make the bulk of their income for the year.