An asphault spill that closed I-84 East. Yeah, CLOSED. All day. =-o

A late-starting pub quiz where my dedicated Hood Riverites showed up in force – 55 people!

Even some post-quiz blues dancing to finish up the evening. What a night!

It all turned out alright, even though I started out from Portland at 4pm and got to Hood River at 7:35. Yikes! It was a like a freakin maze of road closures and backups, and only one clear path over the mountain. Check this route out:

Yeah, that’s right. I went all the way to Troutedale, got turned around, was heading back to 205 north to take HWY 14 east on the Washington side of the river, heard that Cascade Locks bridge was closed, and then went south and around the mountain, finally taking 35 north into hood river. SAY WHAT? The drive was gorgeous though, so it was worth doing… once. =)

The quizzers were really amazing and waited – I called the Horse & Hound and they agreed to let people know I’d be late. I showed up to a round of applause, because they are that awesome, and we got underway without further ado! The quiz was a ton of fun, and people were extra lubricated – pubquizzer Ellen said, “Well you got here late, so we all got drunk!”

Team XY came in first place tonight, making it a FOURPEAT for their team. That’s right – 4 wins in 4 weeks in Hood River. Can anyone stop them? We had some really close scores – I think it’s only a matter of time, and they should watch their backs! In second place came Team Jeff Goldbloom, with 2 Toads Totally Tired in the third cashey-money spot. Third took home over $30, so it wasn’t a bad pot at all. Given next week’s theme, I’m going to say that 2 Toads is going to take first place. Let’s just say they will have a ringer or two for the theme. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

So, thanks to everyone for waiting for me – the quiz turned out really, really worth it. And thanks for having drinks with me Ellen, Frank. You guys, along with Melissa, Team Canada, Angela, and all the other people who stayed after and had fun really cheered me up. I came *this* close to not making it over there due to things out of my control, but thanks to a combination of google maps and a cell phone to my patient father, I can still say I’ve never missed a quiz in Hood River. Rain or Snow or Sickness or 3,500 tons of ASPHAULT, I’ll make it there, damnit.