I got an early start.  My goal was Seattle, Washington which is about 400 miles north of Crater Lake. My route north would take me past more of the volcanic peaks of the Cascade Range.

I had already passed Mt. Shasta, and Mt. Lassen in Northern California.  Then, Crater Lake. These peaks are all part of a 600-mile chain from Northern California up through Oregon, Washington and up into British Columbia.  In Oregon, I would pass Mt. Bachelor, the Three Sisters and Mt. Hood.

Over the last 4,000 years, there have been a series of eruptions in this chain. The most recent and dramatic was Mt. St. Helens – a massive blast that destroyed half the mountain.

As I drove north, these peaks would appear to the east of me. Many were still snow-capped despite it being July.

The traffic was light. The day was sunny and clear. The further north I drove, the more beautiful the Northwest became. Crossing the Columbia Gorge with a snow-covered Mt. Hood to my east was stunning.

Crossing into Washington State, the Northern Cascades loomed to my east including Mt. Adams, then the blasted remnants of Mt. St. Helens, and finally the majestic and massive Mt. Rainier. As I approached Seattle, the Olympic Range appeared to the west. The Olympics, Puget Sound and the Northern Cascades created the most beautiful setting for a city I had ever seen. It was easy to see why people rave about the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle was a beautiful city and one landmark stood out from the rest – the Space Needle. At 605 feet tall, the Space Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair. At the top of the Space Needle is an observation deck and a restaurant. The restaurant slowly rotates and makes one full rotation every 45 minutes providing a 360-degree view of the city and on clear sunny days like today, Mt. Rainier.

I parked my trusty red 1956 VW bug at Seattle Center and took the elevator which whisked me to the top in less than a minute. As the sun began to set, the view was spectacular.

After I had walked around the full 360 degrees and soaked in the fabulous view, I was seated at a table. As I began to check out the dinner menu, the sunset colors got richer and more glorious.

Ready to splurge, I was pleasantly surprised the prices were so reasonable. (If you look closely, the 1965 prices for this wonderful dinner at the top of the Space Needle in Seattle are as crazy as 30 cents per gallon of gasoline.) So, I ordered the Complete Space Needle Dinner. I chose The Eye of the Needle Salad. When in Rome, I chose the Filet of Puget Sound Salmon.

As I ate, I enjoyed the ever-changing view of city lights. The food was delicious. I felt so fortunate to be in this unique place leisurely enjoying delicious food when only a few short months ago I was in a chow hall at MCRD San Diego choking down a massive amount of food with a ferocious drill instructor breathing down my neck. And in less than a couple of weeks I would be back at hot dusty Camp Pendleton humping those mountains with my rifle, flak jacket and a heavy pack on my back.

As I enjoyed each bite of my amazing dessert, I thought how bizarre life can be at times.

I finished dinner then took one more complete 360 degree trip around the restaurant. Outside, on the observation deck, it was cool and a little breezy.

I enjoyed the rush of the elevator. I walked the short distance to the waterfront boardwalk and north by Pike Place Market and the busy Ferry Terminal. There was even a Market Street like San Francisco. It brought back memories of fun dates walking the San Francisco waterfront, seeing the Ferry Building and eating dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf. I was a different person now from the teenager with a fake ID drinking and dancing at the clubs on Columbus Avenue in North Beach, San Francisco.

I walked back to my car. I drove away from the big city downtown and found a cheap motel to crash for the night. I was relaxed, comfortably full and pleasantly tired. It had been an amazing day for a 20-year-old on his own 800 miles from home. Growing up, I was always criticized for being a loner or a “Lone Wolf." I get the feeling that in the not-too-distant future I will be in circumstances far more extreme than Marine Corps Bootcamp thousands of miles from home. I found the thought of that thrilling and exciting. As the saying goes “You only go round once – make the most of it.”

I drifted off to sleep.

Life Showed Up

As I shared in the last newsletter, I had resisted raising prices for more than 5 years – since before Covid. But, as I shared, the powerful GLP-1 weight loss drugs have triggered massive weight loss. Along with weight, more than 40% of what people are losing is muscle (Lean Body Mass: muscles, bones, Organs (yes, organs), and fluids of their bodies.) Only high-quality animal protein effectively stimulates protein synthesis – muscle building. The higher the quality of the animal protein, the more powerful and effective the building, restoring, and maintaining of lean body mass (muscle). And, as you know so well, The highest quality animal protein is whey protein isolate – JDD protein. In the last 2 years, the wholesale price of whey protein isolate has shot up 139%. It is simple supply and demand. There is a massive demand that protein manufacturers can not keep up with. They are building plants like crazy but it is estimated that supply will not catch up until late 2027 or early 2028.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

As always, I wish you the very best of health.
Joe

Start your day with a JDD protein shake like Joe!