The Accidental Naturalist found herself in a commercial carwash today. After five years in Olympia, our car was sporting a nice outcrop of moss and hadn't had a proper bath in years. We live on a hill and any driveway washing would inevitably send gallons (100 on average) of soapy, gritty, mossy water directly into Budd Inlet.
So, while I was out running errands, I pulled into the Go Green Carwash, forked over some cash, put the car in neutral, and rolled up the windows. In seconds, the car started getting stuffy and hot and I was hoping I wouldn't have to open a window mid-wash for fresh air. And then the soap hit and distracted me from my claustrophobia and sweaty brow.
I looked out my front windshield and then pulled out my camera to record what appeared to be a major meteorological event:
Here are the altocumulus clouds moving in.
The clouds are thickening on the horizon.
Now the nimbostratus unleash a turbulent fury of rain to the parched land.
The sun--low in the sky--attempts to penetrate the thick layer of cloud.
The front passes, I survive the tempest and drive out of the car wash.
So, not only was my carwash fun, I was able to support a local green business that has a water reclamation system (eight underground tanks with a storage capacity of 9000 gallons) designed to keep waste water from carwashes from entering our watersheds. Go Green also stores rainwater and uses that prior to drawing on City of Olympia Water. Just in case you are on Olympia's West Side looking for cheap, clean, fun this weekend, here is your ticket:
