Guess where we are

As JeanneC noted in Comments, we visited the Washington State branch of Cabela's today.

Traffic was horrible. Talking to one of the gang from the AR15.com Washington hometown forum, he mentioned that I5 was very slow from Tacoma north to (about) here, so I figured to take State Route 167 to SR512, and avoid that. Unfortunately, about 2 miles before the junction with I5, it became a parking lot, and it took us an hour to get to Fort Lewis, a total of about 10 road miles. At Fort Lewis, traffic miraculously cleared up. Poof! It was gone, back to (passed) the speed limit...

First we stopped at Shipwreck Beads, just up the road from Cabelas. And a very dangerous place it is, too; when she is not doing fiber arts, Mrs. Drang is beading, and this stuff is like catnip, Bearcatnip, as it were...

Well, they have a small cafe, so I could have a cup of coffee and a muffin while she shopped... Dragged it out an hour or so, and she had gone through about three quarters of the store... Which makes me sound like like I really hated it, but I had, after all enticed her into making the Cabelas trip with a promise of visiting Shipwreck Beads, so I sucked it up.

Which should not be taken to imply that she hated going to Cabelas...

First we checked out Women's Clothes.

Then I found a pair of camp shorts for me.

Then we went back to Women's Clothes to find a pair of same for her.

Then we went upstairs, after a quick detour through the aquarium, to go to the gun department, but decided to go have dinner instead, and a very nice Bison Burger with Provolone it was. (Mrs. Drang had the grilled chicken, replacing the bun with lettuce.)

On the way back to the gun department we wandered through Camp Cookery, checking out grills, portable fire pits, camp stoves and ovens--Camp Chef has a propane camp oven with two oven racks and two stove burners--and a rather nifty camp sink. The camp microwave oven seem a bit ridiculous...

And so, eventually, to the gun (formally, "Hunting") department. Perusing the used long gun racks, I spotted a Rossi Trifecta. It seemed too big for her--Mrs. Drang is about a foot shorter than me--and this was not labeled as being the youth model, so, looking at the shelves behind the counter, I noticed a section titled "Youth Models", which included what was either a Rossi Trifecta or an H&R Handi Rifle.

Taking a number, we waited. During the interminable wait--and which one industry is doing well in the new and improved Obamacized economy, class?--I wandered the aisles and determined that Cabelas has a goodly supply of .223 Remington/5.56mm NATO and .308 Winchester/7.62mm NATO ammunition. Their supply of .45 ACP and 9mm NATO is pretty paltry, though. (As is everybody's.)

Back to the counter, Mrs. Drang was getting close...and I realized that there was one of the new Ruger LCR .38 Specials in the case. (Note to the counter guy helping the customer before us: Rugers web site says HKS Speedloader 36A, and lists several holsters.)

Eventually, patience paid off and Mrs. Drang got to fondle several short rifles, and determined that, evidently, youth model rifles--or maybe just youths in general--are not made in Mrs. Drang sizes. The dimensions are off. Not that I am complaining about my wife not having the dimensions of a youth, mind you...

I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed "coon fingering"* the Ruger LCR, as Law Dog would put it. Geeze-oh-Pete is that thing light! It may be rated to handle +P rounds, but you'd have to be in serious danger, or a dedicated masochist, to want to try that! Still, a small, lightweight, mostly polymer revolver might be just the ticket for concealed carry when it it hot and humid out, and one is dressed appropriately. It's as small as, and lighter than, most Smith and Wesson J Frames. I remain a devotee of John Browning's (pbuh) 1911 for serious social purposes, but small, lightweight revolvers have their place, including backup to one's "Hartford Iron", as it were.**

The less said about the Gun Library the better. They need to provide drool cups. It has been a long time since I have seen a .30-40 Krag with the original wood in such good shape.

After grabbing a couple of (on-sale) pistol lock-boxes for the cars, we drifted through Housewears--well, Mrs. Drang drifted, I checked out the Comfy Chair--and then checked out and headed for home.

Traffic was non-existant heading back to the city. GUess Mrs. Drang isn't the only one with a long, holiday weekend...

*Ever seen a racoon wash and handle it's food...?
**My Combat Commander was made when Colt was stil selling to mere civilians, and was pretty much the only game in town for 1911s, unless you could find a Star or maybe a Detonics, which were still being made in Seattle...