We walk into a bar after church

Bigfoot Inn, Washougal, Washington
It really is weird to feel guilty for not drinking. I know there are plenty of Baptists in the United States who feel racked with guilt for sipping a Bud Lite while watching an NFL game after church. People with problems with alcohol abuse beat themselves up severely for giving in to the bottle.

But this is a bar blog, and it just feels wrong to go to a bar and not drink (though Mindy did it earlier this month). The thing is, during October we went to churches in the furthest north, south, east, and west parts of the state, and last weekend we spent the night in Portland and drove to Washougal, the most southern town we could find in Washington. Bigfoot Inn was just a couple of blocks from the church we visited.

I was going to be driving back to Seattle, the weather was looking iffy, and I hadn’t slept well the night before -- so I decided it would be best if I had caffeine rather than alcohol at the bar. In my defense, Bigfoot Inn had a big sign for Dr. Pepper outside. DP it was. Mindy had a strawberry/apple hard cider from the tap, and I enjoyed a few sips.

As soon as we heard of Bigfoot Inn, we wanted very much to visit. It does a fine job of honoring the Sasquatch traditions of the Northwest. The hairy creatures provide much of the artistic decor (along with Halloween touches, since it was the weekend before the holiday).

We sat at the bar, and Cassy the bartender brought us a menu, noting that it was two for one taco day (and the tacos were only $2.75 to begin with). I ordered a half order of nachos (only $4). Everything on the menu was inexpensive, which is a plus for a neighborhood hangout.

When one man came in, Cassy said, “So, Ricky, you’re going to have four tacos?”

An even better deal than the tacos was the pool table; games are free on Sunday (they’re normally 50 cents a game). A couple of older guys were playing pool, but they interrupted their game to try the pull tabs (“Whoo whoo” I heard one of the men say, so I guess he won).

Football was on the TVs, and it was a good day for the Seahawks who tamed the Lions (See what I did there? One of many reasons I’m not a sports writer.) But a Hawks win makes the whole state of Washington happy.

When Cassy had a free moment we asked the two questions we always ask, “What makes for a good bar?” and “Whether you go or not, what makes for a good church?”

“For a small town, this is community. It’s a place to hang out. Women have a pool night, men have a pool tournament night, and everyone watches the games.” There was talk about how it was a family kind of place, but as Cassy’s mom is a breakfast cook and her uncle is the DJ for karaoke every week, it literally is family for her.

As for church, Cassy said she hadn’t gone since she was a kid and even then didn’t go regularly. Still, she had a suggestion, “There should be a good feeling and good stories from the Bible.”

As we walked to the car we could see a thunderstorm coming in, and as we got on the road, it hit. I was glad to be sober and alert behind the wheel, but I was also glad we had taken time for the Bigfoot Inn.