Flashback to Portland

This would have been Saturday and Sunday 10/9 - 10/10

Samoa Cookhouse

Flashback to the Lost Coast.  This day was kinda uneventful.  After our spectacular morning drive we stopped for some breakfast on the Samoa Peninsula just outside of Eureka, CA.  Samoa Cookhouse, big buffet style red-checkered table cloths.  Kent found something about it in his Lonely Planet USA book so off we went.

Rainy Day on the Oregon Coast

And we keep on driving.  It was raining again, the first time since we left LA.  It was appropriate I would say.  We crossed into the Oregon border and I missed the sign.  Kent was sleeping in the passenger seat.  I got news from Raffi and Catie that they would be joining me in Seattle and Vancouver respectively.  Raffi also called to see if Anny could also join us in Vancouver.  It would be a tight squeeze, but we'd make it work.  Strap some stuff to the roof if we have to.  We had been very lucky with the weather up until now, but the Oregon coast was still a lovely sight to see even in the rain.

Autumn In Oregon

We took the coast until we got a glimpse of the Oregon Dunes in Reedsport, then we cut east toward the 5 along what I assume is the Umpqua river, or stream, or something water and pretty, whatever it was called.  In a matter of hours we left California mountain coast and were transported to a colorful autumn.  The weather shaped up a bit, but I was tired and ready to reach a destination, so we gave up on the coast and headed for the freeway to Portland.  Honeydew, CA to Portland, OR.





 We got there late evening, hosted by Don.  More couchsurfing.  Mary-kate had surfed Don and his roommates' couch a while back when she went to Portland.  We returned the favor and hosted them in LA when their band came to town.  I had only met Don for all of 3 minutes that day, but she put us in contact and, voila, we have a free place to stay and a bit of a guide in Portland. 

Woke up the next morning to rain again and wanted to go for a run.  Don's house was in a neighborhood up on some bluffs on the north side of Portland.  I went to run along the bluffs and found I was not the only one with that idea.  Apparently we were situated at approximately mile 19 of the Portland marathon this fine rainy Saturday morning.  I considered altering my route, but after a quick glance around it seemed no one would notice or mind if I just hopped in and ran a bit.  I stayed on course with the marathoners for about a mile or so before I headed in through the neighborhood to loop back around.  Running in a marathon is totally fun!  Glad I got that out of the way.

Over the River and Through the Woods

I left Portland for St. Helens to visit my Aunt Claudia whom I had never met.  My paternal grandmother's sister.  She actually lived quite on the outskirts of St. Helens which was a small town about an hour north of Portland.  I literally took a turn off the main road and then drove to the end of every road I came to after that, concluding with driving to the end of a dirt road where I found her cozy home, solitary on a hill overlooking rolling woods and farm land and the outline of Portland in the distance.  I had an absolutely marvelous time meeting her, drinking tea, eating some delicious pea soup, reading and puzzling.  Her daughter also stopped in and I was able to meet my dad's cousin Susan (my 2nd cousin) for the first time as well.  I ended up staying the night there, learning that there was another strong, interesting, independent woman in my family and somehow discovering things about myself through someone I had just met.

Claudia's Patio

5000 Miles Later

Already failing here with this blog thing.  I have made it back to the Northeast Region of the United States of America! 

Cheryl in front of the Banff Castle, all packed up.

Its hard to believe its already been 3 weeks since I left my home in Santa Monica.  Its hard to believe its only been 3 weeks since I left my home in Santa Monica.  Cheryl did a wonderful job getting me across the continent safely and without complications.  I somehow managed to not have to drive 1 inch of the way without a wonderful and much appreciated companion or 2 or 3. 

Beautiful Lake Louise and our hotel, from a view point on the hike

We basically Fairmont hopped from Canada to Chicago, livin' large for a week, actin like money ain't no thang.  Lake Louise was the most beautiful natural thing I have ever seen with my own two eyes.  Driving up to the most magnificent hotel I've ever been in in my '98 Subaru with extra luggage covered in a blue tarp on top was pretty offensive.  After 2 nights at Lake Louise, with a refreshing 6 hour hike, we drove down to our Castle Resort in Banff where we did a nice day hike followed by spa-time and Anny's birthday dinner. 

The much dreaded 30 hours from Calgary to Chicago came and passed.  We started with an afternoon by a lake in Glacier National Park in Montana, then Catie and I alternated states from Montana to Chicago.  First Catie drove Montana, I napped until 2am and woke up for my graveyard shift until 8am, crossing all of North Dakota in one fell swoop.  We realized we could make it to Chicago by evening so off we went with serious determination for Chicago before total exhaustion!  Catie took the reigns and manhandled the shit out of Minnesota, and then I did the final stretch through Wisconsin and into Chicago, Illinois.  Thursday, 10/21/10. 

Sunrise in North Dakota

Architecture Boat Ride Tour in Chicago

Had an absolutely wonderful 4 nights in Chicago.  Being that we made it to Chicago a day early, we had no reservations so we stayed with Raffi's friend Greg initially, then checked into the Fairmont there for Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights.  I woke up Friday morning to discover my first major FAIL of the trip - my wallet was gone.  Giant pain in my ass, but after stressing out over it for a while I finally accepted that what's done is done.  I still had my passport and could easily get cash from the bank, and so the show would go on.  Chicago is a very great city.  The weather cooperated so well from start to finish of this whole trip.  There were a few welcomed rainy days.  My last night in Chicago we took a little run along the lake in the warm sprinkling rain, then jumped in the freezing cold Lake Michigan.  It sure feels good to be alive sometimes.

Raffi and Anny left Saturday morning while Catie and I stayed in town until Monday.  I had my last teary goodbye for a while.  The most amazing thing about hugging a person you love goodbye and crying a little is that you remember to appreciate them the way they deserve all the time.  (That sentence is for you Catie, but the concept applies to many more)

Last night I made it to Syracuse, where I had a nice dinner with family and my last road trip partner, on board for the Chicago - Syracuse part of the voyage.  It was very nice to be able to relax a little, see Dad and Kathy, and unload the car a bit.  But, of course its a little strange to not be on the road again and Bri and Emily are out there somewhere, so off I go again!  This morning I left for Albany, where Facundo caught the bus back to the farthest east, and I am now sitting next to one of the loves of my life.   Brianna Trexler, the greatest thing that came from my year in Buffalo, NY. 

And tomorrow, from Albany I drive to Burlington, VT.  There I find my darling little sister, with her semi-urban chicken ranch.

Girl Time

I collected Raffi in Seattle Thursday morning, we spent the day and night there.  By Friday evening we arrived in Vancouver where Catie joined us.  Now it is Saturday morning and we are waiting for Anny, we will pack her in the car somehow and then we are off to a Girly Resort Retreat!

We have reservations for 2 night at the Fairmont Lake Louise, and then 2 more nights at Banff Springs.  Hell yes employee benefits!  I am leaving my phone off until we are back in the States, which really makes me feel good.

We couchsurfed again last night in Vancouver.  Raffi and Catie are not members on the site but our gracious hosts in Seattle and Vancouver have surely left a nice impression.

I want to catch up the days between Honeydew, CA and Vancouver... they are good.  So, stay tuned!

Now we drive.  10 hours crammed in the car.  Nothing compared to whats coming on Wednesday.  Calgary to Chicago.  My muscles ache just thinking about it.

A is for Adventure

OK, day 3 (10/8) is the winner! (As of 10/14/10)

I really like waking up here

Woke up there in Stillwater Cove pretty early and continued to drive, eventually taking a break in Fort Bragg, CA.  I was in the mood for some exercise and got local recommendation to run a path down by the ocean.  Unfortunately, It didn't take my own picture but I did find this one online just to give you an idea.  It was a beautiful warm day, you could run on a little treaded path right on the edge of the bluffs.  It was breathtaking and wonderful and I can't really say more than that - you really should have been there.

Northbound we continued through the Avenue of the Giants.  Redwoods are cool! 

This picture can't explain

After that we tried to navigate to another scenic drive mentioned in Kent's book along the Lost Coast (here comes the fun part).  GPS led us astray and we ended up a little too far south at Shelter Cove in the King Range National Conservation Area.  Already a pretty intense steep and winding road, we did make it to see the ocean but dusk was arriving and there wasn't much point to do the Lost Coast drive at night.  We tried to navigate to a town along the way, maybe find a place to camp and then continue to the coastal portion in the morning.  Seemed easy enough, but the GPS took us on the steepest, scariest dirt road I have ever had the pleasure to drive on.  The sun was just about set, and little did I know I was going to be on this road for close to 2 hours.  15-20 miles can take a while when you are driving 8-15 mph.  After passing 5 identical puddles coming around 5 identical corners, I was pretty sure we were trapped in the twilight zone.  Of course we were in Humbolt County, and its harvest season so (what I can only assume were) marijuana crops were fragrant all around us.  We had thoughts that maybe we were somewhere we shouldn't be and that could be bad.  (Everything was fine, Dad don't worry)  There were a few signs along the way for camp grounds and maybe trail heads which was reassuring.  Otherwise it was pitch black and spooky!  Cheryl (yeah, that's my car's name - she came with it) handled like a champ, and I really, really appreciated her and all of her abilities as an individual after what we went through together.  Let's just say my nerves were good an shot by the end of this, but really I loved every single moment of it.

Finally we made it back to a paved road, and saw several parked cars and even a couple of humans!  We were in Honeydew, CA and we made it just in time for Ian's birthday party.  Turns out many of the people there were growers, and assumed Kent and I had showed up for "trimming" work for a few days or however long we could.  By the end of the evening we had secured ourselves some floorspace in a yurt on a farm.  A couple of kids from Montana who were there to work for the harvest were decent enough to host us.  The farm had chickens and cows and blueberries in addition to an ample supply of ganja, (again just inferential assumptions)!  Its a strange sort of hippie mafia out there on the Lost Coast.  All in all a fantastic adventure, probably the most spontaneous and exciting we had on the drive up the Pacific.  Again, this is the best I can do with words to describe how much I enjoyed all of this, the anxiety, the beauty - all of it.  Maybe I am too ignorant to articulate myself, maybe there aren't enough words in the world to do the job and again - you really should have been there.

Again we woke very early and drove on.  Got on the road before the sun was up, and drove the Lost Coast during sunrise.  Making it to the secluded black sand beaches, the early morning stillness and the fresh air along with the great excitement and challenge from the previous night to get there made this, in my opinion, the biggest success thus far!

On The Road Again

Well, I've been on the road for 6 days already, and failing to write as often as I would like, both here and on paper.  

I finally drove away from Santa Monica around 3pm on Wednesday, October 6.  After many long, drawn-out, torturous, beautiful, heartwarming, much appreciated goodbye gatherings the day and the hour and the minute really came.  It was an uncharacteristically gloomy and rainy day, setting the mood for my bittersweet departure.  Los Angeles cried with me that day!

So I headed up to La Canada to pick up my couchsurfing co-pilot.  I had posted an event on couchsurfing.org(if you don't know about this, look it up, if you are scared of it, don't be!) about my roadtrip and necessity for a partner or 2 and a few days before I left Kent signed up for the first leg of the trip to Seattle.  Off we went directly to San Francisco, where we stayed with Mikal.  Also a couchsurfer that I had surfed with last year when Mary-Kate, James, my sister and I went up for the Treasure Island Music Festival.  

Originally I planned to stay in SF for a few days, but when we woke up Thursday morning Kent and I shared the want for the open road, windows down, ocean breeze in our faces.  After an oil change, a stop at the bank, and another failed attempt to find Mussel Rock we headed over the Golden Gate Bridge and up California Interstate 1.  

Eventually we saw a sign for a slight detour to a lighthouse, which sounded pleasant, so to the lighthouse we went.  Point Reyes National Seashore, not too far north of San Francisco.  We drove out to the tip, walked down to the lighthouse, conquering its 300 stair entrance, and looked out over the Pacific.  We saw a pod of dolphins traveling south, jumping and playing along the way, it was a beautiful sunny day.  It made me think of this. http://xkcd.com/59/ (You should read this comic all the time.)  

A man overheard us talking about camping and suggested a site called Stillwater Cove.  We arrived just around sunset, which was perfect.  I used my skills acquired as a child heating our house with a woodstove, and got a pretty good fire going.  We had a few beers, I wrote some stuff down, and read a little, and slept outside in my sleeping bag on my yoga mat.  It was a good day.

Hours to Minutes

Seconds turn to minutes, minutes turn to hours, hours turn to days, and eventually you have a lifetime.  Anticipation reverses the process.  Months turn to weeks, weeks turn to days, and eventually you are an emotional mess of tears.

In the last few days I have sorted through the material remnants of the last 5-6 years of my life.  Personal belongings sorted, evaluated, and ruthlessly discarded, packed away into a snowboard bag and a few suitcases, a box of photo albums and books.

I sold my bike and have taken away numerous bags of clothing, books, cds, shoes, etc.  Piece by piece I reduce my possessions to fit in the back of a Subaru Outback.  No matter how much I free myself of, it all still seems too much.

Today I went on a "discovery flight."  We took off from Santa Monica Airport and I took control of N1111X from Malibu to Hollywood.  Slight complications during the flight with a malfunctioning throttle only made me feel that much more thrilled, and forced my novice engagement in landing.  Getting a pilot's license isn't the worst idea I've ever had.

Tonight I played trivia at the Cock 'n' Bull one last time with my favorite trivia team and favorite bartender.  Watery eyes ensued.

I have 5 days left here in Santa Monica, CA.  I have loved this place and often declared I may never leave.  I am leaving, but I have a good feeling I'm coming back.  It's hard to turn your back on Home Sweet Home.  I reserve that nomination for this part of the world.