On the Road Alone Again...

It seems like not too long ago I was happily writing fire side at Yellowstone National park, but so much has really happened in the last few weeks between here and there that I find myself struggling to begin.  I know I've been a little silent on the writing recently, but I want to just chalk that up to the amazing company I had.  Yes that's in the past tense.  I dropped her off at the end of her part of the journey today at noon at the airport.  We were both a little stressed with the whole flying thing, and I even managed to get a little snappy because of it.  Truth is though we really had the best 8 days ever.  We were perfect traveling companions balancing out each others extremities, and adding to the overall experience immeasurably.  No doubt her plane is landing as we speak, and though I already miss her, I can't help but think about the incredible part of the trip we shared.

Portland was absolutely amazing.  I picked Magzy up at the airport at 10pm so we walked around the city the next day for ages, though we could have easily spent a few days in the gorgeously clean and quirky city of roses.  And a bed of roses it really was as after getting two incredible doughnuts from the world famous Voodoo doughnut shop, we then made our way to the second biggest bronze statue in the US: the Portlandia.  With her hand reaching downward towards the onlookers you could really almost feel like she was reaching out for you saying "Yeah Portland is weird, but stick with me and I'll show you what makes it great!".

After that we took the last suggestions from my friend Iaen who we unfortunately didn't actually get a chance to see, and made our way to the breathtaking International Rose Test Garden.  This was by far the highlight of the day as it was nothing but hundreds of rows of the most beautiful roses I've ever seen.  Having over 100 different varieties it had the perfect color, shape, and scented rose for even a non-flower lover like me, but at the end I was truly converted.  Set in a spectacular park on the hill the views were incredible, the roses enchanting, and the end of our site seeing perfect.  Sure 8 or so hours in Portland was by far not enough time to truly get to know the city, but it was just enough time to fall in love.

We left that afternoon to make our way to the coast taking one of the most scenic drives through the most perfectly groomed fields I've ever seen.  An hour or so later we were there.  On the pacific coast ready to head south and see what the famed Oregon coast had to offer.  Now I know I tend to use this phrase a lot but to say it was anything other then epic would be an injustice.  Winding our way down the coast we fell in love with each and every mile, twist, and cliff all the more excited to be sharing it with each other. 

On the ferry ride from Anacortes to the outskirts of Seattle I managed to get a hot tip from a couple on a bike much like mine on a free campsite.  Since starting the trip one of my goals had been to do what I call Bandit camp, and in the dark around 9 o'clock we actually managed to find the dirt road pull off.  Quickly setting up camp to my surprise Magzy refused to do anything other then head to bed.  To be honest and fair seeing the spot in nothing but pitch black was by far the creepiest thing of the entire trip.  Every sound made us jump, and not knowing what was around us in the woods even 10 feet away due to the total dark didn't help at all. 

To our immense surprise we woke up the next day to by far the most beautiful campsite I had ever seen with no one around for miles except cars rushing by in the distance.  It had a beautiful waterfall and creek running through the site, and on further inspection we found numerous other areas were people had previously set up camp as indicated by the fire rings made of stones found in the forest.   This was rustic amping at best, and I even celebrated by taking a bath in the frigid pool formed by the waterfall. 

The next day we made our way further down the coast completely blown away by the sheer magnitude of the cliffs, the endless ocean, the waves crashing hundreds of feet below, and the immense beauty of it all.  Finally later that day we found a decent priced motel that was surprisingly clean despite its appearance and spent the night in comfort after roughing it Bandit camping,

Now in the last post I indicated another disaster, and at the time this seemed to be by far the worst more from the timing then the break itself.  We woke up the next day, packed up the bike, but on starting Saphira to get her warmed up I instantly felt the throttle cable snap!  Calling local shops I found no help from them as it was the 4th of July, they couldn't get to my bike for a week despite my desperate pleas, and they couldn't even get the part delivered by Monday (one day before we were supposed to be 850 miles south in San Francisco when Magzy was supposed to leave).  To say the very least I was scarred shitless, finding my only sanity in beginning to take apart the bike and keeping moving.  It was at least a three day drive, and being stranded in the little town for Magzy's entire trip was not something we wanted either. 

I know full well that there are a lot of bad people in the world, or good people who do awful things depending on how you look at it, but that day the awesomeness of the  human race proved itself to me yet again.  Two brothers volunteered their help and expertise and in no time using countless zip ties, Teflon tape, and other unusual methods we finally managed to connect a Honda something or other throttle cable to my Suzuki.  Since then I've traveled about 800 miles and my Frankenstein bike has worked perfectly!  When no shop would help me despite the promise of a good sizes bonus, we managed to beat the odds and rig something up.   Too cool.

As you can tell from the beginning of the post we made it to San Francisco, and had an incredible time exploring the somewhat dirty yet beautiful city.  We gorged ourselves on fresh sea food, we had our minds blown in the Bayside Aquarium, and walked endlessly around checking out the sites.  Their was a few parts to the city that even I wondered if we should be walking through, but overall it was incredible.  Getting Magzy to the airport I couldn't help but feel that although it was sad, a better time just couldn't have been possible.  Even the breakdown gave us an extra day to hang out and witnesses the moat spectacular 4th of July fireworks shows we've ever seen.  Sure it got a little difficult at times but at the end of the day thats what adventure traveling is all about.  If mount everest would have come equipped with a handy set of stairs what would be the excitement in making it to the top?  We made it to the top of this part of my journey, looked out at what we had both accomplished and realized that there was so much more to come, both for me in this journey and in our future.  It was an incredible time all around, and I'm pretty sure by the end I made good on my promise that it would be worth every single dollar.  Hopefully I won't find any comments to the contrary after I post this at my next hostel in Las Vegas, but I'd wager everything I have left that I won't. 

Highway 101 for Two!

July 6th, 2013
Fortuna, California
Distance traveled: 4030 miles

It's been 5 days since the lone motorcycle rider for truth and justice (our just good times, beer, and food!) has picked up his riding partner affectionately referred to as Magzy and in case you couldn't tell from the excessive gap between posts, it's been a wild ride but more to come on that topic later.

Before I picked her up from the Portland airport and before I stayed at any of my friends houses the long silent stretches of riding eating and sleeping had begun to wear on me.  For anyone who doesn't know me I love to talk, so much so that I will talk to pretty much anyone I see whether I know them or not.  While I believe that sometimes silence and thoughtfulness can be good, most of the time you'll find me rambling on about something or other most likely ad nasuem.

Enter Magzy.  For the last 5 days I've had someone to share each breathtaking site with, each winding cliff side switch back road, and each joy of success and frustration with trouble and just as I suspected she's a perfect traveling companion. She keeps me calm when I'm annoyed, keeps me on my toes with her jokes, and the almost child like amazement in her eyes when we see something incredible around almost every turn makes the experience that much better.  All of that without even mentioning how I even briefly considered turning around after I found myself missing her immensely. 

On top of her arrival this has been some of the best/craziest 5 days of the trip.  We've seen and experienced so much: Portland, the Oregon Coast, bandit camping as I like to refer to it as, and oh yeah.  My bike broke down big time!  Another disaster story is right around the corner but for now I should probably start getting ready as we have a four hour drive to Magzy's final destination on the trip: about 3 days in San Francisco.

The City With a Little Something For Everyone: Seattle

Jun... I mean July 1st, 2013
Portland, Oregon
Distance traveled: 3465 miles

It seems like every so often on a trip you find a place that's hard to leave, and for the first time this trip that place for me was the city of Seattle.  Chicago was easy to hit the gas and leave behind, and all the other stops along the way though exciting, I always get the itch to get back on the bike and head out normally after a day or so but that wasn't the case at all with Seattle.  It really seemed to have a little something special for everyone, and despite the few shady encounters with some of its more "diverse" people, its definitely the nicest city I've visited so far.

After moving from my hostel out near Seatac to my friend Dave and Ana's place downtown we were quick to hit the streets to see some pretty cool nightlife after an interesting but sweltering ballet performance in an impressive abandoned warehouse.  Taking the train back we eventually found ourselves in a bar/club where we were pounded by the impressive driving rock progressions of a( band called Indian Wars (though we really questioned the sincerity of the tambourine player!).

While the music and drinks were great, by far the best part of that evening was the people watching, a reoccurring theme of the city.  The nightlife on Capitol Hill seemed to draw in every type of person from the LGBTQ community in the midst of celebrating Pride, to the dingy grunge rocker with the almost mandatory dirty denim jacket.  Everyone was dancing, drinking, smoking (legal here recreationally!) , and the vibe of the city that night couldn't have been more fun and laid back.

The next day we made a straight line to the holy grail of farmers markets (which are my favorite places to go): The Pike Place Market.   They had everything and I tried as many things as I could paying for some, and sampling others in total happiness.  I tried an oyster shooter, fresh smoked salmon, crab cocktail, $18 per pound cheese (!), nectarines, cherries, the founding spot of Starbucks, and the famed tossing of the fish.  They had everything and it all tasted amazing.  Without a doubt I could have easily of spent the rest of the day and then some there but we had more to do and see.

From their we took a short water taxi ride to West Seattle and made our way to a busy beach full of people enjoying the unusual heat wave of 90+ degrees.  Though hot as it was, the water turned out to be on an entirely different schedule as it was ice cold.  Me and Dave managed to dunk our heads and swim for a bit but only with a total dedication to beat the heat.  But we did it when no other adults would, just kids, and hanging out on the beach of the Puget Sound was great.

The next day we did more of the same loafing around the city at the laid back west coast speed this time making our way down to a  sandwich place at Pike Place, and another beach this time only a few blocks away.  The water being a lake here was much more enjoyable and soon enough I found myself swimming up to a huge boat with thoughts of piracy racing through my mind, watching planes land in the water not far from me, and jumping off a low bridge into the water like the other kids there.

By far the coolest part of Sunday though was the massive crowds of people coming out for a gay pride parade bigger then any parade I've seen before.  For anyone who hasn't been to a Pride parade of this magnitude let me paint you a picture.  Besides your usual floats put on by supportive local businesses and organizations helping the community, on the more exotic side it had naked people on bikes (some with body paint, others without), men dressed as dogs on leashes, a leather pride section which I'll skip the details on, and even a crowd goer in a speedo who pulled down his shorts in front of us showing two cheeks sporting massive gashes from a group with whips who had just walked by.  No doubt while the intimidating men with whips were parading by he must have stuck his naked butt out there to see what it felt like, and he got a double dose in return.  I can only imagine his unhappiness later in the week every time he goes sit, or stand, or move, or...  Ouch!

There couldn't have been a happier group and getting to experience the almost rabid celebration of how far we've come as a society really was a heart touching moment.  Ever day it seems like we move just a little closer to equality for all in every aspect of life, and in times full of turmoil and compromises its progress and celebrations like this that reminds us of what we have to fight for as human beings, and remind us that we can truly change when we want to. 

All in all my time in Seattle was perfect.  The first two nights I got to relax, and then I got culture, incredible food (fried oysters and chips for dinner one night), swimming, great weather and awesome sights.  I was almost sad leaving the city today for the short 180 mile drive to Portland, but the fact that I would be picking up Magan in just a few short hours and having a travel companion for the first time on the trip gave me the drive to push on!  Goodbye Seattle, Dave, and Ana and thank you for the amazing hospitality.  It's been epic, but now on to Portland and the mythical highway 101!