Oh Canada! On the 4th of July

On the 4th of July I caught the ferry from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC. I arrived at the port extra early for two reasons; firstly to escape the, what I can only describe as a clan with no collective clue on campground etiquette and the concept of quiet time, who overtook two pitches next to me at 10pm the preceding night in Elwah Valley. They are all going to burn in hell. Nothing fills me with dread more than the sight of a gang of small children on a campground. It never adds up to any good. Secondly, I didn't have a ferry reservation. So I had a couple of hours to kick around Port Angeles. My healthy breakfast of instant oatmeal and a grapefruit having long worn off, I went to Safeway for something cheap. Since the something cheap turned out to be two donuts for $1, I'm not really in a position to judge the purchase of the woman in front of me, but here it is anyways. Remember, it's Independence Day.

one dozen donuts

a case of Coors

a bottle of Jaegermeister

a pack of paper plates

a bottle of Tums

a bag of baby carrots

America knows how to celebrate! Although the baby carrots confound me. I can only assume there's a pet bunny at home.

Nutty Narrows

I always appreciate an oddball attraction, and Longview, WA delivers with Nutty Narrows - perhaps the world's only squirrel bridge, rigged high between two trees, and allowing safe passage over Olympia Way for the small and furry. Unfortunately, it was not in use when I was there. I rode back to Longview all the way from Castle Rock to see it, and it was totally worth it. 

bearish

I was pootling through Washington's Leadbetter State Park in the evening, and a bear loped across the road right in front of me. I couldn't have been more surprised. The excitement at seeing it was tempered by the terror that Mama Bear was possibly not very far away; perhaps just on the other side of the trees and bushes lining the road, and so thick they were impossible to see through. It wasn't a cub, but I don't think it was an adult either. In fact, it looked sort of about the same size as the scooter, maybe a touch bigger. I stopped a few hundred yards down the road, just sitting on the scooter with the engine still running, and saw it wander back across the road and disappear into the woods. I had to return down the same road in order to leave the park, and was both hoping that I would see it again, and not. Oddly - perhaps ominously? - there was one shoe in the middle of the road not far from the sighting, but no sign of the foot it belonged to. 

the small and the mighty

I thought I was sort of a badass. Here I am, riding a relatively small scooter on America's fast and furious freeways. I have a proper topbox, which was conveniently included when I bought the scooter, but other than that, my backpack is simply attached to the back seat with some strategically oriented bungee cords. Another day bag is resting on the floorboard between my feet, sort of secured to the bag hook. So, tiny transport in a big country, with a little bit of down and dirty thrown in. Then I met these guys, and consider myself out-badassed. 

They are riding three rattletrap Honda Trail 90's around the entire United States. I met them on the third day of my trip, also the third day of their trip, in the Safeway parking lot in Florence, Oregon, where we were all in search of budget vittles (also, Safeway has free wifi). We swapped travel stories, and I spent a lot of time admiring their entire get-up, and the number of things bungeed to various points. These bikes seem a perfect method of travel along roads like 101; they are too small to legally be ridden in traffic, so they can simply tootle along off to the side in the bicycle lane, at a leisurely pace, but can also cover more ground than a bicycle. 

Meeting these guys made me really happy. Three adventurous souls who were undertaking something a little crazy, partially prepared, partially winging it, with a dash of haphazard, and a lot of style. During my four months sitting at home I was sinking into complacency; always thinking a little about traveling again, but not doing anything about it. Being wrapped in my apartment was just too comfy. Now that I'm on the road again, and meeting interesting and friendly folk, I'm feeling rejuvenated and excited about travel. I was hoping to see them again, but they continued north while I detoured inland to Eugene for a day, and at this point have outpaced me up the coast.

bite-sized

big blue and little blue

Scooting North

After almost ten months on the road, I've now been home for just over four months. Much time has been spent binge-watching television, stocking the fridge with groceries, and channeling my inner sloth. But too much unstructured free time is not good for me, so I bought a scooter and am starting a little road trip to see how far I can get. It's all sort of an experiment. I've never done a self-supported two-wheel tour of any kind. I'm minimally prepared. I figure that after learning to navigate the controlled chaos of Tbilisi's Didube Bus Station last year, worrying about directions in my native land and tongue doesn't seem all that necessary. And I like to dabble with a little spontaneity, as it goes against my nature. The only goal right now is to get on 1 North, and see where it takes me. I don't have any schedule to keep, so getting a little lost at times isn't a concern. My limiting wander factor is a 2.4 gallon gas tank. More info on the scooter in another post. I'll be keeping an eye out for free wifi as I go.