July 27, 2008 Sunday - Day 27
USA/MEXICO/CANADA
DOUBLE CROSS COUNTRY
& THE TRANSCANADA HIGHWAY
-- OR BUST - SUMMER 2008
Miles Today - 283 - Total Miles - 6371
Albany,OR (south of Salem) - to Bainbridge Island, WA
(-staying at the home where Doug & Barb Humes are house/dog sitting -)
(OR-WA)
- -
I had to get my butt (and the rest of me) out the door relatively early this morning, for I was meeting my college friend Ken, and his wife, Maria for breakfast at 8:30am at Elmers, a breakfast place in town.
It was sure great seeing them again. Ken and I graduated Kutztown State College and went out and set the world afire with our teaching. We helped each other a lot in those college days and ate a ton of beer pretzels together!
Now I don't think one could find folks further apart in political or religious philosophies than me from Ken and Maria. Yet there were agreements in lots of areas, and at least we could have a dialogue! We sat and caught up on families and work and lives.
But mainly like a bunch of old codgers we sat talking about the new generation - the perceived downfalls and problems with younger folks. The only thing that gives me comfort after such conversations is a quote from Socrates from over 2,000 years ago:
“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers”. Attributed to Socrates by Plato, 469-399BC.
It was too soon we had to part. They were heading to a family baptism, and I had miles to go and more folks to visit.
Then it was 20 miles to visit with Petra and Mike in Salem. Petra is my apprentice Tom's mom. (I had seen and stayed with Tom's dad, you may recall, about a month ago in Charlottesville,VA.)
Mike is a motorcycling guy, and was wearing an “I RIDE” shirt as I drove up. That looked awfully good to me. I liked, and got a picture of Petra's bumper sticker which bespoke a Gandhi quote, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
There were splendid gardens around the home, partially due to the work Tom had done putting in a great sprinkler system. When Petra met me at a supermarket on the road, we decided to pick up some things at the local Wal-Mart - I got a jacket for what seemed like a cool day ahead, a cover for my tank bag, and some more earplugs. Then we went the four blocks to the comfy home. I met Makaila and an exchange student at Petra and Mike's. Two young women with great smiles. Petra plied me with popcorn and I sure enjoyed the kettle corn variety. When I left, sent me off with some more and some cookies, too. We all had a nice chat on the back patio before leaving about issues in the world big and small.
Then it was another 60 miles to visit with Greg and Julie, friends the early days in my recent motorcycling career. We had a little trouble connecting off the Vancouver ramp. I got to a location near some apartments, and a young boy of about 5 came rushing out to see the motorcycle. He asked all kinds of questions. I saw his mom look on approvingly from the doorway.
Finally, Greg, Julie, and their friend came into view. It was good seeing them there. When the three new bikes came roaring up, little bubbly Christian was in, you'll pardon the expression, hog heaven. I asked Christian to take few photos of us - he did - a few with his finger in front of the lens.
Brad, Greg and Julie's friend who came along, was riding a vintage Kawasaki. It was an old bike that looked like new. Even had a kick start. It took me back to thinking of my first bikes and their kick starts from the '70's. I made a fun big deal about it, going over and asking mock inquisitively, “What IS that??”
We stopped for lunch in Vancouver at a Subway. There was a happy fair going on across the main street. It was a wonderfully friendly community gathering with lots of bicycles, smiling folks, and happy times for families.
When we had too leave - after too short a time - the three rode with me to the next exit before heading home.
At one gas station, I walked inside to stretch my legs and also give Ellie a call. A frustrated looking man with a huge waistline and a furrowed brow came in the store. He gave me an impatient look saying that I shouldn't have left my bike by the pump while in talking on the phone. A younger couple who overheard looked incredulously that he would say this to me. I replied that there were many other pumps available, and that if it was crowded I wouldn't have left it there. When outside, I noted to him in a friendly way that it was ironic he would say something to me when HIS big trailer was taking up TWO pump spaces. I wished him a good day as he harrumphed and I rode off. His wife, in the passenger seat, perhaps unaware of her husband's feelings, gave me a nice smile.
North of Vancouver,WA there were numerous signs proclaiming with their bright orange scream, “MOTORCYCLES USE EXTREME CAUTION”. I rode carefully and kept scanning in double time, but there was no reason I could ascertain for the signs. It was a puzzlement.
Had a wonderful 15-20 minute break at 4:45pm at a rest area. Air was fresh and cool and superbly delicious. I sat munching the chocolate chip cookies from Petra, and enjoying the passing scene while also cleaning up emails.
I was about to zip up the shoulder on clogged I-5 south of Olympia, when luckily I spied a patrol car handing out a ticket ahead.
Via email last night I had asked Mary, whose husband you may recall drives gasoline tankers, what the giant alien-looking things are that I notice over the highways in front of the truck scales. Here's her answer: Frank said those huge white things are a "free pass" system. They are readers. If the truck has a free pass box inside it, will read the weight at they go by, there are steel plates in the road that along with the box do this. As you go by the scale, if the weight is ok you will get a green light and not have to stop. If it is questionable, you get a red light and have to stop to be weighed and inspected. Not all trucks have this system in them. AND the Highway Patrol has the option to turn the system off so that ALL trucks have to stop to be weighed.
It was 66-degrees entering Seattle. It was cold as I motored along with the traffic on I-5. I wore my gloves for the first time on the trip. I was super glad I had bought that jacket earlier with Petra. THAT turned out to be a smart move.
It was an exciting time trying to find Pier 52 where the ferry was that went to Bainbridge Island. I scooted down I-5 and when it finally seemed that I was passed anything that resembled a wharf area, I pulled off and up by a couple homes there. A tired looking guy came up right at that point on a bicycle. I asked him how to get to the wharf area. He gave me simple directions but said he was too tired to think after working all weekend. I was left standing there with a very full bladder and really not knowing much more where to go than before. But I went up to the house and Seth was in there working away on Google maps for me. I asked to use the bathroom and he said I should. Then he took the time to write out the directions. I was most appreciative. Got a shot of him in the doorway and said I'd send it to him.
After Seth's great kindness in Google-mapping me the way to the piers, I would have been there sooner but for some of the unmarked streets. As it was I had to double back quite a bit, and ask directions to streets a number of times. Some of the roads were broken up in disrepair, or in the process of repair, and so it was tough riding. At one point I was waiting with a line of cars down by wharf at a train crossing. Must have been 200 cars in that train. After about ten minutes, yet ANOTHER train, to the warning clangs of the downed gate, on the track next to the first one, went the OTHER way. I turned to one of the men in a car where I had just asked some directions, and we silently laughed at the situation.
Finally through, I came down to a wonderful little row of shops and eateries along the pier way.
I've taken these giant ferries that carry motor vehicles in their bellies across wide bodies of water before on my bicycle. I can't recall doing so on a motorcycle before. I had a little trouble finding the correct drive for Pier 52. But finally I found the tollbooth that led to the Bainbridge Ferry. I chatted with a woman there who had one of the highest and squeakiest voice I've ever heard. For $6 (which was less than I expected) she directed me to lane 38. I was about 45 minutes early for the 9:10pm ferry. I used my time taking pictures, going over to the hot dog stand - and elated getting a vegan hot dog even!!! I would have bought it even if I wasn't hungry! Took some nice shots of some ships around, and finally of the rim of pink as the sun was setting over the harbor.
I Skyped Ellie and turned the computer around so she could get views of the Seattle skyline and the harbor area. An official came over to me at that point and, looking a bit uncomfortable, said to me that the captain was a little 'nervous' about me with laptop there and showing it around, and asked me to close it up and put it away. I did so, of course, without delay. I then sat on the bike making a few phone calls, one to my apprentice Tom back home, telling him about my great visit earlier with his mom, Petra.
The guy on the scooter and I were the first ones on. I turned to him and allowed as to how excited I was about this, and asked if he was, too. He said in a nonplussed way, but with a smile, that he's taken this ferry twice a day for the last 15 years.
I sat on the bike for about 10 minutes of the 40 minute ride. Looking straight ahead there was no change, but when I looked off to the side and saw the water moving by, I realized with a jolt that we had been underway for at least ten minutes. I enjoyed gobbling the popcorn that I had gotten so many miles, a number of hours, (and what seemed like half a world away) down the road from kindly Petra in Salem.
After a bit, I roamed around the cavernous innards of the huge ferry - the immense seating area, the cafeteria, the viewing areas. Soon, in the dark, we were approaching the lights of the buildings at the edge of the island. Then we were mooring onto land, and the scooter guy and I zipped off. There was Doug Humes, brother of one of my first students and friend from the neighborhood were I was raised, waving from the side.
After a little tricky maneuvering, and driving the roads of the little island, we reached the place where he and wife Barb were house/dog sitting for a week or two. There were hills, then steep hills along the way, and I was nervous about what was ahead.
Doug had contacted me by email while I was on the trip and invited me to stay if it was on my way. He's the one who plays guitar and was considering writing a ballad or some tune weaving in email threads or events from this trip.
As I mentioned before, it was dark, so I couldn't see much outside the home. But what I did see eventually inside the modernish place built on a hillside above a bay was a little kid's room on the second floor that had hooks for clothing on one wall, and a big bed taking up most of the floor under a low dormer slanted ceiling. There was a big window out to a multitude of trees and what must be the bay down below. The bed seemed especially attractive to my exhausted body and mind, and after washing up a bit, I fell into it and dozed soundly.
Note 1: I just don't know how contact will be once I'm in Canada. So if you don't get a journal note edition for a day or so, don't worry.
Note 2: To view the many photos from today and the whole trip, you can visit
http://www.photostockplus.com/home.php?tmpl=45&user_id=42473&event=196141. Some folks have reported trouble with this link, but most find that it works. Sometimes it takes two tries… Also, you can check out the past day journal entries by going to joelperlish.com, and clicking on the appropriate trip down at the bottom on the left hand corner or just going to http://www.joelperlish.com/blog/blog.html.)
