Longview to Dash Point

May 31st, 2013. It’s Friday! And patchy sunshine. No rain. Wahooo! 

Yesterday late afternoon/early evening, I picked up Henry David from Bob’s Bike Shop. Joel had done a thorough job cleaning. He had removed the chains and cleaned them, disassembled and reassembled the jack shaft and gave it a new nut and bolt set, adjusted the brakes, and cleaned him royally. He and his boss Geniece were pretty jacked about the trike and the trip. It was evident in the way Joel took the time to really ensure HD was in good shape. Geniece and Joel wanted me to mention that they need a bigger door to the bike shop. 

So, to the Owner of Bob’s Bike Shop: your old door is too narrow. We had to wait for the delivery truck to leave so HD could go into the shop and then we had to maneuver through the aisles. A new door next to the front desk/repair shop would be appreciated by bike owners as well as your hard working staff. :-)

That being said, I liked the work that Joel did on my trike. Thanks, Joel!

While waiting for the bike to be repaired, I stopped at a little restaurant decorated like yesteryear, with the old coca cola motif threaded throughout the place. There were prints of Elvis Presley, James Dean, and a few other heart throbs of the past. They serve burgers, fries, ice cream--you get the picture. I ordered a “half order of fries” and the little lady who owns the joint brings in a platter that would’ve fed 2 people! We chatted for awhile about her business. She had worked in the past in both management and service in the food industry through various employments. She bought an ice cream shop in the mall and eventually added hamburgers, fries, sodas, and a full menu of sandwiches and soups. The business expanded and she moved downtown to her own building. This little lady works 6 days a week and these are long, long days. She said could not take a vacation because she had no reliable employee who could fully run the place for a week. Or even 2 days. Regardless, she enjoys working there anyway, so she is doing exactly what she enjoys. 

I had a nice evening in the Super 8 talking to a friend on the phone and then watching 2 episodes of World Without End. This is like a BBC miniseries historical drama of the period of King Edward III’s reign. The previous miniseries drama was called Pillars of the Earth and covered the previous century of church building. You learn about the political flavour of the time, ongoing witch burning (I would’ve been burned), and developing architecture to support the unbelievably complex cathedral ceilings. Good historical dramas that will hold your attention plus teach you a bit about the past. I’m glad I’m alive today! 

Now, women like me don’t get burned at the stake, we get asked for dinner with the family. Good times!

HD and I got out the door this morning about 9:15 am. We headed out on the I-5. the shoulder was quite wide, but there was quite a bit of debris, consisting primariy of truck tire rubber and redwood bark. I stopped at Castle Rock to grab some coffee. The lady at counter at the gas station says that her children and her grandchildren are what gives her joy. This is a common theme among both men and women. She was taken aback when I asked what she loves and what gives her joy. “No one has ever asked my that and I’ve never really thought about it”, she replied at first. 

Road construction on the I-5 began after the first turn off to Centralia.  A concerned police officer pulled in front of me and stopped, shortly before the exit. He warned me about the construction and said he was worried that I would be in danger. He wasn’t asking me to get off, but just wanted to make sure I was ok. As it turned out, getting off at that exit was really wisest anyway, so I reassured him I would head for the exit and go through town to get to the campground. It was kinda cute, actually. When he came to HD and I, he asked if I was ok, then asked if I had a driver’s license. I smiled and said, “Yes, I do! Would you like to see it?” He said that, no, he didn’t need to see it, but it was Washington state law that if you cycle on the interstate, you have to have a driver’s license. I could’ve been his mom and he was so sweet, he reassured me he didn’t need to see my license, but he was worried! 

May his life be blessed.

I cycled into Centralia and thought, “what a cool little town!”. The lay out, architecture, homes, cars:  all made me think of a typical midwestern town. They had an old Fox Theatre, who knows how old, with a sign on the lower marquis asking people to support renovation of the theatre. On the upper marquis was the sign for the show that night: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, at midnight!!! Man, oh man, I wished I could go. I needed a funky friend or one of my kids to go with me and get crazy. I wanted popcorn, body paint, and wanted to jump up and down in my seat, dance a bit, and sing along. 

Ah well. 

Yes, I would’ve been burned in 1200. 

Instead, I picked up salad mix and muffins at the grocery store and drove north of town to the Harrison RV and Tent Campground. 

That’s when I met Steve. He is a friendly, wild, hyperactive, distractible man of 50. He came by and asked about the trip. He told me he was a rockhound and had collected rocks from his travels and I was invited to look at his collection. He had been living in the park in a little camper for about 2 years, but it was his last weekend there--for being a bit of a rabble rouser and “telling the manager like it is”. He told me he painted big rigs and industrial machines. He had a lab/pitbull puppy and a cat. He told me he would come by with a “bowl” to share a bit later. 

After a shower, repowering my electronics, doing my exercises as well as my laundry, I walked to his campfire as I really didn’t want him coming my way. I decided it was best to just visit him in his space instead. 

This was a fascinating evening. Steve moved like a tweaker and admitted to having serious drug addictions in the past, but “not anymore”. Now, it is just beer and pot. Not dope, says he, just pot. He then gave me a quick education on types of pot. Steve told me his life history in twists and turns and deviations and in such a web that he would get lost and ask me where he started.  He was really funny. He said that he has been retro for years and he “lived in the ‘60‘s in the 90‘s”!  When he described the way he allows his mouth to get him in trouble (which is why he is being removed from the campground), he said, “My dad always told me, ‘son’, says he,‘don’t let your alligator head get swallowed up by your hummingbird ass’”! 

Is that great or what??

Steve has hitchhiked throughout the 48 states, lived in San Francisco for quite awhile, more or less underground, buying, selling, using, etc. He described the brotherhood (and sisterhood) of the Rainbow Coalition. He was passionate about his friends. His hope and dream is to live on the land on a piece of acreage he may own in Missouri---his brother is supposed to have picked it up for him. He enthusiastically showed me his rock collection stacked on the bumper of his camper. His recent find, he said, was a “bloodstone” and he proudly handed it to me for inspection. It is like a rectangular chunk of quartz with a line of reddish orange bisecting a portion of it, like a vein of iron. 

Steve used his entire body to tell his stories, jumping up and down and sideways and waving his arms wide to emphasize his points, eyes animated, laughing and calling me “sister”. I think he could’ve talked all evening and when it got pretty dark, I made my leave, giving him a hug and wishing him well. 

In the morning, the bloodstone was on my trike seat. 

I tiptoed over to his campsite and left a banana, a sweet roll from the Super 8, and a stone I had picked up by the Eel River in the Giant Redwood forest in California. It was a smooth, olive colored stone with spots of yellow and pink. It fits snugly in the hand and I found it comforting when I found it. I had picked it up and put it in my pack because I thought that maybe, just maybe, I would want to give it to someone. 

That would be...Steve.

This morning, Saturday, June 1st, I headed for Federal Way, north of Tacoma. I decided I did not want to continue to cycle on the I-5---while the road was wide and well-maintained, it was very busy and noisy and the trucks were numerous and in a hurry to unload their trees.  :-(     So, I got on old hwy 99 and then was able to cycle several miles on the Thurston County Rails to Trails Road, starting with the Yelm-Tenino Trail, then taking the Spanaway McKenna hwy. The Thurston County Rails to Trails Roads are fantastic, paved road for cyclists, walkers, and runners. Ahhh, heaven. The day was warm and, for the first time since I hit central California, I was able to remove the long sleeved shirt and cycle in a tank top. I love the way the sun feels on my face and shoulders. It is a sensual delight.

This was a very long day, but the weather was perfect and road was gentle with very mild grades. It was like cycling through the plains but with pine trees! I passed farmlands, lakes, an alpaca farm, and numerous towns. The town of Roy was celebrating western days and had a rodeo going on this weekend. 

Once I hit Spanaway (?) it was city traffic for the next 20-25 miles to get to the campground. I stopped at a service station and met 3 cyclists who had passed me about 15-20 minutes earlier.  They were training for the “STP”. This is the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic-- This is from the STP website:

Welcome to the official website of the Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic! This 200-mile bicycle ride is the largest multi-day bicycle event in the Northwest, with up to 10,000 participants riding from Seattle to Portland in one or two days. The route takes you through the scenic valleys, forests, and farmlands of western Washington and Oregon. Come ride what Bicycling Magazine has listed as one of the best cycling events in the nation!

Well, Jim, one of the riders, and I had a brief conversation about the ride. These friends cycle together and have the drafting skills down tight. They all work but then cycle and train on weekends. They plan to do the whole 200 miles in 1 day!  Most riders usually do 100 miles in one day and then drive home. But these guys are hardcore serious and love to do this ride. Think about it---maintaining 20 mph for 10 hours!!! Yikes! I told them I hope they win! They laughed and Jim said they sure didn’t expect to win, but they wanted to make good time when they participate. 

I understand that. I’ve been in fun runs and local races and I just wanted to finish, feeling like I had done well. I never expect to win. I just want to keep my time respectable for me. 

Well, HD and I made it to the Dash Point State Campground at Federal Way, Washington about 5:00 pm and got camp set up by 6:00. This lovely campground is a brief hike to the Puget Sound, near Dumas Bay.  A young man with a crazy cool beard walked by with his dog, Addy, and asked me to come for dinner at his camp and we would swap stories. He spent 88 days backpacking and camping in the northern California redwoods and loved to talk wilderness life. 

So, after a short but gorgeous hike through the trees to get to the beach, I returned and went to his camp. Crazy beard Johnny introduced me to his buddy Bob and the evening proceeded. Johnny had fried up some potatoes, cooked corn on the cob in the husk in the fire, and opened up the salad mix. He was very sweet, saying he and Bob already had eaten the steaks before I came because he knew I was a vegetarian. I laughed, stating there was no need to have done that. What he eats doesn’t bother me at all. Anyway, Johnny ran around like the perfect host, filling my plate, bringing me things to drink, cleaning up, etc. 

Johnny goes camping as often as he can. Which is actually quite often--10 camping trips in the last 3 months. That is almost every weekend. He picked up a used RV for $400 which needed primarily cosmetic repair inside, but with a sound motor. He and Bob got together and worked on it to make it “just right” for Johnny’s needs. Johnny lives in Federal Way--just a hop, skip, and jump from Dash Point campground. Yet, he still drives the mile or so to come and camp. He loves to go and sit by the beach, have some brewskis, light beach bonfires, and barbeque his dinner. He often has a friend or two with him, but also enjoys solitude. Sometimes he reads, sometimes he just looks out at the water and just unwinds. 

It’s like living in a mancave without the cave. A man doing the things he loves, without worry about time frames or duties, but working at the mechanics of camping--as a joy.

He loves to backpack and his long trip was about 2 years ago. He would like to backpack along the northern tier, from Washington to NY or Maine. He would like to hike the Pacific Crest trail as well, which is inland and follows the Sierras from top to bottom.

His philosophy of life: “Suck all the marrow out of life”. This is a Thoreau quote. Iknew Iiked Johnny! For my new friend, crazy beard Johnny, this means living the life he loves, every minute. Thus, he works as a “dog”, a slang for a “roofer” (think “woof, woof”) and, when he is not working or helping family or friends, he is camping. All of it, he loves.

And Bob told me stories. Bob loves, loves, loves his parents. His dad is 88 years old and mom is just behind. They look quite young and Bob is a spitting image of a younger version of his father. Good genes there! Bob is very close to his family--parents as well as his handsome son.

For almost 30 years, Bob and and his mom go out to dinner on his birthday, just the two of them. One year, he was in Idaho working on a job (he is a master lather and works on million + dollar homes) and his birthday approached. His mom called him and said that she was going to get him a round trip plane ticket because she was not going to allow his birthday to pass without upholding their dining tradition. Well, Bob told his boss, who is also Bob’s friend since his youth, who then turned around and bought him the ticket himself, plus gave him a $1000 bonus for his b-day! So, Bob and his mom continue with their annual birthday dinner.  

Bob took the $1000 and added $1600 more and paid for dental work for a friend without the funds to do it herself. 

Wow.

But, I really love the Superman Story. Bob’s dad, George, loves roller coasters and has been on 300 different coasters! On George’s 86th birthday, he decided to treat himself to a roller coaster ride in which the front person is strapped in, Superman style. In other words, the person at the head of the cars is strapped at a decline, tipped forward and strapped in. Think of Superman in flight. Anyway, George stood in line for over an hour. The lady in front of him in line kept looking back at him, because there was a sign saying that if you have a heart condition, you shouldn’t get on this ride. She finally asked him how old he was and if he had read the sign. He assured her that he was fine. When it was his turn to get on the ride, he said he would wait for the next ride to come along as he wanted the Superman seat. 

Well, you can imagine the look on the operators face! He asked him how old he was and George told him it was his 86th birthday and he was going to treat himself to the Superman seat. Well, the operator stopped the ride, made an announcement that George was turning 86 and was going to ride Superman style. He then asked all the people in line to sing him happy birthday. Bob said there were about 400 people singing to his dad that day. 

Well, George got the Superman seat and, with arms flying forward, had a fantastic ride. When it came to the end, the operator asked George how he liked it. He shouted “Fantastic” or something of that ----- and the operator said, “Do you want to do it again?” So, George rode Superman style. Twice.

Cool, huh?

I