On the Road again...

...I just can't wait to get on the road again.  Since leaving Vancouver about 2 weeks ago, life on the road has resumed its event-filled pace.  Evan and I took the ferry to Vancouver Island, not arriving to Nanaimo until quite late because we missed our initial ferry.  Instead of hitting the road, we had to instead head out in search of a Nanaimo Bar - a chocolate cookie based with a vanilla custard filling and melted chocolate on top.  When we asked at the natural food store where the best place to find these coveted treats was,  we were directed to an ice cream store which sold the Nanaimo Bar Sundae - nanaimo bar ice cream with the chocolatey bars stuck in the top.  Our insides were reeling post-sundae experience and we quickly looked for a place to stay in town.

We found ourselves on the edge of a lake at a boat launch in a small park.  There was just enough shade from the trees, shrubs and nearby forest to convince us to pitch a tent there for the night and wake up early so as not to get 'caught.'  We were told, however, that a fenced in area about 1/2 mile away from us around the lake was the provincial penetentiary facility - a large jail/prison from which we could hear announcements over the loudspeakers on a sporadic basis.  The fence in front of the forest held a sign "no trespassing, motion detection system in place."  Throughout that long night, every stick that cracked from the forest between us and the prison, every rustle in the woods, was the sound of a recently escaped inmate, on the verge of running into our tent and taking advantage of the first sign of the outside that he ran into.

I spent 3 more nights on the island, trying to see as much as I can but with an overwhelming feeling about me of the need to get south to warm weather.  Evan left due to knee pains, so I was left to my own thoughts of warm San Diego beaches and a daily weather forecast of 70 and sunny, trying not to think of the rain and cold I would have to brave before then.  Fortunately, the weather treated me spectacularly on the island, and I managed to make it south to Seattle to stay with Kaytlyn and Ely just in time for the beginning of the rain.

I still made time for distractions, however, and found myself on Whidby Island, about 40 miles north of Seattle, at a farm in front of a sign that read "Community Potluck 19, Everyone Welcome 5pm."  I looked at my watch, and indeed it was the 19th, approaching 4pm.  I stopped at the little cafe to get a piece of pie and inquire about the potluck and was invited with welcoming arms.  What I discovered was an amazing community powered food system, wonderful people, and a table-full of homemade chili, quiches, curries, salads, pies, cookies, home-grown veggies and meats... too much for a room full of about 50 people to eat (even if there was a bike tourist there)!!!

Greenbank Farm is a community owned organic farm that supports an apprenticeship program - an intense 7 month course of study in all things related to starting, running, and managing a small organic farm - weekly CSA baskets to community members, and several small shops including a cafe, pie, cheese and wine shops.  I was stunned at the wealth of friendly people and incredible community that the community farm was able to create with its focus on fresh, local, organic food.  That night I was welcomed into the home of Ed and Carol who lived on a couple of acres with their chickens, cattle, dog and cat, and large vegetable garden.  Conversations ensued about my route down the pacific coast, global water problems and the future of water consumption around the nation, and the Occupy Wall Street movement which appears the historically recurrent struggle of the poor vs. the rich; the fight against greed.

Although the road was becoming more and more interesting, and the wealth of community that I had just discovered at the farm re-ignited my urge to continue my travels - to stay outdoors on my bicycle and see the world inspite of the cold, I was happy to finally arrive in Seattle.  I had decided to go straight to highway 101 and stay on the coast for my entire trip south - bypassing cities that I still want to see such as Eugene, Portland, and Corvalis.  It's the rural life, small towns, artisans and farmers that I have appreciated the most on my trip.  Although cities draw me in with their promises of food, site-seeing, and 'culture,' it's much easier to experience real life, real culture, and real food in the small towns.

Yet, Seattle drew me in for 3 days, and through my great hosts, showed me its beauty though the sun never really showed its face.  Although its hills were daunting for riding a bike, and rainy days were ominous, bicycle commuters were out and about and the city was enjoyable to get around in on two wheels - inspite of the charged politics against bicycles and the difficutly in promoting bicycles as a sensible form of transportation that Willie Weir talked about.  Ely and Kaytlyn treated me to a TGR premier, "One for the Road," with Ian McIntosh and Dana Flahr, as well as a salmon bake (so many different kinds of cooked salmon!), and the Badger's depressing hail mary loss to MI State (win or lose, we still b....).  At least the All Blacks won the rugby world cup.

Biking down the Oregon coast has had its own plethora of stories... currently in Bandon, OR almost to California.