Jim and his Rainforest Hostel

We had read about the Rainforest Hostel in one of our books, Sandy called and made us a reservation and we headed down HWY 101. We arrived about a half hour before we were supposed to check in, but we pulled in anyways. We saw a barn, the remnants of a garden, a house with stacks of fire wood, and a couple of well loved/used vehicles (not much unlike our lovely Lenny). We were a bit hesitant at first, but Jim (the Hostel/Home) owner came to the door and we went up to talk with him. As we entered we saw basically a man’s home that was equip with two rooms for guest that each had bunk beds and a full size bed. The kitchen had many dishes, pots, pans, just anything you could think of, and in the living room is where Jim first took us. There is a fireplace, piles of wood, couches, Native American art, books, pamphlets, and just many things that Jim has collected in the 22 years he has been running this hostel. He also has a computer where he can often be found listening to “Democracy Now”, or the local news station. He shared with us recent speeches given by the presidential candidates, and other recent news we have missed. He shared with us recordings he had of poetry, music, and speeches. Sandy and I made dinner when we first arrived (Spaghetti with broccoli and mushrooms along with garlic bread and a piece of corn on the cob a piece). It felt like a feast!!! We made enough for Jim who sat down with us for dinner, but not before reading us a prayer, which I will include at the bottom of this blog. Sandy and I cooked up some things for our future travels (Quinoa, Boiled Eggs, etc) We also washed the sheets from the bed in the van. It was time = ). Sandy headed to shower and then to bed. I stayed up with Jim for a bit longer, and then went to bed. It was raining hard at this point and it was nice to fall asleep to the sound of it.
We woke up this morning to sunshine and the sound of the birds singing. The rain had stopped. We made breakfast, got showered and put on clean clothes = ) Feels so good to be clean = ). Then we did our chores. You see at Jim’s hostel, he keeps the prices low by asking each quest to help him with chores for 15 minutes. So I was asked to vacuum the house, and Sandy swept the kitchen and cleaned the bathroom. After we finished we continued to talk to Jim for a bit. He told us it had been since the end of August since he had any quest. I wonder if he gets lonely? Jim thinks outside the box, and he told us that many have called him crazy. We did not find Jim to be crazy, but he does live outside what many would call the “social norm”. He speaks out against conformity, excess, structures that do not bring about positive change/growth, and he believes in living simply and doing all we can to better ourselves and the world around us. As I went up to a Native American drawing on his wall, telling him I liked it very much, he told me a friend of his who had died from Cancer had given it to him. He then asked me if I wanted it. I told him he did not need to give it to me. He simply said, “a gift” and took it off the wall and gave it to me. I will include the drawing and it’s meaning in a blog of it’s own. Thank you Jim for your kindness, your passion, and your gentle soul!
The prayer:
Our father, hear us, and our grandfather. I mention also all those that shine: the yellow day, the good wind, the good timber, and the good earth.
All the animals, listen to me under the ground. Animals above ground, and water animals, listen to me. We shall eat your remnants of food. Let them be good.
Let there be long breath and life. Let the people increase, the children of all ages, the girls and boys, and the men of all ages and the women, the old men of all ages and the old women.
The food will give us strength whenever the sun runs.
Listen to us Father, Grandfather. We ask thought, heart, love, happiness. We are going to eat.

-Arapaho Grace

Cape Flattery

We made it to the Northwestern most point of Washington State (of the lower 48 states for that matter) We first arrived at the entrance of the Makah Indian Reservation. There we stopped in at the museum to purchase our recreational permits to explore this area. The museum was full of beautiful and inspirational art in the form of drawings, symbols, stories, artifacts…As we headed down the road through the small town, it felt as if we had just pushed the Native Americans to the very edge of the land. How does anyone own the land, let alone the lives of other BEINGS. I wondered what this land was like when people who respected and cherished it had control of it.
It was a rainy day, so when we made it to the Cape Flattery trail head, we put on hats, gloves, and our rain jackets. We threw the camera in a plastic bag and headed down the ¾ mile trail. At the end of this trail you are able to see the Tatoosh Island and the lighthouse. The short walk there was fascinating in and of itself. You feel as if you are in a mystical forest, as if at any given moment the trees may come to life. Some of our favorites were two huge trees that were joined together at their base, another shaped like a wine glass, some with dagger like branches coming out that held no foliage. The Northwestern Cedars of this forest were used by the Makah people for many things. They would pull the bark off in strips to make clothing, bowls, shelter, etc . We also saw a Bonsai looking tree that was growing right on the edge of the Cape Flattery cliff. So much history in that place, you can feel it all around you. We headed back to Lenny and on down the road.

Seattle, WA

We have made it to Seattle Washington. We arrived here yesterday and the first place we visited was the infamous Pike's Place Market. There were many stores, and stands that sold everything you could think of: Fresh produce, fresh seafood (even octopus), jewelry, soaps, street performers,ostrich or quail eggs, etc. We stopped in at one place that sold wine, oils, vinegars, etc all which were made from truffles. We tried this 15 year old balsamic vinegar/oil that changed my life = ). !!! You could by your own bottle for like $65 = ).We also bought a small cup of potato-leek soup that they put a couple drops of white truffle oil in. So very very delicious!!! We stopped to watch the "flying fish" where they threw the fish to one another. At one point this guy stopped us and I took a picture of Sandy, him, and a large fish. He went behind the counter and acted like he was throwing a huge fish for us to catch. We were both startled and jumped back, only to see that we had been tricked and it was a fake fish = ) At one point we stopped at this little vendor who had some very interesting/thought provoking art. One of his magnets read “I could sponsor a child with the money I spend on coffee” As most of you know I am an avid coffee drinker, and this one really made me think. Oh I should mention that we visited the orignial Starbucks, right here in this market = ). One of the things that was so wonderful abou this market where the rows and rows of absolutely beautiful flowers! Bouquet after bouquet! The were so inexpensive as well. I don't know how they do it, but i can imagine with all the rainy cloudy days that Seattle see's, those flowers help bring some warmth and smiles. Along with the colors of those flowers, if you look at the sidewalks you will see the autumn leaves that have fallen. The colors of the fallen leaves here are spectacular. Beautiful pastel pinks, greens, purples, blues. Well, we bought a bit of produce and shared a piece of Salmon, and after we had adequately explored the market place we headed towards Pioneer Square, which was full of cute shops and old buildings. The time was running out on our meter so we went back to the van. The rain had stopped at this point, but the wind…the wind nearly knocked us over several times. I had never felt wind this strong, it was so great!!! We got in the van and went to find the Fremont area of Seattle. Sandy had read that it was another artsy area of the city. We made it there and found it to be very inviting. We parked the van on the side of the road, just up from all the shops, and went to a local coffee shop called Peet’s Coffee and Tea. We spent some time there just relaxing. We met a very nice woman by the name of Joey who gave us the scoop on the area. Thanks go out to her for her kindness!!! We then took off to find a place Sandy has wanted to visit since she was fourteen. The memorial site for Kurt Cobain. He was cremated so there is no grave stone to visit, only a park bench near the home where he allegedly committed suicide. Kurt Cobain is an icon of nineties alternative rock music, which was an influential movement during Sandy’s teenage years. With the help of our GPS we found this unmarked memorial park bench. It sits on a grassy hill near Viretta Park. It sits alone besides a tree behind it with the letters RIP written on it. Sandy gave her respects, and signed the bench. We then headed back to the Fremont area where we parked the van once again on the street, and spent the night.

This morning we woke up and headed down towards the shops in Fremont and found that there was the Fremont Sunday Market. There were many booths, featuring art of all kinds! My favorite was this place in the underground area that sold Vintage clothing. We then headed towards Peets, where we now sit once again. But on our way here we found that outside of a local grocery there was a Fair Trade Exhibit taking place. There we were able to get free samples of all kinds of organic chocolates, teas, coffees, soaps, lotions and more. Not sure where the road will take us next, but will update soon. Just know that we are missing you all and sending our love!!!!

Orcas Island

So we caught our ferry to the next island, Orcas Island. We already knew we would not be able to bike this island. We had read that the roads were hard to bike and there was very little shoulder making it almost dangerous. When we arrived we discovered however that the public transit system was closed for the season. We asked the ferry director there on the island how if there was a taxi service. He simply put up this thumb and told us that hitch hiking was the norm here. He said it was safe and that we should have no problem. So we chained up our bikes there at the ferry office, and headed down the road in the direction we wanted to go with our thumb in the air = ) We walked a couple of miles and were finally picked up by a very nice older woman named Elaine and her dog spot. She took us as far as East Sound village. There we explored the town, met the visionary of the local yoga studio, and went to the Sunflower Café for coffee and the best vegetarian chili we have ever eaten (or we were just really hungry = ). We then used the piece of wax paper from our meal to make a sign saying we were going to Doe Bay Resort. I attached it to the back of my pack and we started waking again. The wind began to pick up and it started to rain a bit, but lucky for us it wasn’t long before a nice man (who’s name I have forgotten) picked us up in his Subaru. He took us to where the road forked and let us out. This was only four miles from Doe Bay Resort. Only moments later, Victor, a quiet man, let us in the back of his truck and dropped us off right at the entrance to the resort. Now when I say resort, mind you I mean a hippie resort. Cabins, tenting, organic food/coffee, and outdoor hot tubs with an amazing view. We were able to get an amazing tenting site right on the edge of a bluff. It was so beautiful!!! That evening as the sun went down and the next morning as it came up we saw sea otters playing in the water below. Once we set up camp we immediately went to the hot tubs where we soaked for a good long bit and where we met Marta and Sage. They had both just finished their degrees and were taking some time to relax. After the hot tubs we went into the bar there for yet another open mic night. Marta and Sage soon joined and we all talked and got to know each other as much as we could over the loud music. Sage has traveled to many of the areas we want to see and gave us advice and information on our future travels. She also invited us to stay with her and her mother on Bainbridge Island, on our way to Olympic National Park. Both of these women were simply beautiful and just a pleasure to spend time with. Hope to see them both in a couple of days. After that we went to our tent and went to bed.
So today we woke up to the sound of the water crashing on the rocks below, and even though we had some rain during the night we were fairly warm and completely dry. We did a quick load of laundry, ate breakfast, soaked in the tubs a bit longer and got showered. It was at this last soak in the tubs that we first briefly met Ken. After checking out we were making a sign so that we could start hitching our way back to the ferries. We saw Ken getting into his car and I ran up to his window and asked where he was heading. He let us hope in for a ride. Along the way we discovered that Ken had served in the US Army, that he was from Texas and there visiting his daughter, and that he is just a fantastic human being! He told us, even though he wasn’t going there, that he would take us all the way to the ferries. He told us about the vice-presidential debate which we had missed, and the majority of the trip was spent discussing the current status of the country, and various political topics! I was a bit worried when he first told us he was from Texas, but turns out we agreed on just about everything. *Ken THANK YOU SO MUCH for your kindness. You went out of your way and we appreciate it!* So we made it back to the ferry. We had a bit to eat and coffee at the Orcas Island Café as we waited for the ferry. We made it back to Anacortes and to Lenny. We drove into town to pick up Sandy’s beautiful finished coffee mug. She researched on the internet our next destinations as I reorganized Lenny for the next leg of our journey. We have now made it to the outskirts of Seattle where I am writing this…yes in another Wal-mart parking lot= )
PERSONAL NOTE: I really enjoyed this last part of the trip: Being on foot/bike. It makes you have to really think about what you need, because a pack gets heavy fast. It makes you take into consideration when night will fall. You have to pay attention to the stars and the sky to know what the weather will be like so you can plan ahead. You move much slower past things, and notice more. I tried to be much more aware of what all my senses were experiencing. I felt that I was able to be more patient, more appreciative…ok well its late and I think that if I continue I might just sound a bit crazy = ) I just want to say that this trip is breeding growth within me, and I am so thankful for it. I love and miss all of my loved ones very much, but carry you all very close to me, ALWAYS!!! Goodnight!
p.s. I know many will say that is was unwise for us to hitch hike, but I promise on this island it was not unsafe, and we will not make a habit of it = )

P.S. The photo of the eggs and toast was one i actually took of breakfast i cooked when we stayed at Tensleep. It's just a neat photograph. I set it up to have all the various colors... Anyways, it's the backdrop on our computer now and just thought i would share it with you all = )

San Juan Island

We got packed up, showered, ate breakfast, and headed down to the bus stop. We were excited when we could get on one of the very first buses that came by, and it was a double decker bus at that = ). So we loaded the bikes on the front and went to the top of the bus. It was a great view of the country side from up there. Once we were back in Sidney we discovered we had a little time before our ferry left. So we went in search of coffee = ). We passed a couple of very busy café’s and decided to keep searching. We came to a little place called Lunn’s. Inside we could see that there were beautiful pastries and choclates, but very few people inside. We parked our bikes and went inside. Sandy grabbed us some coffee and a pastry and we sat down. It did not take us long to notice that we were getting stares, and that we were the only ones in the whole place under the age of 70. = ) Once on the ferry we both took a short nap before reaching San Juan/Friday Harbor. Friday Harbor is another cute little island town. Once we got our bearings we were off on our bikes. It was several miles of hilly winding roads, but it was AMAZING! All along the roads were blackberry bushes with the most delicious blackberries I have ever tasted. We stopped at one point and filled up one of the water bottles on our bike. Then continued towards the water. It’s one thing to ride the coast line in an enclosed vehicle, but to breath in the air that deep as you work your way around the coast line on a bike or on foot…well again there are no words. We stopped several times to take in the view and rest. The last mile of our ride was all down hill right into our campground at San Juan Island park. There was only one other campsite being used there. We assumed the campground office was closed, but as we were looking at the self-registration forms on the door, a man opened it. We soon found out his name is Eugene, he is a park ranger, and he lives there. He was such a great guy. He gave us some of his own firewood and told us the best place to pitch our tent. We headed up to our site and saw a beautiful view of the mountains in the distance and the water below. As we walked around the rocks by the water we saw a family of beautiful purple jelly fish. The way they move in the water is more graceful then anything I have ever seen. Just a short while later a couple came running down the hill from houses above the campground to tell us there were several Orca’s that were swimming by in the distance. We grabbed our video camera and zoomed in as much as we could to watch them swim by. You could see them in the distance, some following barges, while others played around smaller vessels! This campsite and the near-by Lime Kiln State park is known to be excellent places for whale watching. We watched the sun go down, and then before the fire got too small and we got to cold we headed off to bed.
The next day we really wanted a hot breakfast, but had no pans to warm water. I had saved just enough wood for a small fire in the morning, and went to the recycling can and found a 7-UP can. I rinsed it out, filled it with water, and then stuck it down in the fire. = ) The water boiled and we were able to have hot oatmeal, blackberries, and some toasted bread for breakfast. Oh we also discovered an apple tree near-by that I picked two off of for our lunch later = ).
The rain started to come and we knew we could not bike all the way back. I went down to talk to Eugene and he was kind enough to give us a ride. We had to wait just a bit for him to get ready, so he sent me up with a cup of coffee for Sandy. We waited under the shelter of the restrooms until he came to get us. He took us all the way back into Friday Harbor where we were to catch our next ferry!Thank you so much Eugene!!!!

Vancouver Island

We left early Tuesday morning on a Ferry to Sidney, British Columbia. We left Lenny in Anacortes, Washington and packed only the necessities on our bikes and in our packs. The ferry ride was very comfortable! We arrived in Sidney, went through customs on our bikes = ), and then to the visitor center. We met a very lovely woman working there, who I am ashamed to say I can not recall her name. She gave us much information about the island, and we then took off on our bike ride from Sidney to Victoria. The ride was several miles, but not a hard ride at all. The bike path runs the entire way, cutting off occasionally in towns where the roads are basically part of the bike path (Lockside Trail). We passed through beautiful countryside, subdivisions with beautiful homes, small farms with pigs/sheep/chickens, and even a place with some very unique art! We had been told by the woman at the visitors center to stop at Matticks for tea. It was an old farm, turned into a very cute little café/restaurant. We shared a cinnamon roll and had some coffee and turns out the woman from the visitor center was there having lunch with her husband. They stopped and talked with us for a while. Just so lovely! As they left I ran out to say thank you once more and give them the address to this blog, and they were sitting in their car just looking at the bus schedule so that they could tell us what we need to know about the bus system there. So kind!!! * I am sorry that I can not recall your names, but if you ever read this THANK YOU!!! *We then headed out on our bikes and made it all the way to Victoria. We sat down on the concrete at the Victoria visitor center, ate some lunch, and gathered some information. We explored the town for a bit. There are beautiful old buildings, cute shops, museums, and what seemed like a pronounced population of homeless/mentally ill people. What was encouraging however, were the many stores window signs and bill boards promoting mental health programs and funding. The quote seen in the photograph was on a tee-shirt, and the profit of the sales from that tee-shirt benefited the mental health system there in Victoria, BC. Ok, off my soap box…but seriously have been sharing the last part of that quote since I saw it!!! I love it!!!
We were then were going to bike back towards Sidney and camp at a place along the way. Well, long story short it took too long and it was getting dark so we ended up staying at a Hostel in downtown Victoria (The Backpackers Inn).This turned out to be exactly where we were supposed to be. Our room was barely big enough for the full size bed and mini fridge that inhabited it, but a real bed…oh how inviting!!! We got settled in and then headed down to the bar area where they were having open mic night. We were so very blessed by the music of a young lady by the name of Steph Macpherson and her friends. The music and the atmosphere mixed brilliantly!!! We then headed off to bed and both passed out! = )
Oh I must mention that we rode the bus system today, they have two spots at the front of the bus to place your bikes. Anyways, while waiting at the bus stop I saw a young woman listening to music on her IPOD and every so slightly dancing to herself. She made me smile, and it made me think that we should all dance more!!! = )

Anacortes

Ok where was I? It’s been a few days since I have written. We hung out in Anacortes, WA on Monday so we could prepare for a short backpacking/bicycle island hopping trip. Our plan was to go to Vancouver Island, BC and then to hope island to island (by ferry) all the way back to Anacortes. We bought a rack for the back of one of the bikes, and we had to run to Ace hardware to get a couple little things needed to attach it. There were no instructions, but we got it to work. = ) While in Anacortes we also hung out at a place called Jonny Picasso’s and even got to meet “Jonny” (John). A very nice man dedicated to supporting his community. His place is a small novelty shop/coffee shop. There you can also paint your own coffee mug, or blow glass. He teaches classes to children and is working on his own glass piece which will be placed in a new park that is being built. Sandy decided to paint her own coffee mug, and we would pick it up when we returned from our Island hopping trip. While Sandy gave her mug the three coats it needed, I went to the novelty portion of the store and bought a few more bumper stickers for Lenny. You can see all but one in the picture I included. The last sticker read “Faith is a journey, not a guilt trip”. Sandy finished up her mug and we went to a near-by empty lot where we cooked up what food needed to be eaten that we could not easily carry in our packs. We organized what we were going to take with us on our trip and then found a quiet place on the street to sleep. I had a very hard time sleeping, I think we both did. I felt like a kid! So excited to be doing a few days of backpacking = ) Just the open road, a bike, and a pack!!! Simple!