Living in Fellowship

Day two began just south of Forks, WA at Bogachiel State Park with a shower that never got warm no matter how many quarters I put in. After the 'shower' I headed south on HWY 101 through little bits of Olympic National Forest, and even more sections of clear-cut woods. I have always been thankful for parks and other lands set aside for our enjoyment, but it was more apparent to me yesterday than ever before that without them we would destroy most of this continent in the name of enterprise. Of course, they did advertise in front of the clear-cuts when they harvested and planted that section. In one instance the first harvest was in the 1930's, then in the 1980's, then in the 2000's, and the next harvest is planned for 2040. I appreciate that they replant, but it seems more self-serving than anything else, and makes me sad for the trees.

Continuing south on 101 I went through the town of Humptulips. Nothing happened there, perhaps ever. In fact I almost missed the town, but with a name like that it had to be mentioned.

Further south 101 took me to the mouth of the Columbia River where I stopped to take a little break and had the chance to watch three, yes three, bald eagles fishing and playing above the north shore of the river. I have seen a few of them before, but never three at a time, and never as close as they were. Unfortunately I was too slow with the camera, and I suspect they sensed it, and they disappeared before I could get a good photo.

Traveling from Washington to Oregon mostly requires a bridge across the Columbia, and I have crossed several of them. But to get to Astoria I had to cross the longest bridge I have even seen.

Roughly four miles from end to end it was one of the most intimidating things I have ever seen. Along the western side of the bridge the wind was blowing steady and hard and making an updraft that the seagulls seemed to really enjoy.

I arrived in Seaside in the late afternoon and found the Little Yellow House, a famous meeting place on the Oregon Coast. I had the good fortune to get hold of an old high school friend, Antonio, over the last few days and he drove out from Portland to join me for dinner and a meeting. Over dinner we talked about life today and sobriety and the joy of living. If anyone had told us in high school that we would end up in Seaside talking about being sober we would have told them they were crazy.

Antonio went to meetings with my mom for quite some time so we spent a fair portion of our time together swapping stories about her and reminiscing. It is always nice to see the portrait of my mother that is painted through other people.

The meeting was the Riverside Group, and as luck would have it, the chairperson spoke about his mom being ill, and his joy in being a part of her life. Most people who spoke in the meeting then shared about their relationships with their mothers, and I count myself as grateful to have had the relationship that I did with my mom, and to be able to bring her with me on this trip in spirit.

Before the meeting started we met Ty. He introduced himself to us and welcomed us to Seaside. As we got to talking I asked him about places to camp nearby. He said that his side yard was available, and then amended it to say that his guest room was available! So, after the meeting I followed Ty home and we had more great conversation about sobriety and spirituality. His home was comfortable and cozy, about as close to a classic seaside home as one can get. Buster, the resident Boston Terrier, took a liking to me and sat on my lap most of the evening. In the morning I was greeted outside by Old School, a formerly feral cat now living on the porch. It was all a good reminder that this fellowship is strong and lively. (I also got a hot shower, for those of you tracking my hygiene…Alison.)

"Some day we hope that every alcoholic who journeys will find a Fellowship…at his destination" That was written in 1939 in the initial printing of the Big Book, and to think that I am now out to get to a meeting every day all over the country. I wonder sometimes if they thought it was going to turn out like this. What an incredible thing to witness and be a part of!

Into the Twilight Zone

Of all the strange places that I am sure to encounter along this trip, Forks, WA is bound to rank right up there with the strangest. Forks had it's beginning as a sleepy little logging town in the mid-20th century, and remained that way until publication of a certain young-adult vampire fiction series turned the place into a tourist destination, especially for young girls. In fact, tourism has increased 600% (Yeah, really) since the release of the first book. Truly baffling to me. I mean, I have read a few books, but not once have I thought, 'I need to go to this town', especially a place like Forks. There's nothing here! Unless you are interested in collecting Twilight items from every store in town. And every store does have the stuff. There are a few stores dedicated to Twilight crap, but even the grocery store has a HUGE display when you walk in the front door. Ridiculous! Even the little four page "Forks Forum" on the table in the restaurant had Twilight Trivia in it. Strange.

I am learning that people are more than willing to tell me how it is that I am supposed to take this trip. The man controlling traffic getting onto the ferry told me exactly where I should head inland from the coast in Oregon. "It's boring and full of people after that," he said. The coffee lady in Sequim wanted me to know that I shouldn't have come out to the peninsula at all. Well, guess what, they're not taking the trip!

I had an interesting little revelation once I got off the ferry and away from the cities. The farther one gets from cities the more road names are given based on what is nearby. Chicken Coop Rd, Mt. such-and-such Rd, So-and-so Lake Rd, Hooker Rd, and Kitchen-Dick Rd. Now, I looked for the kitchen-dick, but I couldn't find one. However, I have to admit that I have no idea what a kitchen-dick is, but I am certain that if one had been around I would have found it.

The sun has yet to shine on me on the road, but that's because I am still in the Northwest. There have been moments where the sun has threatened to shine, but it's always followed by even darker clouds moving in.

Despite the darkness, and a brief moment of sadness directly related to listening to mellow piano music, I had a wonderful first day on the road that included one of those rare feeling that this is where I am supposed to be right now. I was riding past Lake Crescent, and had just stopped at a little turnout to look at the lake and have a smoke. I wandered a bit and found that the trees at this little park were popular places to carve initials and other things:

I'm not really sure what to do with that, I don't know that philosophical advice from the lead singer of Tool is something I want to make mine.

The road was winding back and forth in those perfect rideable arcs, and the lake was to the right, and the forest to the left. It was then that I thought, 'This is unbelievable, I am actually doing this!' and had the sense that this was what I am supposed to be doing. All that panic, and then this…

The meeting was the How It Works group at the recreation center in Forks. The group was welcoming, and I think pretty excited to have someone from out of town. The format was loose, and the atmosphere comfortable, even the silence felt OK. And Jim was more than willing to give direction to campsites, and the grocery store. Thanks How It Works Group!

Well, there you have it, day one in the books. Off to the next one…

P.S. For those of you wondering, No, I didn't see any vampires.

ohgodohgodohgodohgod

Day 1 here we come!

The good news is that I got a good night's sleep that I was not expecting, and feel pretty much ready to go. My stomach is turning a little bit, but that is to be expected.

I guess it wouldn't be leaving Seattle for a trip if it weren't raining...I just hope it ends when I get out a little ways. The bike is packed and ready, and all I have to do is get myself together so that I can get on it and go.

I thought you all might like to see what it is that I will be packing with me for 60 days living on my bike, so here it is:

How do you fit all of that on a bike with me on it you ask? Strategically...that's how. The hard bags on the bike are actually quite roomy all things considered. I'm sure that when I am on the bike with all the gear it looks a little like I am wedged in between stuff, but that's just how it has to be, and it's still comfy.

So, that's the update so far. Off to the next meeting.

Launch Date Planned

Today I got word that I will be able to leave town on Thursday June 17 to embark on the journey! Yippee! I am so excited that I can hardly contain it…or maybe I'm afraid...I'm not sure. My mom used to tell me that fear and excitement often feel the same in the stomach, so it is best to assume it is excitement. I'll go with that, in spite of the overwhelming number of worst case scenario scenes that keep flashing through my busy head. I will be polite and not share them with you unless they happen. (Everyone cross your fingers.)

All preparations that can be made at this point have been; camping supplies collected, a final tuneup on the bike, a trip to the store for small size odds and ends, and finding the first meeting (I'll keep you in suspense as to where, but it rhymes with the incorrect plural of several dead swine…). Over the next two days I will work on packing the bike, getting all the home things squared away (bills, etc.), and the biggest challenge of all, attempting to get my mind ready to leave. I have a certain amount of anxiety about leaving Mandy and all of my friends. 60 days is a long time to be gone from home, and I am getting a little afraid of what I will miss. I already know that I am going to miss Mandy tremendously. She continues to assure me that this is the right thing to be doing and that she and I will both be just fine, but that doesn't change the fact that I will not get to see her every night, something that I have become quite accustomed to and happy about. I also understand intellectually that my fear of loneliness on this adventure is a little unfounded since I will be going to a meeting every day, but I still wonder how frightening it will be to be alone in my mind for all those miles in-between meetings. More will be revealed, I suppose, and my job now is to prepare the 'cabin' for departure.

So there you have it, come the 17th I will be headed out onto the road to see what will happen, work on honing my look-for-strange-things skills, and get to the next meeting.

Source of Panic Discovered

Well, it turns out that the panic I was feeling about the trip had little to do with the trip. On Monday I received an email to do some work and instantly felt better. Although I knew that the work was still there, I was having a hard time allowing my mind to believe it, and that sent me into panic-mode. Silly, I know, but that seems to be how my brain works. Despite lots of evidence to the contrary I still go into worst case scenario first, or at least a close second. It makes me wonder if that is a part of the human condition, or something that is unique to me and a lot of people I know. Are there people out there that always assume the best without thought about how bad it could get? That seems such a foreign concept to me that I would find it uncomfortable to think that way...maybe.

So, as for the trip, it is looking like it may be a little postponed due to work, but I suppose that if I have to make a little more money prior to departure, then I will take it. The bike still does not have shocks, but they tell me that they will be in the mail soon. Sooner would be better, because we have had a nice little stretch of good weather, and it would be nice to be out in it on the bike. Things rarely happen in my time frame...

I bought a giant map of the U.S.:

Look at all those roads! I still maintain that there will be little planning that occurs prior to departure, but I bought the map to see if I find places that I want to go. More to come!

Panic Ensues

Well, the departure date approaches (estimated to be June 7th), and there is a bit of panic in my mind. The bike is still apart in the garage awaiting the arrival of new shocks from Works Performance in CA. All the work I can do to the bike for the time being has been done, and I am anxious to ride some more. On top of not being able to ride I am beginning to panic about being able to leave on time because of work, and also because of money and just being on the road. I have reached a point in Blue Highways where William is beginning to crack from being on the road and think about heading home, and I fear that point in my trip. My mind has a wonderful ability to run away with itself and go to the darkest places (mental meltdown on the road, no money on the road, stuck in the middle of nowhere, etc) and I am trying to fight that as best I can and remember that things have always worked the way they are supposed to in the past. But I'll be damned if it doesn't just keep talking... I suspect that all of this is normal for something like this, but it actually kept me awake for a bit the other night and I cannot remember the last time I lost sleep over something. Part of my brain just wants me to give this up and get a job and go back to work and be secure, but the other part of me knows that if I do that I will regret it forever. So for now the plan remains; leave in early to mid-June for 60 days of meetings...

Hmmmm

Well, I guess this is as good a time to start as any...

Thus far this trip is only an idea, but the idea is this: Get on my motorcycle and ride around the country for sixty days and get to a meeting every day (those of you in the know will know what I am talking about). Although an official launch date has not been decided it will likely be sometime in early June (I have a project for work that I need to get finished before I go, and my sister will be in town in late May and if I miss that I will be shot).

As of today I have started some of the preparations of the bike, a 2002 BMW R1150RT, including general tuneup and maintenance, and attempting to get rid of the dreaded R-bike surge. After several throttle body syncs and other minor tweaks I decided to remove the throttle bodies and clean them thoroughly. After cleaning they were put back on the bike and I used the zero=zero method for setup. This means that the throttle position sensor (TPS) is reset such that when the butterflies on the throttle bodies are fully closed the TPS accurately reads as much. After that it was a standard throttle body sync with a mercury manometer, and re-tweaking cables, etc. Now the bike runs great! I can't wait to get out on the road.

Along with the tuneups I am working my way through things like replacing the speedometer after it ate itself in New Mexico last year [Now the bike has 17 miles on it ;-)], replacing fork seals because one blew up in Idaho last year [Thanks, Dennis], replacing shocks because they are over 40,000 miles old, etc. Also on the list; thermometer and altimeter/barometer. I have grand plans to use them for predicting weather on the trip, but it is also likely that they will just be fun to look at. I installed custom seats and bar risers last year, so I do not need to do that. Tires may be in order prior to departure, but they might also just get replaced along the way. I am also still considering a GPS installation rather than having my Garmin Nuvi in mapholder on the tank bag, but that might be a little too much. There is something about navigating by a map that I really enjoy.

So I guess that's about it for now...more to come!