Thursday
29 May: Ephrata
Here I am in Ephrata, taking it easy tonight. I'm surfing with Bryan tonight, and probably getting up early to get moving. Had dinner, played with the blog and added a few fun things to it, and that's about it. Have fun exploring the blog and seeing all the work I've created for myself in terms of keeping it up to date!
--Outside Wenatchee on WA-28
--Five miles out of Wenatchee on WA-28--
Hitchhiking Log
29 May: Stuck my thumb out on the highway in front of the truck stop at Rock Island. I waited a whopping 10 minutes for a ride, this time from a woman -- Nina. She said she "doesn't ever pick up hitchhikers," but she had seen me walking earlier in the day from Wenatchee and thought I looked like a nice guy. She drove me the entire 35 miles to Ephrata, which was on her way to work. Thank you, Nina.
24 May (2 rides): First, a couple miles east of Index I stuck my thumb out. I got picked up in about 15 minutes by Jonathon, who said he picked me up because he was reading Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods," and seeing me standing by the side of the road with my pack on reminded him of that. Jonathon drove me 45 miles, over Stevens Pass, to the Shell station at Cole's Corner. At Cole's Corner I made a sign that read "WENATCHEE" and stood near the exit driveway that the most cars were using, which fortunately exposed me to cars passing by on the road, as well. In about 20 minutes, Bernardo stopped and picked me up. Sadly, Bernardo did not speak enough English to tell me why he'd stopped for me. He did, however, drive me 17 miles to Leavenworth, and pointed to where I could catch a bus that would take me all the way to Wenatchee -- that's 22 miles -- for $1.25!! (I didn't use the bus.) Thank you, Jonathon and Bernardo.
22 May: Sitting at a Shell gas station on Paradise Lake Road near its intersection with Washington Route 522, between Woodinville and Monroe. I got a piece of cardboard from the station, bought a large black Sharpie marker, and made a sign that said "MONROE." In less than 30 minutes, I got picked up by David. He had also bought me an ice cream sandwich. He drove me all the way to Bothell, and said he had picked me up because his mom & dad believed in Jesus, and they used to pick up hitchhikers and sometimes bring people home who didn't have a place to stay. David dropped me off in front of a car wash about a half mile from "downtown" Monroe. Thank you, David.
24 May (2 rides): First, a couple miles east of Index I stuck my thumb out. I got picked up in about 15 minutes by Jonathon, who said he picked me up because he was reading Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods," and seeing me standing by the side of the road with my pack on reminded him of that. Jonathon drove me 45 miles, over Stevens Pass, to the Shell station at Cole's Corner. At Cole's Corner I made a sign that read "WENATCHEE" and stood near the exit driveway that the most cars were using, which fortunately exposed me to cars passing by on the road, as well. In about 20 minutes, Bernardo stopped and picked me up. Sadly, Bernardo did not speak enough English to tell me why he'd stopped for me. He did, however, drive me 17 miles to Leavenworth, and pointed to where I could catch a bus that would take me all the way to Wenatchee -- that's 22 miles -- for $1.25!! (I didn't use the bus.) Thank you, Jonathon and Bernardo.
22 May: Sitting at a Shell gas station on Paradise Lake Road near its intersection with Washington Route 522, between Woodinville and Monroe. I got a piece of cardboard from the station, bought a large black Sharpie marker, and made a sign that said "MONROE." In less than 30 minutes, I got picked up by David. He had also bought me an ice cream sandwich. He drove me all the way to Bothell, and said he had picked me up because his mom & dad believed in Jesus, and they used to pick up hitchhikers and sometimes bring people home who didn't have a place to stay. David dropped me off in front of a car wash about a half mile from "downtown" Monroe. Thank you, David.
Wednesday
28 May: Loose Ends
As I was getting ready to leave this morning, I realized that I had spent the entirety of yesterday lollygagging and had not accomplished any of the few things I needed to. I decided that before leaving Wenatchee I had to: 1) Bear-proof my food in some manner; and 2) Mail several bulky and thus-far unused items home to myself, and mail to Meghan the CD's I've been needlessly carrying around with me for nearly a week.
I figured I'd take care of all this stuff and then hit the road, but upon further consideration I decided that I did not want to begin my day walking down the road in 80-degree heat; I'd rather wait a day and get started in the coolness of 7:00 AM. In other worfs, one more day in Wenatchee.
And aside from restocking on food, I've completed my tasks for the day, so the rest of the day is mine!
I figured I'd take care of all this stuff and then hit the road, but upon further consideration I decided that I did not want to begin my day walking down the road in 80-degree heat; I'd rather wait a day and get started in the coolness of 7:00 AM. In other worfs, one more day in Wenatchee.
And aside from restocking on food, I've completed my tasks for the day, so the rest of the day is mine!
Tuesday
27 May: Wenatchee
Wenatchee has a laid back, big-town feel to it, and if it were hotter today I might even say it reminds me of a smaller Savannah with fewer trees. So how does it resemble Savannah then, since it's not in the South? Well, I'd say friendly people and with a non-rushed, laid back attitude. Now, mind you, I ain't sayin' I'd eat the catfish or the grits, but I'd definitely like to meet more people here.
So far today I've found good espresso roasted and served by an interesting and friendly man, Darren, at Caffe Mela in downtown Wenatchee. On the recommendation of Ana, a barista at Mela, I went to McGlinn's Public House for a pre-lunch pint. After that I went for lunch with Kasey, a local CouchSurfer, at a cheap little no-frills Mexican spot, Taco Loco.
Jason, ny CS host here in Wenatchee, left last night to travel to India for 2 months, so unless this other CouchSurfer who is supposed to crash here shows up, which is not at all a certainty, I have the place to myself to rest a bit more and get ready for tommorrow, when I'll take the bus over to East Wenatchee and start walking toward Quincy, my goal for tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to getting back out on the road with a day of rest under my belt; it will definitely be nice to be sort of fresh again.
It's a few hours later now, and after some great conversation with Mike, my host's housemate, and Tom, the other CouchSurfer, who did indeed show up, it's time for bed, so I can be ready to go tomorrow. I wish I had another day here to get to know the town and maybe some more people, but I'll just have to come back sometime.
Ciao from Wenatchee!
So far today I've found good espresso roasted and served by an interesting and friendly man, Darren, at Caffe Mela in downtown Wenatchee. On the recommendation of Ana, a barista at Mela, I went to McGlinn's Public House for a pre-lunch pint. After that I went for lunch with Kasey, a local CouchSurfer, at a cheap little no-frills Mexican spot, Taco Loco.
Jason, ny CS host here in Wenatchee, left last night to travel to India for 2 months, so unless this other CouchSurfer who is supposed to crash here shows up, which is not at all a certainty, I have the place to myself to rest a bit more and get ready for tommorrow, when I'll take the bus over to East Wenatchee and start walking toward Quincy, my goal for tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to getting back out on the road with a day of rest under my belt; it will definitely be nice to be sort of fresh again.
It's a few hours later now, and after some great conversation with Mike, my host's housemate, and Tom, the other CouchSurfer, who did indeed show up, it's time for bed, so I can be ready to go tomorrow. I wish I had another day here to get to know the town and maybe some more people, but I'll just have to come back sometime.
Ciao from Wenatchee!
26 May: Road Hazards
There are some things that could happen to you walking on the roadside that you might think about, worry about, or possibly even plan for. I don't think this morning's surprise falls into any of those categories.
About 10 minutes out of Cashmere (more on that later) this morning, I was walking along the ample highway shoulder, minding my own business as they say, when a flatbed truck with a spare tire atop the cab and a front-load bobcat on the bed pulled off the road and stopped about 30 feet in front of me. Right behind him stopped a brown pickup truck. I had only a split second to consider these two trucks pulling over before I heard a strange ringing sound to my right. I looked over that way just in time to see a second spare tire, this one having just bounced off a chain link fence set back about 15 feet from the highway.
--Between Cashmere & Wenatchee--
Nothing like a good laugh to start the day.
About 10 minutes out of Cashmere (more on that later) this morning, I was walking along the ample highway shoulder, minding my own business as they say, when a flatbed truck with a spare tire atop the cab and a front-load bobcat on the bed pulled off the road and stopped about 30 feet in front of me. Right behind him stopped a brown pickup truck. I had only a split second to consider these two trucks pulling over before I heard a strange ringing sound to my right. I looked over that way just in time to see a second spare tire, this one having just bounced off a chain link fence set back about 15 feet from the highway.
Nothing like a good laugh to start the day.
Cashmere: A Small-Town Lesson Learned
CAUTION: Biased rant follows, read with caution.
All I wanted was a good night's sleep, but despite the friendly efforts of some Chelan County Sheriff deputies who pointed me in the direction of a good campsite, it was not to happen. Thank you, Officers Friendly. To the teenagers of Cashmere, from a tired, sore traveler, a heart-felt "PISS OFF," for speeding up to my exposed camp over and over again, slamming on your brakes, and tearing off again for two hours until I packed up and ran off to camp where the deputies told me not to. Next time maybe you'll leave a camper alone.
On a funnier note, the local pizza joint had a "certificate of patriotism" posted behind its counter, something I hadn't seen before.
Lesson learned: Don't set up camp in a site I have doubts about.
All I wanted was a good night's sleep, but despite the friendly efforts of some Chelan County Sheriff deputies who pointed me in the direction of a good campsite, it was not to happen. Thank you, Officers Friendly. To the teenagers of Cashmere, from a tired, sore traveler, a heart-felt "PISS OFF," for speeding up to my exposed camp over and over again, slamming on your brakes, and tearing off again for two hours until I packed up and ran off to camp where the deputies told me not to. Next time maybe you'll leave a camper alone.
On a funnier note, the local pizza joint had a "certificate of patriotism" posted behind its counter, something I hadn't seen before.
Lesson learned: Don't set up camp in a site I have doubts about.
Saturday
All's well that ends ... in Disneyland?
The last few days have been a mix - a lot of walking, alot of cheating.
Upon consulting google maps on Thursday morning, I decided two things: first, that Bothell to Sultan was too far and was not going to happen. Second, that Bothell was a tangled suburban web of streets and likely to get me lost at some point on the way out. Fortunately I had dealt with the first issue the night before, sending some couchsurfing requests to people in Monroe, and while I wouldn't learn it until I was actually in Monroe, they had paid off.
So I took the bus from Bothell to the near side of Woodinville and walked from there. I walked about 8 miles (plus a 2 mile round trip mistake due to a country street sign being turned the wrong way) before encountering my entrance to 522, which was crazy with cars in both directions. It took me about 3 seconds to decide the time had come to hitchhike. I made a sign that said "Monroe," stood near the Shell station's exit, and waited about 30 minutes for my 10 minute ride to Monroe. Thank you David for the ride.
In Monroe I walked about another 2 miles to my place of repose for the night, where I stayed with CouchSurfers Joshua, Heather, and their dog, Manny. Joshua and Manny had the coolest dog tricks I have ever seen. I spent some time chatting with Joshua in the evening and then crashed. I talked to Heather in the morning, and they gave me a ride downtown, from where I made my way to Gold Bar.
-- Josh, Heather, and Manny my hosts in Monroe --
In Gold Bar, I took the advice of some locals and camped out on the banks of the Skykomish River. It was a great night of sleep, except for 90 minutes of passing trains around midnight.
-- A bear about a quarter mile away in Gold Bar --
Allen, this next section will answer your question about the pass.
This morning I woke up early, packed up and cleaned up, and treated myself to a French toast breakfast in town. I then applied generous amounts of sunscreen to save my skin on the first sunny day of my trip, and headed east on US-2. I walked to Index and started considering my timing and situation. In the end, I decided to stick out my thumb and catch a ride through Stevens Pass. I couldn't have been hitching more than 15 minutes before I was picked up by Jonathon. Many of my friends in Seattle will appreciate this tidbit: he was from Minneapolis! Jonathon dropprd me off at Cole's Corner. I took about an hour checking out camping possibilities, found none, made a sign that said "Wenatchee" (I didn't intend to go that far but nobody had heard of the towns I wanted to go to), and in 20 minutes I was on my way to Leavenworth (WA, not the prison!).
-- The road between Gold Bar & Index --
After arriving here and getting my expensive camping set up, I talked to Jason who will be my CouchSurfing host in Wenatchee on Monday and Tuesday, and he described Leavenworth as "Bavarian Hell." It's like Germany-gone-Disneyland here, look it up on Google, I'm sure there are pictures.
-- Welcome to Disneyland ... er, Leavenworth! --
Speaking of pictures, I've decided to take an extra day of rest in Wenatchee, so I'll try to get pictures uploaded there. I'll probably just edit them into the appropriate posts, so be on the lookout.
As an aside, I'm throwing my schedule out for now, except for those places where I have CouchSurfing things scheduled. I have a couple days to brainstorm and retool before I get online again, I'll update the plan and the calendar then.
Upon consulting google maps on Thursday morning, I decided two things: first, that Bothell to Sultan was too far and was not going to happen. Second, that Bothell was a tangled suburban web of streets and likely to get me lost at some point on the way out. Fortunately I had dealt with the first issue the night before, sending some couchsurfing requests to people in Monroe, and while I wouldn't learn it until I was actually in Monroe, they had paid off.
So I took the bus from Bothell to the near side of Woodinville and walked from there. I walked about 8 miles (plus a 2 mile round trip mistake due to a country street sign being turned the wrong way) before encountering my entrance to 522, which was crazy with cars in both directions. It took me about 3 seconds to decide the time had come to hitchhike. I made a sign that said "Monroe," stood near the Shell station's exit, and waited about 30 minutes for my 10 minute ride to Monroe. Thank you David for the ride.
In Monroe I walked about another 2 miles to my place of repose for the night, where I stayed with CouchSurfers Joshua, Heather, and their dog, Manny. Joshua and Manny had the coolest dog tricks I have ever seen. I spent some time chatting with Joshua in the evening and then crashed. I talked to Heather in the morning, and they gave me a ride downtown, from where I made my way to Gold Bar.
In Gold Bar, I took the advice of some locals and camped out on the banks of the Skykomish River. It was a great night of sleep, except for 90 minutes of passing trains around midnight.
Allen, this next section will answer your question about the pass.
This morning I woke up early, packed up and cleaned up, and treated myself to a French toast breakfast in town. I then applied generous amounts of sunscreen to save my skin on the first sunny day of my trip, and headed east on US-2. I walked to Index and started considering my timing and situation. In the end, I decided to stick out my thumb and catch a ride through Stevens Pass. I couldn't have been hitching more than 15 minutes before I was picked up by Jonathon. Many of my friends in Seattle will appreciate this tidbit: he was from Minneapolis! Jonathon dropprd me off at Cole's Corner. I took about an hour checking out camping possibilities, found none, made a sign that said "Wenatchee" (I didn't intend to go that far but nobody had heard of the towns I wanted to go to), and in 20 minutes I was on my way to Leavenworth (WA, not the prison!).
After arriving here and getting my expensive camping set up, I talked to Jason who will be my CouchSurfing host in Wenatchee on Monday and Tuesday, and he described Leavenworth as "Bavarian Hell." It's like Germany-gone-Disneyland here, look it up on Google, I'm sure there are pictures.
Speaking of pictures, I've decided to take an extra day of rest in Wenatchee, so I'll try to get pictures uploaded there. I'll probably just edit them into the appropriate posts, so be on the lookout.
As an aside, I'm throwing my schedule out for now, except for those places where I have CouchSurfing things scheduled. I have a couple days to brainstorm and retool before I get online again, I'll update the plan and the calendar then.
Lessons Learned
1) Walking 5 miles with a 50-lb pack on is nothing like walking 5 miles unburdened. No surprise.
2) Don't camp in a site I"m uncomfortable with, even if someone else told me it's a good site.
2) Don't camp in a site I"m uncomfortable with, even if someone else told me it's a good site.
Wednesday
First Day / Home Sweet Bothell
Well, first day done, and damn do my legs hurt. My feet are in pretty good shape though, with one near-blister experience that I caught in time. I walked from Senor Moose Cafe in Ballard to a point in Kenmore where the Burke-Gilman trail was closed for construction. I have never been to Kenmore before, and I have to say that looking at Google maps I'm glad I took the bus. The route I would have had to take to get past the construction would have taken me two miles out of my way, when I really only had about two actual miles of travel left. In the end I made up for that two miles by walking between a Safeway and a Transit Center a few times and ended up taking a bus into Bothell.
The best part of that whole situation was when I walked up to a drive-through espresso cart for directions, and it turned out to be Best Friend Espresso. Google it, you'll see why that's funny. The girls there were very nice and helpful... and that's not all.
So in all, I covered 17 miles on foot today, plus what I estimate to be two wasted miles trying to get around the detour or take the bus. Not quite what I planned, but not too shabby, either.
My plan for tomorrow is changing too, I see I was too ambitious too early, so I think instead of Sultan I am going to stop in Monroe, which is -- ahem -- only thirteen miles. I'm trying to connect with CouchSurfers there, we'll see what happens. I'll update again tomorrow if I can, otherwise it may not be until I'm in Wenatchee.
The best part of that whole situation was when I walked up to a drive-through espresso cart for directions, and it turned out to be Best Friend Espresso. Google it, you'll see why that's funny. The girls there were very nice and helpful... and that's not all.
So in all, I covered 17 miles on foot today, plus what I estimate to be two wasted miles trying to get around the detour or take the bus. Not quite what I planned, but not too shabby, either.
My plan for tomorrow is changing too, I see I was too ambitious too early, so I think instead of Sultan I am going to stop in Monroe, which is -- ahem -- only thirteen miles. I'm trying to connect with CouchSurfers there, we'll see what happens. I'll update again tomorrow if I can, otherwise it may not be until I'm in Wenatchee.
Departure Time!
Well, this is the day. I'm off to breakfast, and after my last tasty meal from Senor Moose, I'm headed to Bothell. I'm excited and ready to go! Keep an eye on the blog for updates.
Derek
Monday
Pedestrian Crossing FAQ
Do you have burning questions about my coast-to-coast trip across the United States? They may be answered here!
Q: Are you crazy?
A: Yes. Absolutely, positively, bonkers. Off my rockers. Nutso. Completely delusional.
Q: Why are you doing this?
A: See previous Q & A.
But here's the long, serious answer:
I've wanted to do this for years. Back when I was living with Matt in Mankato and working overnights at the LeHillier QuickMart, I used to walk home in the morning along old Highway 69, and as I would start down the hill past Van's Auto Parts, a thought would often occur to me: What if I just kept going? What if I walked past the turn onto Reno Street and walked to the end of 69, wandered over to 169-south, or crossed onto 68-west, and kept walking? I would call in a few days and let everyone know I was okay.
Then I read a book called Kindness of Strangers, by Mike McIntyre. He hitchhiked across the States and his premise was different than mine, but it was still inspirational. Ever since I read that book, I've wanted to do this walk. But I've always had something going on during summers that stopped me. Finally, this summer, I don't.
Q: How long will it take?
A: About 5-1/2 months.
Q: How many miles is the trip?
A: About 3,500 miles, of which about 2,550 will be walking and 950 hitchiking.
Q: How far will you walk each day?
A: My average mileage will be between 17 and 24 miles. The distance I walk on a given day depends on how I feel that day, as well as my proximity to towns.
Q: Where will you stay?
A: In towns where there are CouchSurfers (www.couchsurfing.com), I am requesting their hospitality. In towns where there are not, I am experimenting. My hope is to find people who will let me set my tent up in their yard for the night.
Q: What kind of shoes are you taking?
A: Merrel light-weight hiking boots.
Q: How are you paying for it?
A: Savings. But it's only numbers, an abstract representation of money in a bank, so don't mug me – it won't be worth your time.
Q: Where will you stay?
A: In towns where there are CouchSurfers (www.couchsurfing.com), I am requesting their hospitality. In towns where there are not, I am experimenting. My hope is to find people who will let me set my tent up in their yard for the night.
Q: Are you taking your computer?
A: No.
Q: Are you taking your iPod?
A: No.
Q: Are you going to shave your beard to appear less “sketchy?”
A: NO!
Q: Can you send me a post card?
A: Probably not, but I'll try.
Q: Can I send you a post card?
A: You sure can. Email me to find out how.
Sunday
Pedestrian Crossing
I have done a few things in my life that you, my friends, have called life-changing (or even crazy), so maybe those among yon who I've not yet told of my latest crazy scheme won't be too surprised to hear about it here.
On 21 May, 2008, I will depart Seattle for a summer-long pedestrian crossing of the United States.
That's right, for those of you who assume you've misunderstood, I am walking the breadth of the States, from coast to coast, west to east. I depart on 21 May, and my ambitious to the point of unrealistic schedule puts me in Norfolk, VA on 7 October. In reality, I expect my crossing to terminate around the end of October.
The gist of my planned route is as follows: A northerly route through Washington, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota; southeast across Minnesota; east across Wisconsin; a brief jog into Illinois to visit Chicago; cross the border into Indiana to head straight south; meander around Kentucky and Tennessee; east to North Carolina; north to Virginia, and then I'm done!
I will stick primarily to roads, avoid interstates like the plague, and cheat by hitchhiking across Montana and North Dakota. Once I depart Fargo, my feet will hit the pavement again.
Sound simple enough?
I am providing a few people with my intended itinerary and will be checking in with them regularly as a safety precaution. I will also attempt to keep this blog relatively up to date, but I'm sure you won't be surprised that I won't be posting every day from on the road. My intention is to post once or twice weekly, and each post will contain three or four days of journals and information.
Ciao, wish me luck, and feel free to ask questions.
On 21 May, 2008, I will depart Seattle for a summer-long pedestrian crossing of the United States.
That's right, for those of you who assume you've misunderstood, I am walking the breadth of the States, from coast to coast, west to east. I depart on 21 May, and my ambitious to the point of unrealistic schedule puts me in Norfolk, VA on 7 October. In reality, I expect my crossing to terminate around the end of October.
The gist of my planned route is as follows: A northerly route through Washington, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota; southeast across Minnesota; east across Wisconsin; a brief jog into Illinois to visit Chicago; cross the border into Indiana to head straight south; meander around Kentucky and Tennessee; east to North Carolina; north to Virginia, and then I'm done!
I will stick primarily to roads, avoid interstates like the plague, and cheat by hitchhiking across Montana and North Dakota. Once I depart Fargo, my feet will hit the pavement again.
Sound simple enough?
I am providing a few people with my intended itinerary and will be checking in with them regularly as a safety precaution. I will also attempt to keep this blog relatively up to date, but I'm sure you won't be surprised that I won't be posting every day from on the road. My intention is to post once or twice weekly, and each post will contain three or four days of journals and information.
Ciao, wish me luck, and feel free to ask questions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
