Back in the USA!

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So I made the bee-line for the 10:30 ferry. I get there at 10:25 and the customs guy starts in with the questions. Any food?no(YES) any alchohol? no (YES) and firearms? no(actually i didnt this time), any bear mace? no (YEP).So I get on the ferry now feeling pretty hungover but with a new sense of vigor for the road. My first stop in Washington was at Patti's seafood for some local oysters. I slurped em down and chit chatted with Pattis about the indians and fishing and the way things were and are now with it. I mentioned I wanted to try Geoduck and she just gave me some to cook up later. Thanks Patti! Another 30 minutes rides later and I see a sign for Oysterfest!! Already 12 deep, I proceeded to eat every kind of oyster they could throw at me. The band was playing Pink Floyd tracks and the mood was good.
I got another hour down the road before I realized i needed to get to a bar to watch the Ravens game. I go to this little bar and chit chat with a guy that wants to go live in Argentina when he gets out of school. Then a gregarious guy named Ken comes up to me and says the line of heard so many times, "is that your bike?" Ken a.k.a. Mr Clean, did some very "special" things for our country and I thank him for that. Anyways, after a few beers and the Ravens destroying the Jets, he invites me back to crash at his place.We had a few more and I got a look at his bikes and some other "machinery".
I got a late start the next day and after i went through Tenino I came to a stop light at about 30 and slowed down. The back tire slid out on what i can only think was animal guts. I hit the ground on my right hand and the only thing i can think is, "man it stinks like death here." Special thanks go out to the lady who simply sat in her car behind me as I scraped myself off the ground and picked up my bike.
I made it another 10 miles before crashing at the Mt. St. Helens exit. I had the stench all over my jacket and spent the rest of the evening cleaning and watching tv.
Next day, i made haste for Portland and then straight up 84 east up the Columbia River Gorge. Got to stop by Marmonot Falls and the Bonneville Dam. The scenery was tremendous and the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition was great too! Got some great shots all day, but I was also being chased by a storm coming from the west. Made the night in a hotel in Boardman.
Next day was rainy and I froze my ass off again going over the blue mountains. I went to Hot Lake which is a thermal spring and historic HAUNTED hotel. The ladies there took good care of me washing my clothes for me and mending my rain pants.Thanks!! The place used to be a lot of things but it was most notably a hospital and sanitorium. I made it to Baker city drenched and 42 degrees before throwing in the towel. Next day, it was an easy ride in to Boise.

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Comments

[Laura Sparley]

Hey guys!! Sorry to hear one of ya got a little scraped up:(, guess people can be just as unhelpful on the road back home as they are in Korea. You are currently in one of my hoods, love the Columbia Gorge...my parents are just down the way in Grants Pass, OR...if you need a place to crash, it's 30 min. from the California border, far southwest...free:) Hope you love the drive down the West Coast, it's soooo beautiful!