The One That Got Away

It feels like I've lived an entire lifetime since my last post. It's been almost a month and it has been so action packed it's hard to cover everything, but as always I will try.

As it turns out, the next morning, Sat Aug 30th, at Mt Adams was beautiful again. I stayed through Sunday morning, riding and hiking and generally exploring the area. I took many photos and enjoyed myself thoroughly. After leaving the area, I headed toward Randle, my decision point for heading up to Seattle or west to Portland. Arriving in early afternoon, it was a hard call but never having been over the pass to Mt Rainier, the decision was made for Seattle. Sunday night was spent in Greenwater, WA - a very small town just on the other side of the Cayuse Pass, a roughly 6000ft pass next to the 14,410ft Mt Rainier. True to its name, it is on the rain-ier side of Washington and provided a great view of fog as the rain set in. Sunday afternoon in Greenwater is very quiet and given the rain I just didn't feel like cooking so found a small bar & grill. Hanging out with locals is always interesting and thankfully WA has a no smoking law for all public establishments. After a burger and a few drinks I headed off to find a place to camp and ended up staying just off the road in a pullout.

Sending off some Couch Surfing requests has become a habit when entering a city area with limited or no camping and after a week in the Mt Adams wilderness some people contact was going to be a plus. Sunday night I sent off 6 or so as Monday was Labor Day and many people wouldn't check their email. I got a few responses and decided to contact Mike & Amanda who lived in downtown Tacoma. Everybody I meet on this trip is sent to me for some reason and these people were no exception. With just a few minutes notice, I turned up on their doorstep and entered their lives. Mike & Amanda (see photo) have to be two of the most easy-going, helpful and friendly people I have yet to meet. Not only did they take me into their home and give me a comfortable bed (yes, an actual bed) but they rearranged their parking so I could park my sadly unlockable truck and motorcycle in their garage. They also introduced me to their many friends and generally treated me as a close friend. That's when my three week life as a Pacific North West resident began, in a downtown condo of a place once known as Smelly Aroma Tacoma.

The original plan (which of course I rarely have) was to spend a day or two and then head up to Seattle (the supposedly bigger, smarter, prettier brother of Tacoma - although completely unfounded). After a quick discussion with Amanda, I decided to attend Yoga with them the following night, no big deal, still on plan. During the morning, a neighbor came by and invited them (and me) to a Labor Day BBQ down the hall. All the condos in the renovated building (previously a hospital) have awesome decks overlooking downtown. This being downtown in a liberal city, many of the buildings' residents are gay, which always makes for a fun and boisterous event, and it was definitely that. What began at about 3pm ended late in the night after much revelry and an invitation to go sailing on Wednesday night with a newly engaged couple - Marty & Aubre. Plan out the window.

If I was staying thru Wed for sailing, I may as well stay for Yoga again on Thursday and of course the party Friday night at the locally owned "Mix" bar. Trying not to impose I cooked often and tried to help out as much as possible while Mike & Amanda were at work. During the days it gave me an opportunity to see the sights of Tacoma (of which there are many) and to catch up on my admin work. Saturday the 5th was definitely going to be my departure day and so I planned to head up to Anacortes and see the far northern reaches of Washington state. I had arranged a stay with Laura, another couch surfing host up there. We did however tentatively agree I would come back for Yoga either Tuesday or Thursday the following week on my way back south - Tacoma still had me in her grasp. As a thank you for all their kindness I suggested making a dinner Friday night. Nate, Mike's friend came over, and as usual, the guys at the end of the hall were having some people over too so we all joined together for a larger group. Around 8pm Nate got a call from his friend Stephani who was in the area and was going to drop by. That was the beginning of the end. By midnight we were at the Mix playing pool, having drinks and Stephani and I were hitting it off all too well. A whirlwind romance ensued upon my return from Anacortes (detailed post to follow) which kept me in the Tacoma area another two weeks. I was actually considering staying through the winter. Without going into details, we had a great two weeks that included many late nights, some great wine and a fun weekend of camping. Needless to say, it didn't work out and I am now in Portland, sad to have left, but knowing it was the right thing for both of us. I have maintained awareness and am at Peace.