The Overdue Post From The Coast
I'm posting from a Starbucks in Seattle, WA (it seemed like the thing to do, given the history of coffee places, Seattle, blogging, wifi, and all). This means I have made it across the country, from east to west coast in under 3 weeks! (with a few north / south detours, not to mention those few days where I had to recover ground in Wyoming ... but we'll not talk of those days again). I've also gone more than 5,000 miles in my journey thus far. If the bike keeps running all the way back to NYC, I may clock closer to 12,000 miles on this trip (the original estimate was 9,000 to 10,000 - best laid plans of mice and men).
Montana to Spokane, WA
As it has been a few days since my last post, let's catch up by going back to Montana ... briefly. My ride from Columbia Falls, MT to Spokane, WA was easy, even a bit relaxing. As it was only about 250 miles I took my time and enjoyed a little more of Montana. The weather has been holding out so well on this trip it's almost criminal (some might think I made a deal with someone, but as I've no soul to sell, it would be a very one-sided deal).
Riding US-2 west, I stumbled across a great little place for lunch in Marion, MT. Of course, this made me think of my aunt Marion (because I'm a simple minded dolt that way). After lunch I headed west again and found a great place to sit, enjoy the sun and have a cigar. The Kootenai Falls is a great little spot. While there I snapped a few shots (here's one now).
A little less than an hour later I passed quietly out of Big Sky country into the northern panhandle of Idaho. I was surprised at how beautiful Idaho is. At the mention of Idaho, I only ever think of potatoes, and though I love french fried potatoes, I've never thought of them or where they come from as beautiful. US-2 in Idaho is lined with trees and frequented by logging trucks, so there appears to be more than one industry there anyway.
Idaho quickly gave way to Washington state and the western terminus for my ride across (or rather around) the continental U.S.A. I was so very happy to see signs to Spokane, as it meant I'd see friends again after such a long time alone on the road (I'd not seen a familiar face since Michigan, though I was beginning to think of Terry and Joe from the Gillette, WY Suzuki shop as familiar).
I made Spokane shortly after crossing the state line, and was overjoyed to see my great good friends, Dana and Carmen. Part of the reason I haven't posted since hitting Spokane was because I was so happy to see people I could have real conversation with, I wouldn't shut up. Too much blabbing left no time for blogging. That, and I'm lazy.
Kidding aside it was great to see Dana and Carmen, to talk about the trip a little, but also to talk politics (office and world), as well as events in general, and just be myself. They have a great house, a bird that spends much of her time on Dana's shoulder, and a cute-as-hell puppy with the funniest disposition for a dog. Here we are hanging together, Lelo and me (photo credit:DB).
I stayed in Spokane for a day-and-a-half and really recharged and relaxed. It was the best way to end this leg of the trip. Thanks to Dana and Carmen for taking the time to show me around and opening up their home. I even stopped by the AP elections center, met some of the staff, and watched them kick-off the Tennessee primary this past Thursday. It was fun and a bit weird to be in an AP office again (sometimes it seems I'm destined to be around the AP my whole life, some way or another).
I did do a little wandering around downtown Spokane and popped a few shots off. Here's one of a random building I liked.
Seattle, WA
(or Coffee Cups and Tattooed Ladies)
With Carmen, Dana and Lelo waving goodbye from the front porch, I rolled out of Spokane, back on US-2 headed for Seattle, land of coffee, grunge music, and apparently tattooed girls. I swear, every woman I see here has at least one tattoo. And not a rose, or unicorn, I'm talking about lavish, large needle work, on their arms, backs, necks, and legs (and probably one or two places I've not had the privilege to see). As a lover of body ink myself, I'm fascinated by the amount of ink in this town. It rivals LA, especially among the women. In LA you see guys covered (as you do in Seattle), but it seems to me more women have visible ink here than in LA. But maybe it's because I've been in cow country too long, where a lot of people don't even have all their teeth, so aren't worried much about body adornment.
I did notice back in Montana that the women started looking better then they had in the past few states. It's either that or it's last call for me and everyone looks good at 4 am when you've been drinking all night and you're desperate not to go home alone ... again. (So much for my barroom philosophy).
Someday someone can maybe explain what it is about cities that attracts me to them. Is it the tall buildings clustered together, the people walking around, the ability to buy an egg sandwich at 3 am, functional mass transit (that the masses actually use, not just the poor slobs that can't afford a car), the ability to be anonymous without begin lonely, or simply the fact that the size of my beltbuckle isn't inadequate in comparison (those cowboys like their beltbuckles big like championship boxing belts - whew).
As I glimpsed Seattle for the first time (still 35 miles away), it made me feel warm and a bit squishy inside (the fact that it was after sunset and the buildings were twinkling in the twilight helped to remind me a little of NYC, I'm sure). I had made a reservation at a chic boutique hotel with a small room, but it's really, really clean and smells nice and the staff is helpful (they even carried my gear up to the room for me - that don't happen at the Comfort Inn).
I've not been here 24 hours yet, but my first impression of Seattle is that it's a great city (and maybe the first real city I've seen since leaving NYC). I had a late-night bite at The Hurricane, a 24 hr diner a short walk from the hotel (where I also went for breakfast). I've walked through the Market, Downtown and Pioneer Square areas and photographed a few things (I've already taken more pictures than I did in Montana, and I recall writing in an earlier post that Montana was the state I'd photographed more than any other). Much of what I've seen reminds me of Tribeca, lots of short brick buildings with big windows, many of them built around the turn of the last century but recently restored and probably more than a few converted to other-than their originally intended use.
So far I'm having a fabulous time in Seattle and I plan on having more fun before rolling out of town tomorrow afternoon. I'll leave you with this image I captured in an alley this morning. To me, this is what a city looks like; all brick walls, narrow passageways and slashes of shadow and light.
I wonder what the weather is like in winter ...?
Last thing - I'm being kicked out of Starbucks and it's only 6 pm. The one thing about this city (and most others) is things close early. I noticed a few places aren't open on Sundays. Perhaps it's because I'm staying in the Downtown area and this is more about weekday business. I guess you can't have everything all the time.
Montana to Spokane, WA
As it has been a few days since my last post, let's catch up by going back to Montana ... briefly. My ride from Columbia Falls, MT to Spokane, WA was easy, even a bit relaxing. As it was only about 250 miles I took my time and enjoyed a little more of Montana. The weather has been holding out so well on this trip it's almost criminal (some might think I made a deal with someone, but as I've no soul to sell, it would be a very one-sided deal).
Riding US-2 west, I stumbled across a great little place for lunch in Marion, MT. Of course, this made me think of my aunt Marion (because I'm a simple minded dolt that way). After lunch I headed west again and found a great place to sit, enjoy the sun and have a cigar. The Kootenai Falls is a great little spot. While there I snapped a few shots (here's one now).
A little less than an hour later I passed quietly out of Big Sky country into the northern panhandle of Idaho. I was surprised at how beautiful Idaho is. At the mention of Idaho, I only ever think of potatoes, and though I love french fried potatoes, I've never thought of them or where they come from as beautiful. US-2 in Idaho is lined with trees and frequented by logging trucks, so there appears to be more than one industry there anyway.
Idaho quickly gave way to Washington state and the western terminus for my ride across (or rather around) the continental U.S.A. I was so very happy to see signs to Spokane, as it meant I'd see friends again after such a long time alone on the road (I'd not seen a familiar face since Michigan, though I was beginning to think of Terry and Joe from the Gillette, WY Suzuki shop as familiar).
I made Spokane shortly after crossing the state line, and was overjoyed to see my great good friends, Dana and Carmen. Part of the reason I haven't posted since hitting Spokane was because I was so happy to see people I could have real conversation with, I wouldn't shut up. Too much blabbing left no time for blogging. That, and I'm lazy.
Kidding aside it was great to see Dana and Carmen, to talk about the trip a little, but also to talk politics (office and world), as well as events in general, and just be myself. They have a great house, a bird that spends much of her time on Dana's shoulder, and a cute-as-hell puppy with the funniest disposition for a dog. Here we are hanging together, Lelo and me (photo credit:DB).I stayed in Spokane for a day-and-a-half and really recharged and relaxed. It was the best way to end this leg of the trip. Thanks to Dana and Carmen for taking the time to show me around and opening up their home. I even stopped by the AP elections center, met some of the staff, and watched them kick-off the Tennessee primary this past Thursday. It was fun and a bit weird to be in an AP office again (sometimes it seems I'm destined to be around the AP my whole life, some way or another).
I did do a little wandering around downtown Spokane and popped a few shots off. Here's one of a random building I liked.
Seattle, WA
(or Coffee Cups and Tattooed Ladies)
With Carmen, Dana and Lelo waving goodbye from the front porch, I rolled out of Spokane, back on US-2 headed for Seattle, land of coffee, grunge music, and apparently tattooed girls. I swear, every woman I see here has at least one tattoo. And not a rose, or unicorn, I'm talking about lavish, large needle work, on their arms, backs, necks, and legs (and probably one or two places I've not had the privilege to see). As a lover of body ink myself, I'm fascinated by the amount of ink in this town. It rivals LA, especially among the women. In LA you see guys covered (as you do in Seattle), but it seems to me more women have visible ink here than in LA. But maybe it's because I've been in cow country too long, where a lot of people don't even have all their teeth, so aren't worried much about body adornment.
I did notice back in Montana that the women started looking better then they had in the past few states. It's either that or it's last call for me and everyone looks good at 4 am when you've been drinking all night and you're desperate not to go home alone ... again. (So much for my barroom philosophy).
Someday someone can maybe explain what it is about cities that attracts me to them. Is it the tall buildings clustered together, the people walking around, the ability to buy an egg sandwich at 3 am, functional mass transit (that the masses actually use, not just the poor slobs that can't afford a car), the ability to be anonymous without begin lonely, or simply the fact that the size of my beltbuckle isn't inadequate in comparison (those cowboys like their beltbuckles big like championship boxing belts - whew).
As I glimpsed Seattle for the first time (still 35 miles away), it made me feel warm and a bit squishy inside (the fact that it was after sunset and the buildings were twinkling in the twilight helped to remind me a little of NYC, I'm sure). I had made a reservation at a chic boutique hotel with a small room, but it's really, really clean and smells nice and the staff is helpful (they even carried my gear up to the room for me - that don't happen at the Comfort Inn).
I've not been here 24 hours yet, but my first impression of Seattle is that it's a great city (and maybe the first real city I've seen since leaving NYC). I had a late-night bite at The Hurricane, a 24 hr diner a short walk from the hotel (where I also went for breakfast). I've walked through the Market, Downtown and Pioneer Square areas and photographed a few things (I've already taken more pictures than I did in Montana, and I recall writing in an earlier post that Montana was the state I'd photographed more than any other). Much of what I've seen reminds me of Tribeca, lots of short brick buildings with big windows, many of them built around the turn of the last century but recently restored and probably more than a few converted to other-than their originally intended use.
So far I'm having a fabulous time in Seattle and I plan on having more fun before rolling out of town tomorrow afternoon. I'll leave you with this image I captured in an alley this morning. To me, this is what a city looks like; all brick walls, narrow passageways and slashes of shadow and light.I wonder what the weather is like in winter ...?
Last thing - I'm being kicked out of Starbucks and it's only 6 pm. The one thing about this city (and most others) is things close early. I noticed a few places aren't open on Sundays. Perhaps it's because I'm staying in the Downtown area and this is more about weekday business. I guess you can't have everything all the time.
posted by DJ at 6:39 PM
0 comments
