cities, slugs, and the end of the beginning

I have no idea where to begin the end of the journey, which I am surely sure will be clearly mark the end of the beginning of my bike touring adventures. This was the first time I had ever really gone and done something on my own, all by myself. At least something of this scale. The first night spent in Lee Vining, California, at the gateway to Yosemite National Park, was the first night I had ever slept outside alone. I should have probably been a little more frightened that night, but I was not, in any way, scared. Of that. I was scared, though, of the miles to come. I had no where to turn back to and I had no one to protect me, both mentally and physically, but my self. I was about to ride a bicycle loaded with 50 pounds of gear, stuff, essentials, whatever, up through the interior of California, out to the coast, and up and up and up to Vancouver. 

So I made it to Vancouver. The way everything worked out, I spent 5 days there in the American Backpacker's Hostel. It was a very strange transition going from biking every day, eating well, and sleeping alone, to sitting in cigarette smoke all day, wandering around the city not quite knowing what to do, and meeting more interesting people than I could have imagined in such a short time. The experience at this hostel opened my eyes to a world I never really knew existed. And I almost fit in. But I was an observer and I knew I was the whole time, and in that sense I can never truly fit it, anywhere.

The youth hostel said no one over 35 was allowed, but I found out they were flexible for a few people. But mostly it was kids from all over the world, exactly my age. 20, 21, up to maybe 25. Just traveling, enjoying life, and not knowing what to expect. They were from Japan, England, Australia, Germany, Greece, and many other places. The hostel said they could fit about 95 people and to stay was $10 a night. Most of the people there were long term since it was so cheap to live there, and the community that resulted provided some amazing music, good smells from the kitchen, and interesting conversations. Not many of them really had any kind of concrete direction, and I thought that was amazing. It helped to me step back a see that I have never not had a plan, and that in some ways might be crippling. It was a lot to take in, and to be honest a whole trip in itself. It was almost difficult being there because of how eye opening it was, after going through such a massive change in the previous weeks of pure biking. 

I left Vancouver by train for Seattle, and took another ferry across the Puget Sound to Bremerton for the last night of camping on the trip. I was very much relieved to be in silence again, with only myself to keep me company. That night camping, I woke up around 2:30 in the morning. I was feeling around for my shoes and found them...with slugs in them. It was nasty and though I was annoyed, I was proud of myself because I didn't really care. I got up, and picked them off with a stick. I then picked the others off that found their way to my cooking pot, the fuel bottle, and a few other places. I repacked my stuff and fell back asleep until the morning. Over the next two days, I was either getting ready to leave or actually leaving. I was finished with the trip, and I had accomplished what I had set out to do. Bike from California to Vancouver. 

So this isn't really the end, I will be making a video of my trip, and posting many many pictures, once I find some space on my computer and hard drives. I don't want to have to buy another drive as they just keep piling up, but this might be the time to do it. This post was very difficult for me to write, and I am still not all that satisfied with it. Maybe it was because I had the luxury of time, and the ability to reread and edit and revise. I had way too much time to think about what to say, and so much of what I really wanted to say just didn't make it in. 

I haven't read a single word from the actual biking posts, and I am now excited to read them, to see the transition I made for myself. I have not looked over them, not even when I was writing them, for my time was limited, or at least it felt that way. 

Please enjoy all that is here then so far, and I will continue to add thoughts and pictures and video as the summer progresses. Thank you to everyone here at home in DC and along the route that made this trip unforgettable and absolutely life changing. Some of the changes I can clearly see already, and others I know will come up and hit me like a train in years to come. But thank you so much for keeping up with me and I hope that everyone gets the chance to experience themselves like I just did.