From Idaho to Montana
On Sunday morning it’s time to say goodbye again. It’s my least favorite part of traveling. What I find most challenging is that I never know when I’ll see my friends here again. It’s not like you can come over for a weekend or so. I give them a big hug and hope to see each other again either on this side of the ocean or the other side. Today I feel quite double. I’m sad because I’m leaving my lovely friends here, but I’m also excited to visit my grandma in Montana.
Fun days with family friends
After a good sleep in the tipi I walk back to the main street of the town. Several places are still closed, but there is one store in town with coffee and WiFi that’s open. I order a cappuccino and write the previous blog. I’m doubting between driving further west to my grandma in Montana, south to my friends in Idaho or east to Oregon.
Hiking in the North Cascades and sleeping in a tipi
Leaving a place by ferry feels very definite like you don’t know when you’re coming back there. For a moment I wonder if I should have spend more time in the Olympic area, but knowing that I’ve one two hikes there I feel like I’ve gotten a great experience there. I don’t want to skip Seattle though and so I drive to Space Needle where there also is a monorail station.
Olympic National Park
I continue driving up north very far. My first plan was to stop in Oregon, but it’s very cloudy there because of the wildfires. It amazes me how many fires there are in America these days. I can’t really remember that from previous trips. Fortunately they’re all far from me, but the smoke is evidently visible.
So I continue driving to Washington state where the sky is more blue again.
Driving Highway 101 North
After a fun day of bike riding with Brittany in San Diego I hit the road again on Wednesday. My next car rental was actually planned for Saturday, but the people at Hertz were so kind to change the dates for me. That’s a few days earlier than planned, which’ll allow me to take it a bit easier and make more stops.
Second week of road tripping and camping
How I love this lodge in Yellowstone. I write for a long time and then sit by the fireplace to read a couple of pages. I could stay here the whole morning, but Matt tells me that he’s ready to hit the road again. I can see that he’s bored, so I don’t want to let him wait too long and close my book. I take the mental note to come back here some day.
First week of road tripping and camping
It’s a good thing that I decided not to write every day. This week I spent a lot of time on the road and went through several areas without internet. It surprises me that there are still quite a few places in America that have no cellphone coverage these days. On Monday morning I pick up my rental car at Hertz. It’s a nice white Chrysler Pacifica. Back at Brittany’s house I pack all my camping gear in the minivan and say goodbye. I drive about two hours north to the house of my friend Matt, who is going to join me for the first two weeks of the road trip.
Relaxed Sunday in San Diego
Sunday is a relaxed day, as I like Sundays to be. I start the day with reading a book on the couch and then go for a swim in the pool. My friend is busy in the morning, so I go back to the Copa Vida coffee place to do some writing.
Enjoying life, one sip at a time
On Saturday I wake up around 4AM, nice effect of the jet lag. I had already planned to workout at a gym this morning since I’m still in the city. Just like I usually do at home I’m at the gym around 5AM to do strength training. Nice bonus is that there is a swimming pool here as well so I finish the morning workout with a few lapses in the pool. I love to start the day like this.
Starting the day with a hike and ending the day with pizza
This morning I ask Brittany if she’s up for an early hike and that turns out to be a great idea. It’s still cool outside at this time of the day and we drive to a nature area just out of the city.