Seaside, Oregon

One Whole State Later

I don't even know where to start because it's been SO MUCH. Geeze - looking back at the last blog was my first day in Seattle. I feel like looking back like that is similar to looking back at when I was 4. Now I am 24 - 11 days later. 

I'll have to do the fast version of photos and description because as of right now I have 834 pics on my phone...and I have already deleted all the bad ones. If you're following us on Facebook then you have seen a few of them already. There is so much that has happened between the camping, hostels, motels, long ride days, great meals, sight-seeings, new people and on and on... We hardly know what day it is. And it doesn't particularly matter most of the time. Which is a whole 'nother thing to get used to! I can say that we are enjoying it too much at times. There is nothing familiar in anywhere that we go or anyone that we talk to... except for each other. The weather is not familiar. The smells are surely not familiar. The accents aren't familiar...

Now I understand that traveling abroad gets you soooo used to these things...but neither of us have done so. Born and raised Coloradians (and still proud of it!!!) are NOT accustomed to ANYTHING the coastal towns have to offer. 

But that's why we are here! Because we don't know. Because we aren't familiar with it. With being at the mercy of the sun in the sky, or the milage between towns, or the capacity of a bed or tent site, or even the drive in our selves. Because we aren't familiar with any of it. 

So bring it on!

 It was so funny getting on the ferries to head to Bainbridge Island and Victoria from Seattle because Blake was riding on and off with all the bicyclists and I was riding on with all the motorcycle bikers. Of course he looked good and he fit in well with all the leather-clad bald guys on roaring choppers. I kept my cool.

Hauling all of our stuff around isn't that bad. We are getting used to opening and closing our bags ALL the time looking for things and organizing. It's amazing what little essentials you need on a day to day basis. And even I feel like I am blessed to have things I don't need...but still have. 

Riding from Poulsbo to Port Angeles we were able to get onto the 101 - the only highway left to take (at least for now.)

Victoria, BC was great. We went to the Church & State winery and did a wine tasting on our way to the Butchart Gardens. Which was like any garden I've ever seen on beautiful, pollinated, great-smelling steroids. We happened to catch the firework show (which ended up being an actual show) that night. It was also Gay Pride Parade day...something neither of us will forget. I was wondering why everyone in Victoria was all dressed in bright rainbow colors and dancing around town.

 We stayed in and just outside of Forks, Washington after leaving Port Angeles. We camped and cooked our food on the fire in the rain forest the first night (with the most un-Godly coldest showers ever!) and then rode into La Push that next day. It was our first time seeing the Pacific on this trip. It was cold and smoggy and windy and smelled of rotting fish...and I loved it! We grabbed clam chowder and hot chocolates and then headed right back to Forks to stay in a hostel. This one was 20 miles south of Forks which made the next day of riding to be only 84 miles before Hoquiam. This hostel cracked. Me. Up. Basically a guy turned his house into a hostel by adding a few signs here and there and some bunk beds in the extra rooms. I was laughing inside so hard at the situation. But the guy, Jim, ended up being on this crazy diet basically leading him to eat only his own farm-grown and locally produced food sources. Of course we were and still are very interested in it. So it was a funny situation that turned into a source of information which we are already interested in. 

(Of course on this trip we are eating up all the culinary opportunities we can get our intrigued fingers on.)

... I think it's only normal for us to stick to our comfort foods at times, though.

In a matter of less then two weeks I almost can't keep track of all the places we've stayed  so far. Where we've stayed has been just as exciting and nerve-wracking as riding down the highway to a whole new town. Hostels and campgrounds are new worlds to us. If you weren't looking for a hostel, you wouldn't even know it was there. But there are far more here then I even thought there'd be. 

It's a great thing we got Pearl. Watching Blake ride for six hours straight kills me. And I'm not on a bicycle seat working to the core for those six hours. HE IS A BEAST! But when we do find a place to leave our things, and want to go back into town or to check out something, we both hop on the moped and drive around. I have seen several moped gangs...which only helps affirm that we are not crazy.

Yeah we are.

Dream Big Ride Far, Friends!!!

ON A SIDE NOTE:   

If you guys got one of the tshirts we made to help support our trip...

SEND ME A PICTURE OF YOU or anyone WEARING IT! 

You can send it to my facebook, or email, or text it to me even. 

facebook.com/melanie.liparulo//// melbug2@yahoo.com//// (719) 351-2132

Seattle, Washington

Long Three Days

WHEW! We are here! In Washington. With a bicycle. And a moped. And our tent. And each other. (sigh)

The last three days feel like I was picked up by Hagrid and whisked away to Diagon Alley. Multiple times I have said "I feel like I am in harry Potter!" and I have a feeling I'll say it some more! Currently I am on a computer at The Green Tortois Hostel . There are kids from all over the world all round laughing and playing cards. I wonder if they think today is as big of a deal as we do. Which reminds me how small I am in this world...But that's why I set out this journey. 

Monday PM: Slept in our tent the first night two miles from the airport. It rained all night. The planes flew above us what felt like every minute. We unpacked the boxes and Blake put together his bike and I was on foot with my pack.

Tuesday AM: It was a cold, wet morning but finally A NEW DAY! We hopped on the bus with all our stuff and rode into downtown Seattle. A Starbucks lemonade later we were walking into Pikes Place Market.

Tuesday PM: Found the perfect moped we were looking for for a decent price with tags and registration. Perfect! We got a 2011 Honda Ruckus. I felt the realities of the trip I am about to do the minute we rode out of the parking lot - with Blake driving and me on the back, the cold wet wind blasting, and taking the highway around a lake...we got the hang of that baby pretty quickly. It was rainy out and we were starving and tired but knew that we had a very successful day...so we got Mexican food for dinner!

Wednesday AM: Woke up like it was Christmas day! Got all packed up again and headed to the parking lot so I could take my new ride for a quick spin before getting on the rode. Everything went perfectly! It's a beautiful, sunny day. I was noticing all around me; the people, building structures, businesses, restaurants, trams...everything, because I was going slow on that moped. Blake was riding his bike with me and we were just cruising into downtown Seattle.

Wednesday PM: Checked into the hostel and dropped off our things. Headed out to look at the ocean (which is right outside our room window along with the huge Pikes Place Market sign.) Every breath was filled with seafood smells (wonderful!) and fresh air and ocean water (sigh!) Right now we are chilling here at the hostel and waiting to grab some dinner and head to Gas Works Park where is apparently the BEST SPOT to watch the fireworks.

Thanks so much friends and family, for checking out our blog! I hope that I can keep up pretty regularly on it, but who knows what the wilderness will bring us next!

Also, we wanted to say how wonderful our friends and families have been about supporting and encouraging us to get going and continue this adventure. The month spent back home in Colorado was wonderful!!! (Although we are praying for some rain for you guys back home! Trying to do our rain dances up here for it go down there and put our smoking hot state OUT!)

Thank you for purchasing shirts and following our blog and keeping us motivated! We are so excited to be experiencing new things. Dream Big Ride Far, Mel & Blake