Wednesday, September 12, 2007

coastrider

Without Ross, I have to bear the responsibility of relaying some facts and figures.

Day 1: Portland to somewhere near Grand Ronde - ~85 miles
Day 2: Somewhere near Grand Ronde to Washburne State Memorial Park - ~75 miles
Day 3: Washburne to Bullards Beach State Park - ~95 miles

Let me know if there's anything else Ross or Julie would have usually provided on their blogs. I feel like a single parent now, having to carry the weight shouldered by my riding partners before so you all don't feel like you're missing out now. Maybe instead i will just buy you all puppies.

Ride to San Fran has been good so far. The highlight has been purchasing a $10 AM/FM radio. Imagine all this time I've been wasting praying to God when instead I could have been listening to Justin Timberlake, whose voice is like heaven. You haven't lived until you've cruised the Pacific listening to "It's Raining Men." And, as if Jesus himself were a DJ, at one of the steepest uphills I had to climb, the radio started playing the perennial metal anthem, "Walk" by Pantera to get me through my hardest times (it's such a moving personal anecdote, i'm thinking of publishing it on bookmarks like that poem "Footprints").

Having a radio made me realize how detached from the world I've been. Why didn't anyone tell me that Kanye West's new single is incredible? Or that something happened to Brittany Spears at the VMA (i'm still sketchy on the details)? Or that Tori Amos has a song in which she proudly proclaims her MILFdom? That song may be old; I really have no idea. Anyway, it's like I've been an astronaut away for years only to come back to a planet overrun by apes.

As for lodging, I've been using actual camp sites sponsored by the state. It's a bit more challenging to find free places around here for a couple of reasons. 1.) If you ask someone about places to camp, they'll probably direct you to a real camping site because there are dozens of them here. 2.) There don't seem to be towns at the distance I want to go. Paying hasn't been a problem; the state run camps cost $4 a night and it's worth it for some peace of mind (not to mention my mother's peace of mind).

Last night, i was sharing a picnic table at a camp site with a couple from Montreal who kept to themselves mostly, but were kind enough to offer me their spices.

"Please use these spices if you would like," said the woman in her lovely French Canadian accent.
"Oh, thank you, but I'm getting used to bland food," I said as i boiled my mac and cheese and watched them pepper the sides of sirloin steak and wrap potatoes in foil.
"SPices make everything better," she said.
"Will it turn my Mac and Cheese into steak and potatoes with rolls dipped into gravy? While I'm at it, will it turn my stale Oreos into some orange slices heated on an open fire and doused in some sort of sweet liqueor sauce?" I didn't actually say that but watched them eat all those aforementioned foods. Julie once told me about food envy. I didn't understand until last night.

Don't read this last paragraph if you are a worrier. On my second day in Lincoln City, I got hit by a car. Don't worry, i'm fine. An old fucker in a hummer caught me with his passenger side mirror, but they make those things to collapse. I just felt a thud. When I talked to the guy he seemed out of it. But, again, I'm fine and the shoulder feels fine. And if it's any consolation, it was an H2, which is Barbie-mobile of the SUV world.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Armin:

Is the car driver hitting you from the passenger side? Did this driver aim at you?

B B B B very very careful; it does not look like that these drivers care for bikers to be around them.

Best wishes,
Mrs. Shu

Anonymous said...

Armin

So you're back on the road. Any trouble with fog during the early morning hours? Mrs. Shu is right... please be careful out there. Oh, you didn't miss much on Britney Spears. She totally just walked through that whole performance! Take care, Shauna

moun'ain girl said...

Armin!

I'm so happy to see the update. I didn't realize how much withdrawal I would go through without your witty daily commentary on life. Thanks for sharing.

Oh, and a couple of points. Sorry to hear that you have experienced food envy. I guess it's bound to happen to all of us at some point, and for some(like me) more frequently than others. If you're lucky, it will pass. Also, about being an astronaut coming back to earth-try spending a weekend in LA after having lived in Boston for 3 years, and then going on a 6 week bike trip! Holy shit! Those people are clown shoes! Being in San Francisco for 3 days afterward was like a breath of fresh air.

I guess that's all I've got since Nicole and I are just about to watch Britney's taped performance at the VMA. Sorry you can't be here to join us. I leave Saturday morning for my own solo bike trip, but since I'm only heading to Seattle it will be much shorter than yours. I don't think I'll invest in a radio just yet...

Bike safe and make sure you go visit Dan Shu! San Francisco is awesome.

Love, Julie

Anonymous said...

It is great to hear from you again, Armin!

Did you get the H2 owner's information. I have a great accident attorney if so...ha!

Seriously, yes, be careful. We don't want you to look like the deer on your home blog page.

Thanks, also, for answering questions. It is nice to see that you are still writing. DON'T STOP (pretty please?!?)! You make me laugh when the day seems oh-so-daunting.

Shauna's right, not much to miss about Ms. Spears. Some of her hair extensions did fall out during the performance.

Oh, speaking of hair extensions, Anthony and I saw George Clinton and the P-Funks at the Roxy last week. Wow is he a wacko, which I mean in a very beloved way.

You take care, Pam

Anonymous said...

what great mileage, min! those 5 lbs you regained are gone, i'm sure. mama was here watching your niece and nephew and casually mentioned your being hit by a hummer. should have known that since she wasn't that concerned that you're OK. but i was a tad freaked out! by the way, lucien placed his seal of approval on bartlett; he managed to clamp his jaws hard on the little stuffed guy and slobber all over it. love you much!

Ross Jonak said...

Man, I'm so jealous you got hit by a car. I secretly wanted to get hit by one myself, but not be injured and be able to tell people what a bad ass I am. I think it goes along with my desire to be in a really big earthquake. You think living on the West Coast I would have been in one, but I've managed to avoid them up to this point.

Give me a call when you get to San Fran. With me free time now I'm going to invent the unbreakable spoke just for you.

Anonymous said...

here is a little something for the Friday relaxing moment:

it goes like this--

"Swing, swing, swing, swing until to reach to the bridge that leads me to my grand ma's house..."

(Do the swing please when you say the above.)

"My grand ma gave me a cake in a piece,..., so I immediately say my greetings and thanks to my grand ma..."

"My grand ma says, so my greetings to you, so my greetings to you,..., and you truly are a nice lad (a lass for if it were a girl who swings to there)."

Used to be in the town where our Roxy is, Monday nights are nights for cultural movies. Lots of nice nice people go to see only Monday nite cultural movies. Many such cultural movies are in foreign languages. So, the not so close-up scenes in the movies help create an ambience for foreigners in the movies--they make Japanese in movies seem more polite, they make German in movies seem more tentative to the bricks in their own houses, and they make Brazil people more tanned and more curving. These nice nice people who watch the nicely made movies greet with each other only with nice gestures. They say that we put a benefit of doubt in mind to give each person a room to be their best...

For some days now, these nice nice people are gradually gone. These nice nice people who do not tell right from wrong are gradually gone...

So, an angel says when will these nice nice people return?

Then, the angel remembers that Jesus says that no one has become bad, no one has become lost, it is all because everyone feel that when nice nice people are gone, it is wrong...

But why is it wrong?

If there is nothing right to be told from what is wrong?

So, the angel looked at the Roxy, and clapped his wings, loudly, because the Roxy is still giving Monday nite cultural movies as it has done so for these many years already.

Nothing has really changed... if you believe that is what is happening.

It is just that at times the close-up looks that this world that is becoming smaller and smaller cause us to know more of the true worries beneath many unknown facts that some of the movie images help make it more romantic.

So, the angel rests his head on Roxy sign.

As long as the movies are still made and still be shown on things nice and little and worth noting, the world will be forever romantic for long ages to come...

I think, but it is not good to just think, so I believe now.