Various Journeys of a Vagabond
May 25, 2013 "The Journey Begins"
When I was beginning my journey down the Pacific Coast Highway, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The road was long, there was a lot of elevation change, and there were people I had yet to meet. There was a lot of uncertainty as to what would lie ahead. The best part about the mystery is that it always ends up making you believe that there has got to be more out of life than what you know from your own cultural bubble. I'm embarking on my journey from Bellingham, WA and heading north into Canada. Luckily I have a friend who lives in Vancouver and I will be staying with her a couple days. This life is too short to stay cooped up in one spot, now I start living life on a new ride. Little did I know that this experience would change my life forever.
June, 7 2013 "The Naked Bike Ride: Portland, OR"
Yesterdays travel was long. It was the longest I have ever ridden my bicycle. It was so worth it to get to see my uncle in Vancouver, WA though. He is such a cool guy. Today was crazy, I have never had an experience quite like this one before. I left Jerry's place in search of my friends Courtney and Lauren from a summer camp I worked at. When I got to there place, which happened to be only a couple miles from my uncle's, I convinced them to come out with me to the naked bike ride in Portland. They drove me over to the staging area, and once it seemed like we were about to head out, I got lost in the sea of skin before removing my own swim trunks. 5,000 people strong came out to ride the streets of Portland at night wearing nothing but smiles on their faces. It was a sight to behold for sure. The best part about it was that I didn't know a single person I was riding with. Beach cruisers, recumbents, racing bikes, mountain bikes, all varieties out to protest the overuse of fossil fuel transportation. Naturally, in the morning when my uncle was watching the news and it showed blurred out shapes of the people going by from the night before, I looked hard to see if I could find myself in the footage, but alas, I could not. He asked if I saw any of it and I replied, “Well, I thought I saw some naked people, but I don't think it was for a bike ride.”