The Practice Start

I was going to wait until it was time to leave to write this post but realized that, with all that's happened so far it would be entirely too long. Clay started Portland Community College and has made some friends and after four and a half months found himself a roommate and kicked me out, per our agreement. So October 1st I officially became homeless (and he finally got his drivers license). :-) Fortunately I still have his place as a "crash pad" but it was nice that some people came forward and offered me a place for a few nights here and there.

Finding an affordable, short-term place to live proved to be very difficult so I decided to start my adventure in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. I felt that I had gotten to know the Portland area pretty well (watching the swifts is one of my favorite Portland pastimes) even introduced things to people that had lived here for years. It was also a necessary step to get me into the right mindset as I'd been getting a bit lazy about things. I'm definitely one of those people that needs deadlines; too much free time makes me unproductive.

In August I started scuba lessons. I decided to get certified now instead of waiting until I was in Australia. After all, who knows what opportunities will present themselves to me between now and then. I want to be prepared for everything! Our open water dive test at Hood Canal on the Puget Sound in Washington was scheduled for the last weekend in September so I thought I'd go up early and check out Victoria, British Columbia in Canada. I drove to Port Angeles and left my car there because the ferry ride was considerably cheaper than leaving from Seattle and cars are completely unnecessary in Victoria. If you've never been, I'd highly suggest you go and plan to spend about a week on Vancouver Island. Victoria is the most charming place I've ever been, through and through. So idyllic, not just on the main strip but even for miles around. The old buildings are well maintained, the town is clean and the people are just great-- friendly, well mannered and genuine. (Food everywhere is excellent too.) In my two days there I met about five locals, all willing to share suggestions to make my experience in their town even better. One of which was to take a bike along the Galloping Goose trail to the Sooke Potholes. (How can one NOT take a ride on the Galloping Goose trail?!!) I was told they were about 30km away (about 18 miles). Although I hadn't really cycled since I moved to Oregon, I figured 40 miles round trip on a flat trail wouldn't be a problem so long as I had a nice rest between. Well, the trail was beautiful, tree lined, partially paved with nice rest stops along the way. About the 31 km mark I still hadn't seen any signs for the potholes and upon encountering a lady out for a stroll with her dog, I stopped and asked her how far they were. Ohhh---I still had a ways to go and the last portion would be uphill considerably. A later consultation with the map would determine I still had another 20km to go. That would be 60 miles r/t! I had gotten a late start and didn't prepare with food and water so I decided to continue on to Matheson lake, where I napped on the rocks in the sun for a bit, then ventured back, getting on the road to check out Witty's Lagoon in Metchosin as suggeseted by the kind lady I met on the trail. It was an easy ride on quiet streets and the lagoon proved nice with a lovely waterfall to boot. But it was after 3:00 and getting dark with threats of rain so I cut the visit short and continued on the road in the opposite direction to meet up with the trail a bit further down. All was good and well until I hit a curb going down hill about 20 mph and took a nasty spill. I think I actually bounced! Thank God BC has helmet laws otherwise I wouldn't have been wearing one (and would have ended up in the hospital without insurance. :-/) I never would before but will always don one from now on! I racked myself pretty good, ended up with some road rash on my hands and elbow and bruises so large and numerous I'm surprised I had any blood left to circulate throughout my body. I sat for a moment and, after getting over the shock, got back on the bike and rode the remaining 15 miles back to the hostel. That was, without a doubt, the most painful shower I'd ever taken! The bright spot is that the iPod I was wearing on my left arm survived unscathed!

All plans to check out the rest of the island the next morning on bicycle were scrapped. I had so little energy and was in so much pain! Although it wasn't bruised, I landed on my left arm pretty hard and was limited in its mobility. Some of the bruises didn't show up for a couple days, like the one on my eye. I'm pretty sure my sternum was bruised too. So I went to Murchies, a quaint little tea shop with the most delectable pastries, and sat there most the day on my iPad, drinking a proper pot of tea and eating the best almond croissant ever! The ferry wasn't scheduled to leave until 3:00. With some help I donned my backpack and walked to the dock to board the ship where I found a seat and took a nap, only waking long enough to finish my croissant and go back to sleep until we reached port. I was first to arrive at the house in which my scuba mates and I were to stay in Lilliwaup, Washington. When the dive instructors arrived they asked how I was doing. Upon telling them what happened the previous day, they immediately set themselves to figuring out how to best accommodate me during the dives (two each day) as I was determined to go forward with it. I wanted to dive at Octopus Hole and I wanted my certification! The water there maintains a constant 50 degree temperature year round so a thick, 7 mm wet suit complete with hood and gloves was a must! I was paired with Dave, the owner of Under Water Works, for the entire weekend. Thankfully so or else I'm not sure I would have passed. He was extremely patient when I was troubled and had to surface during my skills tests and when I needed to rest because I found it very difficult to catch my breath at the surface. There were several other ways he accommodated me and I can't say enough good things about him. And the dives were spectacular! Although I didn't see an octopus, on our descents down to 40 feet I did see some giant, beautiful tubular anemone in both orange and white, three kinds of crabs including purple shore crabs, spiny, spotted yellow sea cucumbers. giant white star fish and regular sized orange star fish, schools of fish, loads of cute young shrimp that just jump about, almost dancing, and the most beautiful white, ruffled sea slug! I don't recall the technical names of most of these but no matter, it was amazing!

Determined not to let a few scrapes and bruises get me down I went for a run Sunday morning. My first 5K was to be the following weekend and I hadn't run since Tuesday. I needed to keep in shape. Out of boredom I cut it short but still managed to run 2.3 miles at 10:34/mile. A personal best for sure! Then after our last dive on Sunday I drove 77 miles and took the Bainbridge Ferry to Seattle. It was a good trip in that I met some young travelers who gave me some great pointers on places to go and how to find places to work in different countries but otherwise it was a waste of money. I woke up Monday morning, after barely sleeping, walked around a bit then went to Pikes Market. Three blocks long, with the most amazing selection of fresh flowers, seafood and crafts it was certainly something to experience. But who knew it would be so crowded during a late September Monday! Unfortunately I didn't take any photos as my arm was hurting and it was too much effort. I got a bite to eat then went back to the hostel and took a nap. I woke up only to go get dinner then back to bed to read and sleep. It was the first opportunity my body had to rest and recuperate. The next morning found me sleeping late, eating breakfast and reading in bed until check out time. Just zero energy. I got home in the afternoon and took a nap and spent the better part of the next two days sleeping.

October 4th I ran my first 5K: the Electric Run at the Portland International Speedway. It was a nighttime run and I got all decked out with glow in the dark stuff and finished-happy to have managed to run the entire time- in 33 minutes. The live band, light show and party afterwards were off the hook! It was super fun; a spectacular first organized run experience! Again, no pictures, I'm sorry.

Now I'm off to spend nine days in Hawaii, Maui and the big island, practicing my new scuba skills in warm water and climbing some volcanos. I promise I will have photos from there in my next post.