get your browse on: Olympia, Washington

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July 08, 2005

Olympia, Washington

Traveling around the U.S. is something i've always wanted to do, and it's interesting to compare how i perceive somewhere that is inherently familar compared to taking in new cultures and societies from the perspective of an outsider. For one thing, it's very much easier to bond with strangers when there isn't the cultural bridge to gap, though at times i've been in parts of this country that felt more foreign to me then say, Mexico.
During many of my travels in foreign lands, i sometimes get this urge to continually move from place to place, never staying more then a few days anywhere. On one hand this is smart, because you get to see more places and experience more of the country, but you also never roost anywhere enough to meet a lot of people and get a more profound understanding of the town or city you are in.
Lately I've had a similar feeling here, that my time to drive around is limited, and that i would prefer to buzz around and try out many different places and also mountain biking spots instead of concentrating out time in one area for a week or two. from the beginning, my cousin mikey was of a mind to find somewhere really good and just stay there for a while, and it's been interesting trying to find a happy medium between my incessant need for movement and his desire to dig into some trails. this hasn't caused us any arguments or problems, it's just been enlightening to see how our different personalities work out a plan.
So since the trails in Canada were disappointing, we decided, on the afternoon of July the 4th, to return to the U.S. and try some trails in northern Washington. we caught a ferry back to the mainland, and managed to cross the U.S.-Canadian border around 10 at night, right as the fireworks of many U.S. towns were being shot off. it was one of the best fourth of July's in recent memory, because as we drove down Interstate 5, we kept passing through towns and seeing the fireworks displays. We must have seen at least 6 different small town send offs, which i always enjoy better anyways then what a big city like SF has to offer. The other great small-town fireworks that come to mind are when i was up in Seward, Alaska, and my friends and i watched the small explosions over Resurrection Bay. The whole town was out there, and even though it didn't hold a candle (haha) to what you see in SF or even Reno, everyone was so excited that it always sticks with me.
Northern Central Washington was beautiful, we spent 2 nights in the Methow Valley area, which is full of sweeping views of mountains and rolling hills. The riding there was varied, but few of the trails were single track, and riding jeep trails after tearing through single track gets boring quick. So after failing to find anything spectacular, we decided to head out, towards south-western Washington. I rang up my old friend Bob, who i'd met and become good friends with 4 years ago when we were living in Spain, and he invited us to stay at his house.
One really fun thing about getting to see the U.S. by car is visiting friends i haven't seen in years. the last time Bob and i hung out was when he was living in Reno, at the Katherine house. it's great to see him up here, recently graduated from Evergren College, tons of friends, and excited about his new passion, audio recording. You always expect your friends to be doing well when you visit after not having seen them for a long while, but it's even better if they are thriving.
Olympia has a really good feel to it so far. another liberal bubble, it's teeming with vegetarian restaurants, record stores, and concert venues. tonight after Mikey and i go ride we're gonna watch Bob play a show at some cafe, i've never seen him play before a crowd, and i'm looking forward to it. funny to think that 4 years ago i found a small guitar in a dumpster behind the Bukowski Bar in San Sebastian and gave it to Bob, and now he has a band and is recording and playing shows.
I'm going to put all the photos in the Extended Entry section, click here or below where it says "Continue reading "Olympia, Washington" to check them out. I'm especially proud of Mikey posing with the purple police camaro.