Be it Ever so Humble

As many of you may have gathered from photos posted to our Facebook page and Instagram account, Adam and I spent a large portion of our accommodations in a tent. We received our Seedhouse SL2 second hand from a neighbor not long before the trip started; One of many gifts we would receive on this adventure. Whether we were in freezing cold rain just a stone's throw from the base of Mt. Hood, in a Midwestern thunder storm, camped in parking lots, backyards, carnival grounds, or Noseeum infested campgrounds, this light weight backpackers tent somehow managed to keep us warm, dry, and comfortable in any location. We also loved that we could pack it into a small dry bag and tie it to the front of my handlebars. After all, mobility is everything. 

 After a few weeks on the road, we found that our tent was providing more to us than shelter from the elements at night. We quickly came to understand that the tent became a home base and, shortly after, our home. There were many times we felt overwhelmed or had a rough day of riding. It was always soothing as we pulled off and stacked our shoes in the tiny vestibule as we did the intricate dance of those sharing a two person backpackers tent do. Not only did our tent protect us from the elements, it gave us a safe haven where we could rest, collect our thoughts, and strategize for the next day of adventure. At one point we found ourselves with a massive rip in the rain fly (I have a theory that Sasquatch tried to walk through the tent in the middle of the night). Lucky for us we happened to be in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, which is the town Big Agnes is based out of. I called them up, told them our story, and before we knew it we were getting a tour of the coolest place chock full of adventure gear geniuses. We got the Sasquatch rip taken care of and even got to sit around with the sewing crew and talk gear for a while. The great times and incredible luck in Steamboat Springs are just one example of how things generally went for us and our tiny home. If we really needed a place to stay, we would always eventually find it. And when we needed a place to find peace and regroup, there was no better place to find it than at home, wherever home happened to be pitched for the night.

Outward bound

So many things and experiences have happened since Portland.... I was going to title this entry "The kindness of strangers" but the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized that their really aren't any strangers out there. In the country we've covered in the last 2,200 miles(!) we've met all sorts of folks. And the bond that ties us all together is not just our bikes but that we're all people. Real people. This has helped me discover and decide that it's not strangers out there. It's people. New friends. Friends that are so excited to see us take a journey like this, that they can't help but gift us with their kindness and sometimes a cold Bud Light out of their cooler. This isn't what strangers do for one another, this is what friends do to care for one another. Examples of this have been presenting themselves left and right. When we went through Hood River, I needed a snap rivet attached to my helmet, as the original got ripped off, along with the face shield by the wind on Hwy 26, going into Portland. I tracked down a sail repair business and the guy fiddled with the snap bracket but realized that he didn't have the tools needed to connect everything to my helmet. 5 minutes later, we found ourselves downstairs in an independently owned motorcycle shop and Jesse, the owner and operator had attached my rivet free of charge. From Portland on out, we've received blessing after blessing from folks like this. From small towns in Idaho, to the national parks in Montana and Wyoming, everyone we've met has been nothing but kind, warm, and generous. Even as I type this, I'm sipping a beer in the lodge in the Grand Tetons thanks to the generosity of a couple we met on the side of the road outside our campground. It's these perpetual gifts that give us the fuel to carry on our way. Oh! And I want to thank you all for your patience! Wifi I've discovered is a tricky thing to find out here, so I'm keeping up as best I can. Stay tuned, y'all! I'll have more to share as soon as I can!

Off we go!

This morning marks the beginning of our 5th day on the road. It's been one hell of a journey so far and in these first 500 miles, a life time of experiences (already!). We have been truly blessed from the moment we rolled out of the YMCA parking lot. It's been unusually nice weather and the traffic has been really agreeable. The kindness and generosity from everyone we meet is hard to put into words but I'll try.... First of all, the turn out for our send off was much better than we expected. Frankly, I thought that my parents and a few friends would show up, as it was a Saturday morning. Not so. We must have had at least 30 people in that parking lot, some driving all the way from Sacramento, California to see this project come into fruition. Once we were out and on our way, we seemed to meet amazingly kind folks wherever we went. For example, on the evening of our third day, we had the pleasure of meeting up with a couple of friends from the Rogue Valley that were camping for the weekend just outside of Reedsport, Oregon. Though we arrived late, we were treated to a delicious meal and great conversation. It was during one of these conversations that I was helped to realize something kind of big; That what we're doing is inspiring to those around us. This has been something I haven't even considered. During the preparations for this journey I have been drawing so much inspiration from those around us, both known to us personally and not. Adam and I for the past number of years have been the friends that watch our friends explore and adventure. We were the friends that would host the going away and coming home parties for all our restless friends. While I watched them all go off and on their way, whether it was off to Burning Man, Belize, Fort Lauderdale Florida, or just the open road, I was always so inspired by what they were doing. Now that it's our turn to go, I'm startled when someone tells me they really look up to what we're doing. So we journey on, off to Portland and the great beyond, keeping in mind all those thinking of us along our way.

Below, you see Bobby and I with our first Couch Surfing host, Neil. This guy was the best host! Not only did he have a spare room and air mattresses for sleeping, but he let us use his shower and do laundry! Below that is Curran, Matt, Sheila, and Janet. These awesome friends fed us and just generally pampered us on day three outside of Reedsport.