I sit here, poised, thinking about where to even begin since my last update in the land of Tillamook Cheese.
As always, a lot has happened since setting off again. I've since made a couple of side trips, gotten lost, encountered some 70 mile winds and have climbed some of the steepest hills I've seen yet. However, with every challenging situation I've encountered, there always seem to be good people ready and willing to help me just around the corner.
It is only appropriate that I begin where I left off. I had planned on making a side-trip into Portland to see a really great friend of mine, whom I hadn't connected with in almost three years. For this, I decided to ride the bus east into the city. I was planning on catching the bus at 2pm. the following day, when suddenly I realized that I had an old bus schedule and missed the bus two days in a row! I was hitting myself over the head and wondering if perhaps this was some kind of sign that I wasn't meant to go to Portland, but I quickly discarded that thought, and felt that if I wasn't able to hitch-hike then I'd give up the chase, accept it, and move on. I situated myself and the bike right outside the town on the Hwy. and sure enough, within five minutes I had a wonderful ride with an older fellow, coming back from the coast after a day of paragliding. Not only did I get a ride right to my friend's doorstep, but I learned all about kites, paragliding and the like on the way! My trip to Portland was only a few days, but I had a blast, exploring the city and loving the bike culture and specific bike traffic signals etc. I did some much needed bike maintenance and even played some music at the Saturday market. On that note, while I was busking away, singing my little heart out, I was approached by two high school kids who explained that they were making a documentary for one of their classes on homelessness and asked if they could interview me. I told them that technically I wasn't homeless, only transient but I was more than happy to oblige. I spent a good 15 minutes answering some really great, well thought out questions. I still find myself wondering now and then, how their project panned out and hope that I helped them get that A they were looking for.
I made the decision to head back to Tillamook for Christmas and spend the Holidays with the wonderful woman that kindly wrote that article about me and the warming center. Christmas with her family was exceptional and I had such a wonderful time getting to know her large family. That sort of family time is hard to come by at home, back in Toronto, because most of my family resides in Israel and it is a rare occasion when we can come together for the holidays. I don't know if MF (the reporter) realized how incredibly special it was for me to share in such a close, family celebration. I was so flabberghasted when she handed me a number of gifts that the family had pooled together to give me. Since, I have found the gifts to be practical and a great distraction on some of the lonelier stretches. Thank you.
I was sad to say goodbye to all my new friends and the beautiful home of MF's. For a while I felt as though I was walking through a misty paradise, falling asleep to the trickling river behind her home and hiking through the mossy forest with her three little beasts. Life was at its best BUT, I could no longer ignore the call of the road. I set off on the morning of the 26th with my bags stuffed to the gills with all the gifts and delicious leftover christmas goodies given to me by MF and her family.
The following day turned out to be a bit of a struggle, emotionally, mentally and physically. After spending so much time among such incredibly warm and giving people, I was feeling lost and somewhat lonely. I felt as though the fire which initially had ignited my will to persevere through all odds was diminishing and it became increasingly more difficult to stay motivated. For whatever reason, all the beautiful vistas and landscapes I came across started to seem like they were lacking....I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. I think perhaps my loneliness was amplified by such exquisite landscapes because there was no one to share in the moment with. It was a painful realization for me to discover that I am someone who craves that energy exchange. I love to bounce my excitement off of others because it fills me with joy to see another in such raw, human amazement and wonder. I thrive off it and when there was no one there to bounce my energy off of, I felt as though I was like this huge balloon that had been pricked with a pin and slowly deflating. Perhaps it was such a feeling that brought about some nasty weather and the day I pulled into Lincoln City (along the Oregon coast) the wind was howling and sheets of rain pelted down upon my already sopping gear. I pulled into the local library not knowing what to do and feeling really defeated. As always, I called the one person I know that can put things into perspective; my mother. After much debating of what to do, and whether I still wanted to continue down the road, an older gentleman paused in front of me and asked if everything was ok, since I was bawling like a baby. He then proceeded to ask if I had a place to stay for the night, out of the storm and I told him no. All the while my mother was on the phone asking me how I knew this stranger and who he was. He then offered up his house in town, where I spent a glorious night out of the elements and camped out by his cozy wood stove. Of course I called my mother back and explained the whole situation and she was thrilled and in awe. The next morning I awoke to weather that was even more vicious than the day before and it was at this point that my new friend from the library kindly offered to drive me an hour and a half out of his way to Florence, OR. where I had another contact I was hoping to connect with. Through the wind and rain we drove and I was so happy to be in a car at that moment. We arrived in Florence and I bid my dear friend adieu, after he handed me a little supplement jar labeled Folic Acid. After he drove away, I opened the gift thinking how nice it was that he was looking out for my health. Lo and behold there was $50 inside!!!! Thank you so much for your generous donation!
Florence was just as miserable weather-wise and not long after I arrived there was a power outage at the library. It was getting late in the evening and I still hadn't managed to get in touch with the family I was wanting to stay with. As good luck follows me wherever I go, I met a woman who was also crazy enough to be riding her bike in this weather, who invited back to her place to stay. I was so thankful and I followed her home in the pouring rain. I ended up staying with Pam for a total of four days, which included a two day excursion out to Bend for New Years.
I never realized how far Bend was from the coast but, as always, I found a way and didn't have to spend New Year's alone. It was very low key but I enjoyed it and was happy to simply be among friends. I ended up hitch-hiking there and back and met an eclectic and thrilling group of people to take me. I love getting rides, because you have an opportunity to be a part of someone else's life, if only for a few minutes, sometimes never exchanging names but always finding something to chat about. It kept me on my toes and there is no better way to get well acquainted with one's intuition if you have a hard time listening to that inner voice. I am very careful when taking rides, and do not condone hitching if you are in any desperate situation as your better judgement may be affected.
From Florence, I was off to couchsurf in Coos Bay. What a glorious feeling to be on the road again. I was greeted by a fantastic host who spent no time in introducing me to his newest addition to the family; two really cute sheep that lived in the backyard. I left late the next morning, because I was fairly confident the sun would be shining the entire way down to Port Orford which was where I was planning on spending the night. How very wrong I was! Within an hour of being on the road, the sky began darkening and ominous clouds started rolling in. I didn't make it very far before the rain started pelting down and the wind was putting up a mad fight, even on the downhills! After a few hours of battling the wind, I decided to throw up my hands and park it at a grocery store in the tiny town of Langlois, OR. and stick out my thumb. After about 10 minutes, I was picked up by an older gentleman who called me crazy while loading my bike into the back of his van. To make a very long winded entry somewhat shorter, I was taken under the wing of this extremely kind and generous gentleman and his wife, given a warm bed, a hot shower and even clean clothes! Life was splendid! The next morning I was greeted with fresh blueberry pancakes and an offer to take a tour of the area with my host. Wow! I was blown away by the valley surrounding Langlois and the amazing ocean views. What a beautiful hidden gem. I would love very much to return one day and spend more time exploring the area. Not only did my wonderful host drive me an hour and half out of his way to Brookings, but he turned out to be an exceptional tour guide all along the way! I had a blast. Thanks again for making that leg of my trip so enjoyable and memorable!
In Brookings I spent another night couchsurfing with a fantastic and spunky family who were the first to introduce me to the delicious world of wild duck meat. mmmmm... I wish that I would've spent a little more time exploring the area, but in all honesty I was anxious to get down and finally cross the border into California. What an incredible moment, when I hit the sunshine state. It was a moment I had been anticipating for many weeks now. The final leg of my journey had arrived.
I have since couchsurfed two nights in Arcata, spent a few nights amongst the giant redwoods and peddled along some of the prettiest coastline I've seen yet. The weather is absolutely gorgeous and the sun hasn't stopped shining since my arrival. As beautiful as it is, I have been feeling lately very exhausted and lonely, which has put a damper on my ability to fully appreciate the beauty around me. Yesterday reached a peak for me, when I wandered into a tiny grocery store in the coastal town of Manchester and used the facilities to check out the damage in the mirror. I was shocked to find that what I'd thought as simply being a large zit on my neck was actually a tick that had burrowed deep under my skin and was causing me some serious pain. UGH!!!! So disgusting. I was horrified at my discovery and found myself quite distressed outside this tiny market. A woman passing by stopped to ask if everything was ok. When I told her my situation she completely empathized and offered to drive me 45 minutes out of her way to the nearest clinic. So incredibly kind! I have since had my neck frozen, the tick removed and am taking antibiotics as a precautionary measure against lyme disease. I think the physician I saw felt like I needed a place to rest up and offered to host me for the next two days...so, here I am, only 40 miles away from San Francisco and feeling much more energetic and rejuvenated. He has also kindly offered to give me a ride into San Francisco where I have a good friend meeting me and we will be making a few side trips in the next week or so together. Life is looking up and I am hoping my week with my friend will help reignite that fiery passion to finish out this last leg of my trip.
Thank you to all the kind souls out there who have made this trip possible and rewarding in the greatest way. I am truly grateful and hope that I will be able to pass along the good karma that I've encountered along the way. I am so close to my final destination. Until next time, thank you for being apart of such an incredible life journey.
Namaste
As always, a lot has happened since setting off again. I've since made a couple of side trips, gotten lost, encountered some 70 mile winds and have climbed some of the steepest hills I've seen yet. However, with every challenging situation I've encountered, there always seem to be good people ready and willing to help me just around the corner.
It is only appropriate that I begin where I left off. I had planned on making a side-trip into Portland to see a really great friend of mine, whom I hadn't connected with in almost three years. For this, I decided to ride the bus east into the city. I was planning on catching the bus at 2pm. the following day, when suddenly I realized that I had an old bus schedule and missed the bus two days in a row! I was hitting myself over the head and wondering if perhaps this was some kind of sign that I wasn't meant to go to Portland, but I quickly discarded that thought, and felt that if I wasn't able to hitch-hike then I'd give up the chase, accept it, and move on. I situated myself and the bike right outside the town on the Hwy. and sure enough, within five minutes I had a wonderful ride with an older fellow, coming back from the coast after a day of paragliding. Not only did I get a ride right to my friend's doorstep, but I learned all about kites, paragliding and the like on the way! My trip to Portland was only a few days, but I had a blast, exploring the city and loving the bike culture and specific bike traffic signals etc. I did some much needed bike maintenance and even played some music at the Saturday market. On that note, while I was busking away, singing my little heart out, I was approached by two high school kids who explained that they were making a documentary for one of their classes on homelessness and asked if they could interview me. I told them that technically I wasn't homeless, only transient but I was more than happy to oblige. I spent a good 15 minutes answering some really great, well thought out questions. I still find myself wondering now and then, how their project panned out and hope that I helped them get that A they were looking for.
I made the decision to head back to Tillamook for Christmas and spend the Holidays with the wonderful woman that kindly wrote that article about me and the warming center. Christmas with her family was exceptional and I had such a wonderful time getting to know her large family. That sort of family time is hard to come by at home, back in Toronto, because most of my family resides in Israel and it is a rare occasion when we can come together for the holidays. I don't know if MF (the reporter) realized how incredibly special it was for me to share in such a close, family celebration. I was so flabberghasted when she handed me a number of gifts that the family had pooled together to give me. Since, I have found the gifts to be practical and a great distraction on some of the lonelier stretches. Thank you.
I was sad to say goodbye to all my new friends and the beautiful home of MF's. For a while I felt as though I was walking through a misty paradise, falling asleep to the trickling river behind her home and hiking through the mossy forest with her three little beasts. Life was at its best BUT, I could no longer ignore the call of the road. I set off on the morning of the 26th with my bags stuffed to the gills with all the gifts and delicious leftover christmas goodies given to me by MF and her family.
The following day turned out to be a bit of a struggle, emotionally, mentally and physically. After spending so much time among such incredibly warm and giving people, I was feeling lost and somewhat lonely. I felt as though the fire which initially had ignited my will to persevere through all odds was diminishing and it became increasingly more difficult to stay motivated. For whatever reason, all the beautiful vistas and landscapes I came across started to seem like they were lacking....I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. I think perhaps my loneliness was amplified by such exquisite landscapes because there was no one to share in the moment with. It was a painful realization for me to discover that I am someone who craves that energy exchange. I love to bounce my excitement off of others because it fills me with joy to see another in such raw, human amazement and wonder. I thrive off it and when there was no one there to bounce my energy off of, I felt as though I was like this huge balloon that had been pricked with a pin and slowly deflating. Perhaps it was such a feeling that brought about some nasty weather and the day I pulled into Lincoln City (along the Oregon coast) the wind was howling and sheets of rain pelted down upon my already sopping gear. I pulled into the local library not knowing what to do and feeling really defeated. As always, I called the one person I know that can put things into perspective; my mother. After much debating of what to do, and whether I still wanted to continue down the road, an older gentleman paused in front of me and asked if everything was ok, since I was bawling like a baby. He then proceeded to ask if I had a place to stay for the night, out of the storm and I told him no. All the while my mother was on the phone asking me how I knew this stranger and who he was. He then offered up his house in town, where I spent a glorious night out of the elements and camped out by his cozy wood stove. Of course I called my mother back and explained the whole situation and she was thrilled and in awe. The next morning I awoke to weather that was even more vicious than the day before and it was at this point that my new friend from the library kindly offered to drive me an hour and a half out of his way to Florence, OR. where I had another contact I was hoping to connect with. Through the wind and rain we drove and I was so happy to be in a car at that moment. We arrived in Florence and I bid my dear friend adieu, after he handed me a little supplement jar labeled Folic Acid. After he drove away, I opened the gift thinking how nice it was that he was looking out for my health. Lo and behold there was $50 inside!!!! Thank you so much for your generous donation!
Florence was just as miserable weather-wise and not long after I arrived there was a power outage at the library. It was getting late in the evening and I still hadn't managed to get in touch with the family I was wanting to stay with. As good luck follows me wherever I go, I met a woman who was also crazy enough to be riding her bike in this weather, who invited back to her place to stay. I was so thankful and I followed her home in the pouring rain. I ended up staying with Pam for a total of four days, which included a two day excursion out to Bend for New Years.
I never realized how far Bend was from the coast but, as always, I found a way and didn't have to spend New Year's alone. It was very low key but I enjoyed it and was happy to simply be among friends. I ended up hitch-hiking there and back and met an eclectic and thrilling group of people to take me. I love getting rides, because you have an opportunity to be a part of someone else's life, if only for a few minutes, sometimes never exchanging names but always finding something to chat about. It kept me on my toes and there is no better way to get well acquainted with one's intuition if you have a hard time listening to that inner voice. I am very careful when taking rides, and do not condone hitching if you are in any desperate situation as your better judgement may be affected.
From Florence, I was off to couchsurf in Coos Bay. What a glorious feeling to be on the road again. I was greeted by a fantastic host who spent no time in introducing me to his newest addition to the family; two really cute sheep that lived in the backyard. I left late the next morning, because I was fairly confident the sun would be shining the entire way down to Port Orford which was where I was planning on spending the night. How very wrong I was! Within an hour of being on the road, the sky began darkening and ominous clouds started rolling in. I didn't make it very far before the rain started pelting down and the wind was putting up a mad fight, even on the downhills! After a few hours of battling the wind, I decided to throw up my hands and park it at a grocery store in the tiny town of Langlois, OR. and stick out my thumb. After about 10 minutes, I was picked up by an older gentleman who called me crazy while loading my bike into the back of his van. To make a very long winded entry somewhat shorter, I was taken under the wing of this extremely kind and generous gentleman and his wife, given a warm bed, a hot shower and even clean clothes! Life was splendid! The next morning I was greeted with fresh blueberry pancakes and an offer to take a tour of the area with my host. Wow! I was blown away by the valley surrounding Langlois and the amazing ocean views. What a beautiful hidden gem. I would love very much to return one day and spend more time exploring the area. Not only did my wonderful host drive me an hour and half out of his way to Brookings, but he turned out to be an exceptional tour guide all along the way! I had a blast. Thanks again for making that leg of my trip so enjoyable and memorable!
In Brookings I spent another night couchsurfing with a fantastic and spunky family who were the first to introduce me to the delicious world of wild duck meat. mmmmm... I wish that I would've spent a little more time exploring the area, but in all honesty I was anxious to get down and finally cross the border into California. What an incredible moment, when I hit the sunshine state. It was a moment I had been anticipating for many weeks now. The final leg of my journey had arrived.
I have since couchsurfed two nights in Arcata, spent a few nights amongst the giant redwoods and peddled along some of the prettiest coastline I've seen yet. The weather is absolutely gorgeous and the sun hasn't stopped shining since my arrival. As beautiful as it is, I have been feeling lately very exhausted and lonely, which has put a damper on my ability to fully appreciate the beauty around me. Yesterday reached a peak for me, when I wandered into a tiny grocery store in the coastal town of Manchester and used the facilities to check out the damage in the mirror. I was shocked to find that what I'd thought as simply being a large zit on my neck was actually a tick that had burrowed deep under my skin and was causing me some serious pain. UGH!!!! So disgusting. I was horrified at my discovery and found myself quite distressed outside this tiny market. A woman passing by stopped to ask if everything was ok. When I told her my situation she completely empathized and offered to drive me 45 minutes out of her way to the nearest clinic. So incredibly kind! I have since had my neck frozen, the tick removed and am taking antibiotics as a precautionary measure against lyme disease. I think the physician I saw felt like I needed a place to rest up and offered to host me for the next two days...so, here I am, only 40 miles away from San Francisco and feeling much more energetic and rejuvenated. He has also kindly offered to give me a ride into San Francisco where I have a good friend meeting me and we will be making a few side trips in the next week or so together. Life is looking up and I am hoping my week with my friend will help reignite that fiery passion to finish out this last leg of my trip.
Thank you to all the kind souls out there who have made this trip possible and rewarding in the greatest way. I am truly grateful and hope that I will be able to pass along the good karma that I've encountered along the way. I am so close to my final destination. Until next time, thank you for being apart of such an incredible life journey.
Namaste
Naomi! Thanks for the update! I especially appreciate your honesty and reflections on the loneliness you've felt throughout the trip. I can relate to that on some of my longer journeys solo. Only you will ever bear witness to the entirety of your voyage. The rest of us stay in our places and sometimes wonder "I wonder where that crazy Naomi is now?". I think it is a common experience that when one sets out to do something extraordinary, one is often alone in that. I think you are brave to sit with that and to share that with all of us! In the end the obstacles, the challenges are the best teachers, and you are among the best students. Keep on rolling Naomi! love from portland, alex
ReplyDeleteHa, my little homeless lady (for future reference, wherever I am.. you'll always have a home there!)
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine (or actually.. I may have a good idea), of how many people you've inspired along this adventure. Your kind and loving spirit is far too captivating to resist, I have a feeling that it's no coincidence that people from all over have come out to help you on your way. You have so many fantastic qualities about you, which encourage people to want to learn more about you. You've mentioned many times how grateful you are for the amazing hosts you've had and friends you have made along this journey, it's so amazing! However, just remember that you are not the only one who is lucky. Everyone that you have come across all the way from Alaska now into California.. has been so blessed by your pretense. I would not be remotely surprised if you have changed their lives for the better in some way. You are such a strong woman, and no matter this little bike takes you- you better know how much I love you :)
In the meantime, stay away from ticks and use lots of calendula ;) haha. Glad to hear everything has gone fantastically in Gwalala as well, woohoo! Put some flowers in your hair in San Fran (we never did get that far south.. haha).
Many hugs from -27, be thankful you're not in Ontario ;)
xoxoxo
Of all possible subjects, travel is the most difficult for an artist, as it is the easiest for a journalist.
ReplyDelete