After
exploring the North Island, I wasn't seeing any signs pointing me in any direction. I was hoping for an indication that I was supposed
to stay in New Zealand. Maybe I look too hard. I
came all this way and I was not ready to give up. I called the airline the night before and changed my flight departure date to give myself two more weeks with hopes that maybe I would find what I was looking for - whatever that is.
I was trying to convince a woman I just met into joining me for an itinerary-less adventure. She had just arrived to New Zealand from the United States on a Working Holiday Visa. She
said she needed to find a job first. I was trying to talk her out of that.
“You
should explore before having any obligations! You’ll be back in two weeks! Find
a job then. It’s an opportunity! An adventure!”
I was trying really hard. I didn’t want to go out there on my own. I would rather go
with a complete strange whose name I didn’t even know than go alone. I
heard about opportunities to relocate rental cars for free and I thought this would be a great way to travel!
The things is, I was afraid to drive on the left side of the road and I wanted someone, anyone, to come with me.
A girl I met a couple of days before joined us at the table during this conversation. She interrupted my campaign and says. “I’ll come with you if we can hitchhike.”
My
head began to buzz. "Really? Okay! You're sure? We are really doing this? Really? When should we head out? Okay!"
We exchanged a few more excited words and then she held her hand across the table for me to shake.
I liked this gesture. The deal was sealed. And the excitement that there was now a no-plan filled my body!
It always works out; I always find my way.
Suddenly, in the background, I heard a familiar song from the television on the other side the room - and not
just any song. This was not an especially famous song, but it has played a role in my life.
The
buzzing in my head got louder as I felt the universe telling me that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
The song I heard belongs to my musician-friend, Israel, back in Oregon. We have actually talked about what he was thinking when he wrote it! And it was playing. From the television across the room. Here. In New Zealand.
Why now?
As my new travel companion, Emma, and I came up with a rough itinerary of the places we would go on the South Island, the commercial seemed to keep playing every couple of minutes. Over and over again.
(This is not the commercial, but this is the song:)
A couple days later, Emma and I found ourselves on the very scenic ferry ride across the Cook Strait from Wellington to Picton.
My new friend and travel companion, Emma, and I on the ferry crossing the Cook Strait.
We spend the night in a really cozy backpacker next to a cemetery and with plans to begin the hitchhiking portion of our southbound adventure in the morning!
After dropping the car off at the Eugene Airport, Danny called. We found each other using Craigslist Rideshare. He was moving from Portland to Santa Cruz, California for a new job and was looking for someone to keep him company; I was trying to get to Berkeley. We spoke for a few minutes and he explained that he wanted to stop for hiking and exploring along the way. We would camp in his truck for at least one night. Perfect!
A few minutes later, Holly and her husband, Paul, arrived to pick me up with their new, tiny, little baby in tow - something like 10 days old!
With Holly being a new mom, and me being totally exhausted from nonstop moving and annoying bouts of insomnia, the only thing I really remember was watching Hunger Games and cuddling with her dog.
The next afternoon, Danny arrived.
This guy shows up at the door with his RayBan glasses, mop-top haircut, and a fringe leather jacket. We are about to travel for two or three days together (and he is my second Craigslist Rideshare experience). Honestly, I was wondering what I got myself into and not sure what to think about this 26-year-old dude who looks like he has traveled straight out the sixties to pick me up. I am hopeful that I will, at the very least, get a good story out of it.
We get to his truck, which is parked a couple of blocks away, and I become suspicious. My first thought, of course, is that he has parked his car out of view of my friend's house and he is going to murder me right now. I was not thinking about how he was towing a trailer and parking is not that easy on her street.
Either way, I voluntarily get into his 1989 Ford F150 and we begin our journey, heading due west to Highway 101 - the scenic route.
I feel some relief as he tells me that he has to call his parents back in Staten Island to let them know he picked me up and we were leaving Eugene now. I could hear his father on the phone. He asked him something about making sure to stop by a commune somewhere.
As we drive along, I get to learn about my driver. Danny was a "Socialist Jew from Staten Island". He referred to himself as such multiple times, while chain-smoking cigarettes and talking passionately about politics, music, mental illness, and society.
He told me about a radio show, or PodCast or something, that he hosts. I forget if it was about music or politics, but most likely it was a combination of both.
Danny and I both love Folk Rock, so choosing the music for our trip was an easy compromise and mostly involved playing albums that we had a strong love for and then introducing each other to new artists we hadn't yet heard. Lucky for you, I forgot to write down any of the new bands that he introduced me to.
We started the trip with Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde followed by Cat Stevens, and then Joni Mitchell. The rest is a blur. But it was perfect. All of it. I made sure to pretend that I was existing in the sixties for the entire trip. But once I turned my phone off, there was no real way to tell the difference! I could pretend we were playing 8-tracks!
I loved being in this big, old truck with this vintage dude listening to the tunes out of the original speakers (playing from his Smart Phone) while driving along the breathtaking Oregon Coast. My heart feels so alive just reliving this. I can't even!
Part of the agreement to take this trip together, was that we would stop and explore when we felt so inclined.
We were somewhere near the Southern Oregon Coast when we saw these amazing mountains and decided to stop. Even though it was overgrown, we found a trail that we could hike down to these beauties. I don't need to tell you anymore. The photos will do that for me.
For the complete experience, I recommend playing this song while you scroll:
The Three Sisters
Danny walking ahead of me on the trail.
Am I in the United States or Middle Earth?
I found a Hobbit!
Middle Earth
If you are still wondering why I want to move to Oregon, do I need to say more?
We drove for a couple more hours before finding a State Park on the Coast to sleep. We ate granola bars and talked about life - one of my favorite conversations. He went to sleep in the bed of the truck, and I slept in the cab.
We were on the road the next morning by 7:30am - after he called his parents on the East Coast again to let them know. It did not take too long before we crossed the California border. We decided it was okay to take our pictures for both states. (The pictures of me in front of the California sign were blurry.)
We kept on driving and listening to good music. We drove and made stops when we wanted to look at the land. There's nothing more to say about the drive, really, so I'll just let you look at the pictures.
Redwood Country
Chelsea and a Tree
The first elk that Danny had ever seen in his life! Right here!
One of those places that sells... stuff.
Army of Peacocks
Sasquatch or Big Foot?
We arrived in Berkeley just before the sunset on the second day. I thanked Danny for the adventure and with that, my new friend, the Socialist Jew from Staten Island, continued on his way to Santa Cruz to begin his new job in the morning.
The bus ride to Seattle only took about three hours and Rob met me at the station. I had never been to Seattle before, but people told me that I would like it, and I was feeling pretty excited. Because part of the motivation of this adventure was to find a new home, I wanted to see what Seattle was all about and if she would take me in.
When the bus arrived, it was raining. We went back to Rob's house to wait for his wife, Margaret, to get home from work. The best thing about Rob's house is that he has sparkling water on tap! All the sparkling water you can drink! And I love sparkling water.
Rob says Seattleites don't carry umbrellas.
I like umbrellas.
When Margaret got home, we went to a cool, dimly lit punk bar for burritos. Before we left the burrito-bar, I used the bathroom only to notice that the large window of the one-toilet-room was wide open and people were in the next building. Hello! You just saw my butt! (This was how many months ago? And this is what I remember: an open window and my bare bum.)
On April 29th, I woke up in Seattle. (Another thing that triggered this trip was that I was trying to spend at least one night in every state. I could now check Washington off my list and I would only have 12 more to go!) I decided the time had come to book some flights, since I was thinking about it. And talking about it. (I have to talk about things a lot before I can actually commit, because if I say it, I am going to do it, even if I don't want to.) This was the moment. I booked a flight to the island of Kauai where I would visit my longtime friend, Eric, and then beyond to New Zealand, where I didn't know a soul and had no idea of what I would do there, other than just get there, maybe just to say I did. Not sure.
I booked the first flight out of San Jose, California for May 8 - just over a week away. I'm in Seattle, remember? I find the journey to be the best part! How am I going to get from Point A to Point B? I don't know but it is seriously the best!
Now I had to be places by certain times. I thought I would spend a few weeks, slowly exploring the Pacific Northwest. Well, no more!
After getting all settled with the flights, I ventured out and met up with Vincent, my train friend, at Pike Place Market - a must do Seattle thing. Also, it's "Pike", not "Pike's"!
Pike Place Martket
The Gum Wall. Beautiful and Disgusting.
Everyone said, "Get a picture with the pig!"
The next day, Vincent picked me up for an adventure to Snoqualmie Falls. On the drive there, he played a song by Ben Howard called "Promise." I never heard it before, but everything about it felt right. It was perfectly placed at this point in my journey. Here I was with someone I didn't know a week before as we drove through the mountains in beautiful Washington. I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
I think you should take a few minutes to listen to this song he played on our drive and time travel with me. Just close your eyes and FEEL it!
As I hear this song, I am right back there. I hope you are too. I hope you can imagine being there on the adventure with us. He was exploring his new home, and I was along for the ride, exploring this beautiful world.
We arrived at the falls and wandered around. We talked about how we move a lot. He told me I should probably move to Seattle. I said it isn't out of the question. Who knows?
Vincent ponders.
We trekked to the river below the falls and waited for kayakers that never came.
My big hair at Snoqualmie Falls via Vincent's Instagram.
We drove back towards Seattle and picked his sister up from work. They brought me to Kerry Park which overlooked the skyline of the city. After this, we said our goodbyes and can only hope that our paths will cross again in the future in the real life.
A few days earlier, when I was in Portland, I came up with this great idea. I decided to download Tinder. If you don't know, it is considered a "hookup app" that shows you people within a certain radius. So, I get this idea that I can make a profile and explain that I'm just traveling through and looking for a local to show me around but I don't want to date.
I know this could be a terrible idea. But it could also be an amazing idea! What do I have to lose? I do these things. And aren't you glad I'm bringing you along on my somewhat impulsive and risky escapades? And "orange you glad I didn't say banana?"
So anyway, I end up meeting up with this guy from The Tinder at a cocktail bar that he picks - not a date. His name is Derek and he is from Boston. When I told him about my story, his eyes lit up and he said "You exploded! I exploded too!" I liked the way he thought of it like that. He had a longtime girlfriend and a house and a job back in Boston but decided he could not do it anymore so he just went clear across the country to Seattle, bought a sailboat even though he had never been on a boat before, and made it his new life. He spent days working on his boat. And I can't remember if he had a job or not, but if he did, I think it was volunteer work or for some humanitarian nonprofit.
Derek from Tinder parking his bicycle as a stranger (me), a dog,
and a suitcase watch creepily.
I texted him the other day and he said he is still living out there on his boat and loving it. That is nice, isn't it? I like keeping in touch with people.
The next morning when I was getting ready to leave on the bus back to Portland, Rob pointed out that there were no 10am buses. I told him, "Of course there are. I have my ticket already." Well, turns out, I bought a ticket for the day before and all of the buses were sold out for this day.
Traveler fail!
Unfortunately, I had to get back to Portland that day because I had to get a car, to get to the coast, to get to Eugene. By Sunday! Because after Sunday my Eugene friend could not host me and I wanted to see her and her newborn baby! Now I need to figure this out.
I remembered another friend telling me awhile back that she uses Craigslist Rideshare to find people to help her with gas when she is driving across the country in her bus-home. I figured I'd give it a go! People must be going between Seattle and Portland often, right? And not everyone is a crazy person! Worst case scenario? I know. I know.
After a few hours of contacting people and making my own desperate post on Craigslist (NEED TO LEAVE ASAP), a woman finally gets in touch with me that she is heading to Portland soon and I can have a ride.
Now that I have a way to back to Portland, I just have to wait to get picked up and hope that I'm not going to get murdered. This will be the first of many.
As we wrap up the adventure in Seattle and I am still thinking of a new place to call home, here are my thoughts: I liked it there very much, but I also like biking a lot and the hills are intense. I should stop being a baby about hills and grow some calf muscles. In conclusion, I'm still thinking about all of these things!
