TravelStream™ news feed for member goldenfrog88 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/goldenfrog88 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:37:33 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1257532590/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1257532590/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1257532590/tpod.html Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:37:33 -0500 US and Canada Amtrak Adventures

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Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Here are links to over 800 photos I took on the trip. They are in chronological order.

1st set

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2743654&id=13903381&l=6484cf32ac

2nd set

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2743677&id=13903381&l=21fa01c9dc

3rd set

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2743705&id=13903381&l=8604f37db0

4th set

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2743712&id=13903381&l=1612875889
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1248508378/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1248508378/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1248508378/tpod.html Sat, 25 Jul 2009 04:04:35 -0400 US and Canada Amtrak Adventures

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Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

As I mentioned, my family and I got back and then went to downtown St. Paul for Taste of Minnesota. We walked to the entrance, got tickets and got fair food which is of course way over priced. Lindsey was smart enough (shes been b4) to bring a blanket so we could lay down and watch the fireworks. We realized this isn't really our thing but it was nice to do. We were surrounded by some very interesting people (which I was this entire trip!) so it was at least good people watching. The fireworks were great too. And then we went home. Home Sweet Home.

There is nothing like ending a trip like this with a BANG!!! Happy 4th of July everyone!

Thank you all for following my travels. I will be posting my afterthoughts on what I learned and experienced on the trip. Think of it as those extra features and hidden scenes never seen before! lol or something like that. I will make an attempt at rating the cities I've been to and commenting on my funniest moments, hardest moments, funnest moments, and the people I've met. Stay tuned...muah!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1246688840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1246688840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1246688840/tpod.html Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:52:42 -0400 US and Canada Amtrak Adventures

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Williston, North Dakota, United States

I wanted to get to Fargo for Friday night but it just wasn't happening. We stayed in small Williston and got a room at a motel. We shared some food at Applebees and had cheap drinks. My dad and I wanted to go down to the town's 4th festival that night but a huge storm came in right as we left Applebees. I talked to Melissa for an hour about her new job, moving, etc. and then watched TV. Lindsey is hooked on Twilight now so she couldn't wait to get the second book. Literally. We had to stop at Barnes and Noble to pick it up. And I picked up my book for my book club Kenza and I are starting. :)

The next day we drove and drove again to make it back to the cities in time for Taste of Minnesota. Home at last!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1246688732/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1246688732/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1246688732/tpod.html Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:49:26 -0400 US and Canada Amtrak Adventures

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Glacier National Park, Montana, United States

My Inner Harmony Shattered

So during this trip, I developed this inner peace with myself. Things stopped bothering me as much. I stopped making myself to be the victim as often. If someone stepped on my toe, I didn't blame myself but I didn't blame them either: It just happened. I knew this was a luxury that doesnt always work in real life when we actually have deadlines and people counting on us but it was a great way to be. I was dedicated to making the mentality last as long as possible. Until I got on the Empire Builder Train. I was seated next to two horrible mothers who couldn't control their children. Their 3 little girls fought the entire time and wouldnt listen to one thing their moms told them. Why? Because they gave them false love and false threats: "Cut your shit or I'm gonna beat you" "1,2,3 oh thats it you're gonna get it" "You children are naughty". The only time they would pay attention to their kids was to yell at them so then naturally, the children are going to be naughty when they want attetion. And they 're not going to stop because they know their mom wont do anything. If this was a 1 hour thing, fine. NO. It was 15 long hours. Thankfully they had wine. I ended up giving each of the moms a glass to be a nice guy but it didn't really do anything. The 10 minutes the girls played with my iPHone they were fine. If you're gonna put kids on the train you need to have lots of things for them to do, its not rocket science. Oh well!

Family Time

My parents were waitng for me at the train station in East Glacier Park while my sister waited lazily in the car. We checked into our lodge and after about 20 minutes, I was ready to be on my own again. They didn't like my hair :( and the arguing again but thats family! I told them a million stories a minute and my dad had a lot to add because he's been around the block at 63. I do enjoy my family but it was an adjustment to do things as a group/family rather than just on my own accord. This came with many perks: They actually played games with me, my parents paid for EVERYTHING, and it was putting on my old coat. I wasn't tired of meeting new people but at the same time it was nice to be back with people who have known me longer than a day. And I'm 23 so I tried not to pull that "you dont understand me, I'm so different from you" bs. Although I feel like that when it comes to my politics or experiences, I have more in common with my family than I probably care to know.

We'll be comin' round the mountin'

The first night we stayed in East Glacier Park and the next two in West Glacier Park where it was a little more built up. We did two hikes, a big drive up to some pass on "Going into the Sun Hwy", and shopped at the tourist shops. Their thing is Huckleberry (and now I know why its only a local thing). There was some kind of white flower in bloom that we found out only blooms once every 5 years and we happened to be there on the year they bloom (or so they say). On our 3rd day, my sister, dad and I went on a full day rafting tour. We were on a boat with a family of 3 from California. For how yuppy the whole event was, getting a full-course meal cooked by our guide, nice gear, etc. all of us were pretty down to earth. It was great to hear the stories from the Californians about living in California. And I wont be moving to California but it was nice to hear! My mom stayed back, did some reading and went shopping by herself until we got back. Although the rapids were that bad AT ALL, she still wouldn't have enjoyed it.

Random notes

The lodges were nice but the rooms weren't worth it. For $200 a night, these rooms were comparable to the hostels I stayed in....LITERALLY. They weren't dirty but there were nothing special. I didn't really like the people were surrounded by. They all seemed like superficial Americans and nothing like the great Aussies, Europeans, and down-to-earth Americans I met where I placed myself. A helicoptor picked someone up from our first lodge. And boy did I gain all the weight back! Thats what happens when you eat out every night. Sigh. oh well; at least I cannot afford food when I get back. I also thought about a lady I worked with at the Olive Garden who died of a heart attack this winter. She really enjoyed Lake MacDonald which I saw at her funeral. She was only 62. And holy cow you can tell we're Americans. We had about 12 bags and coolers in total. When you have to take 3 trips to get everything from the car, you know you're American. Nothing like how the Europeans pack! But you never know when you're gonna need golishes or extra shoelaces right?
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1246688496/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1246688496/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1246688496/tpod.html Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:10:27 -0400 US and Canada Amtrak Adventures

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Seattle, Washington, United States

Yes I finally wrote the damn thing. I got lazy. Muah!

The Other American

I took a bus from the train to the hostel because I was in a hurry to go out ( I got ready on the train). The hostel had no record of me but luckily I had the confirmation off my iphone of them confirming the price (which was cheaper than they tried charging me for) and for the correct dates. When I got in my room, two guys asked me right away if I wanted to go out. Max and some European guy told me the guy beneath me was here for pride; I let the cat out of the bag and told them I was too but would love to grab a beer with them. I was quizzing them about the guy below me but found out "he is no ones type". Lol. And this place was a little pricy but very worth it: free breakfast, free dinner some nights, and my bed was equipped with a luggage box, curtain going all the way around, an electrical outlet, fan, and personal light. Sweet! They threw in the bed bugs for free.
We went and tried out Max's fake ID at a bar where I ordered. Max is the only other American I have met in a hostel minus Charleston. After the beer, I took off for "R Place" which I found on my iPhone app "Gay Cities". Well, my app was right: It was the hit place to go and especially during pride weekend. It was a 30 minute wait, $10 cover and PACKED. This place was amazing. Diversity like no other. Men, women, and everything inbetween of all races and sizes (but I will say mostly white boys lol). I had wonderful time dancing with everyone. I really felt alive!

Dont judge a book by its cover...and sometimes look at the cover

I sat down on a couch with my alloted one drink and ended up talking with some lesbians. They had one gay friend who seemed really sweet and innocent. I tried talking to him but he seemed to shy so I got up and danced. I probably danced for 2 hours straight (gayly) and had a blast. Somehow, ended up on one of those boxes, dancing on the pole with a couple of guys. When I looked up at the guy who I was actually dancing with, he was actually cute (remember to at least look at the cover b4 reading next time Bryan!). And ironically enough, that shy little guy I tried talking to earlier was obviously and act; he was stripped down to his underwearr dancing with 5 guys at once. The music turned off and Marc and I exchanged numbers for the parade the next day. YAY! But first, I had to do laundry. I was on my last outfit which was now drenched in sweat. So 3AM laundry it was! Thank goodness I was too drunk.

What have you done today to make you feel proud? well....

I walked to the parade and called my friends from Portland who had come up for the weekend. I ended up not meeting up with them and spent the day with Marc and his friend Peter. Peter was a riot; he was a little quirky but had those one liners at just the right time. We watched the dykes on bikes, drag queens, naked bikers, and activists go by for almost 2 hours but it flew because we were chatty Cathys. We attempted to check on Peter's car except there was a freeway in the way so then we walked over to the Space needle where Pridefest was. Pretty typical but they had a great layout and the whether was PERFECT. PERFECT. Marc and I did our own thing while Peter met some other friends and talked to drag queens. We talked for hours on the lawn and watched some pretty interesting people. We walked over to the big foundtain and dance party where there were even more interesting characters. It was my best pride yet.

Jealous Lust

I decided to go back to Marc's place to hang out some more. Unfortunetly, Peter and also known as Marc's ride, didn't like this. Someone was actually jealous of me! Not gonna lie, I was flattered but Peter then left. Thankfully there is a direct bus to Marc's from my hostel so we went there and had "free" tacos (I had already paid for the night so we might as well eat the food). After the hour long bus ride, Marc's roommate picked us up and we hung out at his apartment for the night....we watched Mean Girls. Seriously.
The next day Marc and I opened up a joint checking account and then he went grocery shopping while I ran the kids to soccer practice. Ok I'm just kidding but it was a hardcore fling and we both really enjoyed ourselves ;). I took off for the big city and caught my last train to Glacier Park. Boy will that be a change of scenery! Goodbye Sluty Seattle! I mean sleepless...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1245974652/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1245974652/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1245974652/tpod.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:21:10 -0400 US and Canada Amtrak Adventures

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Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Pub Crawl

I got into the hostel in the nick of time for the 8:30PM pubcrawl. Right away, I found a bit of a crew that were standing next to each other and were the blatent extraverts. Isaha was from Atlanta, Georgiana was from Britain, Zia was from Winnepeg, and _____ was from Aussie. We started off at the pub we should have ended at I think; something like Doggories. It was right across the street from the hostel as we were in the club/pub district. I found out I probably should've stayed at the Downtown Hostel as that was near the gay bars and the club district is filled with trashy straight people. The first pub had a bikini contest. There were some REALLY cute straight men watching them (this was about the only plus of the night besides the very gay music they played). The men had markers and were writing obscenities and "funny" things on each other shirts while also getting almost getting kicked out for being too drunk and trying to touch the bikini models.
After the first bar, we went around the corner and grabbed a large table for the 15 of us. The Aussie was hilarious all night and had wit the second after you said something. Zia from "Winnepeg" seemed a little needy. We soon went downstairs to the club where we danced to some pretty cool music. Isaeh, the large black man, put a very drunk woman on his shoulders before getting yelled at. I danced like crazy to a couple songs (Put a ring on it) until they got to the live band. The live band ended up playing mostly 80's songs or great songs that you cant dance to (Mr. Brightside). So Zia and I left early. Boo. As we were walking out of the bar, two men where getting punched in the face, thrown on the ground and arrested by the police. Ah! We went to McDonalds, had drunk food, and talked about boys and life. After a nice drunk time which I haven't had since my fraternity days, we walked outside. Only again to find a fight. Some guy was freaking out on the construction fence with blood going everywhere... I dont think even the bouncers were trying to mess with him. This is what I'm talking about trashy.

Relaxing to Michael my ass off

On Thursday, I paid for internet and laundry for the first time. Boo. I slept in, grocery shopped and essentially had a human day. Unfortunetly, my roommate stank like yesterdays rank. Once I got advice on where to go for the night from the cute hostel host, I started predrinking and talked with another rommie of mine. He gave me some good advice on traveling before I took off for Davie street. I had learned during the day the Michael Jackson had died and knew what I was getting myself into (which was fine; I havent listened to him in forever!). I took Ivee's brother's advice and went to 1181 on David. Too posch for me but had a great Travolta movie on. As I was walking down the street, I came across a dance party on the street to Michael Jackson music. The corner was filled with about 15 ecentric people dancing to an ipod stereo of Michael music; they pulled me in and I had a BLAST. I ended up meeting a couple of Irish lesbians who I tagged along with. We went got in a cab because one of the girls has a bad disc in her back. As we got into the cab, the one girl opened up the drivers side door and screamed, "Oh! You gave me a fright! You're sitting on the wrong side of the car!" In her amazing Irish accent. I exclaimed while laughing, "I can't get over your accents". The lesi to my left says "I cant get over your accent!"; the lesi in the front says "I cant get over your face...just joshin ya!" and the lesi to my right holds out a mirror and while touching up her lip glosss states, "I cant get over this wart." All of this amazing Irish accent was just too much for me.
We got to Odyssey and some straight woman pulls me up on a dance stage for fun. She introduces me to her cute guy friends who are obviously very superficial as they couldn't remember my name or get off their phone. I got in trouble for taking a pic of the naked shower guy dancing, danced with the lesis and with myself, and watched the great music videos of Britney Spears. Generally, a great night!

Eric the Tour GuideI found the energy to go to an all day Vancouver tour with the hostels. I walked briskely with no socks to the Downtown Hostel to get started. We toured the first part of the morning in downtown Vancouver. Eric talked about the world fair land, how the new condos and new developoment is being put there now, the Market Island, some monuments, and a lot of other tidbits that only a local would know. I am in love with Vancouver. Eric should be the official spokesperson for the city if you ask me. After he let me pick up some expensive socks for my feet (since my others were dirty and Vancouver is expensive), we took the subway to the busboat across the channel. The majority of the tour took place outside the city in the surrounding natural parks. After another busride, we walked around a park for several hours. He showed us lakes, where they'll be having the 2010 winter Olympics, a damn, falls, beautiful trees, beautiful landscapes, etc. I was with a very diverse group as well: He was from Norway, and the others were from Mexico, Holland, Germany, Austrailia, Britain, Michigan, Portland, and Brazil. What made the tour SO interesting was Eric: He knew TONS of tidbits of information about Vancouver having lived here for 48 years. He also did the tours for free because he loves Vancouver SO much. He never got mad even though I wanted to kick the guy from Holland for constantly wandering off (this idiot was trying to impress the woman from Mexico and says "oh look, a golden retriever; great hunting dog". It was a shitzu and not a hunting dog. dumbass). We had lunch where the Salmon where swimming up the stream to lay their eggs. We then walked to the Campinalo suspension bridge which was a huge tourist spot. I guess a 54 ton tree fell on the bridge 2 years ago and didn't do an ounce of damage to the bridge. This type of confidence in the bridge didn't phase me; I WANTED OFF. It was teetering over a 300 foot fall over a river with a bunch of tourist idiots trying to make it teeter more. Lucy who lives in Dublin now and some immature girl from Portland and I sat and chitchatted while waiting for the rest of the gang. We decided to hang out both that night and do Stanley Park in the morning.
The tour was great and Eric was even better. I have never had a better experience on a tour than with Eric and feel priviledged to have met him. To hear his life stories about traveling, Vancouver, his life, his work, his morals.... was just great. And cheap too :).

Wine in the Summertime

I had my friend Lucy from Dublin (originally from Austrailia) meet my acquantaince Zia from the Pub Crawl. Before we got started, Zia informed me she was actually from Vancouver and was living in the hostel because she was inbetween jobs, at a crossroads in life, and it was cheaper. I was fine with this but when people have two stories to tell, I cannot to help but raise a red flag due to my ex. Anyways, we went to a yuppier part of town (Yalestown?) and had a bottle of wine. It was the start of a 10 day jazz festival around the city so we went to a restaurant with this type of music. We ended up having two bottles and an appetizer and then Zia eventually ditched Lucy and I. I found out I LOVED Lucy. She was brilliant and an architect who believed in sustainable architecture. She actually did a presentation to a bunch of big wigs as to how we need to get back to the way the aboriginies did it 40,000 years ago in Austrailia. Using nature around us to be completely sustainable and in harmony with the land is essential to our existance. She tried to talk me out of city planning and more into architecture... she also tried to talk me into more of Austrailia traveling and less of New Zealand. Although we had our disagreements, I adore her and plan on keeping in contact with her. We ended up hitting up the gay bars 1181 on davie and Neighbors for the dancing. We ended up both dancing with a hideious bald drag queen and some creepy men. Oh what a night!

Waiting

I didnt really know what time I was leaving Vancouver and, for the first time on my trip, was going to wing the logistics. Some locals helped me with bus transfers to get to the train station. However, when I got there, I met dead ends. Since I wanted to purchase my ticket with Amtrak rewards points, I couldn't there because the rewards office is closed on the weekend. When I called the number, they couldn't because the rewards place was closed on weekends. The train station internet cafe was also closed on weekends. I took a train back into town in search for an internet cafe which I didn't find. However, anotehr local pointed me in the direction of the Vancouver Public Library. Free books and free internet!!! I booked my ticket and was ready to go. I had some time to kill so I had lunch, walked around (smelt a lot of pot), and took a bus to see Stanley Park. Stanley Park is BEAUTIFUL. Gorgeous huge pine trees, an art fair walkway, rose garden, walkways along the ocean, deep forest trails, bike rentals, and more. I saw a wedding take place and then took a bus back to the train station. I saw on my google maps that a "mall" was down the way from the station. I ended up going to this "non mall" and walked around the area. I found a local shop and bought a T-shirt for Pride in Seattle that night. I also went across to a street to a yuppy coffee shop where I started finishing my book "The Art of Racing in the Rain". I finally finished the book on my trainride down to Seattle. Pride 09' here I come!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1246684324/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1246684324/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1246684324/tpod.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:27:36 -0400 US and Canada Amtrak Adventures

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Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

I thought today was pretty interesting so I thought'd I'd share a blog just about it. Also, SO much happenned in Vancouver.

I woke up late on Wednesday so ended up taking my time, going to Wells Fargo to withdraw money, got coffee at wells Fargo, flirted with the teller at Wells Fargo, and walked to the pier. I also called Olive Garden and emailed Van Cleve (time to start thinking about work again :( ). I took the Ferry to Victoria ($13.50) which was an hour and a half. I had brought ham and cheese sandwiches with me and claimed this on my visa. When it came time for immigration, the only two people pulled aside were some Asian student who looked as though he had a complicatd story... and me with the ham. After about 30 minutes, they asked me the same stupid questions (Why are you traveling to Canada? How'd you get off work this long? Does family know you're coming? etc.) and then let me on my way.
As I had started my day late, I couldn't spend much time in Victoria which didn't seem to be a loss. It looked very nice but too touristy for my taste. After exchanging money and getting some friendly advice, I got on a double decker bus to the north side of the island. It was a really cool view but a nap seemed better for some reason. I then got to the next ferry to Twasssan Bay. While waiting for the ferry, I got a little annoyed at some girl taking up TWO seats JUST for her sweatshirt when there were dozens of people standing next to her. I dont understand people's careless selfish mentality sometimes. She had a table next to her. Thankfully I have this motto on the trip to not sweat the small stuff.
The ferry was HUGE and beatiful. I guess this ferry system is the most highly used in the Western Hemisphere if not the world (I forget the statistic). I got a seat in the food court and ate my selfmade sandwiches. As the seats filled, some Indian-Canadian middle school boys sat down next to me for lunch. I thought they were very funny. Although they seemed like they were originally from India, were Canadian, and a decade younger than myself, everything they were saying were things my friends would've said back in the day: "Oh man, you got two cheeseburgers? I wanted that but didn't have enough money. Hey man come sit over here! You went on facebook at 8AM! I stayed up all night last night! Come on man, lets go play video games". Really fun people watching. I had an almost weak moment as well: The boy next to me had filled himself on two burgers and didn't ONCE touch his fries. I watched them sit their for 10 minutes untouched and they sat in such a way where you could tell they had just been placed in the container by a scoop and UNTOUCHED. They left rather abruptly and left their trays as irresponsible 13 year old boys would do. I REALLY wanted to eat those damn fries. Damn I wish I swooped to that level.
After looking at the Vancouver Islands on the hour and half boatride, I then got on a bus to a transfer bus (by the way, a couple took ALL the same connections with me the entire day but we never spoke once). I got off on the wrong side of the bridge and had to take yet another bus before I finally got to my hostel. And this all may have seemed to be stressful but it all went very smoothly. The key is to be prepared for the amount of time it takes to travel.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1245974514/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1245974514/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1245974514/tpod.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:10:29 -0400 US and Canada Amtrak Adventures

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Port Angeles, Washington, United States

Starbucks in Seattle

Well... I had plenty of time to get from my train to Greyhound which I did. And then I waited in the very annoying Greyhound station for over an hour. When it had been past my time for the bus to come, I got in line to inquire. This is when she decided to take a half an hour lunch break when there was NO ONE else on. Luckily I was at the beginning of the line because there were 30 people waiting. When I got up there, she informed me my ticket wasn't a greyhound line and that they only pick people up outside. I had no way of knowing this but luckily knew there was another bus later that evening. I walked to the nearest Starbucks where I bought a coffee, surfed the web, called Lea, Kenza and Mom, and people watched (mainly the cute baristos). Kenza and I talked about our book club we are going to start this summer. Lea and I talked most about guys but also about her moving to Portland and my travels. When I finally got on the bus, it was actually a really nice guy who offered me water and a granola bar.

My rommates

I got to the hostel right as my roommates were leaving to go grab a beer. Robin is from Holland, Fabian is from Germany, and Gavin is from Britain. We were walking down the street and I had just finished telling them about how I worked at Olive Garden when... some truck with some guys in it threw an Olive Garden pizza box right at us! I guess there is no Olive Garden nearby which makes it even more random. We walked to the pub and talked mostly about our trip and politics. They all seemed very informed and were really fun to talk to. They stuck to the cheap Busch light because I steered them away from the PBR and Natty Ice. Robin has been living in Seattle for 6 months and is now traveling around for fun. Gavin had flown to Vancouver to learn how to fly. He is waiting until the end of summer when his friend will come over to ride his double bike with him around the US. When the flying thing fell threw, he decided to go cycling on his own and here he is. Fabian was rather quiet but I could tell he enjoyed listening to us. We had a great night at the local bar!

The Bike

My bus didn't leave until 9:30AM for Lake Crescent so I was not excited about waking up at 7AM. However, Robin said goodbye and wanted our contact information. So did Fabian. And Gavin. Robin left a little late for her bus to Forks and ended up calling us from her bustop to see if she wanted breakfast. She was going to have to wait for the 9:30 bus too. Ok! Breakfast here I come. But wait: Gavin wanted to hurry up and asked if I wanted to ride on his tandem bike with him. What? We got on his double seater, double frame, old school bike to do breakfast a mile down the road. I was going to catch the bus with Robin and get off at Lake Crescent and Gavin was going to take off to Seattle. Some of Robin's friends were leaving Thursday to go to San Francisco which coincided with what Gavin wanted. Long story short, Gavin asked if he could stay the day and we could go biking in Olympic Park for the day together. OK! So Robin took off and we planned our day.


After stopping at the bike shop for some quick gear, our hostel owner showed us a route that wouldn't kill us trying to get up it. I learned quickly how good of shape Gavin was in and how out of shape I was in. I wasn't necessarily "out of shape"; I just couldn't keep up with the pace Gavin wanted. Thank God this was the beginning of his trip and he wanted to walk up the steep hills. We went about 35 mph down some of the steep hills and I somehow worked up the nerve to let him and take a video myself! The bike was hard; it was more about skill than effort persay. Also, between Gavin's British accent and words, the wind, and bike lingo, I would have no idea what he said after, "Ok, once we get to the bridge, ask;dkjea;aksdf???". Scary! After about 3 hours of a grueling 15 mile climb, we made it to our destination: The Hot Springs. We unfortunately ran out of water and had to ask other travelers for theirs. After a 2 mile hike, we spent 30 minutes in the spring and had lunch before taking off again. It was definetly worth the trip (especially since the way back was mostly downhill!).


After getting back to the hostel, Gavin and I went to a local restaurant and had buy 1 get 1 mushroom spaghetti. Our receipt told us we woudl receive a free order of glazed donut balls if we ordered a medium/large pizza. We were so hungry, I had 2 meals in a row for the first time in my life. YUM. Gavin and I also bonded a lot throughout the day. We talked about everything from politics, to his bike, to our countries, to his bike again. He is 20, young, naive in the best way possible, and was a great person to spend a day with.

King of the Hill

On Tuesday, I did plan A and bused to Lake Crescent. Piece of cake and only 75 cents. I walked to the famous lodge where FDR stayed before he made this place a park, bought some postcards and made for Marymere Falls. Or should I say Makeamore NoFalls? It was a trickle and the only reason it was an attraction was because it was easy to get to. So I decided to climb Mount King Hood. It was quite the uphill and I got pretty sick of switchbacks but after many a daydream, made it to the top. The last quarter/half mile was pretty steep and included guide rope that I had to pull myself up with. It couldn't have been a more perfect day. I didn't meet one person which was saying something for a tourist place, no humidity, clear blue sky, perfect wind, and perfect temperature. Best of all, I had a snack and cell phone reception! I got the weird idea to send out invitation to people for my Mardi Gras Party on July 9th. Shortly after, I received a phonecall from Chris (who I thought was my sister's partner). Nope. Wrong Chris. The bad part was I couldn't figure out who Chris was until he mentioned Miami. Yay! He was the really nice guy who showed us to the Free Sex Bingo. We ended up chatting and I invited him to stay with me if he ever comes up to the cities.
I went back down the hill, had a beer at the lodge, talked with the hostess of the restaurant as to why she works here (coolworks.com), and took the bus home.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1245396422/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1245396422/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/goldenfrog88/1/1245396422/tpod.html Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:58:50 -0400 US and Canada Amtrak Adventures

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Portland, Oregon, United States

Beauty for free

Well almost free. The first night I got into Portland, I walked to the visitor center and then took the train out to the burbs where my hosts lived. It was a very easy ride that would have taken twice as long in Minneapolis. I took Kip and Mike out for Mexican while we caught up. The next day, Kip took the liberty of driving me around greater Portland. We went to the Zoo, where he has a membership. I really enjoyed the beaver that liked the attention and the 49 year old Organutuan who enjoys looking at other children's outfits. The zoo was very nice but had no animals from Austailila or Asia! Way to miss half the world Portland...
We also went to the rose gardens which overlooked the city. I guess they test out new hybrids here which is why there was so many different types. A lady playing some weird instrument was also there; I gave her a dollar.

Chillin in the burbs

I spent a lot of time out in the suburbs because the city was an hour away. It was nice to just relax for the most part. I watched "Not another Gay Movie", "Superbad", and "Wall-E". I also read my book, "The art of Racing in the Rain", watched Ellen on YouTube, and updated my blogs. They were VERY big sports fans so that wasn't very enjoyable. Seriously; I've never seen anyone who enjoyed sports SOOO much. They had every jersey and football helmet of the NFL, magnets of players from their local hockey and football clubs, trinkets of hockey players, etc. etc. etc. They also kept their house at 69 degrees; no matter what the weather, they had their windows closed and the air on. BRRR and really? Open das window!
Oh and they swear they arn't republican. Yet they want to send all those damn illegal immigrants back, he votes no on every school referendum without looking at what it is, he voted for McCain, and he doesn't believe humans are causing global warming. His argument is that he's for gay rights. GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD PEOPLE: REPUBLICANS CAN BE FOR GAY RIGHTS. And I wouldn't really say he's republican; just ignorant. But those tend to go hand in hand.

Rebecca in Portland

I had posted a picture of the Rose garden on my facebook profile when I got a call from Rebcecca Rau, an old friend from 4 years ago. We were camp counselors together at the dreaded "Swift Nature Camp". I had started my trip also with a co-counselor, Kariayne. Anywho, we met up on Friday and walked around Portland. It was partially due to the coffee we had at "Peeps" but I was so hyped up! I couldn't get over the little things Portland offered: Drinking fountains, benches, public restrooms, public gathering areas, beautiful sidewalks, trees, and more. I was surprised Portland wasn't as dense as I thought but it is a relatively small city. In any case, I skipped around with Rebecca. We tried to find the "Shanghai tunnel tours" but had no such luck. Since Portland claims to be the beer brewery capital of the nation, we tried to also find a brew tour located along the river by Tom McGall Park. We also had no such luck.
We went into "McCormick & Schmitts" to ask about the brewery tour that was supposed to exist next door. This lady was quite the sales woman. I couldn't say no when she told us about their sampler and how we should have a seat right next to the windows along the river. She was very nice. Rebecca and I caught up for about 2 hours. It was great. She has really grown up.
Rebecca talked about her last 3 years since I've seen her: her exs, losing weight, maturing beyond going to the bars all the time, etc. I could tell both of us had passed a pivital point in our young lives. Although we both agreed we are always growing, we have moved mostly beyond the "I'm completely fucking lost yet I am too stubborn to admit I'm wrong so I'm going to get drunk" stage in our life.
It was raining outside so we ended up skipping back to our car in the rain. It was REALLY fun.

Powell's Bookstore

Rebecca dropped me off at Powell's bookstore, America's largest independent bookstore. I went straight to the purple section which was created for me (although I will say I really need to make strides to get into fiction and not just read non-fiction). This section contained travel info on Austrailia, New Zealand, Europe, etc., world war 2 info, Families and children, abuse, the welfare system, and then there was the aisle that was made for Bryan: The one side contained both fiction and non-fiction on gay and lesbian life while the other side contained information on urban and regional planning......... REALLY?!?! How perfect is that? Needless to say but I spent over 2 hours in there.
And Powell bookstore has now inspired me to start a bookclub. My good friend from HECUA, Kenza, and I will be having a meeting on the first Tuesday of every month with a book of our choice. Exciting!!! First one's in August.

The fag hag club

Kip, Mike and I spent another long day chilling at the house for the most part. They took me out for Sushi where they put the sushi on a conveyer belt in front of you. You then pick what you want and they charge you according to the color of the plate. It was really fun!! We also stopped at Walgreens so I could pick up some more Rogaine....only to find out upon reading the instructions that Rogaine foam is supposed to be used for people balding in the back (not receding hairlines). No wonder it wasn't working :(.
We got all ready to go downtown as it was Saturday night! They brought me to some gay bar not even worth mentioning. It was connected to a cafe shop where they pointed out the male who had had an affair with Portland's mayor 5 years ago. I guess the only people who cared was the religious right wing trying to get him out of office. They tried to compare this place to The Saloon. The prices were right but the people were WRONG. There was no one there except old man and wannabee fag hags. There were two parties of women their for their birthday that kept trying to dance with me. They like the gay bar because "they don't have to worry about getting hit on". Lady, if you are that insecure of yourself, no wonder you're single celebrating your 46th at a gay bar. I was pretty Debby downed so I went to the bartender and told him to make me a shot..........BOY DID HE MAKE ME A SHOT. He called it "Fucked by Nimo" because his nickname was Nimo. It seemed fruity until you really tasted the tequila or everclear or something that burned your life.
And then I was drunk. So I thought it would be a good idea to ask Mike why he allows Kip to flirt with all these different men when they have been in a 5 year relationship. He refused to respond and then it just got awkward. Oh well. Darn you alcohol.

Setting myself up for misery

I was really worked up over the bar so I ate some ice cream, took a shower, and got on facebook. Lea, my friend from high school, was in Denver and had just gotten back from the bars herself. We talked for at least an hour about who knows what when we finally called it quits. We have had really bad luck staying in touch with each other this trip. Her phone dies, I loose signal, we cross each other's paths at 3AM, etc.
I had to wake up at 6AM to catch the bus down the road. I said my goodbyes and ran to the stop so I wouldn't be late. Running after 2 hours of sleep after 4 hours of drinking to get on a city bus = not good. I took the bus to the MAX to the Amtrak. The Cascade train that runs in between Portland and Seattle was VERY nice. Unfortunately, I got put right next to the motioned sensored door. It opened very nicely but then shut with some air machine that started to bug the HELL out of me. I was also against a wall so I couldn't lean my chair back. Fortunetly, the chairs were leather and I had a table in front of me.... Unfortunetly I was seated next to a family of 3: Liam (age 6), Mila (age 9) and Grandma (age I'm not getting your bag again lady). They were very cute family headed up to the Vancouver islands for the weekend. Liam likes StarWars Episode 4 and looking out the window. He also wanted to know if we were in Seattle yet. Mila gets annoyed by her brother, was reading a book about horses, and rides horses herself. Grandma needed about 30 things from her bag in which I needed to get. This all would've been fine I wasn't so hung over. I took refuge in the new train's large bathroom.

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San Francisco, California, United States



Petrus

I got to San Francisco in the later afternoon. There were thousands of people outside walking; I figured there must be some kind of festival. It turns out, no. Everyone just walks around here and its a really nice day out! According to walkscore.com, where they rate your city and neighborhood on walkability, San Francisco is the number one most walkable city in the nation. I dont think they included the incline of the streets though. After getting settled in, I met on of my roommates, Petrus. What a cutie. He is a 26 year old Swede traveling around the world for 6 months, with this being his 5th month. He had been traveling with his partner up until the USA when she went back home (they ended up splitting up). A little more than a month ago, while he was in Austrailia, he jumped off a boulder while hiking. He ended up landing straight on his heel and has been on crutches ever since. However, he is taking it in stride, pun intended. Petrus and I grabbed dinner and ended up drinking a little when I got back. We chatted for over four hours on things ranging from his travels, my travels, his country, my country, politics, hobbies, and more. He was very intelligent. I guess he works in Norway but lives in Sweden and since Norway's currency is better, he practically makes double in the same time. This allows him to take half the year off :). I'm going to keep in touch with him if I can because he gave me a lot of tips for my future travels.

Juan- skip this if you're family :)

Well, I went to Castro St. by myself and had a great time. I was really excited to go because I had JUST seen "Milk" in Los Angeles. I like the no cover bars but when I cannot MOVE, enough is enough. I decided to pay a wopping $2 for some elbow room which ended up paying off. I met Juan :). From Peru. Pretty interesting. After he bought me a couple drinks which I pretty much refused because, honestly, I just wanted to dance, we ended up cabbing it back to his hotel. Hey I know how to pick em! I think he may be just a little older than me but really well off. Had obviously gone shopping (brought an empty luggage case just for his stuff he bought). And it wasn't from Old Navy I'll tell you that. We played checkers... and then I got to not sleep in a hostel bunk bed that night. Oh yea and then we played chutes and ladders in the morning.
I never ended up going back to "the gay district"; mainly because San Francisco is so gay, there is no need to go to the gayborhood. Plenty of cuties to look at elsewhere.

Sights on Wheels

I walked along the trolley route that cost $5 too much to hop on to some North Beach Festival. Bought $7 sunglasses, ate $7 friend artichoke & zuccini, and watched all the CUTE little puppies and children. Afterwards, I rented a bike for 24 hours in order to see the city a little faster. Biked by Fishermans Wharf and forgot to stop to see that Sea Lions :(, and then biked across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was CROWDED. No wonder my dad moved away from Cali. I took a picture of Alcatraz, me on both sides of the bridge and then biked quite a bit in some park adjacent to the bridge. HILLLY. After a while, I got to "Golden Gate Park" which had a ton of stuff and people in it. Thats one of the things that makes a great city: When not only do you have a great place to live, but people actually use the community around them to participate in. I walked through the AIDS memorial park, JFK memorial park, some rose garden, and through the winding streets past things that cost money.
I'm not sure WHAT possessed me but I got up at 6:30AM, grabbed free breakfast at 7AM, biked it to the ferry, and went to Sausilito. Its a pretty and ritzy Italian village across the bay where I started my days biking. From there I biked to Muir Woods where there are Redwood Trees. WHAT A FUCKING HILL. Not only did I climb that mother, at the top, I had to descend for 4 miles to get to the park....which meant more uphill on the way back. I was apparantly the only idiot to bike there as I never saw another one of me. The trees were beautiful and just as I remembered them when I went with my family to a redwood national forest. I ended up hiking with an emptynester couple from Jacksonville, FL. We had a great time talking about traveling, their kids (the one daughter just got engaged and is graduating in sociology and psychology...they didn't talk about their son much... I wonder if my parents do this LOL), and other small talk that I really didn't mind. However, I picked the wrong couple to suck up to because they had rented a convertable that couldn't fit my bike to get up the damn hill.

And 15 miles later....and I SWEAR they put streets on cliffs here.... and google maps did not inform me that the route I took back included the STEEPEST hill in San Francisco (they had to weeve the street back and forth).... I got rid of that bike. And showered, ate a feast and then passed out at 6PM. So much for that downtown tour I was going to take.

Ladies on the Train

On my overnight stay on the train from San Francisco to Portland, I ended up sitting next to a Korean lady, Hazon. After briefly chatting, she asked if she could take a picture of me. So I asked if I could take a picture of her; quite funny really. That would be totally awkward if I were to ask another American but she didn't care. I have had that several times now where I will spend a day with somone, like Petrus, but there is never a good opportunity to get a photo with that person. Oh well. Anyways, she ended up being really cold while sleeping so I gave her my blanket. I just took a swig of vodka with some sleeping pills to compensate for my non-blanketed sleep.

The next morning, I went and found another car where there were outlets available so I could research Portland on my iPhone. Shortly after, some lady sat next to me doing the same thing. Her and I get to talking about improving cities and the correct way to do so; we end up agreeing. She understood a lot about homelessness as she once was homeless for a year and half (lived in national parks in a camper). That was pretty cool to listen to her stories. She was looking at ways to improve her city, Salinas, where they have a lot of homeless individuals. We then ended up talking about GLBT communities and how she is trying to convince her mayor to continue their Salinas gay pride because it is an economic incentive. While I understand she was using this as a reason to keep the community welcome, I want it done for the right reasons. Its true: the gay community likes to travel and WILL spend money in your city if you are truly welcoming. However, trying to convince a conservative town to have a gay pride parade because it will attract dollars is for all the wrong reasons. Thanks but no thanks. And I'm not done on this gal...
She gave me yet another business card explaining this website she created: www.alternativelifestyleassociates.org She originally created it as a joke for her daughter because she is a bit of a fag hag. It is supposed to be a support group for straight women that are marginalized for hanging out with the GLBT community. While I think some of the right intentions are there (you can get a membership card, and some of you should consider getting it LOL), I can't help but read between the lines. Alternative lifestyle implies that being gay, bisexual, lesbian, or transgender is a choice. Yes, its a choice to accept yourself but that is the way we're born. And she uses tolerant- I really would prefer not to be "tolerated". How about accepted? I tolerate the dogshit in my backyard because its not worth a fight with my roommate.

If anything, go to that website to check out the girl farting a rainbow...

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