No, I didn’t get off course. I’m in Aberdeen Washington. Just below the Olympic National Forest/Park.

Yesterday’s hitchiker was a self-proclaimed aging hippy who was just getting off work and heading home to help insulate the floor of her house with her old man (no, that’s not her father). I only took her about six miles.

Today’s hitchiker was a guy named Bill (as my dad would say, no one with that name can be all bad). Neither he nor I knew the roads, and I thought I’d be able to take him about 80 miles, but about 15 miles into the ride there was a fork and his road went right when mine went left. Both Bill and I were the same age, and he was trying to get to a town where he had room and board lined up so he could look for a job. I always remember from my days of unemployment during the baseball strike of ’81 how close we can be to being homeless. For a couple months I lived in my VW bus in front of the house I had been living in because I couldn’t afford the $105 rent and another friend (who could afford rent) needed a room. “There but for fortune [and friends] go you and I.” On parting I gave Bill $20 to help with life.

Yesterday I didn’t cover much ground, but got lots of beach combing and photography in. I’m thinking I have enough nice photos that I may try to collect some and get them displayed in a cafe somewhere in Berkeley. I’ll have to price out what it would cost to make good prints (probably 11×14) and have them framed, but it sure would feel nice to have them on display. You’ll all need to come visit when I do

Well, tonight I’ll be camping in the Olympic National Park, and probably get a hike in as well. My goal is the Hoh Rainforest area, hope there will be spaces open. I’ve been lucky so far, and I’m fairly flexible if there’s not spaces–it seems like there’s other camp sites nearby, and it is the middle of the week.

Well, time for a quick pit stop in the back of Safeway (free Wifi at most Safeways these days), then back on the road.

Love,

Lee