Travel day! I couldn’t sleep last night. A zillion thoughts ran through my head about going to Portland, logistics while there, setting aside quality time for family and friends, finding work for Tabasco, getting to Seattle, getting up to Mt. Hood to, hopefully, see Nabor J., Chowda, and others for Nabor J’s birthday party, and getting gear changed to prepare for rain and winter conditions in Washington. I was up at 6:45am, before any other hostel guests stirred, and took a nice, hot shower. Then I spent some more quality time on the internet in the peaceful, quiet main living room of the 3 story house we were in.
Some people emerged and began making coffee and using the kitchen facility to make breakfast. Everyone dispersed by 9:30am to continue journeys and adventures to different places, some close by and some far away. Tabasco and I left the hostel before 10am and walked to the post office where I retrieved packages and letters. From there we walked about town in search of an inexpensive breakfast. Tourist prices were in every restaurant, so we asked some strangers on the sidewalk where to go and a middle aged man suggested a Mexican restaurant a couple miles down the main street. We followed him to the bus stop and caught the free bus to Señor Sam’s.
As I stood in line behind Tabasco, waiting to place my order, the cell phone rang, and it was Creeper back in Charlotte and we were catching up on trail talk. I was next to place my order for breakfast. Suddenly the gal taking orders turned to face me and held up a placard in my face, which read, “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone on a cell phone.” She gave me a sneer and I got really ticked off…I was going to ask Creeper to hold while I placed my order, but she didn’t give me the chance. I uttered some choice words at her, then sat down at the table with Tabasco, who was already eating his breakfast burrito, and finished my conversation with Creeper. There was no way I was going to give my business to the restaurant after that ugly and shocking exchange.
So I left and walked over to Wendy’s instead. Tabasco joined me in a few minutes, then we walked outside to the bus stop to catch the next local bus. The 45 minute bus ride from Ashland to Medford was uneventful, except that the driver made a couple of bad driving moves and favored the brakes heavily at the last minute at various stops. A couple beside us gave us good directions, once we reached Medford, to go to the Greyhound Bus Station for the second leg of our journey north to Portland.
At the Medford Greyhound Station we checked in, then visited the bus station restaurant for an early lunch since our ride to Portland would be six hours. I made a phone call back to Charlotte to check in with my former business partner on the progress of our non-profit. We got on the bus and began the long journey north. I used the time to catch up on journaling and to get the list of logistical items tweaked.
We stopped in Eugene for a 15 minute break, 4 hours into the ride, and I convinced (wasn’t hard) Tabasco to join me in the bar next to the bus station for a cold Sierra Nevada. The rest of our trip to Portland was uneventful. We arrived on time around 8pm at the Greyhound bus terminal in downtown Portland. Ashley whisked us to the suburb of Beaverton, where we made a not so quick stop for takeout Pizza Schmizza and ate a late dinner and caught up with Eric and Ashley the balance of the evening. All in all, it was a good travel day and a breath of fresh air to return to my familiar bedroom at trail angel central.
