Dwagenheim

After waking up, I took to the streets with my bike and headed for REI to return my tent because of a leaky rain fly. I exchanged it for the same kind, but brand-new. It was almost too easy. I would have liked to just exchange the rain fly, but unfortunately it wasn’t an option. I met a guy, Chris, outside of REI at the bike rack. We chatted for a bit and I told him about my tour. We exchanged cards, since he had some contacts in Columbia. The day was just as beautiful as yesterday, so it was a pleasure to be outside. I cruised over to Feathered Friends and spoke with the co-owner. Carol. I told her how much I enjoyed my sleeping bag and how well its performed on the trip so far. Carol seemed happy to hear the good news and she offered me a T-shirt but I declined since I don’t have much room for extras right now. Next, I went to the Pike Place Market for some lunch and to shop for tonight’s meal, vegetable lasagna. I ate some fried oysters at my favorite place, Jack’s Fish Spot. They were delicious, as usual. I bought some eggplant, mushrooms, and spinach to go in the lasagna. I thought about trying to look for Sara in the market, but didn’t bother. I enjoyed the nice hot sun and checked out some buskers playing on the street. One group was from the Andes and their music took me back to Ecuador as I listened to them. I rode back to Kim’s place and relaxed for a while. Around 5pm, I got in the kitchen to start preparing dinner. My buddy Chris was going to come over for dinner as well as Suzanne, another friend from work in Alaska. I did my best to prepare and layer up a delicious lasagna and a couple hours later, we dined on the finished product. It was great hanging out with Chris after so long. He had definitely changed in appearance, going from long hair and a beard to clean cut. But as he would say, “I like to look good”, and he did. After dinner and dessert, we went to a local bar for a beer and some conversation. After a while, the smoke drove us out but it was late anyway. When we got home, I showed Kim the format of Bikeforums and we discussed the idea of having a similar Observer Forum with the easy to use program. Even though I am well into my cycling trip, being back amongst observer issues has made me feel like I never left the scene here. It was a little strange. I enjoy being active in my profession, but I will definitely enjoy getting back on the road and away from the big city at the end of this week. (14 miles)

Peace

Dave