Serendipity

Here at Powell's Books in downtown Portland. As always I have lots to share but in this post I'm just going to write about a series of coincidences that've occurred in the last two days.

I left from San Francisco and decided to take the most indirect route Portland imaginable: up the beautiful coastal drive on California 1. What is normally a 10 hour drive on the highway is closer to 15 hours on this beautifully scenic route.

Right at the beginning of route 1 I was picked up by a couple of Canadians traveling from San Fran up to British Columbia. Meredith and Chloe were very chill and I felt very fortunate to be able to experience the natural beauty around me with them.

They dropped me off in Garberville, California, a town that High Times described as one of the trimming epicenters of the country. Potheads and hippies from all over the country flocked here, making catching a ride after dark incredibly difficult for me... I'll get into the details of my camping experiences with the hippies in another post, but I'll just say that I was glad to make it out of that area at the first light the next day.

With a sign that said "CLEAN" I was able to get a ride about 50 miles up the road to Eureka, California. I grabbed breakfast, washed up, then waited about 1 hour before, low and behold, along came Meredith and Chloe! Interacting with anyone who considered themselves members of society would have been nice, but it was even better to be picked up by these two amazing individuals. We drove up the Cali coastline, taking breaks to check out some of the beaches before parting ways again in Redwood National Park.

Ah, I've forgotten an important detail...

So when I first met Chloe and Meredith we stopped for gas and saw another car with BC plates. The girls, excited to talk to fellow Canadians, struck up a conversation with the two men in the vehicle. Turns out they were Brits who had purchased the vehicle from a French couple back in San Fran. Nice people, but not Canadians.

Anyway. I continue onwards, passing through straight up hippie country. I took a ride on a magical mystery bus, and was offered pot by at least three different drivers. I was also asked for my clean pee while at a McDonalds... I didn't want to give up my pee for some reason.

I get as far as I can in the day, leaving me about 70 miles from Portland. I camp out or the night, sleep in late the next morning (today) and within twenty minutes along rolls the two Brits, Matthew and Wilfrid. They take me all the way to my destination in Portland, we chat and have coffee at Powell's Books, then parted ways.

Serendipity.

I'm currently chillin at the bookstore while I wait for my host, a fellow Beloiter, to get off work, before going out and doing whatever!

Much more to come, stay tuned!