The Journey Part 38

THE NUMBERS ARE DWINDLING

I have stayed in touch with the YouTube adventures of those still on the Trail, and the numbers are diminishing as we speak.  It’s going to be very hard to determine how many hikers actually finished the entire trail. So many have skipped ahead to easier sections, planning on doing the Sierra in July or August, and who knows if they really will do that.

I think this is the year when statistics and verification can be tossed out the window.

It would be my hope that no one feels like they failed because they couldn’t do the entire trail. That would be, in my mind, faulty thinking.  As I’ve said before, anyone who makes the sacrifice to even try to hike this trail is a winner in my eyes. I’m sure many won’t think that way, but I certainly do.

So many hikers met in the last three months, and not many of them are still on the trail, and of those who still are, hardly any have taken on the Sierra. Flipping is the name of the game this year, and that’s just the real of it.  When it comes to risking your life, it’s just not worth it in my humble opinion.

While I was working on this section, three women I met have dropped off the trail, all the same day, all the same area. All three have nagging injuries which have no chance of healing on the trail, so they are going home to heal, rest up, and then decide whether or not to return.

AN ADDENDUM ABOUT OCEAN SHORES

I have a video coming shortly, “An Old Man, A Dog, and a Bus Visit Ocean Shores, Washington, and it was actually the making of that video, and a drive around the entire peninsula, not more than an  hour ago, which changed my mind about this city of 7,000.

I’ve been here four days now, and the city has slowly grown on me. I like the forethought the planners put into designing this area. The canals are genius, twenty-three miles of freshwater canals, and several lakes, all connected, all a fresh-water paradise for anglers and kayakers and canoeists. You could literally kayak for several days and not see all of these waterways, and that’s saying a mouthful considering this peninsula is not that large to begin with.

I love that the highest posted speed limit is thirty-five.  I love that they kept many of the trees, so that even in residential neighborhoods, it is hard to see from house to house. I love the wide-streets, the many bridges over the canals, the walkway which goes from downtown probably two or three miles south, and the bike paths which cover most of this peninsula.

I love that the people are friendly, that this area has that small town vibe I sorely missed growing up. I love that they set aside an area for a nature preserve, and I love that the deer population is so large that it blows my mind, and signs are posted everywhere to watch out for the wildlife, as though the city planners actually understand how important nature truly is.

I love that the canals and lakes are clean and annually inspected. I love the fact that most “waterfront” homes are not actually waterfront, that there is a large expanse of dunes between homes and the beaches.

And, finally, after a walk through the business section today, I noticed banners hanging from poles along the main street. Upon closer inspection, each banner is dedicated to a graduating high school senior, with their face, name, and congrats. I think that is incredibly sweet.  It might seem like an insignificant gesture to some, but I guarantee those high school seniors are proud every single time they drive down that street.  Well done, Ocean Shores!

I don’t know what the city planners and city council have as a guiding principle for this city, what their mission statement is, but I hope they never lose their commitment to a quality lifestyle in lieu of the all-mighty tourist dollar.  Having said that, the “downtown” area really could use a face-lift. As it is now, it looks like a glorified strip mall, not attractive at all. There is a small pocket of businesses, grouped together off the main drag, which have a beach hut motif going for them, and it is cute and unique, something I think the entire business district should consider.

All that is a preface to what I think is Ocean Shore’s main problem when it comes to tourism . . . the weather! The weather at Ocean Shores is a crapshoot, even in the summer. You never really know what you are going to get, and fifty-five degrees with thirty mph winds is not a huge tourist draw, especially since the ocean water is in the 45-55 degree range year round.

It’s a shame for the Tourism Bureau, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing for those who call Ocean Shores home.

THE METAMORPHIS CONTINUES

We left Olympia on February 2, 2023. Today is June 3^rd, a full four months without a real home, living on the road, wherever I can find a safe place to park.

I absolutely love it, more now than yesterday, more yesterday than a month ago, more . . . I think you get it.

Honestly, there was apprehension going into this venture.  Not fear, mind you, but apprehension and a little uneasiness in my tummy, for sure, as there is for most of us facing an unknown.

99% gone!

I woke up this morning, pulled off the window coverings from the bus, and was greeted by a mother duck, with four ducklings, paddling across the canal, not thirty feet from where I was. The early morning sun sparkled across the water, the wind created sparkling ripples, the foliage rustled softly, and birds harmonized a good morning song, just for me.

I went to the beach with Maggie and Toby, walked far enough down to be out of sight of inquiring eyes, released them from their leashes, and laughed out loud as they splashed and wrestled and ran through the surf.

I watched as young lovers walked hand-in-hand, as families spread out an early meal, as beachcombers sought treasures, as gulls sought meals, and the entire drama of life played out before me, no cover charge asked for. And I thought back to long ago, a young boy named Billy, so in love with car travel, and now we have come full circle, that young boy an old man, but still in love with the open road, and there are no plans for that to change.  There is much for me to learn about life on the road, many mistakes for me to make, many shortcuts I am unaware of, and money-saving ideas I need to learn, but I am more energized, right now, than I have been in decades, and if I die tomorrow, cross my fingers no, at least I will have died doing something that pumps adrenalin through my system, and makes me look forward to waking up each morning. That had been missing for far too long, and now that I’ve found it again, there ain’t no turning back.