New happenins in the great Northwest

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I miss everybody back East very much but have met some great people out here who have made me feel very welcome to celebrate with them. I was fortunate enough to have three separate Thanksgiving celebrations this year. It has been a glorious week of gluttony! My first celebration was at another co-op called the Oasis. The Oasis is a cultural hub for young progressives in the Bellingham, WA area. It was packed to the gills with friendly people and excellent food. On an average day there are about a dozen people living in the three story duplex style home. Every square inch of the house is put to good use; not to mention the front yard where an old school bus is a permanent fixture and residence for some of the folks. The meal was amazing, there was too much food to sample everything, but the organization was remarkable. In consideration of everyone's diverse eating restrictions all thirty-some dishes were labelled with ingredients. After stuffing ourselves, a surprisingly efficient assembly line formed to make short work of the mountain of dishes. With the dishes done and tables and furniture cleared out of the way the living room became a stage for an incredibly diverse selection of musicians. Starting with reggae the jam transitioned to bluegrass, folk, and rock. The house was brimming with energy and hippie love.
My second feast was on Thanksgiving day and I was lucky to spend it in Seattle with the amazingly talented Jerrett sisters. We had a delicious vegan meal, which seemed appropriate considering the amount of bird eaten at my other two feasts. While in Seattle we weaved our way through the tightly packed pike place market, where we saw a woman get chased with a fish. Then we made our way over to Starbucks corporate headquarters to meet Eileen's sister for lunch. Although a giant Starbucks siren's eyes glare out from the peak of the roof, the building wasn't quite the intimidating corporate castle I expected. It was a fairly modest-looking, large building with a pleasant interior, not much different from the inside of a Starbucks cafe. Throughout each floor there are coffee stations completely stocked with everything you'd find behind the counter at a Starbucks, which is all free for employees, not a bad..... perk? (this pun dedicated to Dave Ryan)
So my third and final Thanksgiving feast was here at the Woolley Mammoth. We hosted a pot-luck/ leftovers party for neighbors and friends complete with a turducken. For those who don't know, a turducken is a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken, mmmmmmmm turducken. (note: I had a vegan meal in here somewhere) It was great to see the Woolley Mammoth alive with people. This monstrous house is ideal for hosting such big gatherings and our turn out of about 35 people was just a fraction of the max occupancy we could potentially hold here. Nevertheless, it was a good size group for meeting new people and learning more about some of the happenings in this neck of the woods.
         
Besides all of the feasting and celebrating pace of life has been slow yet deliberate, introspective yet engaged. The culture of Northern Washington is unfolding to be very complex and different from the culture of Northern Virginia. Where Northern Virginia  has so much diversity and what seems like not enough time to explore and relate all of the extremes, Washington seems to have less cultural diversity and a more involved community. Or at least thats the impression I've gotten so far. I'm not saying that one is better than the other, just that this is what I've been looking for at this point in my life. A community that has the time to interact. Not too busy to be introspective. People's personal values seem to be a more prominent concern out here. Dogma has been cast aside and personal exploration and challenge is prevailing to be a stronger set-up. Its refreshing.
We had an unexpected visitor the other day. While I was sorting through rugs and blankets in the spare room, I heard a rustling up at the skylight. I looked up expecting to see a sparrow or a starling trapped in the room with me but was amazed to see a beautiful little owl! It frantically flapped around the room for about 5 minutes. After a few crashes into the wrong windows, I was able to coax him in the right direction and out he went.
   


I've been having a lot of fun playing with the video editor on my new laptop, so here's another video from the train ride, this is the portion of the ride across Washington.


Happy Birthday Chels!

Snowed In

So today was my first free day out here and I was all stoked to get on my bike and explore the area, but that plan was quashed when I woke up to find about 4 inches of sloppy wet snow blanketing the ground. Great,  ok change of plans. So I took things a little slower today. I took in some of the beautiful scenery from our secluded property and did a little research towards further travel destinations. From my window I saw with my binoculars a herd of elk down by the river! It was incredible, there must have been 50 of them! But when I came back later in the evening I saw them again and then it dawned on me, these were probably domestic elk. Oh well, still cooler than cows. I also identified a Stellar Jay in the yard, which is probably just Washington's version of a Blue Jay, but completely new to an East-coaster.
It turns out that my roommate Todd has a lot of experience with help exchange traveling. He has done WWOOFing several times in New Zealand and explained to me how that program worked out really well for him. WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms and is a similar program to what I am doing here. Basically you work on an organic farm (on average 4 hrs a day, 5 days a week) in exchange for free room and board as well as free food. New Zealand is a dream destination of mine so this may be a real possibility in the future!
Some other excellent resources I've been using for my travels are The Caretaker Gazette, which is how I found The Woolley Mammoth, and a great website called Help X. If you are like me and want to travel but don't have a ton of money to dish out, you will probably benefit from checking out these options. Of course, you have to be willing to get your hands dirty and devote some of your time to "paying" for your stay. If you can handle that then, your only expenses will be getting there and any entertainment you seek. I can honestly say that since I got here on Monday, I haven't spent a penny and I've eaten healthier and more locally than I ever have before. I do plan on getting in to town some time this weekend and possibly seeking out some nearby attractions and some of the bigger cities out here. The short list includes Vancouver, Bellingham, Portland, and more of Seattle. Any suggestions (food, music, art)?

More video from the train

This is a compilation of some of the more scenic areas I shot from the train in North Dakota and Montana. We did pass through Glacier National Park, but unfortunately it was at night and I couldn't see a whole lot, but here's the best of everything else! I'm still working on my video editing and blogging skills so bear with me.

The Mammoth

Yesterday I arrived at my new temporary dwelling: The Woolley Mammoth. I'm not sure where to begin how to describe this place, so I'll start with the location. The house is nestled into the side of a mountain overlooking the Skagit River Valley. The view is incredible! Surrounding the house on the one acre plot are several small gardens housing all sorts of plants and vegetables, and beyond these gardens are shrubs and trees creating a nice barrier of privacy. The yard is full of birds that I am completely unfamiliar with, which is very exciting for a bird-geek like me. Aside from the wild birds there are about 15 egg-laying chickens in a portable coupe at the front of the property (today I repaired the tarp over the coupe).
    The house itself is quite a site. Jeff, the owner, described it as a foreclosed unfinished McMansion, which I suppose technically it is, however it has a little more aesthetic appeal than most of the McMansions I'm used to seeing back home. Its a large three story "home" that has a hacienda type look to it. For one family to live in this house would be a bit ostentatious. But since the Woolley Mammoth is an intentional community home its massive size seems a little more acceptable. Wait, what did you just call it? An intentional what-now? Yes, its an intentional community, aka coop, commune, ecovillage, yada yada yada. Basically its a house with several people living in it that can either pay rent for their room or work around the house in exchange for room and board. They interact and work together more than typical roommates would, meaning that they cook meals and eat together, plan and host events together, and in general have more respect for the sustainability of the house.
Since my goal is to travel as inexpensively as possible, I chose to do the work exchange. That means I work on the house or in the gardens for 6 hrs a day, three days a week. In return I get a furnished room (with amazing views and balcony), free utilities, and all food included as well. It requires a little more patience and consideration to live in an intentional community, but it will be an interesting stop along my adventure. I look forward to seeing what unfolds here. More to follow...

P.S. I am setting up my flickr and vimeo accounts now so I will be able to share a lot more photos and videos!

view from my balcony

Things to consider when taking Amtrak

7 Travel tips for Amtrak

1. When buying a ticket for coach make a specific seat reservation to ensure a window seat. Window seat is the way to go. For me it was all about the view but also consider that you will have plenty of leg room in either seat and being against the window will give you a place to lean while trying to sleep.

2. A checked bike needs to be boxed (depending on the train) that means you have to remove the pedals and turn the handle bar sideways. I had to remove the handlebar from my bike because they were too high. 

$20 fee includes $5 for the box

3. Meals are not free in coach ($10-$25)

4. Meals are free if you're in a sleeper car. Also there is free coffee, juice and water outside the rooms in each car. Some other perks were a complimentary bottle of champagne when you board, a free local newspaper in the morning, and a free afternoon wine and cheese tasting. The attendant in my sleeper car was very helpful and friendly. 

5. The shower in the sleeper car is actually pretty decent. Towels are provided, but you should bring a pair of flip flops. 

6. The one major complaint I've heard from most travelers is that there is no wifi. Also since you are traveling through some very rural areas, cell phone reception and 3G can be spotty for portions of the ride. Some routes do offer wifi now such as the Starlight Express (which runs from Seattle to L.A.) but unfortunately the Empire Builder does not at this point.

7. At some stops (but not all) you can step off the train for a stretch, fresh air, or a smoke break (all trains are completely non-smoking). Stops are short and range from 3 to 20mins.

All in all I had a great trip. I was able to make do with out the wifi, but I had also researched this before my trip and had brought plenty of stuff to keep me occupied. Although I was able to tether to the internet through my iPhone at times, mostly around metropolitan areas, which can actually be for a couple hours at a time. So I didn't feel like I was completely disconnected from the world. But when I wanted to disconnect I could easily close the door to my room, draw the curtain and just zone out on the landscape.

On the Train

    And I'm off! I must admit I had my doubts about        getting off the ground. But as I sit back in the solitude of my private "roomette" aboard Amtrak's super liner known as Empire Builder, I breathe a huge sigh of relief. Just now the train has left the small station in the town of Minot, ND. Its another 24 hrs until I get to Seattle and from there I will take a bus to Sedro-Woolley, WA. I'll be staying in Sedro-Woolley for about 2 months where I'll be living in a communal household dubbed the Woolley Mammoth. I'll save the description of the house for when I actually arrive.

The first leg of my trip, from DC to Chicago I rode in coach. This was an 18 hour ride and I spent that time sitting next to an 80 year old man named Marvin. Although Marvin was nothing less than pleasant the entire time, a man needs his space. I switched trains from the Capitol Limited to the Empire Builder in Chicago and it was here that I could finally have some privacy in my sleeper room. I can close myself off from the rest of the passengers and enjoy the countryside in solitude. Just me, my music, my window and 2,000 miles of beautiful landscapes.
I purchased my ticket for this 3 day excursion for only $428, this includes three meals a day while staying in the sleeper car. In coach the meals are not included. Broken down it was about $203 for the ticket from DC to Seattle, and about $225 for the added room from Chicago to Seattle. So if you wanted to rough it and go all the way across the country for $203 you could, but with the privacy of the sleeper room the trip becomes more of a vacation than just a train ride.