Leaving Pensacola and returning to the NW

After 10 restful days in Pensacola, it was finally time for me to head back to the truck and continue on my sabbatical. I had an amazing time while I was home. I got the light fixture I was working on completed, and got quality time in with Cas and my dad. All in all, a great trip that was worth the absurd flight times. As I head back to Seattle, I realize I won’t get into the airport until 12:30am on the following day. I start to google if you’re allowed to sleep overnight at the airport.

The answer is yes and no. They don’t encourage it, but the airport stays open 24hrs a day. I even found a site that tells you where all the padded benches are within the Seattle airport. I love the internet. As we touch down in Seattle at the ungodly hour of 12:30, I make my way to one of the terminals that has plush benches. When I get there, I realize there is a tiny community of people laying down on benches. Folks passed out with blankets over their heads, others laying while scrolling on their phones… About 15 people in total. I find an open bench and try to get comfortable. So, I think I could have actually slept if there wasn’t a dude talking loudly on speaker phone. He was going on and on about how everyone on earth is going to hell for being sinners. Apparently Moses went to hell? Who knew? AND Abraham? Well shit! I’m learning so many things! During his rant that is more repetitive than lamb chop’s theme song, he says many times that he is going to heaven where he’s going to watch all of humanity burn below. I’m too tired to move seats, too scared of a psychotic break to complain to him, and too sucked into the convo to sleep. Oh well.

I get to my truck around 5:30am, and start my drive out to the NW corner of Mt. Rainier National Park. It’s not the best area to access the park, but it’s the closest by about 2 hours. I want to see the park, but not bad enough to spend ungodly amounts of time in the car. Just give me a hiking trail and a view of the mountain. I’ll be golden. Funny part of this trail that I find along the Carbon River was that you really couldn’t see the mountain at all. Like, no snowy peaks, no glaciers, just dense forest and a whitish grey river. Obviously that’s fine, I just want to hike, but I find it kind of funny that I can’t even seen the tallest peak in Washington from the park named after it.

I decide to go 5 miles into the park to a campground, eat lunch, then turn around. The hike was surprisingly flat with little in the way of terrain. The views of the river were awesome, and the forest was of course lush and beautiful. As I get to my turn around point at the campground, I run into a park volunteer. An older man well into his 60s or 70s, hiking faster than people half his age. Excuse me sir, but I have to ask… Is there anywhere I can see Mt. Rainier from this trail??

Man I stopped the right guy! He tells me there is a small wooden bridge across the Carbon River leading to a waterfall. Mind you, I saw the sign for that waterfall, but the bridge looked like a failed cub scout project (see above), so I decided to skip it. He tells me to take this bridge, and stop halfway across the river and look East. That is the one and only spot to see Mt. Rainier from this section of the park.

Well, I do as the man says, and sure enough there is the mountain. It’s nothing to write home about from this angle (that’s what she said) but I was glad to at least see it. I continued on to the waterfall, and it was actually pretty cool. Plus, I didn’t die crossing the river.

• 

• 

After my park adventure, I decide to find a nice spot along a nearby forestry road to park and spend the night. Sucks I’m here on a Friday, as all the rednecks are out in full force along this section. I finally find an open spot, and settle in for the night. Now the next morning, I was woken up waaaaaay too early. This was a relatively quiet road, but at 5am I hear car after car after car passing me. Wtf is going on so damn early in the morning?! I peek out of the truck and see newer SUVs and expensive hatchbacks. White people… So it’s gotta be a mountaineering expedition, half marathon or a bike race. Well, I was partially right. It was what I have learned is a ragnar race. A large mileage running thing that’s done as a relay race with a team of people. I watch the people struggle to run uphill as I sip coffee from my tailgate. It’s kinda fun when you’re not actually running.

After watching 3 large groups go by, I decide to hit the road and head to Seattle. There’s a guy that I used to coordinate with at Atlanta Botanical Gardens at work who has moved there, and he’s pestered me enough over Instagram to hit him up in the city. He’s working today, but that gives me time to wander around downtown and explore all the touristy shit that’s there. I do alllll the touristy things. Go to the original Starbucks, find the gum wall, and walk around the Pike Place markets. I even go see the space needle. Pretty cool, but a shit load of people. Apparently a cruise ship was docked while I was there. Not being able to fit into any parking garages, I spend my 2 hours downtown, then head to west Seattle where Matt is renting a room at Alki Beach.

• 

• 

• 

Matt has left his gig at Atlanta Botanical Gardens, and has taken a sweet job overseeing a greenhouse that supplies plants to the Amazon Spheres project in downtown Seattle. He doesn’t work for Amazon, but is basically a contractor that does all their work while having an Amazon employee on site ensuring they do everything to standard. And the standard is crazy high. We talk about his work, we talk about my departure from normal civilization, and decide to grab some Thai food and beer in West Seattle. I have to say, West Seattle is cheaper than expected, and way better than some of the other large cities I’ve seen up in the Pacific NW. I really like it. Plus there are gay people everywhere! This town is super progressive, and clean, and green, and forward thinking. I’m sold.

Sold until I hear about how much houses cost. Now I’m out. Lol.

Before leaving Seattle, Matt takes me to the Amazon Spheres to get a quick tour. This is a spot where Amazon employees can come work, have meetings, or just grab lunch. It’s designed to have the atmosphere of a cloud forest, featuring hundreds of exotic plant species from that natural community in planters and on these 3 story living walls. They are massive and impossible to get a good photo of. They also have vivariums and aquariums of amazonian fish. It was so damn cool.

• 

• 

As we go our separate ways after the Amazon tour, I get a twinge of anxiety about the next few days. By Monday afternoon, I’ll be across the border into Canada and heading North to Alaska. I’m excited for the unknown, and scared. We’ll see how it goes!