Jen's Journal

My favorite by far is the hobo Ziggy, (aka Aaron). We ended up camping at the same biker/hiker campsite as him two nights ago at Jessie M. Honeyman Park. The picture below shows him and his dog Grunt. He is making his way from Portland to San Fransisco by way of his thumb and walking. He was carrying 200-lbs of his life with him on his back and with a trolley. He also had his faithful companion Grunt the dog. He was the most interesting, articulate, and generous hobo I have ever spent a night around a fire with. He wanted to start the flames with his flint kit, however, Larry, (the self-dubbed Lycra Logger), wouldn't allow it and used his lighter.

Last night we shared the hiker/biker site with Dick from Kettle Falls, Washington. This fellow was easily in his 60's and had hiked from the very Northwest tip of Oregon to Bandon. He was walking along the Oregon coast, literally, and had been on the trail for 30 or 40 days. Hiking ~20 miles a day he was fun of stories. Totally self-sufficient he had 35-lbs of weight with his backpack, (polar opposite of Ziggy). His stories were full of quicksand, huge jettys and breaker waves. He made me feel weak!

So, tomorrow we should be at the California border! The weather has been great and the promised tailwind is here. We have been doing about 20-mile per hour, (hella fast), and I am thinking I have found a new way to take vacations.