My route so far

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Seattle to San Francisco - The Karma train goes back and forth

I left Seattle Monday 1/23/12 with my car FULL of camping gear, clothes, books, random crap I have accumulated over the years, food, a machete (his name is Bolo, and he has no conscience), my dog Gemini, and my friend Dave. Mission: San Francisco. Despite my mind's attempts to thwart my leaving (leaving my phone charger behind twice, leaving lots of errands to the last minute) we got out of S
eattle by around noon.

Stopped in Olympia and in Portland to see friends and take in the sights. Then on to the Redwoods and the coast. There's something humbling about being under trees older than the cities we live in, being under trees so much bigger than us. We camped one night by the Smith River, among the giant trees, and it poured on us so hard that we were afraid the car might be drowned by the river. Nature has a way of telling you that you don't really mean shit in this world.

We spent the next day wandering through Redwoods (took the scenic route off of the scenic route), and met a man named Scott who had decided to move out near the Avenue of the Giants, alone, with few people to talk to and certainly no one to be close with. He hinted at something painful happening in his life, but we were left to wonder what that was. He had lived in Bend for 30 years and was now in the middle of nowhere, no car, no companionship. He talked to us about his neo-Buddhist philosophy, and of meditation, but it seemed th

at he was lacking the human contact that keeps most people sane. As someone who is constantly pulled between wanting quiet isolation and lots of human contact, I can understand why he would move that far out- it is beautiful to the point of tears there, and in the 10 minutes we were watching we saw an otter jump out onto a sandbar - but also why he would be miserable being so alone. Scott plans on moving later this year.

We camped illegally in a closed campground on the water, among a herd of smaller sized deer with the sound of ocean waves and frogs to send us dreaming. Bolo effectively chopped veggies for dinner, and Gem cleaned the plates. I could survive a zombie apocalypse without much issue! Though I would need enough time to stop and cook... Also machete range is pretty close to allow a zombie. Would Gemini turn into a zombie if she fed on zombie flesh? Woke up early and got out of dodge. Hiked on the beach, tons and tons of seabirds of different varieties flying all around. Found an old timey shovel that had rusted through - wish I had taken a picture.

Made it to Lagunitas Brewing, where we received a free tour (available to all) and a case of free beer (a gift from the CFO, who is also a Patriots fan). Tell me this dog doesn't look like Gemini:

Oh yea, and got hit by a truck, thus giving my car a little more symmetry.

Some plans for The Bay:

-Watch the Superbowl

-Get a tattoo

A little treat: Dave and Gem getting friendly--->

More to come soon as the trip continues.