Quest

Even though our trip had been rerouted from its original design, we were still en route to catch the very same bus, only originating in Vancouver, B.C. rather than Mount Vernon, Washington. So be it! The bus was late getting in, and that meant it got snagged by rush hour traffic, and that meant that it became rather hopelessly late. We were going to miss our connection from Portland through to Seattle. Once we went through customs, it was a sure thing that we were going to be late. Often buses will make up late times by shortening stopovers, but this was beyond repair. No matter, I was looking forward to a taste of Seattle with Pike’s Market at the center of the plan.

Once we arrived in Seattle, we might have made the bus to Portland -- there was one there waiting for us -- only that would have brought us into Portland after midnight and too late to get into the hostel. So, the dye was cast and it included a bit of Seattle. But there was more in store for us. As we stood by the phones and found out that the hostel we thought to stay in was no longer operational, we met up with Barbara, a young woman from Italy who had also hoped to stay in the hostel. We made a plan to find a place together. Consulting the locals, we made our way to a hotel, and from that hotel, to another hotel. Finally, at the Sixth Avenue Inn, we were able to get a reasonable price for the evening for the three of us. Barbara, as it turns out, was about to go to Italy to see her family after an absence of 18 months. She has been travelling for 7 years! We had a lot to talk about. It was great: she was as happy to talk about her travels as we were to listen. Between Trevor and Barbara, we were starting to get a feel for the road. We hauled out our maps, and learned of Barbara’s favoured places in the world -- one of them being Cortes Island off Vancouver Island, and another Argentina. Both places she hoped to return to come the end of her two month stay with family in Italy. Barbara favours small communities and wilderness to urban areas, and I can certainly sympathize. Perhaps we shall meet again.

Talking with Barbara was the beginning of a lot of traveling fun where travelers meet and share their knowledge of the road. It was a perfect preparation for our stay in the North West hostel in Portland.

The Sixth Avenue Inn was nice and close to Pike’s Market -- our major destination in Seattle