I used to travel solo all the time back in the day. With Caroline not getting more than four weeks off work and therefore flying home, my last leg of the trip was nostalgic and a bit sad at the same time.

Marine mammals

In the morning, a tour leader greeted me and the rest of the group, which consisted of me and eight women of varying ages and nationalities. Being the only male (other than the tour leader), that would mean I would have my own room for the remaining nights. We quickly set off to Fremont for the famous Troll and Gasworks Park before taking a guided food sampling tour of Pike Place Market. I saw the famous fish throwing, but my camera did naht.
Another brewery visit, and then I met up with my wife, who had been doing her own adventuring during the day.

Her flight was due, and after our goodbyes I was truly travelling solo again.
Well, other than my tour group, of course, which drove off to the coast early next morning.It was time for another whale watching trip. This time, the boat was covered, and we only needed to step out when there were actual whales (or other mentionable sights) nearby. And there eventually were, although neither as close, nor as surface active as the ones in Iceland.

We technically crossed the border into Canada, as evidenced by the flag flewn on a small isle with a lighthouse and a million sea lions, but since I neither touched ground, nor slept a night, nor had any beer or poutine, that doesn’t count.

Moss

Sequim is another typically American stroad town, but according to Strava, there is a little trail by the fields and across an old railroad bridge, which my little jog could attest to.
It’s also a reasonable drive to Hoh forest and other parts of Olympic Peninsula National Park. Technically a rain forest, the trees are old and covered in moss, with undergrowth and debris creating a lush biosphere with plenty of species. As it hasn’t been logged, the forest is full of so called nurse logs, old dead tree trunks from which new life springs: habitats for insects, birds and small mammals, flowers and moss, and even new trees.

Mountains

Due to the bushfires in, mostly, Canada, the sky was hazy as a NE style IPA. That meant awesome sceneries at the poorly named Second Beach, but less stellar so around the otherwise majestic Mt Rainier. Further unfortunately, my memory card had, unbeknownst to me, given up the concept of reading and writing, so all the sure to be award-winning photos of the dream-like Second Beach were all for naught.

Fortunately, the haze had disappeared by the time we reached Mt Rainier for the proper hike. And fortunately is right: the landscapes and scenery are absolutely breath-taking, and the steep hike (around 555 metre climb, 9.5 km length) following Skyline Trail took significantly longer time than estimated. Not only because it was quite strenuous, but also due to the many, many photostops.

Other than the stunning and ever-changing landscapes and botany, there were lots of animal life around, not all of them even remotely shy. Marmots, chipmunks, various birds, and even a mountain goat lined the trail. The rodents were particularly camera happy, giving almost model-like poses.

Millhouse

Back in Portland, it was time to say goodbye to the others, by going on a food tasting tour. Different from the bike tour two weeks earlier, in that we went to sit-down restaurants rather than food carts. As few of the others really liked it, a steady stream of free* beer flowed my way.
Although I couldn’t find a free one, I nevertheless joined a walking tour of the city, albeit a paid for one. A small group wandered the grid-patterned layout, learning about art, history and social issues of The City of Roses.

As the Intrepid tour was now officially over, I switched to a less swanky hotel. A hostel, even. Cosier and more affordable, and, wouldn’t you know it: a free beer tasting session that very night.
I was early in bed, though: my goal of doing at least one parkrun per month was still alive, but this being the last Saturday in August, I had but one chance left to keep the streak going.
Parkruns are sometimes placed a fair distance away from city centres. And even though Portland has a comparatively decent transit system, this is still the country of car dependency. As such, I caught an Über to make sure to be there on time (but took bus/feet/tram back).

My hostel, voted 3rd best mid-size hostel in the world, did what hostels do. Other than aforementioned beer tasting, they also do quiz night, live acts and free walking tours. Therefore, I took another tour, thinking that even if we ended up visiting the same spots, there would be a different perspective.
True that. The guide told our very small group about how Portland-bred Simpsons creator Matt Groening had taken the names of Portland streets and given them to Springfield residents**.

She told us about the cursed Portland sign: While doing the first renovation it turned out that the space between the two sheets, which should be empty, indeed was filled with debris, rain water and, due to the ash from an earlier volcanic eruption being mixed with water, concrete; thus tipping both sign and crane promptly to the street, being magnitudes heavier than expected. The second renovation, it turned out that the now drained space between the two sheets had been occupied by a huge colony of bees.
She told us about the vaux swifts (a type of swallow) gather by the hundreds of thousands all of September, swarming into the chimney of a certain school each evening.
She told us about the Zoo bomb, the cray-cray bicycle (mostly none road-worthy kid’s bikes) race from Portland Zoo downhill to Powell’s bookstore, and of the famous bookstore itself.

There was still time for a last visit to a food cart block before heading to the airport, and Oak Block was the best one yet. Iron Strike Smash Burgers smashed the tastiest burger*** I’ve had in the States, and Fracture Brewing had a promotion with a special, half price off IPA. Celebrating my teams recent win over local rivals (and, still surprisingly, reigning champions), I had two, effectively creating one free beer.
Off to the airport, swiftly through the security check, onto the front row seat and home again with no trouble. Super easy, barely an inconvenience.
Or was it?

Malfunction

All of UK air space was suffering from a flight control malfunction. I landed on Heathrow alright, but my connecting flight was delayed. Severely so, and eventually cancelled. The poor floor attendants from my airline had to deal with disgruntled passangers and lack of, and conflicting, information. Eventually I got a pamphlet and some oral information; as my flight was, indeed, cancelled, and there were no option that day, I needed to get to a hotel and try my luck for the next day.

There are of course worse places to be stranded in than London, but being unsure of when, how, or even if I’d be going home, on top of being exhausted due to a transatlantic flight without sleep, I didn’t make any plans for meeting up with any Londoners for a curry ‘^, but made do for a pint and a fish & chips at my hotel, which also doubled as a pub.
Luck would have it, that when re-booking once seemed doable, the similar flight next day seemed to be running. With one space left in business class, to a cheaper price than economy, no less.
And so I came to fast track through security and straight into the lounge, enjoying a lunch buffet, WiFi and, you know it, free beer.
Ever so often refreshing the flight status page and checking the display, forever dreading that red “cancelled” notification, I was still not betting on getting home. But 45 minutes before its scheduled take-off, they finally announced the gate. Enjoying a literal High Tea, I was, at long last, in my way homewards, just to hit another, albeit smaller, snag. For reasons unknown, the queue to passport control was longer than the one to In’n’Out, but I was eventually through, reclaimed my baggage and took the fly bus home. And there, already having started to plan our next adventure, was my wife. And while travelling solo again gave me a sense of relaxed nostalgia, I have come to realise that it is indeed much better to travel with my partner in crime and life, the funniest person I know.

Caroline’s Corner

Early next morning we set off to meet Martin’s new crew. Although we took a small detour grabbing some breakfast at a doughnut-place. One of us acted like the adult he is and ordered something proper, I chose the chocolate doughnut. No regrets, it even tasted better than Nutella.

Martin’s new abode nicely let me store my luggage with them and as Martin and his new companions drove off to explore the outer areas of Seattle , I trotted off to check out the flying fish at the Pike market.

As I’m not too fond of crowded places I briskly walked through the market with one goal in mind: The Seattle Aquarium.
The animals, crustaceans, fish, octopus are all rescued and all but one otter will be returned to the wild. The otter called Mishka was diagnosed with asthma after a wildfire. Mishka has been trained to use an inhaler (otter style) and will therefore remain at the aquarium.
The aquarium is definitely worth the visit.

Seattle is the birthplace of the Starbucks coffee chain. So of course I had to try the local brew but without the hype and the ridiculous long line outside the first store. When in Seattle one must visit the harbour and why not grab two birds with the same coffeemug? Grab a fancy oliveoil infused oatmeal no sugar ice latte and take a guided boat trip on the Puget sound. Very nice, very windy and very informative. Seattle is the only city in the US named after a native American, Chief Noah Sealth. Of course, the name is anglicised as the name Sealth is too hard to pronounce (sic!).

The wildfires in the area had flared up. The smoke made it a hazy day so the visibility was not all that but still ok. Once again we had travelled into bushfires. One interesting aspect of our travel through the west coast national parks is that they implement knowledge the Australians just started to accept. In Australia, the OG aussies used controlled bushfire to clear out debris and stop the fires to get out of control. When we visited the land down under pre covid, the southern parts were riddled with explosive fires. All of them in areas where the land had not been cleared, not burned off in a controlled manner. The ground was filled with flammable materia deposited during the last 200+ years.
In the US, we saw traces of controlled fires as well as lots of small prepared bonfires . The rangers clear out and remove dead grass, trees, plants etc and put them in piles to be burned later during the wetter season. Just the way the OG aussies do.
But lots of land is not cleared, not cared for, so wildfires appear here and there with varying degree of devastation. This fire was big but apperently soon got under control.
After a long walk where I passed (and took a gazillion pictures of) the cool Amazon headquarters (geodome are the coolest buildings), visited the amazing outdoor apparel store Rei (a must visit store where you can try out your gear in realistic outdoor area) I took a last beer in Seattle before leaving for home. Martin had come back from his first day with his new companions so he joined me and we had a lovely drink. He was very happy that he would spend one week travelling with 8 ladies (as the only male he would not be forced to share accommodation so he was happy as a clamb).

Back at home I already miss M very much but I’m already ahead planning our next adventure!

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*) although included in the price, I still count the ones after my complimentary pint as freebeers
**) stupid sexy Flanders street.
***) and since it was Burger Week, where a lot of places served special $8 burgers, I had had a few the last couple of days already
‘^) which on planned London visits is a tradition, or an old charter, or something

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