Installment # 3 ~ October 23rd, 1999
Howdy all from Big Sky Country...... It's about 1:30 pm in Whitefish, Montana and I want to catch ya'll up about what's been going on in the last 8-9 days........
Oakland -- had a great dinner at my mom's cousin's house, complete with early girl tomato slices with mozzarella cheese and olive oil to a Muscat dessert wine that was out of this world....Spent the day driving around the city and then meeting a new friend at Oliveto Cafe, oh yeah and we went to Pacific Coast Brewing Company near Chinatown in Oakland and there were 25 women to four men in the place (please email for directions..). Spent last day in California with a very nice person and it felt like I had known them forever they saw me off at the train. There I met a guy who just happened to be going to Eugene....
Eugene -- wasn't in town an hour before I was sitting at somebody's house drinking a beer and watching football. Talk about feeling at home. Lots to say about Eugene and I'll just quote my leaving thoughts as I was sitting in front of the Morning Glory Cafe...
"Eugene is good. It's trying and making small steps to have a better world, if only in the valley of west central Oregon. Many hippies and free thinkers here and people staging togetherness. This is a small enough community to make their own difference. I'm sitting in an organic bakery and cafe and I just consciously ordered tofu. Ths town is definitely having an effect on me. While last night I thought I may have been leaving too soon, I have separated myself from the area. I can even tell from my communication with people. The Grateful Dead from some mysterious year settles like dust from above my head. The women in this town were very interesting, like many Flagstaff women, unshaven legs and armpits, the occasional bra, the whole package. Here they are truly liberated, not concerned about whether they are making the same money as men. They are women, whatever that means and it is new to the Western World. It has been evolving for thirty years or so and is now quietly here. They are good about not making a "stink" about equality; they are equal and I admire them as someone who is trying to be a man." Well, that sums up Eugene, though many other things happened.....on the train to Portland met and sat next to a cool girl who was visiting friends from Denver. Met some Amish people on the train and one of them gave me a pen with his business name on it: Albert Shrock, Buggy Repair Shop....I'm not shitting you. Portland -- another excerpt from journal.... "What a whirlwind of a town. Walked into the hostel and had a drinking/travelling companion within three minutes. Walked a lot, drank, and walked, met and affected people and eventually settled into a pleasant and worthwhile meal at MuuMuu's. Met Jack there, a woman who was calm, dark and beautiful (and married). She wore dark-rimmed glasses that hid where the laugh would come from. She sure was a woman, much different than Eugene, more sophisticated and refined but still just as nice. I had a marvellous time this afternoon adn the next couple of days should be interesting." So much stuff happened in Portland it's not even silly, I refuse to get into it but I worked as a busboy for a day for a free meal
and a beer......met and hung out with people with Jesuit Volunteer group, very cool... then it was time for Montana but on the way....
Spokane -- had an hour and a half layover and in the process I went bar hopping with three train companions, a guy from Wales, and two guys moving their lives from Portland to new towns on that train ride. Had a beer, a shot of tequila and some mystery drink and sqeezed in a karoke song... People are Strange, go figure eh... all right I need to get back to travelling but there will be another installment coming from Chi-town....
adios and peace please email someone on the list and meet them, it makes for a better world
Jason
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