Day 2: Arlington, spare thy sting
If day 1 was the vicious sting of reality, then day 2 was the soothing balm of mercy. We didn't make many miles, but our faith in our quest and the good nature of humanity were both reaffirmed.
Setting out after breakfast at the Buzz Inn, we rode only a short distance into downtown Snohomish, where our eyes were attracted by the shiny baubles of an internet cafe. We were so busy before leaving that I'd been unable to configure the dueling blogs laid out before you. We took up residence for several hours while I learned the quirks of our traveling laptop, a tiny 7" Asus EEE with Linux OS. It's not exciting and I won't dwell on it, except to say, "eee! so cute!"
By then it was lunchtime, so we hopped over to alternafood cafe Grilla Bites, for sammiches to go. We'd blown off the morning, but I felt better equipped to document the trip - because after all, existence without documentation is futile.
We left Snohomish along the Centennial Trail, 17 placid, tree-lined miles connecting Snohomish to Arlington. I'd like to take this moment to point out the odd mental block that I have around the word Arlington. For no reason I can imagine, it's a word that I simply cannot recall. I can work around it - for instance, I know there's an Arlington National Cemetery, and that I can remember - but I can't get there directly.
We did arrive at Arlington, of course, where the trail comes to an unpleasant end at a gravel parking lot, and no sooner had I thought, "Where do we go from here?" then fate blessed us with Lauria Garka. (Forgive me if I've misspelled your name, Lauria.) Lauria (sounds like Marie) and her two friends had also just finished the trail, and were loading their bikes onto car trailers as we arrived (we later learned that they were training for the Seattle Danskin triathalon). Lauria asked us the leading question, "Are you packed for long ride?"
With shocking speed, the conversation turned into a generous invitation. When Lauria heard that we hoped to spend the night in Arlington, this big, bold, brassy, blond, generous firecracker of a woman, impulsively invited us, two complete strangers, to her home (all the while assuring us that she wasn't crazy, nor did we look crazy). She gave us directions, and then drove ahead to let husband Mike know what she'd done.
The wealth of Lauria's hospitality was almost embarrassing. She and her amiable husband Mike fed us dinner, let us shower, gave us a spare bedroom, and even boiled eggs for our breakfast, only asking for our company in return. We enjoyed an evening of good chat and a night in a soft bed. And, as Lauria is a postal carrier, she was well versed in the local roads, and replete with good advice for the next leg of our trip. She saw us off in the morning with coffee, and our sincere gratitude.
Setting out after breakfast at the Buzz Inn, we rode only a short distance into downtown Snohomish, where our eyes were attracted by the shiny baubles of an internet cafe. We were so busy before leaving that I'd been unable to configure the dueling blogs laid out before you. We took up residence for several hours while I learned the quirks of our traveling laptop, a tiny 7" Asus EEE with Linux OS. It's not exciting and I won't dwell on it, except to say, "eee! so cute!"
By then it was lunchtime, so we hopped over to alternafood cafe Grilla Bites, for sammiches to go. We'd blown off the morning, but I felt better equipped to document the trip - because after all, existence without documentation is futile.
We left Snohomish along the Centennial Trail, 17 placid, tree-lined miles connecting Snohomish to Arlington. I'd like to take this moment to point out the odd mental block that I have around the word Arlington. For no reason I can imagine, it's a word that I simply cannot recall. I can work around it - for instance, I know there's an Arlington National Cemetery, and that I can remember - but I can't get there directly.
We did arrive at Arlington, of course, where the trail comes to an unpleasant end at a gravel parking lot, and no sooner had I thought, "Where do we go from here?" then fate blessed us with Lauria Garka. (Forgive me if I've misspelled your name, Lauria.) Lauria (sounds like Marie) and her two friends had also just finished the trail, and were loading their bikes onto car trailers as we arrived (we later learned that they were training for the Seattle Danskin triathalon). Lauria asked us the leading question, "Are you packed for long ride?"
With shocking speed, the conversation turned into a generous invitation. When Lauria heard that we hoped to spend the night in Arlington, this big, bold, brassy, blond, generous firecracker of a woman, impulsively invited us, two complete strangers, to her home (all the while assuring us that she wasn't crazy, nor did we look crazy). She gave us directions, and then drove ahead to let husband Mike know what she'd done.
The wealth of Lauria's hospitality was almost embarrassing. She and her amiable husband Mike fed us dinner, let us shower, gave us a spare bedroom, and even boiled eggs for our breakfast, only asking for our company in return. We enjoyed an evening of good chat and a night in a soft bed. And, as Lauria is a postal carrier, she was well versed in the local roads, and replete with good advice for the next leg of our trip. She saw us off in the morning with coffee, and our sincere gratitude.
posted by Ivan at
8:37 PM
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