29 Jul, 2011
Greetings from the Emerald City! After 2,059.1 miles, I arrived in Seattle. In honor of that journey, I’ve taken a bit of a Sabbath from the Sabbath. I set aside the calendar, the maps, the emails, and the panniers and tried to remember how to stay still.
As the moniker suggests, Seattle has an air of enchantment. It is a refreshingly diverse city with plenty of public transportation to compliment the bicycle commuters. Despite its decidedly urban feel, the city has patches of green space that manage to bring comfort to this country mouse’s eyes. Emerald, indeed.
A little berry picking just south of Seattle.
Bike signing for Valley and Mountain community church.
How does the Emerald City stay so green, you ask...? Saving on sunscreen in western Washington State.
While walking around host John Helmiere's Columbia City neighborhood in Seattle, a friend served us up some Ethiopian food to bring home. John is the pastor of a great community here called Valley and Mountain (see: http://valleyandmountain.org/). Check it out if you're in town.
It’s been nice to get up in the morning and linger with a mug of tea over my reading without feeling the need to hit the road. I’ve done some yoga, seen some movies, and generally enjoyed sleeping and eating under the same roof for several days.
Thaddeus got a nice tune up. He’s now rigged up with a fresh chain, cables, brake pads, and tires. For those of you interested in some of the particulars of Thaddeus’ new digs and my gear in general, I think we’re both ready to begin the long, winding road East.
Seattle down time.
Thaddeus found some glass as we were leaving Portland, so we retired the rear tire.
Living the Dream of the 90's (see Portlandia) with Liz and Griff.
Thanks to Matt and Sarah for a tasty lunch and equally appetizing conversation!
Another in a string of incredible gardens interacting with incredible Christian practices.
Thanks to Kerby Lauderdale, pastor of Portland's Peace Church of the Brethren, for his insight, time, and kindness. Thanks to that community for welcoming me in the rain!
On my short trip from Seattle to Portland, I spent a night in Longview, Washington. Longview is one of the cities that have been proposed as a port for the coal coming from the Powder River Basin to be shipped to China. It was interesting to cycle the hills and valleys of Washington and consider how they might be affected by the traffic and presence of trains loaded with coal. At present, 70-80 trains of 130 cars of coal leave the Powder River Basin every day (see Wyoming Mining Association). With the additional leasing of 7,400 acres in that region, an estimated 750 million tons of coal will start making their way to China through ports in the Northwest or the Gulf. However the coal gets to China, the transport will result in economic benefits will be minor compared to their environmental impact and quality of life for all in those involved. As Tim DeChristopher pointed out in his statement to the court earlier this week, “The areas with the richest fossil fuel resources, whether coal in West Virginia and Kentucky, or oil in Louisiana and Mississippi, are the areas with the lowest standards of living.” Later in this voyage, we’ll get an opportunity to see how both the land and the people are affected in those regions.
Homeless camp by the river in Longview.
Land cleared for cattle near Longview.
After a period of record heat in much of the country as well as unseasonable weather in the northwest, it is hard to accept the exchange of short-term economic gains for climate altering effects. While it is difficult to ascertain which specific weather phenomena are related to climate change, it is difficult to ignore the collection of signs before us: towns leveled by an unprecedented tornado season; droughts in Texas and Oklahoma that exceed those of the Dustbowl era; erratic winter storms; melting arctic—the list goes on and on. Most of the people reading this blog are familiar with this subject. You have heard all of this before. But what will it mean for your life? How will you respond? Can you accept it?
Here is one thing that you can do: take a period of silence to reflect on it. Maybe it’s 5 minutes. Maybe it’s 20. Whatever seems right for you, set aside a little chunk of time to sit silently and mindfully. Turn off your phone. Shut down your computer. No headphones or stereo or TV. No chores, no grocery lists, no distractions. If you can dedicate that LITTLE chunk of time to reflection on climate change, great! If you just need the silence, try that out and ease your way to reflection on the subject. If it is helpful to spend that time in prayer or supplication, then more power to you. But don’t sleep. Don’t space out. Sit silently. If you need help doing that, listen to your breath. I guarantee you will benefit.
Whether it’s through physical rest or a little silence, we all need to recharge now and then. A little Sabbath—some rest—can provide a fresh perspective to everything from work to relationships. Here’s hoping you find that rest.
Upon arrival in Seattle, I took a short period of silence down in Seward Park.
Along the way, I visited my uncle Eric and his family. Here, his son EJ is holding a picture of the two of us with bicycles with a caption that reads "You and me." Although it is not horribly fast or easy, this trip has allowed me to spend time with family and friends in a meaningful and memorable way. Thanks to Eric and his family for the visit and for hosting me!
If you're ever in Centralia, WA, swing by the Olympic Hotel. It's classic. Each room is hand painted and virtually unaltered from it's 19th century inception. They had a great combo deal of dinner and a movie downstairs in the old-timey theatre. Cheap and full of character.
Red velvet rest!
Freddie Helmiere--who helped inspire the Carbon Sabbath among other incredible things she does often and well--signs Thaddeus here in her backyard. Thanks again to John, Freddie, Erik, and Hilary for your generosity during my stay in Seattle!
By the way, the map of the next leg of the Carbon Sabbath Ride (Seattle to Jackson Hole) is up under the Maps tab and incorporated into the calendar. Follow along and see if we can meet up or if you have friends along the way! The third leg will be up shortly. Also, at the request of many, I’ve added a Gear page for all who are interested in such things. Oh– and for those of you who are interested in bicycle commuting with a family, check out: http://www.fullhandsx3.blogspot.com/ (great stuff, Sara and Peter!) or this Kids and Cargo Bikes video.
That’s it for now!
Until we meet again
More rejuvenated for our work
than we thought possible.
I stopped by the Andean highlands on my way to Seattle from Portland.
