08/02/11 Stanley, Idaho

After the bluegrass festival, I hit the road towards Washington not quite knowing where I was heading to but eager to press on. Going northbound, I saw two hitch hikers on the ramp to the interstate while I was taking a stop at the store. They were rainbow kids and with the sun setting and them seeming friendly company I made room to give them a ride. They had set out from Portland that day to get to Seatlle where they would spend another day before they left back home again, and without gaining much ground they were extremely grateful and gave me $30 to fill up my tank. Now having a destination for the night, we arrived at a friend's house and I was able to shower up and drink with some new friends.

The next day, after some busking in Seattle, I left to catch the ferry to Bainbridge, where I would be able to reach the Washington Peninsula in the northwestern area of the continental U.S. This place consisted of the Olympic National Park, which housed three ecosystems with snow capped mountains overlooking the rainforest by the coast. My first stop in the Peninsula was straight to the beach, in the northwest corner. It was at that point that any further I traveled, would be back towards home in the east. On the western coast again, the boulders loom above the ocean floor as I climb the rock to isolation. 3,000 miles away, I threw off my shirt and bag, and placed my bare feet in the chilly water. In the wave-pool, the ocean rose above the rock and crashed down below me as the water ran high above my head and soaked me with it's natural touch.

After a peaceful night camped out in the back country, I hiked a section of the Hoh River Trail, residing in one of the few and largest rainforests in the United States. What made the climate so spectacular was the supporting climate for air plants, that grow solely on the nutrients in the air. All of this moss would hang off of every tree as mushrooms the size of a dinner place crawled up of the multiple trees in the area. This place of natural beauty, along with the Redwoods of California, were part of the oldest forests with the largest trees in the country. Unfortunately I was only able to hike so far with my leg still acting up after hiking 10 miles in. After the sights of the rainforest I left back where I came from to the Northeast, passing through the town on the way to play some banjo.

Washington was excellent for music as far as the direction I was in as I made $204 playing the banjo in one day on that Friday. I have never made that much money in one day in my life, let alone playing music. yay. It's all hit or miss though folks as I only made $40 the next day on Saturday. Heading east, I took the mountain roads to see the small towns and the scenery of Washington. Passing through Idaho, I was on my way to Montana when I stopped at Coeur d'Alene, a wealthy tourist town, to play some music. With multiple warnings about the cops writing me a ticket in the area, I kept on truckin' to Montana, where I camped out for the night in the Bitterroot National Forest. There I took the mountain bike out for a ride and enjoyed the wildlife and scenery of the great state of the north.

Southbound on highway 93,  I was on my way to Stanley, Idaho, gateway to the Sawtooth National Forest. After a short walk through town looking for work, I found a small town cafe' that was more than willing to bring me along for the next 10 days. Shortly after while set up on my laptop at the lodge, I got the confirmation that I am scheduled to volunteer at the Targhee Bluegrass Festival next weekend. On top of that I am scheduled to work the Yonder Mountain Harvest Festival in October in Arkansas. Things have a great way of working themselves out and I am so grateful for all the great, beautiful people that help me out along the way.

I am looking forward to settling down for the next week camped out, as I'm a bit tired of driving. Found myself stuck in the middle of Idaho, which is far from being a bad thing. Much love to my friends and family back home,

Tyler