tried some final doubles to push through the end of work and subsequently my 3 months holiday. Looking back at it, 2 weeks later, it was the doubles that were making me crazy and I could do it again now but then it was only a strange sort of delirious mood that pushed me through right to the end. So It was time to explore.
On my last day of work, myself and 4 friends jumped into two cars and made our way t
o Seattle. (So close to Canada, i wanted to just hop into canada at a whim -oh terrible visas, why do you keep me from crossing joine
d land?)
o Seattle. (So close to Canada, i wanted to just hop into canada at a whim -oh terrible visas, why do you keep me from crossing joine
d land?)Ah Crystal mountain. steep steep mountain. Only when i got there did i realize how gentle dear Mount Hood was. The powder was deep, the back bowl was exquisite, we hiked further up and got new lines. Magic.
The next day we found our way to that of Stephen's Pass (ski exchange again is heavenly- we saved a good $63 and $79 - there are definite perks to our minimum wage). While Crystal had been misty and overcast, Stephen's pass rolled up clear and sunny. How can i really describe what some days are on a mountain with a sliding vehicle under your feet? We were exstatic, riding in a hoody we hiked further up the mountain in the sunl
ight, At the top we threw off our top gear and relished in the sunlight. A ski patroller walked up at that point to see 5 topless people on top of the mountain revelling in the magic around them, he smiled and said "well now i've seen everything" as he conceded to take our photo and then take his own personal photo to show off to other people during his day. It was St Patrick's day, i called a St Patrick's day greeting to some lift attendents having a Braai on a balcony and I think they thought I was Irish with all the crazy hand gestures I saw behind me as i descended off the lift.
ight, At the top we threw off our top gear and relished in the sunlight. A ski patroller walked up at that point to see 5 topless people on top of the mountain revelling in the magic around them, he smiled and said "well now i've seen everything" as he conceded to take our photo and then take his own personal photo to show off to other people during his day. It was St Patrick's day, i called a St Patrick's day greeting to some lift attendents having a Braai on a balcony and I think they thought I was Irish with all the crazy hand gestures I saw behind me as i descended off the lift. So yes, St Patrick's day was upon us and i got excited about dancing in green and soaking in general revelry in Seattle. I wore my green jeans and pigtails, wrapped some green ribbon around a friend's beard and we headed to some promising looking street. Well the first place (Named the Dubliner like my dear Cape Town Irish bar) asked us for 6 dollars to enter which we pronounced as ludicrous and continued to another bar who requested an unholy 8 dollars and on our third strike they laid down a whopping request of 12 dollars. Somewhat totally dissatisfied we decided to find the gasworks park of seattle which overlooked the water, buy a box of wine and dance to some Irish music which my green ribbon bearded friend had on his phone.
so we bought the wine, tried some unsuccesful dumpster diving outside a bakery and sang merrily alng the way to the gasworks park, looking at the space needle, Seattle's symbol which i recognised from Frasier and on the left across the water my friend pointed out the house where the guy in "Sleepless in Seattle" "lived" and we were actually in the park where the "10 things I hate about you" paintball fight was. This is all irrelevant informati
on to anyone who has not watched these shows but honestly (and i suppose this is somewhat embarassing) when i thougth about Seattle i knew it was rainy and that Frasier lived here and i was pleased to find out that one of my favourite movies "Ten things I hate about you" was filmed there. Also i saw the famous troll which the characters climbed on on some date that they had had. I am supposed to care about the troll for the troll's sake, and it is cool, but when i went back to Hood River and watched the movie again I was more exicted that the troll was in the movie than merely that it exists. It is strange how movies really do skewer our perceptions of things.
on to anyone who has not watched these shows but honestly (and i suppose this is somewhat embarassing) when i thougth about Seattle i knew it was rainy and that Frasier lived here and i was pleased to find out that one of my favourite movies "Ten things I hate about you" was filmed there. Also i saw the famous troll which the characters climbed on on some date that they had had. I am supposed to care about the troll for the troll's sake, and it is cool, but when i went back to Hood River and watched the movie again I was more exicted that the troll was in the movie than merely that it exists. It is strange how movies really do skewer our perceptions of things.So Jay (my green bearded friend but not 
green bearded anymore) bought a monkey (not a real one alas) and we took the monkey around Seattle the next day and took pictures of it with various items which amused us all greatly. Later when we arrived at this rad farmers market with the name of Pike Place market centre in the city and we met Miss Teen Washington and Miss Washington herself we were further pleased to hand the monkey to both of them and take
photos with ourselves, the monkey and the beauty queens. They were pelased with my accent and I was pleased they held the monkey and quite simply, it was a pleasure all round. Another interesting thing that was happening at this market at the time (the real reason why both Miss Washington's presence was there) is that this market was welcoming their famed Rachel the metallic piggy bank back from her absence. Rachel had been brutally injured in a road accident and now she was fixed and was being restored to her orginal station 
at the market. It was all very exciting and Rachel the giant piggy bank made alot of money as people scurried to put money in her money slot so that they could be in full view of all the media and the important people (like the Miss Washington's and ourselves) who were around. I enjoyed the hullabaloo and for a second indulged in the possibility of making a mettalic piggy bank suite so i could reap the benefits of Rachel's return but i suppose the Mary fund may not be as important as the fund that Rachel's benvolence goes to (though it should be).
green bearded anymore) bought a monkey (not a real one alas) and we took the monkey around Seattle the next day and took pictures of it with various items which amused us all greatly. Later when we arrived at this rad farmers market with the name of Pike Place market centre in the city and we met Miss Teen Washington and Miss Washington herself we were further pleased to hand the monkey to both of them and take
photos with ourselves, the monkey and the beauty queens. They were pelased with my accent and I was pleased they held the monkey and quite simply, it was a pleasure all round. Another interesting thing that was happening at this market at the time (the real reason why both Miss Washington's presence was there) is that this market was welcoming their famed Rachel the metallic piggy bank back from her absence. Rachel had been brutally injured in a road accident and now she was fixed and was being restored to her orginal station 
at the market. It was all very exciting and Rachel the giant piggy bank made alot of money as people scurried to put money in her money slot so that they could be in full view of all the media and the important people (like the Miss Washington's and ourselves) who were around. I enjoyed the hullabaloo and for a second indulged in the possibility of making a mettalic piggy bank suite so i could reap the benefits of Rachel's return but i suppose the Mary fund may not be as important as the fund that Rachel's benvolence goes to (though it should be).
SO the party continued ... I returned to Hood River, thanked my friends for their merriness all round and a day later was off, back to Bend for another heavenly trip to Bend, and Bachelor mountain. Now the first time I got to ride Bachelor i was so excited and amazed by the amount of snow inbetween the trees and all the frolicking to be had. But the second time in Bachelor, was literally the one of the most beauitful experiences of my snowbaording lifetime so far. We rode for 2 days, with the first day being vaguely dismal. Visibility was near none, at the top of every chair the first few minutes was a somewhat blind experience where i simply hoped i was not going to fall down some sort of steep cliff because there was no way from telling bettween cliff, flat snow or tree. We did not ride for long and when we went home (well, to the place we were staying) we were pleased to be there. But the next day, 9and i am sorry to harp on about snowboarding so much but i mean it this time) was probably the maddest baddest truly, raddest riding day of my life. Bachelor (as said previousl
y) is a mountain that is known for a somewhat snobby management and somewhat snobby clientale. Thus, 
many lifts are closed on days when they don't need to be closed as the mountain does not care to keep lifts running when there are not enough people riding the mountain to make it worth their while. Furthermore, they have this chairlift called the Summit. As one can imagine this chairlift takes you to literally the top of this awesome mountain and if you have further energy one can hike to the very very summit of the summit (about 10 minute walk from the top of the c
hairlift) and ski over the backside to the lowest part of the mountain. I have never seen or indulged in such beauty, simply, all to myself. It was sunny, it was clear, the summit chairlift for once was open and the mountain was free to those who cared to hike a little and find the fresh lines and gorgeous trees on the other side. I cannot even begin to describe the feeling i had riding in this place, with barely anyone around, the trees, the snow, the far off mountains, the colours of pure madness. but i know it's moments like this which attach themselves to my mind, where i will always come back to these adventures under my feet, in my dreams, in my reality- the peace of real flight.
y) is a mountain that is known for a somewhat snobby management and somewhat snobby clientale. Thus, 
many lifts are closed on days when they don't need to be closed as the mountain does not care to keep lifts running when there are not enough people riding the mountain to make it worth their while. Furthermore, they have this chairlift called the Summit. As one can imagine this chairlift takes you to literally the top of this awesome mountain and if you have further energy one can hike to the very very summit of the summit (about 10 minute walk from the top of the c
hairlift) and ski over the backside to the lowest part of the mountain. I have never seen or indulged in such beauty, simply, all to myself. It was sunny, it was clear, the summit chairlift for once was open and the mountain was free to those who cared to hike a little and find the fresh lines and gorgeous trees on the other side. I cannot even begin to describe the feeling i had riding in this place, with barely anyone around, the trees, the snow, the far off mountains, the colours of pure madness. but i know it's moments like this which attach themselves to my mind, where i will always come back to these adventures under my feet, in my dreams, in my reality- the peace of real flight.
We left Bend, and i navigated my final week in Hood River. Goodbyes and goodbyes and "Oh i thought you were gone" and "Oh i heard you were leaving" and "What. aren't you working tomorrow?" and lots of confusion and some people being sad and other people who i just didn't want to be sad around and oh. goodbyes. And i snowboarded and finally got my 180 jump down, rode it out YES (yes i should have done this ages ago but i can be very ungutsy when i know the fall can bring grave injury). Went on a rafting trip (cold, early Spring water) jumped in the Hood River itself (FINALLY), had a vaguely raucous farewell party and started smelling and seeing the unfolding of Spring all around me.
"Ah," they told me, "the Winter may be great but you have not seen anything if you have not seen Hood River in summer, why can't you stay? What? What does Visa mean? you mean you can't stay here forever?" They didn't understand and i didn't either, it is 
hard to leave a place before you are truly ready
hard to leave a place before you are truly ready Some somewhat sad and maybe a touch tearful goodbyes later i jumped in a car away from Hood River to continue another pretty trip of more beautiful things, my heart gently breaking and simultaneoulsy excited for what is more to come.
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