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Saturday, August 16, 2014

Day 55 Ashland Rest Day

I will be staying in Ashland an extra day for two reasons:
  1. My palm is still going numb and I want to rest it more.
  2. Anna is sicker than we thought and needs an overnight stay at the hospital (my bike needs extensive repairs that the mechanics won't have time to get to today.)
I made this decision rather late in the afternoon, which made finding a place to stay very difficult. The hostel was full, and I didn't want to pay a ton of money just to sleep at a hotel again.

It is move in day or orientation at the college here, and so as I watched groups of students go by, I got it in my head that I would get one of them to let me crash on their dorm floor. Unfortunately everyone was with their parents, so I never got to try this. I went to eat hamburgers to make myself feel better. 

After the burgers, I sat outside on the ground and read newly downloaded books. I looked like a bum with a Kindle. I was actively avoiding my problem, which is almost always an ineffective problem solving method.

But today I was lucky, because after half an hour of sitting a guy started talking to me. His name is Kentucky, and he is hiking the PCT. He's stuck in Ashland because someone stole his pack and gear and so he is waiting for new gear to be sent to him. He told me about Ashland Commons, which offers hostel style accomodations. The place is gorgeous and I met three other campers: Zero, Giggles, and Spacerace. They were great fun to talk to and make me want to hike the PCT.

We went out for ice cream and got ample banana split. Three scoops in that bowl. Across from me is Zero. He's from Germany.


Another day gone from bad to glad! Considering I did nothing to improve my situation on my own, I am very lucky to be in a good mood, or even have a place to stay. I owe it all to Kentucky. Kentucky is from Kentucky, in case you didn't figure that out.

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