On the Road, again (Minnesota) part 3

I got a craigslist rideshare all the way to Minnesota from Seattle. Pretty awesome. I rode with a lady named Jane. Really nice lady, listened to some good music, mostly hip hop. it was a 2 and a half day ride about. We did the touristy mount Rushmore, Deadwood, Waldrug, Corn Palace adventure. then it was all on my bicycle from there on out. Got dropped off somewhere around Albert Lea, Minnesota along the 90. The weather was around 95 degrees, with about 120% humidity. Today was gunna be a great day. The ride goes pretty well, other than getting a beer can thrown at me. I'm looking for a place to camp, its getting dark, I am exhausted. I rode about 45 miles today, my knee could handle it, which is a good thing, it still hurts though. bummer. I find a hidden area behind a huge mound of dirt. I begin to set up my sleeping gear. mosquitoes,MOSQUITOES! FUCK YOU! I am attacked by a murder of mosquitoes and i cant get away from them, I have no tent, only a bivy sack. I go to a church, thinking that the mosquitos are less congregated. Nope. I'm not sleeping tonight. Fuck this SHIT! I go to a nearby gas station and buy myself a pizza, and just ponder about how I'll stay awake. The lady at the register asks "where are you coming from/where are you going to?". I say something like "I'm coming from Albert, mosquitoes suck, i cant sleep, help me, save me". I just so happens, shes getting of her shift, going home to her pet raccoon, donkey, horses, dogs and empty house. She says that i can stay with her. LIFE SAVER! So i have a place to stay.
 I wake up in the morning meet these beautiful creatures, check out this lady's basement, which has a dance room, 2 bars, pool tables and foozballs. nice house. I say farewell and head off up to Minneapolis. this day was great, knee feeling better, making good time. I'll be there in no time. I make a wrong turn, now what do i do. I went 15 miles out of my way. I stop at a gas station, by the same name as the last. Kwik Trip. I ask for directions. I had ridden about 40 miles so far, and it would be another 25, fuck no. this lady is really nice as well. She gives me a ride all the way to downtown Minneapolis! what a flat place to live in. I get my crap out of her car, and I make my way over to the Hard Times, with a little help on directions from a few people. Finally here!! I hang out, looks like its gunna rain. My friend Amelia shows up and we make our way to her house. We talk about Tornadoes and dead things as the rain comes down harder and harder. We get to a big cross street, and the rain gets super intense. I cannot see more that 15 feet in front of me, pure white, like snow. A huge gust of wind hits us as we are trying to cross the street. we make it to the other side, an extreme gust of wind almost knocks me off my bike, and i have to get off. Amelia yells something at me, and by this point is running through some bush carrying her bike. I think to my self, "I'm gunna die!" tornado is about to strike. fuck. we run to another street get back on our bikes, some streets are flooded, storm drains spitting water 3 feet in the air. We get to the Pony Palace. I am completely drenched head to toe, rain jacket was worthless. Welcome to Minneapolis!
That night was pretty much completely different than anything that really happened in this city. I spent most afternoons playing soccer in some park on Franklin and Chicago. I rode my bike around the city, so flat, happy to be able to ride with my knee being healed again. Food was a great thing in this city. Seward Cafe was a great breakfast place, lunch place, and just a hang out place. I went there almost every day. They gave out the leftovers after every day. Hash-browns, gravy, biscuits, beans, rice, fruit, tea, coffee! What a score. the punk kids who hung around the seward were pretty rad peeps. played music with some, camped out with others, got hella lifted with a lot of them. So this Emily Kastral? lady I've mentioned before. I hung out with this lady in Portland and in Minneapolis, and soon to be in Milwaukee. I'll get to that later. But anyways, she a fun friend for adventures, picking berries from the bike path, playing each other tunes, seeing her play shows at the Seward and at a house called, No Pines. Punk Time is what she calls being about 2 hours late. pretty funny. Hanging out was great, with everyone. Hannah Frasier! she is so fucking cool. She works at a bakery, and a huge music venue place. When shes not working shes going to the "beach"(lake), being hella silly, taking pictures, and writing music with Amelia. We went to this really awesome restaurant in this Somali food square. We went along with her brother, Ian? definitely a respectable military man. We ordered received a banana with our meal, and got some neon drinks. I really enjoy Hannah's company! Ian is a man with a lot to say. He doesn't say it unless its necessary. I don't agree with a lot of what he says, but we had a good understanding of what we were both taking about. Conservative, but open minded, sounds like a paradox but its possible with this guy. Rita! hung out with Rita a bit in Santa Barbara while she visited a dear friend mellen. Rita and I went on a  swimming, pie eating, bike riding adventure, and she gifted me this spork that i still have on my keychain right now. YAY!
 Among hanging out with a bunch of cool people, I happened to be in town for the 4th of July. It was pretty loud crazy, I got drunk, and it was a good time. The evening started with the usual soccer game, super fun as always, except you would hear fireworks off in the distance. Then I met up with Amelia, chatted, and went on our way to this Powder horn? park. Arrived to the amazingness of pies! Made by Emily Kastruel? Emily and Laeni! it was great to see all these Portland folk. along with that, Dovekins had just made it into town! what a party. watched some fireworks and then we were all off to the the underpants party for LUCY's birthday.!!! thats where a majority of the drinking happened. wow, what a great time. Karaoke, dancing, pool swim, passing out, hangover. Boo. There was a show a some point of my stay. It was Dovekins, Raccoon Raccoon, Dapper Cadavers and some other band. great night, great music. I also saw Paleo play for the 3rd time on this trip. anyways. that was most of my adventure, other than one last thing. Karaoke in spanish! super fun, super out of key, not so embarrassing. I should have convince Amelia to sing, but shes a wimp. My last night im Minneapolis. Nice, wish i could have stayed longer! Next day was the big day!

Northwest part 2

So, After Olympia, I took a bus up to Seattle to spend some time up in Dancylvania with Eli and some of the Iji folks. Glucosamine!! Vegan rueben!! A lot of vegan stuff actually. One of the main reasons I went up to the northwest was to go to folk life, experience the crust punk dream, see friends from around the way, and play some tunes myself. I got to hang with Amelia and Hannah!! Raccoon Raccoon!! west coast punks and people I did not expect to see. Saw my friend Greg from San Diego, I met him there at least, and he was looking great, had some life in him. at one point of the 3 day event, I was MC at one of the stages, which was pretty fun. Slow Teeth, Matador, Pale Robin, and Raccoon Raccoon. Everyone sounded great! after those few days my knee was still bumming me out. I decided to go up to Canada for a couple of weeks! I got a craigslist ride across the border, which was pretty nice. That night I was meeting up with my friends in a band. Slam Dunk! and so I made my way to downtown Vancouver on the sky train thing. I couldn't remember what bar they were at, Main and Hastings, all I saw was a place called Richards? Anyways I go up to the door, before I even ask any questions I see a flyer on the wall, Touche Amore. My friend is in that band too! So I say "oh funny, Touche Amore is playing here" not knowing that it was that night. A few minutes later out comes out my good friend "Perry Monjinboo and the great escape of tragic fate" or Elliot! short shorts wearing man like myself. I love this guy, we hug, hang for a bit, but then head our separate ways. I find the bar where Slam Dunk is playing and join them for the fun!! great night last till sunrise. uhh. Next morning we take the ferry onto Vancouver Island! On the way to Victoria I figure out that there's a rock lottery going on. What is this? it's a band composed of 5 strangers, and you come up with a 30 minute set in about 5 hours, go to a bar and play. So I'm in, i've got my ukulele and someone let me borrow a trumpet. out of 4 bands, my band headlines and performs an amazing set, it was beautiful, I kinda lost my voice on the last song from singing to horrendously! A satisfying night. Victoria was a great place, Canadians living and drinking really expensive alcohol. the city had a lot going on. It was nice spending time with Jordan, Luke, Caitlin, Duncan and JOE. What the fuck! Joe is such a funny guy. I Stayed at a house called the banana stand. It had chickens in the back, a loft, and Joe. joe would drink his strongbow Cider while he would make the smartest jokes I've ever heard from an alcoholic. haha. Anyways, towards the end of my stay in this city, I got a chance to play trumpet once again in Slam Dunk. super fun night! Crowd surfed like forever!! Pushing inside the mosh pit, soo cool. A long night, followed by another long day, with a halfpipe music show. Gobble Gobble played and tore shit up, made some people really uncomfortable, but still, everyone had a good time. And it was my time to leave, I made my way over on the ferry with olivia, a Victorian local, and met up with Slam Dunk once again on the ferry, for the 3rd show I would see of theirs. Another great show, followed by some great days of  hanging out in Vancouver. Olivia was a great hostess, and showed me around some of the dark spots of Vancouver. We played some tunes and there's actually a picture of her playing below! from there it was time to get back to Seattle, and with my knee not being too good, I decided not to bring my bike up to Canada, So I hitch hiked back south. It was a bit hard to get a ride up in Canada. i managed to get a ride a few miles from the border, so i just walked. Kinda sucked do to the knee thing, but I made it, went through customs, had a good convo with the guy who searched my bags and on I go, I get out and walk a hundred yards or so, and get the first ride out of Blaine, Washington. Canada was done. Getting back to Seattle was a breeze. and took me no longer than a few hours to get a ride east toward Minneapolis! So. I packed and was soon to be on my way. It was a bummer that i could not enjoy the whole ride from Seattle to Toronto on my bicycle. I got yet another Craigslist Rideshare and I was on my way east....