Johnny Outrageous!

To everyone that was following along on my travels: My trip will have to be put on hold.

There’s been a raging fire in the northern San Fernando Valley which has left my home in ashes and rubble. Thank god my mom and our animals made it out ok. That’s really the only thing that matters.

Tomorrow I’ll be heading to Chicago to catch a bus into Battlecreek where I’ll be making plans to go home. It’s weird to say that. Home. Well I guess I’m going back to California and whatever is left of my home.

This trip has been an awesome experience. I hope to continue where I left off sometime in the future. Right now I need to focus on what my priorities are. There’s a lot of paperwork to file and many people to call. I’ve never been homeless before.

Thank you to all my friends and family. You’ve really shown support by being there. I am eternally grateful. Well…signing off now. Til next time…

If you need to contact me here’s my email:

johnnyoutrageous@gmail.com

Let’s see how big it really is!

I had a nice, well-deserved sleep. I woke up feeling refreshed, after all yesterday was long.

I woke up this morning traveling through northern Montana. As soon as the sun began to brighten up the day I could see what type of landscape we were venturing across. Autumn-colored trees were scattered across rolling foothills with golden-brown wild grass filling the empty spaces. The train then began a steady incline and we made our way into Glacier National Park. Suddenly we were greeted by a gentle snow fall. At first there was just a thin layer of snow on the ground. The further we traveled the thicker the layer began to appear. Once through the park the rolling hills returned for a brief moment until they were flattened out by the northern plains.

I’m now making my way across a ripplely, bare land, on tracks that might have been constructed over a century ago.

The clouds! You should see them.

The Canada experience has been a pinnacle moment in my life. I’m not too sure how often people keep records of amazing days but I have to say…yesterday was one of the best in my entire life!

I’m back in Seattle. The bus ride was wonderful with only a small amount of rush hour traffic around downtown. I had a pleasant conversation with a girl who lives in Canada. Socializing really cuts down on the travel time and it’s also a great opportunity to learn about different people.

An announcement just came in over the station speakers that the train is having mechanical problems and boarding will be delayed for about an hour. I’m in no rush. I guess that’s one of the perks of just going with the flow. Now I have the chance to go outside and take some pictures of a really rare event: A perfectly clear Seattle day with not a single cloud in the sky. What a nice surprise to enjoy on a Friday.

There are so many moments of note that I’m almost lost where to begin.  I’ll just go over it all chronologically.

I woke up at around 9:30 in the morning.  Before I took my familiar paper towel shower (see Seattle post), I made my way down to the 1st floor where I was able to catch the tail end of breakfast.  After finishing up my morning routine, I packed my backpack with my camera, field recorder, passport, a city map and my journal.  At the time, I was wearing my knitted sweatshirt but as soon as I stepped outside into 8 degrees Celsius weather I realized it might be a good idea to put on something thicker.

Once fully prepared and outside, I put my rollerblades on and began my tour of Vancouver.

I started my route traveling northeast on Granville St. until I reached the seaside.  I then found an entrance onto Vancouver’s famous Seawalk.  Similar to Venice Beach’s Boardwalk, the Seawalk travels along the northern section of Vancouver almost exclusively in Stanley Park but also along the edge of the downtown district.  The Seawalk was the ideal route to travel - an excellent place for photography.

It started to get late so I made my way off the Seawalk, through Stanley Park, and onto the road that would lead me back to the hostel.  Passing a park on my right hand side, I began to hear some interesting sounds.  At the time I was wearing my headphones so it was a little hard to make out but I definitely heard a distinctive overpowering voice.  Curiosity started to kick in so I removed my headphones and made my way into the park.  A slightly overweight middle-aged man was yelling at the top of his lungs with an accent that sounded like he was from the Canadian countryside.  I pulled out my field recorder, made sure the levels were properly balanced and walked over to the man.  With the field recorder precariously held out of line-of-sight, I began asking the Canadian questions.  His name also happened to be John.

I left the small park and continued on my way.  When I reached the hostel lobby doors I realized that I wasn’t ready to go inside for the night.  I was in bloody Vancouver after all!  The nightlife was just starting to become alive.

I was in the mood for a good homemade coffee so I made my way back up Granville Street in search for a hole-in-the-wall cafe.

Along my way I notice a homeless women who caught my eye when I first arrived into Vancouver.  She was sitting in the exact same corner, using her fingernails to scratch the gunk off the exact same electrical box.  I don’t know why but after watching her the first time, I wondered if I would see her again.

On the same block I noticed two young people sitting on the sidewalk about 4 feet apart facing each other with pedestrian traffic passing in between them.  The image of two people connecting with one another, frozen in time, with passerbies oblivious to their existence caught my attention.  I approached them and asked if it would be all right to take a few pictures.  This was probably one of the most intimate moments I’ve ever shared with anyone.

After saying my goodbyes and wishing my best for the two, I continued my way north.  Not a minute after, I saw another interesting sight, although this one wasn’t a special moment like the previous encounter.

**Image comming soon**

At first I feared the worst for this young transient.  A man walking next to me also noticed and decided to call for an ambulance.  The street kid wasn’t moving at all and his breathing seemed shallow.  I felt that there was no way someone could be in a deep sleep while laying in such a peculiar position.  While the good Samaritan was talking with the emergency representatives, the street kid randomly opened his eyes, stood up, and said something I wasn’t expecting.  He said it so effortlessly.  It was almost as if he blurted it out subconsciously.

“You got any change?”

Yea, I walked away at that point.  Now I definitely needed that cup of coffee (which leads me to the final great moment of the day).

While walking back down Granville towards the hostel I asked a local if he could recommend a good coffee shop.  He directed me to a place about 3 blocks west, just across the street from the Vancouver museum of art.  When I arrived a young woman greeted me from behind the counter with a warm hello.  I told her about my trip and that I was in the mood for a good ‘ol cup of Joe.  Being in a somewhat playful and pleasant mood, I asked her to make it a surprise and order up whatever she thought I would like.  Clearly enjoying the proposal, the young girl whipped me up a large cappuccino, on the house - just for being a first time Vancouver visitor.

That offer of kindness sealed the deal and made Thursday, October 9th 2008 one of the best days of my life.  A day filled with visual stimulus, mouth-watering food, intimate connections and the most humble sides of the human heart.

-Johnny

I got a great work out today rollerblading through Stanley Park, Vancouver’s equivalent of New York’s Central Park. I’ve covered about 7 miles so far. I am so thankful that I decided to take my rollerblades on this trip. It’s been a perfect opportunity to cover a lot of ground and see a part of Vancouver that’s not enclosed by buildings.

I’m writing this entry in a seafood restaurant I stumbled upon called The Fish House at the southwestern point of the park. I just finished eating the best clam chowder of my life. I can record sound and take pictures but unfortunately I can’t capture taste…wish I could though. I’m about to start the main course now. I shouldn’t keep my salmon and prawn penne waiting.

Bon appetit!

Before the train stopped at the Pacific Central station in Vancouver, I noticed a couple of drifters waiting alongside the rail tracks. These kids were maybe just 18. I think younger.

Vancouver has a jubilant youthfulness to it. It’s almost as if the people of Vancouver found the fountain of youth and have been secretly hiding their discovery from the world. I’m willing to bet that Vancouver’s population has an above average amount of teenagers and people in their low and mid-twenties in it.

Although there’s an innocent nature to it all, I still get the impression that the city is aware of its problems. A lot of the homeless people I’ve come across appear to have severe mental problems. A waitress at a diner mentioned that there’s a heroin problem out here on an epidemic level.

On a bright note, I recorded some really cool sounds today. The street performers were the best. They supplied me with a whole range of material to use. From the “ohhs” and “ahhs” of a clapping crowd, to the essence of Vancouver embodied inside passionate chord progressions of a solo guitarist.

Reflecting on today’s progress makes me feel totally alive. I’m looking forward to how the story of Vancouver will unfold.

Pictures on the way.

-Johnny

I got up today in Seattle at about 6 in the morning. My previous night was one to remember. I had just arrived back into the hostel when they started dinner. Without pulling out a single dollar for the meal, I picked up my plate, grabbed the noodle prongs and dropped a handful worth of spaghetti with meaty tomato sauce poured generously on top onto the plate. I made sure not to forget the steamed vegetable from the cafeteria-sized pan nor the whole wheat French bread with garlic butter spread.

After taking my time and finishing up a very satisfying meal, I posted the Seattle Nostalgia blog and made my way upstairs to the bedroom where I bumped into a couple sharing a bottom bunk bed together. I noticed them speaking French to each other so I asked to see where they’re from. The Paris couple and I hit it off immediately. They’re going on the exact same road trip with almost the same stops and the exact same Amtrak national railpass as I - only they’re traveling in the opposite direction. Our paths just happen to intersect one chilly Seattle night.

Connecting with people that are from far away places is very uplifting. All the differences from growing up in a distant country with a foreign language and foreign rules, all the things you would expect to separate people from on another, it all dissolves away. The boundaries fade and everything starts to look the same.

I will always cherish those special moments.

-Johnny

You know you’re in Canada when you see an emergency eye wash station.

So I’ve had a wonderfully productive day of exploration. There’s a detailed post on the way. I just gotta get some food inside me first. I’m running on fumes!

I just realized that this will be my first visit to our friends in the north. Right now I’m about an hour away from Vancouver.

The scenery has been real lovely. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like growing up way out here. Being a city slicker, I guess my appreciation is a bit different. These places that people call home seem so rural to me.

I’ve taken some nice pictures of the landscape as I make my way north. In one image you’ll see some cows and a few trucks in the distance. That’s the interstate 5 freeway; the same freeway that’s about 5 minutes away from home back in Los Angeles. Amazing.

Once I’m at the hostel and things are situated I’ll post a blog about last night, which was fantastic by the way!

Got to go and fill out my Canada Border Services Agency Declaration Card now. See you in a bit.