#14, Adjustments, Zones, Eclipses

I reached the Fourteenth Vector on the Peace Map today-Spokane, WA. I propose that Coeur D’ Alene and Spokane share vector fourteen. So be it. Time was equally spent in these two places and while a state line divides them, they are only half an hour apart. Also, since Coeur D’Alene used to serve as headquarters of the Aryan Nation, it’s good to spread some peace there. Coeur D’ Alene was my rejuventation spot after traversing 262 miles from Missoula, MT. The invitation for a chiropractic alignment was extended to me by Mark, founder of Peace Coeur D’ Alene. He discovered the peace mission through a community announcement on zaadz.com.

The day traveling Hwy 200W started and ended quite perfectly. My morning coffee and nibbles were with hostess Nancy, at the delicious Butterfly Herbs cafe in Missoula, MT. My time in Missoula will have a post of its own- I’m just letting you know where scootergirl is present day. Gary and Nancy escorted me out of town, giving me squeezes and love for the long road ahead. The 262 mile journey through desolate, high altitude mountains flew by rather quickly. My entertaining morning conversation with Nancy had slipped into the afternoon, so I was surprised to reach Idaho as the full moon rose in the sky.

At some points I laughed out loud at the sight of little Audrey against the backdrop of such majestic, rugged mountains. Audrey handled the 6,000 foot climbs with remarkable pep, though. My bottom speed was only 45, and briefly at that. I have now reached the furthest time zone from my hometown-West Coast time! Since this is written from Spokane, consider me on the West Coast! The odometer clocks in at 5,900 miles and I’ve been on the road almost a month and a half. Times really are changing. In the past week alone about 300 peace postcards have been distributed, the reception has been amazing, lots of friends have been made, and the available eats getting a lot better. 😉

There are also many friends offering couches and company along the West Coast. This will save me some cash, thankfully. Turns out Coeur D’ Alene is a bustling, overpriced, tourist town with ridiculous room rates. Found myself wishing I had taken Troy up on his offer to use a vacant apartment back in Clark Fork. He was a cool guy, retired military, that I met when fueling up. A proud gun owner too, but nonetheless,very supportive of my ride for Peace. He even asked me to take his phone number and let him when I finish the trip. Thankfully, forces guided me over to Days Inn and the clerk gave me a phenomenal deal-they even allowed me to check out at 1:30 pm today. The manager was very cool and asked for 15+ postcards to distribute to her circle of “strong, independent women.” Heck yea!

A dead weight slumber of 10 hours re-introduced me to the world. I did wake up at 3:30 to see the total lunar eclipse. Not sure if I have ever seen one so clearly as last night. It almost didn’t look real, but was very clear and close from right outside the hotel room-hovering directly above me. I took some time to sit and read outside a downtown coffee shop-something I haven’t done in more than a year. The “day off,” continued nicely as I met Mark. I wasn’t sure what to expect from my previous correspondence with him. Mark is a retired Marine Corps Officer, who now practices unique and gentle chiropractic health care. I visited his office, Cafe of Life, and he offered me a free adjustment. This was amazing, he had quite the healing touch. My back twitched in surprising ways from the adjustments, and afterwards I was very energized and focused. I told him his hands were not meant to hold weapons, he is definitely a healer. He agreed and said he had been through some major life changes. We took some time to walk over the Human Rights Museum and spent a bit looking around. Although there wasn’t much to look at right then, the main exhibits had just been pulled, we found a lot to talk about. It was a nice afternoon in a pretty, lakeside, wholesome town. We said goodbyes after some espresso. I asked to go to the best place in town, which was Doma’s. The barista and the coffee were not amateur. The place was great! I was especially impressed that the barista wielded her own personalized tamp, ordered online. It was clear she was not joking about her espresso-a pro indeed.

With the sun burning my retinas and making visibility horrible, I headed over to Spokane. I had no idea it was such a huge city. Most of the ride went through poor, sketchy, industrial neighborhoods with bad roads and suddenly I was in the fancy downtown area. Everyone in Spokane has been so nice. I rode around looking at the town all lit up before eating at the Satellite Diner. Locals love sushi and espresso around here, an abundance of both on each corner, but I settled for cheap, good diner offerings. Most of the night here was spent just randomly meeting the locals. Honestly, although everyone has been totally cool here, I’m just not feeling the soul around these parts. Perhaps the city is just bigger than any I’ve been in since Tulsa?? Looking forward to moving on and meeting up with friends in Seattle. Apparently, a scooterist named Chuck has orchestrated an afternoon ride and dinner on Thursday-very cool.

It’s nice to be getting some momentum back up again after a full week in one state, Montana. I really loved it there, and would consider a move over to Missoula, if it wasn’t landlocked. I need an ocean or some big body of water. The long road to Seattle awaits tomorrow and I anticipate that the Cascades are breathtaking. Hopefully, my camera starts working right by the morning. Its making a whirring noise when I turn it on and the lens won’t fully open. This is not good. I went out of my way to shop at the local electronics store back home. Almost wishing I had bought it from a big box store that you can find anywhere on “Main St., USA.” It would be easier to replace and lord knows I must take 80 pics a day!

Thanks for reading y’all. Many of you I have met on the road and I hope you know you changed my life. Yes, YOU.

“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.” (said the ALchemist)