On - ramp in Wash...
I realize this chapter is gonna be a million miles of spaghetti logic that go nowhere, but bear with me. Also, I sweartagod it seems like every OTHER hitchiker I have EVER met was going to Seattle (sign on EVERY on - ramp in WA).
However Washington puts in pretty good transit to make up for that lil bit of fascism.
These are key exits: I-5 Vancouver: Hazel Dell exit '4' cheap motel nearby (never stayed there tho...)
The Federal Way parkm & ride in S.Seattle.
OK, in the Seattle metro area if you time it right you can get most of the way to Canada for under 7.00 on public transit.
I personally recommend going to the Aurora Village Park & ride changing to Snohoimish County Community Transit, then going on the Mukilteo Ferry over to Whidbey Island, riding up the island to Deception Pass and then hitching back over to the mainland across the bridge. I swear it saves time & stress.
Washington state internet terminals: Lynnwood library near Lynnwood Park & ride(2);
Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island(3);
Seattle(5); library downtown Seattle tied up a LOT tho;
Bellingham Public Library ditto - and cardholder priority... Bellingham, like Eugene, is an INCLUSIVE, DIVERSE community but hey, the ferry to Alaska is there - Peter can tell you more about THAT in Northwest to Alaska...
There are somewhat fluid transit schedules for ferries and rural transit systems at Washington State Dept. of Transportation. The site is HUGE and may seize your chips but also is occassionally useful...
If you get picked up while going north on I-5 and they say they are going to 'Bremerton' and you're going to Seattle - *TAKE THAT RIDE*. The ferry is free from Bremerton and Bainbridge Island toward downtown Seattle and you don't have to share space with the Tacoma weirdos on the bus...
I looked up "white trash" in the dictionary the other day and it had a picture of a Tacoma city bus + Tacoma is a really rough town and hard to get a ride out of.
Seattle is way friendlier...
Remember, you can't get south of Tacoma on weekends on the bus so use the on - ramp at Federal Way and just wait. 98% of the time you catch a ride to Olympia there (or the occassional nut in a stolen astrovan but that's another story.)
An accurate view of Seattle was found thru Peter Bagge's comic book "Hate" & his protagonist buddy Bradley adventures in same...
Get it at FALLOUT RECORDS in downtown Seattle!
Ricardo's on 45th (Seattle) is really Dick's Drive-In where Bill Gates once tried to change a $1,000.00 bill as a gag...
The legendary rob's "HOME AWAY FROM HOME" is the Blue Moon tavern in the u-district at 45th ne and I-5. They've got a "sorry we're open" sign up and my sticker is on the wall over the door...
OTB: Neal's Nitecap Restaurant in Montlake Terrace (far north Seattle suburb).
Places that SUCK: Spokane; Yakima; THE GORGE AMPITHEATRE TOWN AND THE PLACE ITSELF - total asshole security...
Big time brewery (u-district) - cuz they expect you to wait your own table and won't sell a single a pitcher of beer. Yeah right, like I wanna pay 4.00 dollars a glass instead of 8.00 a pitcher...
A 6 dollar elevator ride: space needle.
coolness:34
avg crossing times I-5 Portland, Ore to Blaine, WA: 6-10 hrs
d Seattle to Idaho on I-90: 6-10 hrs
Idaho to Seattle on I-90: 1-3 days (speedfreaks, paranoia, desert landscape, etc...)
*MOSES LAKE* is esp. hard to catch out of...(by Jakes' Diner - go back one mile to the Texaco station and try from there + all the stores sell that dr.slice crap...)
As far as buses are concerned, remember the following destinations:
In metro Seattle: Aurora Village / Lynnwood / Mukilteo (ferry) / *MARINER* park and ride just south of Everett - the highway in Everett is built in such a way that makes it hard to hitch north so use the ramp at *MARINER* p & ride and get thru faster (even tho it's on the south side of town). Besides ALFY's PIZZA on the west side of I-5 has great 60 item soup & salad bar w/refillable dr.pepper for only 5 bucks "ALFY ROCK'S"!
From the Mariner exit try to get a ride to 'Marysville or points north'.
Both Seattle papers are pretty good tho I wish they hadn't bumped their prices to 50 cents... (and I wish the times would dump "between friends" and bring back "over the hedge").
A Bellingham note: the bus goes to 'Blaine' on the Canadian border like 6 times a day. It's 35 cents. Remember, Lincoln Park is the palce to be should you (and I'm NOT advocating it) decide to sneak across...
And finally Wash. lotto gives you two bets for your dollar like Illinois and New York so you're more likely to hit, and my personal favorite jockey "Hoogie Drexler" rides at Emerald Downs in Auburn.
What mother would name their child 'Hoogie'? Oh well, he wins a lot of races...
REALLY IMPORTANT: coin-op showers are available in 'Port Townsend' near the ferry dock in the public boat yard - ask somebody for directions.
You can get around the Olympic Penninsula pretty well on transit, too, or if yer too cheap its fairly easy to catch a ride anywhere north of 'Discovery Bay'.
A couple more true Washington state stories - was up between Everett and Bellingham near the Cascadia Mall and have had the following two weird things happen: I go into Safeway, pick up a Seattle newspaper. On the cover it says 35 cents Puget Sound area, 75 cents elsewhere - it rings up 75 cents. I say 75 cents? She looks me straight in the eye and says you're 'elsewhere' - me no kidding...
Seattle Grateful Dead show: me to friend - we parked our car near that diesel dyke bar that only serves meat and guiness @ ist 7 john the romper room".
The girl next to us overhears this and says "and what's wrong with eating a little TUNA now and then? Huh?"
Looks me in the eye and shouts as LOUD as she can: *I* bet *I* think about P***Y more than *YOU* do...
At the time I'm thinking: if that's true how does she manage to accomplish anything at all - I'd be immobilized if I thought about *THAT* any more than I *already* do...
Back to the Cascadia mall:
southbound I-5:
Jesus drives a gravel truck dept:
Him: get in rob; knows my name!
Goin to Everett, right? Yes
Hey, today's your birthday, right?
uhh, yeah...
Here's 20 bucks, call your old man he's worried about you... (I'd never seen that guy before in my life...)
Stuff like the above happens in WA all the time...
Write to Legendary Rob.