thoughts on the road

I'm sitting in a English-style pub. It's mostly empty at 2:45PM, but I imagine it'll liven up later this evening. I just got through a decent cup of clam chowder and am looking forward to a helping of bangers and mash.

A few random thoughts:

1. Drivers around here are way too polite. On roads with no shoulders, I'll stop and wait for cars to pass, and what many of the drivers do is to swerve so far out of my way that they're almost fully in the opposing lane. We Americans sometimes take this "personal space" thing a little too seriously, I think. That, or we're deathly afraid of lawsuits. Contrast this with vehicle-pedestrian interactions in Korea, where a typical Seoul day, for walker and driver alike, is a long series of near-collisions. It's weird, but sometimes I like the Korean way better. (Yeah, yeah-- I'll change my tune when I have my first accident.)

2. I've had to walk through two road-work zones today; both were bordered by people with those signs that say "slow" on one side and "stop" on the other. When I went through the first work zone, which was about 50-60 yards long, the sign-holders actually stopped all car traffic to let me through, which was embarrassing. The sign-holding lady at the beginning of the second road-work zone was a cutie in her twenties. She asked where I'd started walking, and when I told I'd started just across the US/Can border, she said in astonishment, "Shut--UP!" I smiled, but cringed inwardly because, in the grand scheme of things, I've barely begun this trek (though I'll be hitting the 100-mile mark in the next day or so) and don't merit any astonishment from anyone. You can rack up a hundred miles just walking around your home or office.

3. I still haven't said everything there is to be said about the Lynden Sikh temple experience.

4. I also need to write more about some interesting conversations I had with both the Wood family and with my most recent CouchSurfing host, Miles.

5. Mexican and Thai food in this region has been consistently good (Thai food in particular stands out for its huge servings and cheap prices), while Chinese food has been consistently mediocre.

All for now. I'm on my way to Monroe, which is farther away than I thought: the city might be 16 miles away as the crow flies, but the actual walk is 19.4 miles. I'm done with the bangers and mash, so it's time to get a move on. I expect to arrive fairly late tonight, and need to tell my host this.


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