Monday, September 29, 2014

Staycation


All good things arrive unto them that wait-and don't die in the meantime.
~Mark Twain


The Paul Quibell was born of an impulse buy, a bike crash and the kindness of friends.  Thank you Jason, Uncle Lincoln, and Erbeck Sr.  

The Adventure doesn't currently travel far from the Front Door.

Five months pedaling across this great country, another five hopping around the globe and eight weeks living on a fishing boat in Alaska has a way of leaving a guy with little desire to go anywhere that he can't arrive at by foot or his trusty single-speed bike.

The Surly hangs naked in the man shed, stripped of her usefulness awaiting a new life of adventure.   Perfect autumn days in the Northwest offer glimpses of the Olympic Mountains fifty miles to the west, stoking the embers of ambition in my belly.  I find myself pouring over maps and guide books,  dreaming up ridiculous human powered expeditions that my current level of fitness doesn't even come close to supporting.  All in good time, I tell myself.

Among the many truths that became abundantly apparent in the past year is that I am not getting any younger; the fuse is burning.  There are still many things that I wish to do and precious little time to pull them all off.  I also know that some things should not be rushed and close to home is a good place for me right now.  Chances are the mountains and the crags will still be there in the spring and when Seattle emerges from the dank of winter, I will be ready to answer their call.

For now though, my daily pedal to work in the dark mist of the Seattle mornings puts a smile on my face and keeps me rolling in the right direction.

Kloshe konaway
Kloshe nanitch

Matt


 I picked up this hand built frame at JRA in Greenwood for a $100.  Anyone know Mr. Quibell?

 Urban bouldering is my new hobby.  5.11 without using a car, we'll see what happens.

Rad FDA with my best Adventure Buddy ever.  Canoe and a Cold One on Lake Washington.




4 comments:

  1. This is the sweet life, Matt. Onward!

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    1. Sweet it is Tom and the only one we've got. Onward, even when we don't know quite where we're going.

      Cheers,

      Matt

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  2. I've enjoyed following your adventures across the country and beyond. You inspired me to engage in a few local Front Door adventures of my own this summer. If our paths cross a Chuck's perhaps we can swap yarns over a hoppy ale.
    Keep on Truckin'

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    1. Jim-

      Kind words mate and much appreciated. Sometimes I get the urge to throw in the towel and quit trying so darned hard to live a life a little smaller, a little more thoughtfully and consume a little less. Seems likes my efforts bear little fruit aside from my own satisfaction and the world just accelerates around me.

      Little anecdotes like the one you sent make me feel like my actions and words just might make the world a little better place to be. Cheers mate and I would be happy to swap some stories over a pint sometime. Send me an email at malfordd777 at google's mail service to get in touch.

      Cheers,

      Matt

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