October 8: Day Eighty Eight (That’s a lotta Eights)

Last day in Missoula, MT

This morning, I went to the Number-One-Must-Do-When-You’re-A-Touring-Cyclist-In-Missoula building: The American Cycling Association headquarters. There, I was greeted by a lady who took down all of my informtation, took my picture, and tacked it on the wall with the rest of the year’s cyclists’ photos. If that wasn’t neat enough, an older man was invited in by the lady’s exclamation, “Hey Greg, this girl came all the way from Virginia!” Greg came around the corner and we shook hands. He asked me to fill out a survey and a consent form for my picture to be taken and possibly entered into the ACA magazine. I filled out the form and we wheeled the bike out back to his “weigh station”, which was a scale that he retrieved from his office and attached to the roof of the porch, and then to his “studio”, which was just a screen back drop he also retrieved from his office and hung from the roof of the back porch. If you’re curious, post-grocery shopping, Aerrindis weighs 96lbs, gear and all.

Greg took pictures of just me and Aerinndis, until he found that I was carrying a ukulele with me, so he had me take out LadyUke and pose with her, too. Then he commented on my sandals and I showed him my tan lines and he took a few excited pictures of my feet.
Then it came out that he is one of the four founding fathers of the Bicentennial TransAmerica Trail. I couldn’t believe it. So cool!

After leaving the ACA, I went on a book hunt to three bookstores in town (might I say it’s a glorious thing that I’ve come to a place where there are more than three bookstores). I was searching for Travels With Charlie by John Steinbeck. I’ve had my heart set on reading that book ever since meeting the Norwegians in Virginia City. Only one out of the three stores–the expensive one, of course–had it in stock. It was for sale for $17, which is more than I was willing to pay, so I gave up temporarily, with a last resort in the back of my head.
It was Eric’s last day in Missoula (and mine too), so I took him out to lunch, thanks to a generous Paypal donation from Peter Dubin.
I ventured a bit outside of town to the JoanneFabric’s craft store, where I planned on dumpster diving for some art supplies. But the dumpster was locked. Why would they lock a dumpster? If it’s being thrown away, at least give it a chance to be sifted through before wasting it!
So I went inside and bought some art supplies (okay, maybe I see their logic).
At home, Chris cooked an amazing dinner. I had already eaten because I’d taken myself out on a solo date to an asian restaurant that advertised the tastiest-sounding vegan selections. Chris also cooked a vegan asian meal. My first dinner was scrumptious. My second was incredible.
During Second Dinner, Chris helped me to write a dictionary of all the terms that he’d taught me from his stories of train-hopping and living on the streets.
Here are some of my favorites:

To Spange (Spangeing): (v.) To hold a cardboard sign asking for money
Yuppy: (n.) One who scoffs at homeless people; derogatory term for rude people
Shwilly: (n.) A drunkard

Consider yourself enlightened.

I asked Bruce, the house host, if he happened to have a copy of Travels With Charlie and, if he did, if he wouldn’t mind if I borrowed it and sent it back when I finished. He said it he did, that it was up in Caleb’s room and if I found it, it was mine.
Caleb brought me up to his room, which is a renovated attic, decorated cleanly and with awesome ethnic style. He opened a tiny door in the wall, behind which was a crawlspace. He turned on the light and ushered me in and said, “It depends on how much you want it…”
When I crawled in, I was met with the challenge: stacks upon stacks and boxes here and there of books books books. I sifted through them, slowly, admiring the authors–Camus, Sartre, Faulkner, Hugo…–and wondered if I’d ever come across a Steinbeck collection. Alas, having searched for the better part of a half hour, I found it. Small and worn, a perfect travel size version of Travels With Charlie. Success! I returned downstairs feeling victorious and Caleb, having noticed the book in my hand, gave me a high five.