Orcas Island to Astoria WA

July 25th to July 27th

Continuing onward.

I was becoming quite accustomed to the hospitality of Orcas Island. My hosts Michael and Sharon were supportive as well as instrumental in introducing me to the Island and its many encouraging inhabitants. Thank you to Phil at the library who sat with me and voiced his hopes at unifying an island of likeminded people trying to lessen their impact on the environment. Michael Greenberg was a source of boundless energy. His network is vast and his interests are many, all with the intent of educating people about their food choices in the face of a possible oil shortage. Thanks to Nate, the rogue market fruit vender who supported me with an endless supply of great berries and good energy every time I passed by. As well, John, who’s garden was amazing and his stories about childhood in Northern California climbing mountains were inspiring. And the Bullocks who stand as an example to the limitless possibilities one possesses when enough time is spent with oneself and attention is given to the land.

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Michael and Sharon

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Michael and Sharon and Myself

My ambitious departure time of 7:15 was pushed back until noon. The skies clouded over and the view from the mountaintop was obscured leaving a soft white glow by which I photographed Michael and Sharon in their living room. Moments like that are not to be missed. The skies cleared once again and the scorching summer heat was bearing down. My only option with the looming late afternoon heat was to hit the road. Orcas to Port Townsend to Astoria. A few hard miles on some great secondary highways through the Hood Canal, uncountable clearcuts and the Columbia River valley.

Flying Skyfish

Clean Energy ???

My arrival into Astoria was to be later than expected yet I still made my 10:15 curfew, imposed by my new hosts Christopher and Caren. The curfew began to make sense when I realized that their priority was a soak in the spa and not waiting up for me. I arrived at their house and was welcomed with a room to rest and a towel for the spa. I could have asked for nothing greater.

The following morning my education began. Stacked like bookends, I was surrounded by the ever elevating piles of must read reading material causing me to lose sight of my breakfast of eggs and muffins and goats milk. Very local, very fresh. We discussed Chistopher’s interest in energy technologies and Caren’s passion for the garden and the chickens and the goats and not to be left out was their chicken herding border collie, Merlin. After an hour of talks, we made our way to the garden where Caren and I fed the chickens and watered the plants. I once again found myself amongst the veggies up to my elbows in rich black soil, thinning lettuce, cutting green onions, gathering beets and radishes, plucking carrots and feeding the chickens lettuce scraps. Life’s lessons learned in the lettuce patch. What a great way to experience a new relationship in an exceptional environment.

Christopher took over the reigns after lunch and continued on with our discussion about affordable, clean energy sources. He demonstrated his solar hot water heating system which provides water as hot as 170 degrees to his water system, lessening his demand on for energy. That water is then cooled to a manageable level where it is used throughout the house for hot water consumption. Adjacent to the solar hot water system is the solar energy system. This array of panels provides for roughly a quarter of the household demand for energy. With incentives from the Oregon Government, a system like Christopher’s comes with a cash back plan that makes the system affordable over the course of the panel’s 25 year lifespan. What is also remarkable, on those days when your household is consuming less than you are producing, that excess energy is fed into the grid and you, the producer are paid for that excess energy. Makes sense.

Christopher’s latest project? A 35 foot high, self contained, plug and play wind turbine. The dc converter, being positioned at the back of the blades, allows for a 220 amp service to be connected right at the outlet from the pole. As of yet, the project is still undergoing approval from the city as this is the first of it’s kind in the state but it looks to be moving along and Christopher hopes to have the turbine completed for the fall when the daylight hours become shorter and the wind on the coast gets more consistent. It’s always windy on the coast, especially when you’re riding a motorcycle without a windscreen. Having had my fill of reading material and practical hands on experience, I had to say good bye and think about what I had just experienced. I was bound for Portland for a quick stop for film and some audio equipment, followed by a trip inland down to Ashland OR.

Dave