It was one year ago today that I made a remark about going West. I made it out to Oregon, and in fact, a week ago today, I was on that edge of North America, where Lewis and Clark saw the mighty Columbia River surge into the great Pacific Ocean. With my good friend Jason Walker , we traveled on Highway 101, from Astoria to Newport, Oregon. We camped in Cannon Beach, watched over by the rock from the Goonies. Enough said. Pictures soon, and we'll get into Mt. St. Helen's as we were there too.

It was one year ago today that I said I might take this project worldwide, and now I am. In two weeks I will be on an airplane to Hong Kong. I have my Work Visa and Work Permit, am authorized entry and have a job at Southwest Forestry College. This, too, involves going west, so far west that it becomes East, and then I shall continue going west, always West, across Hong Kong to into the Mainland via Guangzhou and finally Kunming, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China.

Right now I am in Eugene, Oregon...hobo jungle. Great place, a number of great people I have met, including a good Bhutanese friend named Pema Chhophyd who's been to Amish Iowa and a guitarist Nick Moore from my 7000 inhabitant hometown of Washington, Iowa (who'd guess?!?). He played at Washington Sesquicentennial back in '89. More about that later. If you can't wait, check out Nick & me, along with the great master of drumming Kenny Reed (he once played on Monk's piano) at Papa's Soul Food Kitchen (it's at the bottom of the page if you're following the link) on Friday night 11 August in Eugene. If you can't make it, keep your ears out for the music.

In order to get to China, I'm going to drive my car back to Iowa via the great and historic coast-to-coast US Highway 20. I'll join the road in Corvallis, Oregon (whose Beavers are erstwhile champions of college baseball), cutting through Yellowstone to Sioux City, Iowa (to visit Tommy Bolin's grave and Al Capone's house), and fly out from Cedar Rapids. The driving part will happen next week. The town where the Wright Bros. once had a bicycle shop will be my airbourne departure.

The flying part will take place after a few stops in Omaha & Iowa City to see Andrew Michael Jackson and Nima "The Muslim" Sahbet, Mo-T of Khartoum, and Volkmann, who once stared down a drunken Morroccan on top of a hotel in the Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen, Morrocco.

Many thanks to everyone's support and excitement. As always, Yuka, you're #1! My light, my love, and my important person. Mom & Dad & family. Then the list gets long. I pray to repay my debt of gratitute to these people (and twice as many as what's listed because I'll forget): Adrian of Donegal, Deeznuts, Elodie from the Alps (my hero!), Jet-C, Jim & Chieko, Kenny R., Mark & Mika & Sen, Mathilde, Maxime de bourgeouis Portiers, Dr. Meyer, Nick Moore, Nakazono-sama, Pu Li, Mr. Shufro my mentor, Suresh the Brahmin, SWFC alums who've paved the way: John & Leigh & Zhan Hui, Tomo-chan, Wingert, Yancy, Ziols...there are more of you out there, don't worry.