I opened my local newspaper a few weeks ago the Tri-City Herald several weeks ago and was floored to find a tourist camping out on an island near where I live about to embark an adventure of truly epic proportions. I’ve kayaked overnight from Vernita to Pasco and thought that was an adventure, but Ryota Yamada is planning to kayak from Kennewick to JAPAN!!!
He’s starting in Kennewick because it’s where Kennewick Man was discovered years ago and potentially connected to the Ainu people that may have migrated or traveled here thousands of years ago.
The story unfolded further as I later had my monthly lunch with the 3 other community mayors and was enthralled by a fellow mayor's story of meeting Mr. Yamada, and that he actively sought “the Mayor of Kennewick” out to start his journey. Before lunch was over I decided I had to go try and meet him myself. Plus I had an ace up my sleeve that I guessed Mr. Yamada didn’t know–exactly where Kennewick Man was discovered. Many know the general area, but few know within a hundred feet or so.
He wasn’t there, but his camp was. I left my business card and $20 bill as a small gesture to his adventure and I had also e-mailed him via his website earlier. It turns out he was at Kennewick’s Council meeting, but we connected via cell Wednesday morning.
He very much wanted to see the site and like an excited 8 year old I dropped what I was doing to go show him. When I arrived we exchanged pleasantries, I tried a bow, and he said I was welcome to visit his camp anytime I wanted. My guess is he was probably more impressed by my title than anything, but it was interesting to see that as he loaded his camera and GPS into the car–I own the exact same brands of Canon and Garmin. It even appeared that we had the same model camera and that I used to own the handheld type GPS he had.
While his English was broken and vocabulary limited to have a free-flowing conversation–I found him fairly easy to talk with at a slower pace. I had some experience in college with Japanese speakers and found his accent and pronunciation pretty easy to get around.
Driving to the middle of Columbia Park I found that he also shared a love of motorcycles and smiled again when we both own Honda XR motorcycles. His is a 250cc air-cooled and mine a 650cc water-cooled, but a Honda is a Honda and they are to similar not to laugh. He also knew FJRs as well.
Ryota was also my age (42 to my 43) and a “retired” physicist (clearly he paid attention in college). In hindsight, I think it may have been a language issue and he may have been on long term leave or sabbatical, but what little I got to know him I could imagine he had done well for himself and was in a place that kayaking the world could now be his life. I felt like an 8 year old again….
Arriving to an unlabeled stand of Russian Olives I began tromping through the brush–not actually having penetrated themself before. I knew the area was several hundred feet away from the edge from a Google Earth view I had confirmed the evening before. It was rougher than I expected and my set of dockers are now headed to the cleaners as a result.
Ryota and I crawled and climbed our way through the brush and stood for a moment talking. He asked (or at least I think he did) why they were hidden and hard to get to. I couldn’t give him a solid answer, but suggested that there’s a common perception that anything old in North America MUST be Native American by default. NAGPRA and the court case of Kennewick Man certainly supports the inertia.
The idea that migration may have occurred 9000 years ago…or who knows how much longer before that is unconventional. I suggested many want the status quo–including tribes. I quickly added though, “I hope science prevails though.”
He smiled at that. He completely understood.
Once we made it to the willows I knew we were in the right spot and he pulled out his GPS. He wanted to kayak there later and take things in on his own time.
“It is also quite an honor that Matt Watkins, Mayor of Pasco (one of Tri-City) visited
my tent and took me to the exact place where Kennewick Man was
discovered. I really appreciate it. And Mayor also gave me a good
friendship. We crawled in messy bush getting covered in mud for several
tens minutes, and then found out it. I am so glad that I will be able to
start my expedition from the spot Kennewick Man discovered.
Someday in near future, I really want to have a nice motorcycle trip
with Matt in Hokkaido Japan or in here United State!” – Ryota Yamada
My time was limited, but I did the best to take in the scene. Kennewick Man had died within a 50 feet of where I stood, along the banks of the Columbia, with a spear head in his hip, hands to his sides, and head pointed upstream parallel with the river.
Owsley concluded the man was deliberately buried, between two and three feet deep, his body placed in the grave, head slightly higher than feet, hands placed at his sides.
Cars rushed by on 240, but I tuned them out and imagined my home community 9,000 years earlier. I also thought about Kennewick Man….who was about 40 when he died.
The skull reconstruction always reminded me of Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek.
The area had been capped over by 600 tons of boulders (I remember seeing the helicopter fly around) and then planted willows over the top (which were the tell-tale sign I knew we were in the right place.)
Ryota set up his camera and took a picture of the two of us.
After he got his coordinates recorded we tromped out a much easier path to the main road and hopped in the car. I found Ryota fascinating and asked him if he had eaten breakfast yet…which he hadn’t. He was happy to go to breakfast with me. I took the long way back to Clover Island by going back on Canal Drive to give him an elevated view of the area and as I rolled through downtown Kennewick I had another brainstorm. One of oldest picture of Kennewick I knew of hung in Cork’s Pharmacy (along with a copy in my Mom’s old office) as an 8 foot long panoramic photo and would have shown where Kennewick Man was buried in 1906 before the Russian Olives took over.
Ryota liked the photo including a steam engine in the distance. It seems he had an interest in trains as well.
Then we went to breakfast and started talking about motorcycles again. He knew my FJR1300 well–especially since it was manufactured in his country and he was enthralled by video of riding through the Cascades.
“I have same GoPro camera! This reminds me of Hokaido Island. You come and ride. My guest. I show you.”
I’d made a new friend…..
Several videos later he was enthralled by the WABDR and added, “I think Americans only cruise roads on Harley. You do forest good. I come back to ride with you?”
Which I added, “If you come back I’ll get you a motorcycle to ride. I’ll show you the Cascades.”
He’d made a new friend too…..
After this skinny short guy put away a big asparagus omelet and hash browns I took him back to Camp Ryota and shook hands a few more times. We parted, but I think we’ll keep in contact.
It was a good day.
---------------
UPDATE: So, fast forward to May 9 and he's made it about 158 river miles, battled strong and persistent winds, and I think is entering the most beautiful part of the Columbia River. We remain in contact via text.
Watch his blog that he updates every 2 or 3 days here. And I will make occasional updates myself here. I'm hoping to visit him again as he makes it up the Washington State coast and hope he makes it to Skagway, Alaska by the end of this season.
He’s starting in Kennewick because it’s where Kennewick Man was discovered years ago and potentially connected to the Ainu people that may have migrated or traveled here thousands of years ago.
The story unfolded further as I later had my monthly lunch with the 3 other community mayors and was enthralled by a fellow mayor's story of meeting Mr. Yamada, and that he actively sought “the Mayor of Kennewick” out to start his journey. Before lunch was over I decided I had to go try and meet him myself. Plus I had an ace up my sleeve that I guessed Mr. Yamada didn’t know–exactly where Kennewick Man was discovered. Many know the general area, but few know within a hundred feet or so.
He wasn’t there, but his camp was. I left my business card and $20 bill as a small gesture to his adventure and I had also e-mailed him via his website earlier. It turns out he was at Kennewick’s Council meeting, but we connected via cell Wednesday morning.
He very much wanted to see the site and like an excited 8 year old I dropped what I was doing to go show him. When I arrived we exchanged pleasantries, I tried a bow, and he said I was welcome to visit his camp anytime I wanted. My guess is he was probably more impressed by my title than anything, but it was interesting to see that as he loaded his camera and GPS into the car–I own the exact same brands of Canon and Garmin. It even appeared that we had the same model camera and that I used to own the handheld type GPS he had.
While his English was broken and vocabulary limited to have a free-flowing conversation–I found him fairly easy to talk with at a slower pace. I had some experience in college with Japanese speakers and found his accent and pronunciation pretty easy to get around.
Driving to the middle of Columbia Park I found that he also shared a love of motorcycles and smiled again when we both own Honda XR motorcycles. His is a 250cc air-cooled and mine a 650cc water-cooled, but a Honda is a Honda and they are to similar not to laugh. He also knew FJRs as well.
Ryota was also my age (42 to my 43) and a “retired” physicist (clearly he paid attention in college). In hindsight, I think it may have been a language issue and he may have been on long term leave or sabbatical, but what little I got to know him I could imagine he had done well for himself and was in a place that kayaking the world could now be his life. I felt like an 8 year old again….
Arriving to an unlabeled stand of Russian Olives I began tromping through the brush–not actually having penetrated themself before. I knew the area was several hundred feet away from the edge from a Google Earth view I had confirmed the evening before. It was rougher than I expected and my set of dockers are now headed to the cleaners as a result.
Ryota and I crawled and climbed our way through the brush and stood for a moment talking. He asked (or at least I think he did) why they were hidden and hard to get to. I couldn’t give him a solid answer, but suggested that there’s a common perception that anything old in North America MUST be Native American by default. NAGPRA and the court case of Kennewick Man certainly supports the inertia.
The idea that migration may have occurred 9000 years ago…or who knows how much longer before that is unconventional. I suggested many want the status quo–including tribes. I quickly added though, “I hope science prevails though.”
He smiled at that. He completely understood.
Once we made it to the willows I knew we were in the right spot and he pulled out his GPS. He wanted to kayak there later and take things in on his own time.
“It is also quite an honor that Matt Watkins, Mayor of Pasco (one of Tri-City) visited
my tent and took me to the exact place where Kennewick Man was
discovered. I really appreciate it. And Mayor also gave me a good
friendship. We crawled in messy bush getting covered in mud for several
tens minutes, and then found out it. I am so glad that I will be able to
start my expedition from the spot Kennewick Man discovered.
Someday in near future, I really want to have a nice motorcycle trip
with Matt in Hokkaido Japan or in here United State!” – Ryota Yamada
My time was limited, but I did the best to take in the scene. Kennewick Man had died within a 50 feet of where I stood, along the banks of the Columbia, with a spear head in his hip, hands to his sides, and head pointed upstream parallel with the river.
Owsley concluded the man was deliberately buried, between two and three feet deep, his body placed in the grave, head slightly higher than feet, hands placed at his sides.
Cars rushed by on 240, but I tuned them out and imagined my home community 9,000 years earlier. I also thought about Kennewick Man….who was about 40 when he died.
The skull reconstruction always reminded me of Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek.
The area had been capped over by 600 tons of boulders (I remember seeing the helicopter fly around) and then planted willows over the top (which were the tell-tale sign I knew we were in the right place.)
Ryota set up his camera and took a picture of the two of us.
After he got his coordinates recorded we tromped out a much easier path to the main road and hopped in the car. I found Ryota fascinating and asked him if he had eaten breakfast yet…which he hadn’t. He was happy to go to breakfast with me. I took the long way back to Clover Island by going back on Canal Drive to give him an elevated view of the area and as I rolled through downtown Kennewick I had another brainstorm. One of oldest picture of Kennewick I knew of hung in Cork’s Pharmacy (along with a copy in my Mom’s old office) as an 8 foot long panoramic photo and would have shown where Kennewick Man was buried in 1906 before the Russian Olives took over.
Ryota liked the photo including a steam engine in the distance. It seems he had an interest in trains as well.
Then we went to breakfast and started talking about motorcycles again. He knew my FJR1300 well–especially since it was manufactured in his country and he was enthralled by video of riding through the Cascades.
“I have same GoPro camera! This reminds me of Hokaido Island. You come and ride. My guest. I show you.”
I’d made a new friend…..
Several videos later he was enthralled by the WABDR and added, “I think Americans only cruise roads on Harley. You do forest good. I come back to ride with you?”
Which I added, “If you come back I’ll get you a motorcycle to ride. I’ll show you the Cascades.”
He’d made a new friend too…..
After this skinny short guy put away a big asparagus omelet and hash browns I took him back to Camp Ryota and shook hands a few more times. We parted, but I think we’ll keep in contact.
It was a good day.
---------------
UPDATE: So, fast forward to May 9 and he's made it about 158 river miles, battled strong and persistent winds, and I think is entering the most beautiful part of the Columbia River. We remain in contact via text.
Watch his blog that he updates every 2 or 3 days here. And I will make occasional updates myself here. I'm hoping to visit him again as he makes it up the Washington State coast and hope he makes it to Skagway, Alaska by the end of this season.
