road trip chronicles: day one:
Harrisonburg, VA to Athens, Ohio:
West Virginia
This fire's on your mountain now
I heard you call my name
Now do swift work and teach me how to be alone.
I am accustomed to talking to people and listening to people. But how long before my voice shows its face?
I try to drive down a public boat landing but oops. It's a private drive. About to turn back, I see there is no one there. The space welcomes me like a prodigal daughter and I set up my shop.
The butterfly flies alone
Communicating not with her friends but with the company of energies around her - each blade of grass whispering its own story.
The leaves wave here too!
My friend Sycamore lives here!
Trees are the most beautiful things on Earth, I think.
I can't believe I thought I was alone.
The birds sing their songs
And the flies are my unquestioning disciples. I am sad and tired but not alone.
Stood up and an orange butterfly danced around my head.
Look at all these little plants
Trying out their river dance.
I kind of want to take a nap,
My body safe in mommy's lap.
And I'm already in the shade:
Miss Virginia Fuego's got it made.
It's rivers and cars that do the rolling and this river says roll on and so I do.
West Virginia is all bridges, mountains and churches:
I'm in the state of crossing over.
Shade cools the heat of taking mountain turns as fast as you can.
These hills draw outlaws like the sky summons steam.
Blue ridge pink clouds: this fire's on your mountain now.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's daily update! Portland by May 30!
May 21, Day Two: Athens, Ohio to Elgin, Illinois
Man I wrote so much and it got deleted. Frick! Well I'm heading to stay in the BVS house in Elgin.
It was a great day. I love being by myself and traveling by myself! Thank you everyone for your love and acceptance that gives me strength. I thought about everyone today: went through Philipsburg and Wayne County, Nelsonville and a licence plate on a car saying 'parents. ' Ev er y body. I am blessed to love so many incredible people and I feel no strain in any of my relationships for the first time in my life. Thank you also for the map and the money and the track phone. Car is comfy. It was a cold day and I napped for three sweet hours in the afternoon. That's the short version. Here's some pictures:
Talk to y'all soon. Text me and I'll hit you up sooner. I feel fresh and clean and free and dope as . . . .
Yeah baby! To Elgin!
Awww Chicago tripped me up and I made it to the Elgin BVS house late but in great shape. Check this out:
Shower too!
BRETHREN VOLUNTEER SERVICE: required hospitality is their middle name. Damn it feels good to be a Brethren!
It's thundering. Here's a video of driving past the city earlier. And now for a little Tetris. Not only have I been thinking too much as of late but I also fear my skills will get rusty if I do not maintain regimine.
I know my video game is weak but I'm risking my life for this footage you guys . . .
Three states today. Not too shabby. And there's a possibility I picked up some firecrackers in Indiana just saying.
Sleep tight, mennonites.
Day Three! Elgin, Illinois to St Paul, Minnesota
Today, ladies and gentlemen, I drove through Wisconsin . . . .
Apparantly everybody gets a roof cow here but mine was just plain rude
Here's a trippy long Wisconsin ridealong:
Illinois roads are bad with 18 wheelers and tolls up the wazoo. Last night outside Chicago I paid a toll to turn around and pay the toll again. It was tough for a minute this morning until I realized I was living my dream! But still, my body was concerned that I was going north; didn't understand why I'd do that. In fact I paid a Guatemalan coin for a toll by accident.
Wisconsin roads were much better.
Cheese:
It is earlier spring here than at home, the colors still magic and Easter.
I can tell I'm going west because things are getting BIGGER. BY GOLLY THATS WHAT THEY MEAN BY WESTWARD EXPANSION
Made it to my friends' place here in St Paul where tonight we eat and tomorrow we go look for me a book on tape cuz I'm starting to crack out here y'all! I'm talking to my car! But only when she initiates so it's not weird. Okay okay. It's all me. And San Pedro but I can't seem to get him to talk about anything except war and strife so any suggestions are appreciated with him and his so called 'personality.'
I got an idea of something to do tomorrow. Thanks for reading my love and keep trucking.
DAY FOUR: MAY 23 I THINK: THIS COUCH IN ST PAUL MINNISOTA TO THE SAME EXACT SPOT ON THIS COUCH
Today I made a new friend. His name is El Chapo and he sits there like this:
Finally made it here:
Thrifted Minnesota style and got some tunage for the road:
And if you know me you know getting only four unnecessary books was the struggle that I faced today.
My hosts, Dylan and Sara, are giants in the field of hospitality and I thank them for letting me shower and use the nicest bath products ever. I feel like a million bucks!
Got a little worried I'd accidentally spend months or even years without realizing it and this counterclockwise timepiece didn't sooth that sensation. Tomorrow morning, I'm back on the road for real! I miss the car and snacks and the cozy backseat and the notebooks on the front seat desk.
Thanks Sara and Dylan for providing me with a mid-trip pit stop and trying to figure out my vape battery when it was flashing red blue and green and getting hotter and hotter.
I saw the butt of a very large deer or elk out here this evening. The rest was hidden by foliage so I guess it was mooning me or something.
Great day in St Paul! If God's going to hit me with a lightning bolt or something on the road to Damascus type style, I feel like that's gonna happen tomorrow.
In the morning I'm heading somewhere I always wanted to go. I'll tell you tomorrow. It's a surprise!
Peace y'all! Sleep well and dream hard.
DAY SIX INCLUDING DAY FIVE
St Paul MN to Sioux Falls SD
Then Sioux Falls to Wall, SD
I write to you now from Wall Drug. Today's goal but not final destination.
Since I didn't blog last night let me cover yesterday's events. They were few. I drove through Minnesota, by Lake Peppin
and visited Laura Ingalls Wilders birthplace and museum, which I always knew I would pilgrimage to.
Got to Sioux Falls which turned out to just be a Wal-Mart which is exactly what I needed to sleep in my baby but no internet so I amused myself and vowed to cross South Dakota the next day. I remembered the hellscape it can be and had been psyching myself up for it the whole trip.
Thoughts and billboards from the road.[billboards will be direct quoted in brackets like these]. My day so far:
4 and a half hours of watching this. Please zoom in on that billboard for me.
Everything's either making me sick or pissing me off. All the roadkill kangaroos and not a burger king in sight. McDonald's internet doesn't work and their coffee Jesus no wonder it's always getting them sued it's a wonder its still in liquid state.
It's getting wilder out here but I'm not in the West yet. I'll let you know when I feel it.
Sexy woman with automatic weapon [SILENCERS MADE EASY]
[YOLO you only live once WALL DRUG 290 MILES]
things I lost and found today: lost footloose tape, loose in the car somewhere. Lost one of my new Minnesota sandles from the hood of my car into the road but attempted murdered myself to retrieve it. Found nosehair trimmer thank god I was freaking out.
Shovel [Have you dug wall drug]
This is the devils land.
[PRAIRIE PIZZA]
I don't even want to know.
At this point I tried to start an argument with my body but she was so docile and kind I got bored and chilled out a little.
Dino cartoon [DO LUNCH OR BE LUNCH WALL DRUG 141 MILES]
God I wish I had hard drugs. I'm in a dead end nightmare. The speed limits 80 and 65 in construction zones.
[COME RIDE WITH MCNASTY 1880 TOWN]
I'm good thanks.
[BADLANDS 62 MILES]
It gets worse?
A black cow stretches it's back like a dog before it stands up and I notice low mountains on the southern horizon. They could be a million miles away for all I know.
[MEXICAN FOOD. LOCAL WATER.]
The only way to travel this road is alone. Bad things could happen otherwise. Really bad things.
This is a gas station in South dakota:
This is people shooting guns at the gas station in South dakota:
I don't know if it's my speakers but if I ever hear one more harmonica in my life I swear I'll go mental.
[South Dakota Hall of Fame next exit]
Probably all billboards.
Run my hand through my hair and it stands straight out to the side. I look like i just narrowly escaped a human trafficking situation.
The sky's blue grey and cloudless. The road just grey. I wonder how many actual murders take place in 1880 town.
[ entering mountain time zone]
[KIDS LOVE 1880 TOWN]
why do I doubt that? Oh because it's in South Dakota.
[BE YOURSELF WALL DRUG]
My eyes gave up on differentiating cows and haybales. Who even cares anymore.
[WHOLESALE FIREWORKS]
come on, please?
I'm thinking about it.
This is why I roll my eyes when people talk about overpopulation. They obviously haven't seen this nonsense.
Black suvs followed me all day. I guess lots of people here have them but still freak me out why doncha.
[LIVE A LITTLE! FEED THE PRAIRIE DOGS]
I'm not making any of these up.
I didn't think I was . . . . .
But when I saw [WALL DRUG 29 miles] I could not believe my eyes.
[WALL DRUG OR BUST!]
Here I sit. It's Miller time and the cactus cafe at wall drugs got wifi. Lemme add some pictures from this, the site of wounded knee, ya boy: WALL DRUG
I'll take pictures. Gotta take it all in.
DAY EIGHT!
I will blog later but I'm getting frustrated with uploading and technology but I am alive and I have crazy stories and thousands of amazing pictures from Yellowstone. Here's two to tide y'all over:
Okay and this too. I was already wearing that shirt.
Yeah zoom on in on that. Didn't I tell you! I been telling you for years!
Anyway here's a short video from Yellowstone and I promise I will tell all later when I get some Rockie roads behind me.
I love you. Wish me luck! More tonight.
DAY NINE
you didn't think I'd leave you hanging did you? Right now I'm in my office (burger king I love you) in Pendleton oregon, three hours from final destination, Portland.
I have a lot to cover and I'm going to do it now while I am still road tripping.
I left you at wall drug, south Dakota, remember? I rested there around town and in my car until it got darker and chillier. Then i hit the road. Wanted to get out of south dakota. So I drove thrpugh into Wyoming and at 2 am in a little town called buffalo where I believe I got on a new road I saw the classic blue flashers light up my houseboat on wheels. I strategically gathered my paperwork as the cop walked up and said good morning. Really. It's 2. He said I caught you going 43 in a 30 back there. Can I see your licence registration and insurance. Sure. Here, I'm so sorry.
Yeah he ran VSNQEST hehe
Anyway just a warning and I kept driving but since it was dark as Wyoming at night out there, I didn't even realize I was approaching hills/mountains. Okay, I think
Some guy at BK just asked me if I was alright. I responded he said nevermind. I wasn't kidding about the human trafficking look. Hopefully I don't bring that into style.
Back to the story. I'm thumbing this thing as fast as I can. So I was driving that mountain at night for ev er and I was getting low on gas oh and also there was snow. For all i said about south dakota, at least they have gas stations! So . . . . Finally I located on what seemed the tip of the peak when I was on orange warning and a two pump. Tgank god. I put in my car. It said see attendant. 330 am they were all closed up. Top of snowy mountain above what is named Crazy Woman Creek, I park in the lot and bundle as best I can. Woke out of some kind of snake dream by loud tapping and WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?
I . . . I need some gas!
Okay, it'll take me a minute to set up.
Okay so now we are on Sunday, May 26, the day I drove through Yellowstone.
Wyoming, what I saw of it before Yellowstone looked like god let his kids build it with big clumsy hands. Landfirms ancient and adorable, like Big Foot and Duckys playground. Things have names like Big Horn, Rattlesnake Road and Horse Hotel.
That morning I vowed to cross the Rockies and get a shower by nightfall. Didn't happen.
I saw the Rockies then for real like Don quijotes windmills like the view of goliath from the eyes of a boy, like my own fears in blue and white and there was no way around them.
First what happened is I thought I went under them. Through a tunnel. My birth at 70 miles an hour from the east to the West. Boom! Felt wonderful. I wrote a little poem about the feeling. I felt all my friends and family and spirits around me and in me. I drove beside the Shashone River. I passed a buffalo on the road. I saw a guy on a lawnchair on a van. All yhese things spelled West.
I loved Yellowstone and will post lots of pictures of all kinds of stuff after I save this because I don't want to risk anything. Yellowstone was amazing. Glaciers and baby bison, windy roads . . .. . I was in there forever. By the time I got out I wanted to rip out my eyes so I didn't have to see any more perfectly printable landscapes And return to the land of people! Civilization!
So I drove as far as east Yellowstone, a western super high altitude cool town with at least 30 hotels. I was pooped and I knew Miracle was too. Ah and from the town I could see to the West, what I will call the Alps, the big ones, the great wall. Hotels were at least 125 for the night so I settled for a 50 illegal camping ticket in a safe little parking lot where all these diys kept howling. I also saw and heard a chiaua howl that day in a red car at burger king.
The next morning, Monday, yesterday, Miracle sounded rough and was squeaking her brakes to me but I got her some gas, pepper her up and frankly .
Wait. Yesterday did I go all the way through ah yes just Idaho. Though I forgot a whole state there but no, it was just in a tiny sliver of Montana, that timberline city.
Okay, so yesterday I nailed Idaho to the ground! It rained lime all day and y'all know how fickle my wipers are and the speed limit was 80 but they worked when they had to and the angels gramma prayed to surround my car are working their shiny little butts off and whoever is helping me not get lost, kudos to you!!
Okay, I'm going to take a stretch break then I'll get up to now.
But I can never get up to now! Ahhh okay hang tight I'll be back soon .
DAY TWELVE!
Haha we all knew that was going to happen didn't we?
Here i'll upload the pictures, then post, then come back in with the story, then come back in with videos and editing.
Let's take some time now to recognize the crew, none of whom could I have made it to Portland without:
San Pedro, patron saint frog of shifting gears. Pretty much did all the heavy lifting and decision making. Also brought good luck.
This is Acrystal. That's her name. She was left on my antenna when I was on that little beach on the gorge coast, day ten. Shined light all over me and Miracle.
Cyclonia. John sent her along with me and she served us well casting protective shields. No evil can harm us when she is around.
Sacageweah. From Yellowstone. Sex appeal.
Burger King! Now I'm a burbliever! I mean I don't eat the food but I can't tell you how happy I got every time one popped up. Highly recommended for their internet and 50 cent large coffees.
Miracle!! And it was one. So much to say about this car, my bestie, my year 1985 time and space machine, my airbending Amiga. Before we left, all my family and friends put their hands on her and blessed her and in the morning all the hands were painted on her in yellow pollen. God bless her. You may notice she got a new bumper tattoo in South dakota.
The Great Eagle in the Sky that carried my taco, aka vulvo, to the here and now.
Last but not least Avi P! (Short for avacado powers) picked him up somewhere in Idaho. Super helpful. He is dating Cyclonia now so please join me in wishing all the best to them and their life together.
America the beautiful! Thanks for everything and the road signs are solid!
