(no subject)
Two weeks ago after a series of event of which I was very dissatisfied, I decided to take an impromptu road trip. It was Sunday night, I couldn't sleep, and in order to drift off I made a promise. I would just go.
The following day, Monday, I told my boss that I needed the rest of the week off. I needed to get out of here and just go. He said yes and that evening after packing up the car with a army surplus duffel bag, a cooler, a pillow and some blankets, I left. I knew I was headed West and West was where I went.
I hadn't been in the best of spirits. I'm done with school, trying to work as much as possible (more like as much as I really want to force myself to), want to get away from where I've been for the past 24 years. Somethings just never change. But for me to be able to continue where I was at I needed to be away from it for several days. I went to South Dakota to start. I drove through the night making two stops for short naps. I couldn't help but smile the whole time I was driving. I ended up in Pierre that night and got to catch up with a friend whom had just moved out there. It was a great time, we had supper, watch a movie, had a couple of drinks. It was a good start to what was a good trip.
I hadn't ever really been on an Indian Reservation so I made that my next stop. I was going to head to North Dakota, but on the way I going to go through Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Indian Reservations. It was an eye opening experience. I understood, but didn't realize the conditions in which they lived. It made me both angry and sad, but for two different reasons for each emotion. It was when I visited Sitting Bull's grave site that I was most shocked. Just a boulder with a plaque and a lot of overgrown grass. As a friend of mine said, Indian with a single tear. Horrible but I figure it's both funny and okay that she said that because she's partially Native American. But yeah, I ended up in Fargo that evening.
In Fargo I stopped by North Dakota State University to see if there was an ATO chapter up there. Turned out there was, and I surprised them by just showing up and introducing myself. I think the fact that I just spontaneously decided to go on a trip is what confused them the most. I had a good time with them. Got plenty intoxicated, played a lot of pool, and a lot of darts. It was nice to know that my fraternity has some good chapters out there. There have been a few that haven't been all too nice.
After crashing at their house, I ended up going into Minnesota and stopping in the Twin Cities at the Mall of America. I had always been curious about it ever since it opened. However, due to the hype that it had received, I thought it would be bigger. I wasn't disappointed by the size so much as the contents. I figured it would have been better had there been stores with more interesting wares. I'm not materialistic, but then I do have my foibles when it comes to wanting material goods. I think the best part of my being there was lunch at Taco Bell and a bit of exercise from walking.
I didn't sleep until I reached the Northernmost part of the upper peninsula of Michigan. I did make a few more stops though between Minneapolis-St. Paul. I crossed to the lower part of Minnesota into Wisconsin and over to Milwaukee. I think the second slowest but the most frustrating portion of my trip was from St. Paul to Madison. But it was also one of the most gratifying parts of the trip. In Milwaukee I was able stop and see a very close friend of mine. Nathan and I had been close friends since about the third or fourth grade. He had moved up to the Milwaukee area about two or so years ago and thankfully I've been able to see him more times in that two years than I had in the prior three. After H.S. we had just stopped talking, but now we manage to shoot each other a line each time the other is in the area. So I was able to have a nice supper with him before I took off across the Upper Peninsula.
The UP was the slowest part of my drive. It was enjoyable though. Late at night, across local highways that there were few if any other drivers, the moon reflecting off Lake Michigan, very cool air with the windows down. Felt like a car commercial as odd as that is to say. I ended up just north of a town called Grayling and took an hour nap before heading into a Grayling truck stop for a shower. That day was the day I was to see someone whom had been absent from my life for about five or six years.
If anyone who reads this is privy for having known me for that time or longer, then you may be able to guess, not by name, but by chance whom I am referring to. For those who don't. I met a girl to whom I fell in love with in Washington D.C. just before my senior year of high school. We dated for a year plus and then broke up due to things unbeknownst to me. I later found out that she had cheated on me after about 8 mo. into our relationship, but did so out of unhappiness with herself. She had contacted me before I had gone on my trip and I will suffice to say that she added to the list of things that were at the time burdening my mind. Not hearing from someone to whom you had given yourself over to so freely and hadn't to anyone since sort of has an effect upon you. But that day that I showered in Grayling, MI, I was to see her.
When the time finally came that we met up, it was as if time hadn't really passed. We still spoke very casually and matter-of-factly to each other. It was comforting that even after such an amount of time we had so much in common and held many of the similar interests. I stayed over in Midland, and the following day proceeded back to Iowa. It was the most significant part of my trip due to the nature of it. I'm still thinking about it each day after wondering what nuances I may had missed or things that hadn't been discussed, but look at them without fret. It was a wholly good experience.
The trip from Michigan to my home in Iowa was relatively brief. As per what would be expected of the Chicago-land area, traffic was bad, but not horrible, and after such I was home in a pert three hours. Thankfully I was the only person home because my parents were in Colorado visiting my brother, his wife, and their kids. I had the next few days to recoup and get my bearings as I would reacclimate myself to being stationary once more and getting used to eating.
On my trip I drove over a total of 3,000 miles in 5 1/2 days. I had about four sit down meals and very sporadic and infrequent snacks. Of my expenditures I totaled about $350-400 in fuel charges and $150 in food and drink, with the overwhelming majority of that $150 being spent on drink. I slept little and thought much. All in all it was a good trip and one worth sharing.
So until I can figure a good follow-up.
Later Folks...