Wednesday, February 15, 2006
The Drive
Here it is, a couple of days after the big long push from Denver to Portland, and I am feeling a bit more normal and rested and not so cracked out. Which I suppose is good.
I will now attempt to recount my experiences on the drive, but have no idea how it will go as I was not the most alert person in the lower 48.
The day I left began at 7:30am. I met up with a cousin of mine and we spent almsot 3 hours driving out into the country to her co-op. This was the only time we could meet up before I left, and I didn't have to drive, so it was all good. Post-family time, I grabbed some coffee, loaded up the car and headed out.
Wisely, I decided to break the projected 18 hours of driving up into 2 stretches. My break came after almost an hour of driving, and was a sit-down lunch with a buddy of mine. Good times, good food, and too much caffeine. My packing prowess stunned my friend into silence (if you know him, his being silent approaches unbelievability), as he could not believe how much I was able to cram into the poor overloaded Saturn (the rear shocks were compressed completely, I think).
A quick good-bye and I was off.
My travels took me thru Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho (I giggled the entire couple of hundred miles I was in the state. And not just because of 'Napoleon Dynamite' quotations)(My first time in the state) and Oregon. A long way, let me tell you.
Fortunately, the moon was full and unhindered all night which rewarded me (for what I don't know) with stunning views of the landscapes baathed in bright moonlight. It really was amazing. The buttes in Wyoming, the mountains in Utah, the hills of Oregon....lovely. Orion remained overhead all night and provided an outlet for my rambling incoherencies. Good times.
Don't worry, I didn't push myself so hard that a crash became imminent. Well, not really. I considered stopping in Idaho, but there was nothing same. Same for Oregon. Not to mention the excitement that overcame me when I crossed into Oregon.
The last couple hundred miles of a long haul are always the worst. Interminable is too kind a word. For a 19 hour drive, this is even more so the case. Those last 300 miles I swear took a month to end. Fortunately I timed my drive perfectly to hit Portland during the morning rush hour. Idiot!
The shakes overtook me pretty fiercely when I got out of the car, and a funny feeling also took hold. Maybe dehydration, continued malnourishment, or simply having been in the car for way too long. In one week I drove about 3,000 miles over...I don't know how many hours. Impressive, no?
No big long drives are ahead of me for some time.
I hope
Other funny things happened, I think, during the drive but nothing is coming to mind right now. Perhaps that's because there were only delusionally funny and I've blocked them out or my mind is slipping?
I will now attempt to recount my experiences on the drive, but have no idea how it will go as I was not the most alert person in the lower 48.
The day I left began at 7:30am. I met up with a cousin of mine and we spent almsot 3 hours driving out into the country to her co-op. This was the only time we could meet up before I left, and I didn't have to drive, so it was all good. Post-family time, I grabbed some coffee, loaded up the car and headed out.
Wisely, I decided to break the projected 18 hours of driving up into 2 stretches. My break came after almost an hour of driving, and was a sit-down lunch with a buddy of mine. Good times, good food, and too much caffeine. My packing prowess stunned my friend into silence (if you know him, his being silent approaches unbelievability), as he could not believe how much I was able to cram into the poor overloaded Saturn (the rear shocks were compressed completely, I think).
A quick good-bye and I was off.
My travels took me thru Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho (I giggled the entire couple of hundred miles I was in the state. And not just because of 'Napoleon Dynamite' quotations)(My first time in the state) and Oregon. A long way, let me tell you.
Fortunately, the moon was full and unhindered all night which rewarded me (for what I don't know) with stunning views of the landscapes baathed in bright moonlight. It really was amazing. The buttes in Wyoming, the mountains in Utah, the hills of Oregon....lovely. Orion remained overhead all night and provided an outlet for my rambling incoherencies. Good times.
Don't worry, I didn't push myself so hard that a crash became imminent. Well, not really. I considered stopping in Idaho, but there was nothing same. Same for Oregon. Not to mention the excitement that overcame me when I crossed into Oregon.
The last couple hundred miles of a long haul are always the worst. Interminable is too kind a word. For a 19 hour drive, this is even more so the case. Those last 300 miles I swear took a month to end. Fortunately I timed my drive perfectly to hit Portland during the morning rush hour. Idiot!
The shakes overtook me pretty fiercely when I got out of the car, and a funny feeling also took hold. Maybe dehydration, continued malnourishment, or simply having been in the car for way too long. In one week I drove about 3,000 miles over...I don't know how many hours. Impressive, no?
No big long drives are ahead of me for some time.
I hope
Other funny things happened, I think, during the drive but nothing is coming to mind right now. Perhaps that's because there were only delusionally funny and I've blocked them out or my mind is slipping?
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