The South 5/5/13 - 6/17/13

I can often be a homebody and had originally thought that I would stick around the East for four weeks. I had come to think of Colorado as my new home and had figured that I would be itching to get back after a month. I did want to give the snow on the mountaintops ample time to melt and make the hiking easier. All told though, I stuck around for six weeks. What's the rush? For once I didn't have a plane to catch or some job to get back to. I caught myself enjoying my new found freedoms. I was able to really take the time and visit with all the people that I know and love. This extended trip was the polar opposite to say, a hectic Christmas visit.

It's odd how things inevitably change while simultaneously remaining the same. An odd juxtaposition for sure. Going back to hang out with friends and family is great. There are always the same inside jokes and stories that never get old. These things are irreplaceable yet they often sound ridiculous when you try to explain them to somebody not in the know. There is always change too. That is the other side of the coin, no pun intended. People get married and start families, towns grow, landscapes change. Growing up happens whether you're paying attention or not and the pace only quickens. I am blessed to know so many great people and seeing them always makes me feel so fortunate. Living out west makes me really appreciate other staples of the south as well, one being accents. Generally, most of the accents in Colorado are pretty flat compared to what I'm used to. I sorely missed the myriad of drawls and twangs from Alabama and North Carolina. If you aren't from the south then they probably all sound the same. Being from that area and having an ear for it, I assure you this is not the case. This also gives rise to much beloved local colloquialisms. Admittedly they range in shades of red from the darker "Used to could" and "Onced or twiced" to the lighter "Way on back now" and "Of an evening". As I type this I realize that they probably don't even make sense without the proper context. Of course the quintessential "Y'all" shall not be forgotten. No matter how out of place, I use it always. Ready to take it to the next level? All y'all. That. Just. Happened. The speed at which my accent will come back will surprise even myself and I welcome it. I can't speak of the south without waxing poetic about food as well. There is so much soulful comfort food that I grow hungry just thinking about it. I don't know why but oddly enough when I think of food back home Bojangles always quickly comes to mind. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you haven't yet lived. Lastly, corn liquor. Commonly known as moonshine, there is nothing else like it.

After you leave an area you fondly remember it as you last saw it. Both time and change are always present though. It is important to go back to the old stomping grounds as circumstances allow. I was able to make one big circle once in North Carolina. I started out in Sylva and then went to Wilmington. After that I made my way down to Montgomery, Alabama and eventually back up again to Sylva. While in Sylva I combed through the last of my things at mom's house as she was getting ready to move. It was good that I did too. It is always fascinating how many forgotten things get unearthed while moving. I found a bunch of childhood treasures in the form of baseball cards, old coins, garnets, arrow heads and broken pottery.

Mom and I both went through a small mountain of old photographs. Some I had never even seen but all brought back fond memories. I also garnered new addictions to the show Breaking Bad and a proprietary recipe of aptly named Kick A$$ margaritas. Wilmington failed to disappoint. I have never had a bad time in that town and it was great being there for the wedding of Lindsay and Eric (Congratulations again you guys). With an occasion like that old friends are sure to come out of the woodwork and it was great seeing faces for the first time in several years. Also, my brother lives in town and it is always so good to see him. In Montgomery I was able to spend time with family members at a sane pace. Again, this was no helter skelter Christmas visit. Spending time at the lake was also fun. Greater periods of time go by in between each visit so I was sure to enjoy this one. Dad was motivated to get out and explore an old fire tower and the area around it. It was a good time and nice to see a new area of Lake Martin.

Heading back up to North Carolina rounded the trip out. I helped mom with her move as much as I could and also spent valuable time with very close friends. I love all y'all and very much enjoy spending time with you. 

As my self declared departure dates would approach, show up, and then slide by I would make new ones. I was dragging my feet and not looking forward to the gratuitously long drive ahead of me. All good things must come to an end though. The car got packed with the last of my keepsakes from mom's on top of everything else and I hit the road. This time however I was not going to go back the way I came. I had been on I-70 and seen Kansas already. Sorry Dorothy but no amount of heel clicking will convince me to see Kansas anytime soon. This time I had my sights set on New Mexico, the new and unseen.

Eastbound and Down 5/2/13

Moving sure is fun isn't it? It's high up there on the fun stuff to do list. Just think, you get to go through all your stuff and separate everything into the "keep" pile and "thriftstore" pile. Then you get to deal with switching contact information, changing billing addresses, and worrying about the landlord doing the final walkthrough. They sure get creative with how they whittle away at that security deposit. Yes, moving is right up there with pulling teeth.

There are some good aspects to moving though. It forces you to really go through things you've inevitably squirreled away over time. As you sort through stuff it feels liberating to shed dead weight and really consolidate what you have, into what you need. In the past three years I've moved three times. With so much coming and going on an annual basis one really learns what to keep and what to let go. This past move was no exception. Now that my home base is a subaru wagon and a 5x5 storage unit I don't have any fluff floating around. 

What got me most excited about checking out of real life and moving to nowhereland was a trip to Long Beach, California. It reminded me that there is more to see in this world than just the county I was living in. Admittedly it's easy to get comfortable with the familiar and this trip on a whim was long overdue. 

Interestingly enough, it got me really motivated. Previously in the year I had wondered about how long it would take to climb all the highest mountains in Colorado. It never got too terribly far in the thought process. I knew that I would want to climb them all in time. I left Long Beach with an odd motivation. I knew I would climb all the 14ers Colorado has to offer. (Read the Mission page if you haven't already) Only a minority of hikers have done this accomplishment and fewer still in the time frame that I aim to. I was going to summit all 54 of them in a single summer! I wanted to challenge myself to a daunting feat that at first glance seemed unreasonable. I wanted to set a lofty goal for myself and then actually attain it! 

First things first though. I got back from Long Beach and was welcomed home with fresh snow. Not that it was all together unwelcome it is just a shock leaving mid 70's highs on the coast to below freezing again with over a foot of fresh snow to add to the existing snow already there. 

Once there was another powder day under my belt, it was back again to pulling teeth. Final bills were paid, accounts were closed, security deposits whittled away, and all excess was given to anybody interested. Chuck this one onto the growing pile of moves. It did feel good to have a new, albeit unconventional, direction to go in. I wanted to take advantage of my newfound freedom and the next natural step was to go back to the homeland of the south and see all the happy smiling faces that I know. Living in Colorado and being from the south makes it difficult to get back and see all the people that you know and love. So after it was all said and done, east was the only direction that my compass was pointing. Getting back would be no small chore though. Keeping in line with Murphy's Law, my alternator and battery thought it prudent to die right in the midst of moving. That was a nice hit to the summer fund. 

Points A and B were seperated on the map by the better part of 1600 miles.That was a lot to ask of a car pushing 192,000 miles so I thought it prudent to take it in to the shop. After the alternator incident this should read as obvious foreshadowing. The mechanic did give it the go ahead after looking over it which was reassuring. Who needs to break down in the middle of a road trip, right? I should mention that I managed to watch the travel documentary "Craigslist Joe" right around the time of the Long Beach trip as well. I am an avid Craigslist fan and would encourage anybody and everybody to watch this. The premiss is that a guy named Joe would live solely off of craigslist for a month with absolutely no money and no outside help. His main mode of transportation for that month was utilizing a part of craigslist called rideshares. After doing some quick math with the number of miles driven and my gas mileage it was no secret that any additional money would be very welcome. I was all fired up to give this a try and spent a good bit of time both looking for and posting ads. As tight as I was on a budget I wasn't so antsy as to give a person collecting machetes and hockey masks a ride. I told as much to Phil, who thought it was funny. He shared my sense of humor and only needed a ride to Kansas City which happend to be my first stop. Rideshare found. 

The ride was as uneventful as you can imagine an interstate running through Kansas to be. I don't remember what the nearest town was but I do remember exit 260. I had a big ol' messy meatball sub that I was trying to eat and drive with at the same time. I had just taken a bite when I thought that the car was acting a bit strange. When you have an older car like I do you learn to trust your instincts when it comes to the mechanically strange. I just managed to organize my pile of marinara mess when the rear end started shuddering. I pulled it off to the shoulder and sure enough, Murphy's Law. Phil was helpful enough so it didn't take any time at all to get the spare tire out and back on the car. Am I the only one that thinks of The Christmas Story anytime a tire is being changed and there is a pile of oh so precious lugnuts? The tire made it on without any words that start with an F and we were on our merry way. I was rocking the little wee doughnut though so I wasn't going any faster than 60 miles an hour. Content to be on the road again I let my thoughts wonder. Before too long I was aware that there seemed to be an odd bouncing going on. Weird Kansas roads and certainly not my car, wishful thinking. Wishful thinking can only get you so far though before Murphy is creeping around the corner. After coming up to a toll booth I was greeted with the sounds of metal grinding and the smell of gear oil. Apparently bad axle mounts plus a doughnut on the car compound problems into a call for a tow truck. I am a big fan of AAA and I at least was able to limp the wagon within the 100 mile radius to Kansas City that I could get towed. Conveniently enough for both Phil and I, we were able to make our destinations. My craigslist rideshare Phil was a nice enough guy, definitely a character and good for my first rideshare. I guess they are really only one step above hitchhiker status but at least you get to bounce a couple of emails back and forth before you decide to give them a lift. There is always the uncertain element of having an almost stranger in your car but it was interesting. From the corner of my eye I saw him look at me nervously when I used my pocket knife to open up a bag of fruit. I thought it funny but he must not have been as rural savvy. He made the drive through Kansas more tolerable with his stories of living on the road and going from city to city doing musical performances. As we parted ways he gave me a disc of his music to listen to. It was good that I didn't have to hear it in the car as we road along. Sorry Phil but if you ever happen to randomly read this your music didn't strike me as resembling David Bowie or Michael Bublé. I applaud your passion and efforts.

I was starting to feel like my trip that had just started was going to rival one of Clark W. Griswold's. It's important to not overreact though, I didn't have a body strapped to the top of my car. Lucky for me I had a friend who lived in Kansas City and I was able to get the car towed there. Thanks Kansas Dave and Shaina! In true later than late fashion I managed to roll in around two in the morning. I cruised into town right in time for Dave's birthday too so I was treated to some fried chicken and festivities the next day. Their hospitality was amazing and I was really grateful to have a couch to crash on. Dave knew a good mechanic in the next town over so I was able to again get my car towed over there and get serviced. I was really fortunate to be able to have the mechanic look at it that day and get that ball rolling. I was so worried that he would call me back talking about a broken flux capacitor and a four digit bill. I knew that my tire was pretty well smoked as it has a number of odd bulges coming out of the sidewall so I was ready for that one. When he did get ahold of me with the bill it was luckily just three digits and something that I was able to pay. I had to get another tire but my flux capacitor was apparently fine and the blinker fluid levels were full. With the car rolling of it's own accord I said my proper thank yous and good byes and was on my way. 

The remainder of the drive was free of any mechanical mishaps or odd occurrences. It was beautifully boring. I always seem to get into the grind of driving and zone out for those hours in between gas station fill ups. I get in the groove of having cruise control and the radio be my best friends for hours at a time and just let the miles slide by. The sun was setting as I grew nearer to the east and before long it was nighttime. My mom was sure to tell me to not get in exceptionally late. Of course I pulled my signature move and got in around one in the morning. I managed to ninja into the house without waking anybody up but I was back in the south.