The day has arrived. The leap into the unknown is about to begin. Do we ever know what awaits us, though? Isn't every day we choose to get out of bed a leap into the unknown? All kinds of events, both good and bad, could happen. For instance, a meteor could hit your neighborhood two doors down from you. Didn't see that coming, did you? Or you could win the lottery! Hey, it could happen. On one hand, you could get shot at the mall food court. Or maybe you'll meet the love of your life at Panda Express. It could happen! Although the odds of the latter happening are probably much less than the former.
I've packed way too much stuff. Some I will jettison along the way, delivering things to friends and family. I should be traveling lighter on the way back. Still, I'm sure I have packed too much, because I don't yet know what I won't need.
Along those lines, this might be my last blogpost. Not because I think I'm going to die, although that could happen, but because I don't know what my internet access is going to look like for the next month. That means if you don't hear from me, please don't worry. I will stay in touch by other means, assuming I'm alive and I am not stranded on BLM land with no cell service.
Speaking of BLM land, I don't expect to be doing much dispersed camping. When I'm not staying at a friend's house, I'm mostly going city stealth, or as stealthy as a novice car camper can be. I've seen all the YouTube videos, but that doesn't mean I know what I'm doing. Truck stop? Walmart? Cracker Barrel? What accommodations will I find in the wild blue yonder?
On my move to Tucson from Portland two years ago I slept in parking lots. The first night was at a casino in Winnemuca, Nevada, and the second, at a hospital in Las Vegas. I moved during Covid, one of the many rounds of Covid that made us all wary of being around other people. I was almost denied entry to use the restroom in the hospital. (That was before I learned how to poop in a bucket.) Now we don't care much about Covid, do we, even though people are still dying from it. People my age, I might add. I'm bringing my mask, and I will wear it into public places, but I don't know what I will do about going into friends' homes. If they want me to mask up, I will. But how do I know where they have been? This might be the time I finally get Covid. Hopefully it won't kill me, and hopefully I won't infect any of my friends or family. More of those dang hopefullies.
My route is basically west, then north. I generally know which way is west, and once I get to the ocean, I know which way to turn. I have some interim destinations tentatively planned along the way, but it's quite possible I will get lost and not find them. This is how I roll. So, if I tell you I planned to visit Temecula to eyeball the Winco store there, but I ended up in Podunk, Idaho, well, don't be surprised. Although I would be too embarrassed to admit I committed such an egregious failure to comprehend a map. I can't blame Google Maps for everything.
Think of me occasionally over the next month or so, will you? I will think of you. I will imagine your lives continuing apace, as if you knew for sure what tomorrow would bring. I will picture you rolling out of your comfy bed, brewing your beverage of choice, check your emailing, and yelling at politicians, if you are so inclined. I hope you will not take your modern conveniences and comfortable routines for granted, because tomorrow they could be removed. Nothing is guaranteed, except death and the tax returns I hope you have already submitted.
Meanwhile, I will be driving and pooping in a bucket, hopefully not at the same time.
Happy trails to me.
