IX.

I felt like I was an Extreme expert in scooter driving at this point in my life. The priority I had, and was very dedicated to was figuring out a way to charge my Ipod while on the bike. I did all the regular maintenance by heart, the drive belt, the fluids, the whole thing. I paid to get new tires on it. I still knew nothing more using dish soap with tires.

I threw caution to the wind and installed a DC outlet originally intended for a boat, on the bike. It was my Ipod solution. I would evidently take a phone with a camera. With that, id start some kind of social media page. Despite me hating it, it was easier than giving everyone a heartfelt, “hey How you doing? I’m OK, I’m in Iowa,” or whatever every few days. It began to ware on me, because i’d end up missing those people, wonder if i should have stayed longer, too long, or if I even made a positive impact at all. Sometimes, the opposite, I’d think that maybe that is someone I don’t want to see anymore, then think of ways to weasel out of a long time acquaintance. Most importantly, I knew it was beginning to worry some of my closest people, that I seemed so willing to drive off without contacting anyone. The phone gave me a lot of stress I’d say, an added layer returned from the life i was trying to throw away.

However, I took some bitchin photographs:

I Hit the road on Highway 94 out of Colorado springs. At this time, It was a perfect Highway. Flat, dodgable potholes, absolutely quiet. There was a small calf on the loose maybe 40 miles from an Important turn near Kit Carson. I stopped and pet it, but I really didn’t know how to get it back inside the fence. It ended up getting away with me. It seemed to be chasing like a bug. I’d love to think that a cow facing freedom from the American Beef industry immediately using that freedom to chase a butterfly, endearing. Though, It might have and probably was a cicada.

As I approached the Kansas border, I found a very quiet plot with just an old abandoned farmhouse on it. The roof had caved in with a stove from the 30’s falling through the floor, only propped up by a huge rock That seemed to be part of the foundation. I paced around smoking cigarettes and trying to finish the weed I had. I sat and ate some of the food I had, drank a bunch of water, but I was having a rough time finishing the amount of weed I had brought with me. I was reckless to believe I would. I attempted to roll Three joints but ruined the paper on one, so was only left with two. I looked around for a good spot to ditch the rest. I put the pipe and plastic container in a hole in the side of the house. It wasn’t obvious, I didn’t do anything to indicate that you’d find it. If someone found it, I hope it was still fresh,

I ignored any urge to write down any directions at all. My plan was to drive into Kansas and turn south at the first major Highway. I was pulled over a few times, the cops said I was sunburned. It was uneventful then, But I was still over the moon. Hot, bug filed air whizzing by at 35mph for eight hours a day was just great. Somewhere near dodge city I set up a tent and was left undisturbed. A campsite forgotten, but not unremembered. I missed whatever road I thought I would make, I didn’t mind it much.

I awoke to a busy country highway was nearby, busier than the road I turned off of the night before. I was sort of carrying the paranoia of being pulled over again. I had time to kill, I was taking my sweet time now that I knew the limits of the scooter and myself. I knew that If I tried to go more than 250 miles in a day, It was a big day of driving. I knew that I had to stop at least every three hours to do something, to walk around, to be in a physical position that was different. I got it in my head that I’d go for a long walk every now and then. The hiking would depend on the amount of water I had on me at the time, I remember I did NOT have enough water that day. I did find a wonderful country road to walk down. I took nothing and had my bike hidden in a collapsed barn. I was only a few hours into the day, and I was already horsing around. When I had returned my bike was unscathed, and I was exhausted. It felt great, and I wasn’t regretting it until I was sitting on the big and tired. I was already thinking about where I was going to sleep, I was so tired. I found a gas station near the Oklahoma border, I drank the whole vessel of water I had after filling it a few times at the Big gulp fountain. Somewhere in the Oklahoma Panhandle is a picnic table I fell asleep on for several hours.

I woke up at night, Not far from the road that’d take me east I enjoyed the night air. It was warm, Colorado gets really cold at night, it was nice to feel some change. I like Oklahoma, the whole thing, it’s a nice place to drive around. Headed East I’d see some great things. Turtles, big red rocks, The rivers carving like butter into the plains.

Stopping for gas and to smoke I had made it an incredible distance across Oklahoma. Or what had seemed incredible, there were detours and side tracks by my own choice, and by the will of the substantial flooding that occurred that year. I usually like to drive near rivers, but the bridges were out, It was tragic to see a house float away or damaged, but honestly I enjoyed being able to see the whole state.

With the detours, I had made it to some kind of brine lake, its fame superseded by its north western cousin I’d assume, It was nice. It was the first moment I desired a better camera. The birds were something special, weird looking shorebirds I couldn’t name along with real loud ones that don’t let you get a good look at them. My grandmother told me of a wonderful bird in Oklahoma, the Scissor tail fly-catcher. I looked for one the whole trip across the state thus far, but I really couldn’t say I had seen one for sure, merely speculating at every other bird that remotely looked like one to be it.

Before the Sun was set I was tired, I had again looked for some kind of wayside with a Picnic table, after finding one and getting ready to settle in for the night, the thunderstorm to my east showed it’s face. It was like fireworks across the sky, I watched as I set up my tent.