Side Trip
Lately it occurs to me... what a long strange trip it's been.
Let's try to sum this up quickly...
Left the trail at Red's Meadow. Found some awesome ("awesome" in the archaic sense of the word, ala Eddie Izzard) hot springs the day before, so I was feeling pretty good.
From there, I talked three bus drivers into giving me free rides down to the highway, where I got some rides, eventually got one to Reno from the saddest man I have ever met. After that, I was stuck in Reno, the armpit of the US, for two days. I had a terrible time, was threatened by both a knife and by trainyard security, and couldn't hitch out to save my life.
FINALLY, I escaped, had some hot tasty french fries, and was then picked up by a truck driver headed to Iowa. Sweet. Took me almost all the way to the Gathering, and we chatted up a storm before hand, got along rather well. He gave me his cell number, and he travels back and forth on I-80 every week or so, thus, I am set up if I ever want to travel across the nation again. Woohoo.
Got to the Gathering. Lots of cops. Lots of hippies. Estimates range from 15,000 to 30,000 people. Ryan and Ryan and others I didn't know very well were there too. But unfortunately, when I found Ryan and Ryan, they were leaving. Apparantly, they weren't having a good time. So, I was on my own again.
Made friends with their friends who were staying and hung out with them for the next couple days. On the 4th, everyone congregated into the giant main meadow and formed an enormous circle, too large to see the other side of. It was understood that you were to be silent. And it was. Tens of thousands of people and hardly a sound. And then a parade of children marched into the center of the circle, and the entire Gathering erupted into celebration. It was madness, nay, it was raw chaos. There was watermelon and drum circles and nudity and weddings and hula hoops and bubbles and kegs being rolled into the meadow and drugs being passed around like they were handshakes. I've never seen any party so entirely concerned with celebration.
After that, came the matter of finding a ride out. Took me only a day, I nabbed a ride with some folks headed straight towards Old Station, so that's where I'll be getting back on the trail. My time is about to run out, so I gotta run. Much love to everyone back home!
Let's try to sum this up quickly...
Left the trail at Red's Meadow. Found some awesome ("awesome" in the archaic sense of the word, ala Eddie Izzard) hot springs the day before, so I was feeling pretty good.
From there, I talked three bus drivers into giving me free rides down to the highway, where I got some rides, eventually got one to Reno from the saddest man I have ever met. After that, I was stuck in Reno, the armpit of the US, for two days. I had a terrible time, was threatened by both a knife and by trainyard security, and couldn't hitch out to save my life.
FINALLY, I escaped, had some hot tasty french fries, and was then picked up by a truck driver headed to Iowa. Sweet. Took me almost all the way to the Gathering, and we chatted up a storm before hand, got along rather well. He gave me his cell number, and he travels back and forth on I-80 every week or so, thus, I am set up if I ever want to travel across the nation again. Woohoo.
Got to the Gathering. Lots of cops. Lots of hippies. Estimates range from 15,000 to 30,000 people. Ryan and Ryan and others I didn't know very well were there too. But unfortunately, when I found Ryan and Ryan, they were leaving. Apparantly, they weren't having a good time. So, I was on my own again.
Made friends with their friends who were staying and hung out with them for the next couple days. On the 4th, everyone congregated into the giant main meadow and formed an enormous circle, too large to see the other side of. It was understood that you were to be silent. And it was. Tens of thousands of people and hardly a sound. And then a parade of children marched into the center of the circle, and the entire Gathering erupted into celebration. It was madness, nay, it was raw chaos. There was watermelon and drum circles and nudity and weddings and hula hoops and bubbles and kegs being rolled into the meadow and drugs being passed around like they were handshakes. I've never seen any party so entirely concerned with celebration.
After that, came the matter of finding a ride out. Took me only a day, I nabbed a ride with some folks headed straight towards Old Station, so that's where I'll be getting back on the trail. My time is about to run out, so I gotta run. Much love to everyone back home!
posted by Lennard | 9:52 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Since I couldn't drive a stick, this ride decided it would be proper to ditch me at a rest stop. Just before Reno. Yes, I got stuck there again. Either God has a wicked sense of irony or none at all.
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