Way Out Moab Way

    I've been in Moab UT for over a week and I can feel it clutching at me, like a lustful lover on a warm eve. She wants me to stay and I wouldn't mind, but I hear the road calling. The call to adventure sounds and I must obey, leaving Moab one way or another.

   I've yet to decide which way to head. A few locals whom I've befriended keep urging me South. Monument Valley is something to see, they say. Like rafting on the Colorado and seeing Canyonlands, it's not to be missed.

   I, on the other hand, am tempted to head North to Green River and then West again. Where, they tell me, there is absolutely nothing for miles and miles but desert, hot Sun, scorpions, snakes and a possible chance of being abducted by aliens along Extraterrestrial Highway.

   Trying to find a ride via CraigsList has yielded nothing. Some have said they would get me to Vegas and then getting to Cali would be easy peezy. Afterwards, when I thought the ride was assured and found some cash to throw at them for gas they flaked. Left me swinging in the wind. No worries though.

   Moab has been very good to me. I've found some work to put extra bills in my pocket and have met some really cool people. They let me stay in their yard for a good while, so I feel the need not to outstay my welcome and move on. I drank from Matrimony Springs, where that dino print is, so that means I'm destined to return but for now the question is, which way do I go?

   If you have any suggestions or can help, please, let me know.
wanderlustromeo@gmail.com
   Good journey fellow travellers

Today is Yesterday's Tomorrow

   Tonight I use Josh Simpson's Dell laptop to write this. His dog, Mickey, lies beside me.

   I've pissed so many people off in the past week. Good people. Kind people. My friends. It was all unintentional, as most pissing offs usually are, and I can't help but feel horrible. The friendships I have mean alot to me and I hope I haven't irreparably shattered them due to the shit that went down in Denver.

   The debacles started when I realized my hat had been stolen along with my cash but that is rehashing old news.

   Coming to my rescue were friends who helped me get ahold of my father who in turn bought me a train ticket to Grand Junction where I am now. What transpired though was draining to say the least.

   I had to text almost everyone I knew and had met along the way so far for help. The pastor from Spiceland IN believed it was a scam and declined any assistance. My sister even told me it was my problem (which it was) and fell asleep at home without doing more than almost nothing. In her defense she'd worked very hard that day and was super tired, but in that moment I thought the dichotomy of her asking me to text her every am/pm because she worried, coupled with her nonchalance at shluffing me off, was strange.

   Finally I was able to (thru various texts back-and-forth to a friend) procure a ticket for the morning out of Denver. Slept on the sidewalk outside the train station that night. It gave me a new found empathy and compassion for those people who have to sleep outside every night.

   The morning arrived. As they always will no matter how dark the night is. I boarded the train and went thru The Rockies. Words will not do justice to the breathtaking beauty I witnessed passing thru that awesome range. I fell asleep at different times and what a joy it was to awake and see a new vista.

   The town of Grand Junction is fabulous. I can see how easy it would be to get trapped here. There's a quality to the the air, the pubs, the women that intoxicate the soul.

    Now as to the last few posts I must apologize gentle reader. It was my own fault I let something bother me so badly that I lashed out on here and dragged everyone into it. My intention was merely to clear the air and it ended up being a murderous attack to defend my choices. The correct thing to do would have been nothing. Just let the words fall like rain off a fir tree. I wish I could take my reaction back but all I can do is learn from it.

   This town has been good to me. I got into the local paper. The lady who interviewed me gave me a hat to replace my missing comrade. Glamdring continues to get all the compliments. Everywhere I go. "That's a nice walking stick. Can I hold it? "At first I was leery of letting people touch it but Glamdring loves the attention. It is so much more than "just a stick"

   So tonight I am doing alright. Made some money and new friends. And did I mention, I'm kind of a big deal now?

   Just kidding! Good journey fellow travellers

Strangers become friends

  
   Yesterday I passed into Illinois and had an impromptu little celebration at the state line. Fifty feet up the road my welcoming committee arrived. Two happy go-lucky dogs, smiling and waging their tails, greeted me, Mercutio and Glamdring. I noticed a B&B and went to sit on the porch with my new friends. The view was extraordinary.

    Nobody was around at the B&B. I knocked multiple times, receiving no answer and told the dogs how displeased I was. They smiled and wagged their tails. Happy in the companionship I offered them for however brief my stay.

    I grew increasingly agitated as time passed and still no one showed. Cursed the gods. Slandered humanity. What kind of people leave their place of business unoccupied in the middle of the day? Granted, probably not alot of people stopping there. I said goodbye to my new friends and left.

    No sooner did I get ten steps down the road when a car pulled over and offered me a ride. I had a moment of fear as I shut their tailgate with Mercutio inside. If they take off I'm gonna be screwed. They didn't though. They took me to Paris. No, not that one. Paris, IL.

    Matt and Mary Kate were their names. Matt kept buying me beers at this bar we stopped at. Cheers. Yeah, I know. I offered multiple times to buy but he refused saying if I would let him buy it would mean an awful lot. They saw an old friend they haven't seen in years and we all went back to Ben's house. What an amazing dude. He got a DUI at a young age and went into counterfeiting to pay the fine and then went to Federal Court because of it, all the while becoming an accomplished musician. I didn't do the story justice but I will, not yet though. You'll have to wait for the book.

    Spent a great night partying with great people. Matt and Mary Kate offered me a couch to sleep on which I accepted. Gratefully. And that's not all. They took me back into Indiana , which I was a little hesitant about. Don't wanna backtrack. I said so. It was then Matt broached the subject of a bus ticket to Denver, CO.

    I was floored. "I don't know, man. You've done so much for me already." -  "Dude, please. My major concern is your safety and I would love to get this ticket for you. In some ways your adventure has become mine too and I kinda am living vicariously thru you. Think about it." -  "I don't know man. That's alot of money." - "It's only paper man. And I get to help you along on your journey. It would be my pleasure."  I accepted.

    Long did I ponder whether or not I was cheating the quest by taking this opportunity. I laid awake tossing the idea back-and-forth in my mind. Little late though to be questioning, I thought, the ticket is already purchased. Might as well go with it. Accept the magick. That's when the smile came.

   Because that's what it is, you know. Magick. When I woke yesterday I had no idea where the day would take me. I did know that the Great Spirit drags me thru the depths of misery to a place so high most never see it. It happens over and again. When I was on that porch I was very blue. Very low and defeated and I moved out into the Sun drenched blacktop to continue on. That's when I got raised up. I feel like I 'm being slingshotted across the country. Made it to IL only to go back to IN and then ----> THWINNG!! all the way to Denver.

    I type this on Matt and Mary Kate's Mac before I leave. I am so grateful for all they have done and the great folks I've met. Ben, Carter, and the bartendress at Cheers. Tomorrow I will be in Denver, CO. Who knows how I'll move on from there?

Good journey fellow travellers

The Magic 3

   Today I posted a challenge on Twitter. I wanted to reach 30 followers by the end of the day. Well in less than 5 minutes "The Magic 3" appeared.
   They are DB @immerume2 Adrian K @lunatitch & Robb @zenorobb. They rose. I promised a special mention and here it is.
    Many thanks to "The Magic 3" and if you are a tweeter make sure to follow them. They are amazing.
Good journey fellow travellers

HAPPY 4th of JULY! ! !

Clarification

   I feel the need to clear some things up.

   Yes I did say I'd be walking across America and in the beginning I believed I would, though I took a train to start the journey so thusly I can't truly say I've walked the entire way anyhow. Also, there are DAYS upon DAYS filled with only me, walking and hot blacktop and buzzards and trucks barely missing me as they zoom by and some cars veering over as if they want to hit me and people shouting obscenities and curses at me as they pass and almost running out of water and blisters and a stress fracture in my foot and a hyperextended knee, so I've done (and will continue to do) plenty of walking. If someone pulls up at the end of a long, rough day of beatin' feet I of course am going to take the ride. It'd be rude not to.

   Walking has led me to a greater appreciation for rides, hot meals, beds, and showers. When I was standing in the pouring rain for hours the other day, absolutely drenched and soaked to my soul, I watched car after car zip right by. Do not think that every person in the world is stopping to offer me a ride. Would you stop for a guy in the pouring rain with a pack and stick? I am grateful beyond these mere words can express to all the folks who have helped me.

   The goal was to see America and it's people and I am doing just that. I admire the ones who are offered rides and decline them. It takes a strength of character perhaps I lack. But I've found the greatest people doing this trip (as I live my life) my own way. I shall continue to travel as I see fit and do what works for me. You should get out and see this country you live in, anyway you want. Walk (those doing solely that have my utmost respect) drive, take a train, whatever. Only do it. That's all I can say to you. You'll never forget the experience.

   Good journey fellow travellers