March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. Travel time once again. I had breakfast with Dave, the gentleman who has been so generous with letting me camp on his back porch. Then we both were something of a whirlwind as we packed as quickly as we could to try to get an early start, me to Bandon, Or, him back to LA. Fail on both accounts. Neither of us got out until after noon.
Funny thing about when I leave a place that I sense what I came for is finished, I had no problem at all, emotionally, in leaving. I'll miss a few of the people, but the town has no appeal for me now. I rode the 20 miles to the freeway and filled the tank and headed on to Vegas to visit my daughter.
The sun was quite warm while I headed West, but as soon as I turned North on 95, the wind picked up; dust blowing everywhere. In passing from Arizona into California, there is a traffic stop on the freeway where they check for something or another. They usually just wave motorcycles through but this time, there just wasn't anyone there. Everyone got waved through. The gas was $3.429, and nine miles from California. Twenty one miles from where I filled up at, and at the first Needles, CA exit, gas was $4.769.
Passing from California into Nevada, the road changes abruptly from a 2-lane to a divided double lane highway. Big change in the quality of the road. Nevada obviously has more money to spend and they want to show it off.
Got to visit with my awesome daughter and spend a couple hours with her and my furry grandsons (cats), punctuated by a brief appearance of her boyfriend. Then it was time to go. Hope I get to see her again before too long.
It seems that Las Vegas city has an ordinance of no overnight camping. After almost running out of gas - the bike has a 5.4 gallon tank and I put in 5.198 - I found that even Walmart can't let someone camp. So, I looked online for free camping and found a rest area 80 miles away. So, I rode there and had a good nights sleep.
Good to read the updates and follow your progress along lifes many roads from the comfort of my well cushioned recliner. With all your travels along the various highways and byways of americana I wonder if you ever think about loneliness. If you do occasion a thought (or two) would you day there is a qualitative difference between loneliness and solitude? Perhaps there is no difference, or perhaps...? Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI find that there is a big difference between solitude and loneliness for me. Solitude is the comfort of wanting to be where one is, alone in the midst of one's life. It is restful, peaceful, refreshing. Loneliness is when one wishes life would be other than what it is. The instinct to mate and be witnessed sometimes appears and washes over me for a short time, but recedes much like high tide ebbs into the low. Loneliness is anxious, unsettled, a gross vibration in the mind and sometimes the heart.
DeleteI've found that all emotions and thoughts come and go, so rather than trying to hold on to them or change them, it is enough to just notice how they come and go. They change on their own based on changing circumstances and growth. I remind myself of the fact that life in body is short, for myself and for mankind. There is no reason to struggle to make a mark. It is okay to be a rider on the amusement park ride and to be amazed by what is around the next curve. By doing so, much of the stress is just gone. Much of our need for others is cultural, fed into the developing minds of us as children. When one notices this, one isn't as often troubled by loneliness.