magnificent journey part two: june / heading east

well, this is kind of a big deal, the next part of my journey, where it starts to become a little more real. when i left portland my intention, what i told people, was that i would head south and then east. that was my plan, there was no point south at which to turn east, but i knew that the south part would be the easy part.

i lined up two people that i was pretty confident would like to hang out with me in california, which is a pretty easy state as it is. i took my time, enjoyed most of it, and progressively got better at this traveling thing, because i am rusty.

with bradley i was only there a night, i was too hung up on the idea that i was imposing on him. i randomly dropped in and his place was small, i felt bad. even though i am sure he would have loved to have me stay and be able to help me. it was something that i had to get over.

with tiffany, three days and i was feeling pretty good about it. la was too big for me to really feel comfortable, but i felt very welcomed at tiff's and not at all like an imposition. it was cut short because she went to texas. although she did offer for me to stay at her house while she was gone.

ricky was the icing on the cake. it wasnt lined up and i stayed for four days. at no time did i feel like i was burdening them and that was wonderful. there, i felt that i finally had my sea legs and could venture from the shore. although in this analogy the shore is really the ocean and the sea is the land...you figure it out.

and after that i turned east. the practice round is over, i have my game face on, and i am trying not to let my self get in the way of my experience. i worked a whole lot of symbolism up in my head about the importance of turning east. unfortunately i am not able to transcribe it right now...because i have forgotten most of it.

but, now i am on it. i am in arizona for day two. i am doing a better job of moving slower and finding things to do in between people. today i took it slow on the two lane desert highways. it was eerie. i was the only car for miles and miles. i was driving off the road a bit and was stuck in an old lava field for 27 miles on a dirt/lava rock road. i was running low on gas but kept on, willing the truck to the petroglyph monument just so i could find out what a petroglyph was.

things like that. then i sat in a park eating pickles and knotting cord for a couple hours, just to try to pass the sun away. unfortunately that didnt work. when i got back to my truck it had just sucked up all of the sun and the steering wheel and shifter were too hot to touch!

i dont think i could survive down here for a very long time, the heat is simply too oppressive. if it were this hot and there were some trees around, maybe, but this is just desert. i am very glad i never took off to try to live in bisbee when i was younger.

also, my mind is moving faster than my ability to type.