Season Changes, Changes of Scenery

Roadtrip from Atlanta, GA to Eugene, OR recap...Well, I only had to back up with a trailer once, not including the time my uncle did it for me and the time I had to be pulled out of the dirt. Speaking of the time I had to be pulled out of the dirt, that was the big bad that happened on my trip.

Stuck In The Dirt, Navajo, AZ

Cost to me, $60.00 for the tow. I stupidly decided to drive on a primitive road clearly marked as one that I decided ‘Well, this looks like a good place to turn around.’ I was wrong and finally after a half an hour of trying to dig myself out with a cake pan, er, bread pan, I called the police.

My cousin recommended I get AAA before I started the trip. It wasn’t in my budget so I skipped that oh so responsible step. See, Dante 2 had brand new tires (all four replaced in the last year), a tune-up, oil change, and 60,000 mile inspection before I left Atlanta. At 10 years old I was pretty certain that car trouble wouldn’t be an issue for me on the road.

Memphis Hotel

I also got pulled over by a cop just outside of Memphis, TN my first night out. She was extremely nice and wished me well. The cops I spoke with in Navajo, AZ while stuck in the too soft dirt hoped that that incident would be the worst part of my trip. So yeah, I had a lot of positive experiences with the local law enforcement on my way to Eugene, OR.

I-40, No Idea Where Though

The majority of my trip looked like the above picture. Every single day, this was my view. I tried to take a picture when I thought about it. Weather wise, not too bad, I drove in snow for a total of one hour on my way to Kingman, AZ. I spent a night in a KOA cabin, that was fun.

KOA Oklahoma City, OK

So yeah, I got my cabin in the woods experience. Woo hoo! There’s one not too far from here so I may try it again one day. I opted for hotel rooms after that though. New Mexico had interesting overpasses.

I-40 New Mexico

Anyway, overall the trip was good, Nike was awesome and she doesn't hate me at all. I gave her lots of cat treats to win her favor along the way a suggestion I found on Google. I decompressed for about 24 hours and then busted my butt for the next 48 to finish off my piece for NaNo. All and all, November was a very productive month for me.

No, I did not write the story I meant to write on the NaNo piece. I did finish 50,000 words on it, 50,184 to be exact. I did a lot of character development and pictured the ending which had been eluding me since its start. Overall, I’m proud of these two accomplishments and I can’t wait to see what the next year of my life brings as far as challenges and adventures.

Now off to watch another Doctor Who special I missed while I didn’t have cable. Well, er, because I can. Duh!

Update: The morning view this AM was:

Eugene, OR

I may need to rethink this entire move. Snow! I don't like snow...Burrrrrrrrrrrrrr....

Driving Across The Country For No Reason...

Okay, maybe there is a reason. I decided to move to Oregon. Next week. For no other reason than the fact that I can. Soooo, I’ll probably take a break from getting blog posts done. Eventually I hope, I’ll make it to Oregon in Dante 2. I hope that the trip goes well. I pray the fact that I’ve never hauled a trailer before won’t be an issue and that I’ll remember to always park in a way that I don’t have to figure out the major challenge of backing up with a trailer. I can only pray that my bumper isn’t pulled loose. I hope my cat won’t hate me by the end of the trip.

There are so many things to worry about and yet, I’m not worried. Not really. I’m excited for the next. This adventure that is my life just continues on. I can plan to do many things, try to prepare in the best way possible, but until I’m actually out the door and on my way, I have no idea what will happen. That’s the way all things are though, although I sometimes forget that part.

My characters, some of them get to see into the future. Not me. I’ve never claimed to be clairvoyant in any way, shape, or form. I bet that talent would come in handy. Anyway, I just can’t say what will happen tomorrow or next week without actually doing it. The trip could go like all amazing and beyond wonderful. Or even though all four tires are new and I had my truck inspected and did a tune-up and oil change and even got him washed, it could break down. I might lose the trailer, my cat could run away in Texas, and I could catch a fleshing eating bacteria sleeping in one of the shady motels because it’s cheap.

Maybe I’ll meet Prince or Princess Charming and end up moving to London and living in a castle while traveling the world and being pampered like a princess. That would be cool. I could win the lottery, probably not because I don’t play, but hey, weirder stuff has happened, to someone, somewhere, I’m sure.

I just don’t know because none of it has happened yet. I’m hopeful, excited and listening to Ani’s song Anticipate a lot lately. That’s it. I’m hoping for the best and prepared for the worst. Even if parts go bad, like really, really bad, well, at least I’ll have an interesting story to tell. I’ll try to take lots of pictures when I think of it. I’ll post next month once I’m settled in.