Road Trip Day Six

"I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within."

~Lillian Smith~

August 3rd,  2013

I woke up groggy from the three beers (aka ciders) I drank last night.  Oh how I wanted to stay in bed for several more hours and forget I had plans ahead of me.  But alas, I'm on a road trip and not about to waste it sleeping when I could be out making memories.  Choosing to skip a shower and even a changing of clothes I at least washed my face and brushed my teeth.  Somehow those small acts seem to stretch out for an hour or so because before I knew it I had half an hour until checkout.  Shit.  I still hadn't decided if I would stay another night in the hotel or pack up and go.  I had a concert to attend at the Fandana Festival tonight and it wouldn't be getting over until about midnight.  It would be easy to come back to the hotel, but it would put me farther from my next destination.  I said to hell with it and packed all my belongings away.  

I stopped by a local bicycle shop to ask them if the local trail dries out quickly enough for me to ride today.  After the heavy rain of the day  before I didn't figure it would, but you never know.  They confirmed my thoughts and said it might even take a week or so for JB Franke park to dry out after a good rain. One of the guys there said he gives mountain bike skills lessons if I was ever interested.  Wish I could have taken him up on the offer, but this trip won't afford me the luxury of time for such a treat.  They informed me that Winona Lake trails dry out quickly enough that I could probably ride them tomorrow.  Sweet!  Closer to my next destination.  I asked them if there was camping near Winona Lake, and they did some research online and gave me some info.  Now I know where I'll be resting my head tonight.  

I jumped back in my car and started the drive the Huntington, Indiana.  Once there I grabbed a bite to eat and contacted my other new local Skout friend to see if he was still interested in a meet up.  He said he was, and we agreed to meet at a park in Huntington.  If we hit it off he would head to the concert with me.  If not, we could make avoid any further awkwardness and go our separate ways.  I headed out to the park alone for some solitude and time for meditation.

I was lying on my back on a picnic table at a small park waiting for my new skout friend to show up.  Headphones on, perusing YouTube, and thinking about how liberating it feels to be here.  I could be doing this at home...hanging at a park.  But I'm not.  I'm in another state.  Alone...with my bike and an audience of one.  A drifter.  A wanderer.  A vagabond.  When I set out on this journey I made the mistake of thinking of last year.  Imagining the year would be the same.  But no year is ever the same as the last.  No trip the same as the one before.  New places.  New faces.  New experiences.  There's a tension that is created between the fear of the unknown and the excitement of what is to come.  Today I found  myself wanting the tension to melt away.  Then I recalled that real beauty exists in embracing it.  Believing that the tension isn't a bad thing. It just is; it exists.  Like grief when we suffer a loss.  Like the joy of holding your newborn child.  It's just an emotion...I can hold it and feel it, or I can resent it and wish it gone.  When I hold it, when I give in to it....I relax, and just enjoy the present.  I lose concern for what lies ahead; in a good way.  And I feel as if everything has just aligned.  Balance.

About that time Kyle shows up at the park where I am waiting.  We sat under the pavilion and swapped stories of where we have come from and dreams of where we would like to go.  Turns out Kyle is a pretty damn cool guy with many a story of his own to share.  And he is incredibly well versed in the music scene.  

I had pre-purchased tickets to the Fandana festival in Huntington, IN.  It's a two day festival at the local campus, but I was really just interested in seeing the headliner; NeedToBreathe.  Kyle decided he would like to join me, so he parked his car, jumped in with me, and together we drove over to the festival just in time to catch them.  We managed to maneuver our way right up to the front just before they came on stage.  It's my fifth time to see them in concert, and as always, they didn't disappoint.  Their charisma is contagious.  Kyle used the phrase "great chemistry on stage," and I have to agree.  

When the show ended we got in my car and parked near the tour bus in hopes that the guys might come out and we could get a photo with them.  As we waited we sampled each other's music collections and I added a lot of artists I've never heard of to my "Notes" so I can sample more and purchase some later.  Then I tweeted the band, asking them to come out for a photo.  Silly idea, but hey, what have I got to lose?  Finally at 1am I gave up on the idea that the band might actually step out of the bus, and we headed back to the car.  I took Kyle to his car, we snapped a couple photos together, and we said our goodbyes.  

It was late and I had an hour drive ahead of me to my next camping destination.  It has really poured down some rain here, but I have high hopes that I will be able to sample the mountain bike trails at Winona Lake in the morning.  My GPS takes me all the way there on back roads, and I'm grateful for the lack of traffic.  I pull in at 2am and set up my tent while a couple a row over bickers.  He sounds drunk, and now I'm not so certain how much sleep I'll get tonight after all.  Ah well....fatigue will have to catch up to me at some point.  I head to the shower and to my surprise the door has a lock with push buttons on it.  I don't have a code.  Since the camping spaces are packed and my neighbors are outside bickering I decide to squat in the entryway leading to the lady's room.  Hope no one steps in it before it dries!  Teeth brushing will just have to wait....

Oh how I love the freedom of the road.....