Across America in 28 Hours

I recently decided to take a road trip across the United States from Florida to California. Actually, it was more or less a return trip, but I didn't know it would be so when I began the trip about a month and half ago. I had this idea that I was going to continually travel and make money along the way, but that just didn't pan out, and I encountered some health issue that required the attention of my personal doctors who are all in Santa Barbara, CA. I began this new journey on a Tuesday, but I had no idea it would actually conclude the next night, or that one could really drive the entire length of the US from coast to coast in 28 hours. Of course, I took many breaks along the way, but I did not stay in any one place for more than a couple hours, nor did I stay in a single motel or other accommodation at all. I kept thinking I would, but it somehow never materialized.

I left from Melbourne, FL on a sunny and humid morning around 8:00 am. I cruised north on I-95 toward Jacksonville and it wasn't too far up the road that I saw something that was unusual for me, though I suppose it's a common enough sight for people who live in Florida. On the side of the road was a group of pigs calmly grazing in the grasses, and, no, this isn't a euphemism for policemen. I saw big, fat oinkers just hanging out without a care in the world and not in the least bothered by all the cars whizzing by. There were about 8-10 brown boars. Evidently, the FL wild pig has been known to charge a car or two, but are also hunted by the locals. Much later that night, I would be driving through Texas along the I-10 where I saw hundreds of wild deer also calmly grazing along the side of the road; however, I also saw lots of deer carnage all over the road too. In fact, it felt like a war zone. I've never seen quite so much roadkill as I witnessed in Texas and not just deer, but they were by far the largest of the kills. There were all manner of creatures dead on the roads including possums, coons, armadillos, birds and more besides. Some of the kills must have happened just before I came on the scene as there was fresh blood and parts all over the road. On one occasion, I had to dodge a deer body that seemed to have been skinned just shortly before I got to it. Yikes, indeed! 😱

Somewhere deep in Louisiana, or, maybe it was just north of New Orleans, in a town called Grosse Tete (Gross Tit?) I saw a sign for the famous Tiger Cafe and felt I had to go. It was connected to a truck stop and I needed fuel anyway. I guess there's a story behind it. Seems the original owner used to have an actual tiger there he adopted from a zoo or something. However, there no longer is a tiger there, nor do I believe is it owned by the original dude. It was a pretty typical old diner looking kind of place all decked out in purple, which, of course, isn't so typical for a diner. Upon entering, it was pretty empty, but would be full by the time I left. I was told to sit anywhere, so I walked around and found a 2 top. A server came along and gave me the purple menu with a tiger's picture on the cover. I perused the cajun fare which had a lot of deep-fried seafood and gumbo delicacies. I decided on red beans and rice with alligator sausage. Now, I make some claim to being vegetarian, but I allow myself seafood since I was raised on it growing up in Florida. It's a dumb rationalization, because my family ate red meat too, but I don't today. Also, I decided alligator was seafood, but I'm not sure it really qualifies as such. I think I just wanted to try it. It seemed exotic and very cajun. The dish consisted of a giant bowl of tender rice and big red beans topped with onions and 2 large alligator sausages. There were 2 big pieces of corn bread on the side as well. In my mind, I told myself I didn't have to eat the whole thing and that I could, in fact, save some for later. Nope. I inhaled it all. Later, I decided I could have been just fine without the alligator. It wasn't anything special, and had I not known it was gator, I probably would have thought it was just regular sausage. Although, all together, as a dish it was delicious. When I left, I felt impregnated with food, but it didn't stop me from eating my way across the US anyway.

I don't know if it's the time of year, but my car seemed to be splattered with more bugs than seemed natural. At one point early in the journey, I pulled off at a rest stop somewhere in the Florida panhandle, or maybe it was in Mississippi. Anyway, it was the cleanest rest stop I ever saw and manned by one lone gentleman who was cleaning the windows at the time. It was around 11:00 pm, now come to think of it, I must have been in Louisiana because I stopped to pee and brush my teeth after my cajun feast. I didn't notice it when I left my car, but when I returned I saw just how besieged it had been by bugs. It was covered in bug splatter everywhere, most especially the windshield and mirrors that were nearly opaque with bugs bodies. How did I even see? I went back inside and asked the nice attendant if I could borrow some of his window cleaner and a paper towel to wipe my windows a bit. He actually gave me one of his cleaning rags and the bottle of window cleaner he had been using. Unfortunately, once I cleaned the windows, mirrors, and the headlights which needed some attention also, that man's rag was just gross. I returned it and his bottle of cleaner with my deepest appreciation, but I warned him to consider throwing the rag away. He told me not to worry, but I did all the same. 😕

Have you ever been to a Walmart at 3:00 am? I had pulled off the I-10 somewhere in Texas to find a rest room. There was a rest stop but nestled right behind it was a Walmart and I suddenly had a craving for something to snack on. In the car, I had come equipped with bananas, dates, and crackers, but I had a craving for something else. The store was completely deserted except for staff who were stocking shelves. I wondered through the bakery and the grocery isles in search of my craving, which I discovered what it was once I found something that seemed to embody it. To the employees, I probably seemed like a drunk in search of something to soak up the nights embellishments, or a someone on something looking for a foodie fix. I would pick something up, examine it closely and try to consider if it was what I was craving. Now, I'm kind of a health nut too, so I had to read all the labels and see just what it was I would be eating. Most items went right back onto the shelves. After looking in almost every isle and coming up empty, I was about to leave empty handed and just make do with bananas, dates, or crackers when I came down the breakfast isle and spied Kind bars. For some reason, they seemed to be just what I wanted and after checking out the label, they also seemed to be made with the proper "healthy" ingredients. I got the peanut-butter breakfast bars made with whole rolled oats and real peanut-butter. Unfortunately, they weren't nearly as good as it sounded in my head. They were actually kind of bland, which was probably due to the lack of refined sugar or hundreds of milligrams of salt normally included in breakfast bars. However, that didn't stop me from eating them all either. Perhaps I thought they would get better, or perhaps I ate out of boredom. Probably the latter. By the time I reached the California coast, I had eaten nearly everything in the car and also bought a bag of trail mix at a Love's truck stop somewhere along the way.

Normally on these types of trips, I make it a point to avoid any large cities especially during rush hour, but, somehow on this one I managed to hit 2 of the worst cities to drive in right at rush hour. I had originally considered taking the I-10 only as far as Lafayette, Louisiana and then heading north to Shreveport to catch the 20 across to Tyler, TX and then going northwest to Amarillo and getting on the 40 back to California. Well, I missed the turn off for Shreveport due to traffic and road construction, which there was also tons of all throughout the trip. I ended up taking the I-10 all the way to Los Angeles, which was the last place I wanted to be, much less have to drive in. I also had to pass through Phoenix, AZ, which I had never driven in before. I actually liked Phoenix - the look of the city - but the I-10 was a parking lot when I got there. Later, in L.A., I managed to get off the 10 and side tracked through Palm Springs, which I liked the look of too, having never been there before, but I eventually had to get back on the 10, which wasn't so much a parking lot as a race track. Thankfully, my Jetta is a very agile little car and its turbo engine comes in quite handy when one is expected to drive like a race driver just to keep up with the traffic. I can't quite describe my glee when I finally came to the 101, which is really the only highway I'm familiar with in all of California, because it's the only highway throughout most of Santa Barbara where I live. Of course, when I arrived back in SB, there was some kind of major road work being done on the 101 in Carpinteria and the city actually had the freeway completely shut down. I was diverted onto the city streets where I followed a series of detour signs all the way to the north side of town before I was allowed back onto the 101. I finally arrived home at 12:00 am 28 hours after I began my trip in Florida only the day before. I had driven from Chicago to Florida in 24 hours once or twice when I was living there many years ago, so I knew this type of travel was possible. But, who knew, one could cross the length of the US and survive it to tell about it. I think I'm delirious from the experience still. 🤪

Revolving Dreaming Door

Ever have one of those nights where you remember not one, but many dreams and each one had its own unique character and story, kind of like going round and round through a revolving door of dreams? Last night was one of those nights for me. My friend, Andrea, would say I was traveling all night, astral traveling, perhaps, or just traveling the mindscape. I've written before about psychic dreaming and how the quality of those dreams is different from other ones, but, in a way, all of my dreams have taken on a psychic quality of late. Or, perhaps, lucid is a better term. Even though many of the dreams I have embody a kind of fantastical quality as will be evidenced below, they also have this very real quality where the laws of reality as are known while I'm in a conscious state don't seem to apply in the same way in the unconscious. All of this, of course, is my own theory based on my experience as I perceive it. Granted, I've studied and read a lot on many metaphysical subjects including dreams, but I'm not one to interpret dreams in any psychological way. I prefer to allow them their own space in my overall experience and to simply enjoy the experience. The following is a run down of last night's dreamworld experiences.

The first one that comes to mind had a bit of the nightmare in it. It was one of those dreams where at first you do not even realize you are dreaming. I was laying in my bed all comfy and snug as a bug in my room exactly as it is when I'm in the conscious state. It was just as I was falling asleep that I felt something climb up onto the mattress behind me and crawl under the fitted sheet. I felt this without actually seeing it. I was kind of scared to even move. I felt, whatever it was, was small and something like a mouse came to mind. It seemed to make a beeline for my lower back where it nestled in and I could actually feel this critter resting against my back under the covers. At this point, I lied there contemplating what I should do. I seriously considered trying to ignore it and just drift off to sleep, which seems irrational in and of itself. Somehow, in my mind, I actually considered this experience may not be real at all, but I was unnerved by the fact that I could feel this thing against my back. I also was concerned that if there actually was a critter there and I rolled over on it in my sleep, it might bite me. At some point, I crossed the door between the unconscious and conscious. The fear or anxiety became too great and I jumped up out of bed. I reached over to the night stand and flipped on the light. I turned back toward the bed and carefully pulled back the sheets to examine the area where I thought the creature to be. Nothing stirred, so I gently felt around on top of the sheets, all the while expecting something to suddenly shift or dart away. However, there wasn't anything there. Now, usually when this kind of thing happens I have trouble getting back to sleep or even back into my bed, but I must have been quite tired last night because I simply turned the light off and slipped back into my comfortable spot. I pulled the covers securely around myself and soon went back through the revolving dreaming door.

Next I found myself back in Chicago, where I lived for 17 years. I was in my apartment, not my actual apartment, but it was mine in this dream. Truthfully, this apartment was way better than any place I ever lived in while in Chicago. It was more like a townhouse. I was in the foyer and dressed for winter, heading out the door as the dream commenced. I went across the street, which was lined with Victorian brownstones, and over to where I knew my friend, Andrea, lived. Her car was parked in front of her place on the street. It had one of those keypads on the door that you could use to unlock it if you knew the code, which I seemed too. Evidently, we had an arrangement where I could use her car's cassette deck whenever I wanted to listen to cassettes, which I don't think I've done since the early 80s. I opened her car's door and reached for the radio where I pressed another button and the cassette deck popped out. I extracted it, closed the car's door and made my way back over to my apartment. As soon as I got back inside, I could see Andrea coming over to my place dressed in her yellow down coat and orange scarf. I figured she had seen me take the cassette deck and needed it back for some reason. However, I guess I wasn't ready to relinquish it so easily. I decided to pretend I wasn't there or didn't hear her knocking at the door. She knocked a couple of times and then tried to open the door. I suppose we had that kind of relationship where we could just walk into each other's places. It was at this point that I realized I had not locked the door behind me, so I reached forward and tried to hold it shut against her trying to open it. She was able to push it open about half a foot before I was able to push it closed again. Well, now she knew for sure I was inside, but that didn't stop me from continuing to try and keep the door shut against her. I placed my foot at the threshold to act as a doorstop and tried to hold my ground, but I guess she put some strength behind her push and the door budged again. Again I pushed it closed. At this point, I could hear her sigh in exasperation and saw her turn to leave through the window by the door. I immediately felt guilty, so I opened the door and she turned around with a bright smile. I noticed she had these two long braids that went so far down her back they almost reached the ground. I only got her name out of my mouth before she came inside. I thought the jig was up and I'd have to return the cassette deck. Well, turns out the cassette deck wasn't why she had come over. However, what that reason was, I couldn't say because the dream faded at that point.

I then found myself walking down a dirt path in some obscure location. I have no idea where I was or where it was supposed to be. Meaning, I can't say whether I was in the woods, outside of a city, or on an island. I suppose none of that was important for me to know. As I walked along, I heard a rather indignant voice say something like, "Get me out of here" or it may have said, "Help me get out of here." I looked down toward where I thought the voice was coming from but didn't see anything at first. Then I caught sight of a small lizard's head protruding from the ground just off the side of the path I was on. I stooped down and took in its features which were basically clay colored with dark brown stripes along its face. It seemed to be trapped in the earth as if a hole had collapsed on it. I reached down and gently pulled the dirt up and away from it until it was able to free itself. It immediately thanked me and began to walk with me along the path. The lizard walked up on its hind legs like a person or the Geico chameleon. I believe we had something of an amiable conversation and at some point along the way, we encountered a swarm of gnats. Here the lizard stopped and positioned himself so as to catch the gnats in his mouth and happily eat them one by one. I had lied myself down on the ground behind him and was resting my head on my hands. It was then that I noticed a sort of progression of chickens coming up the path. They were black chickens with red combs and yellow feet, and they were pulling small wooden carts that seemed to be full of their belongings or so I supposed. They didn't say anything to us but they did turn to look our way as they continued along their journey. And here this dream fades as I went back through the revolving dreaming door.

Now I'm on a city bus in Manhattan. I'm in my early college years, so somewhere in my 20s. I'm seated near the front of a city bus and looking out the window at the buildings, people and traffic. I realize I'm in the middle of a conversation with the person seated next to me closest to the window. I recognize her from high school, but would not recognize her outside the context of this dream. As we're talking, we both turn to look at the person seated behind us by herself and realize we know her, as well, from high school and that she strangely resembles my friend seated next to me. We comment on this resemblance and the two girls say it's true and was also true when we were all in high school, but nothing is mentioned about being thought to be sisters or anything like that. I notice both of these girls still have braces with the rubber bands joining their upper and lower jaws. Both also have the exact same haircut, kind of a short bob pulled back behind the ears. The bus turns a corner and the dream fades.

In the final dream I remember from last night, I'm again in Chicago with two young women. This time we're waiting at an El (elevated train) stop to catch a train to our new college class we are supposed to be starting that afternoon. We are all dressed for cool weather, but not winter per se. It seems to be either fall of early spring. I believe I recall leaves and flowers on the trees, so it must have been early spring. We are each dressed similarly in long open coats and scarves, but no hats or gloves. I recall there was some snafu at the turnstile going onto the train platform where after I had already paid and moved onward, both of my friends stated that they did not have the train fare and would not be going to class any time soon. I admonished them in a friendly way that it wasn't a good idea to miss the first class, but neither of them seemed particularly concerned about it. If anything, they seemed as though it was the plan all along to ditch out on going at all. I looked back at them on the other side of the turnstile and they looked at me with this "see you later" expression without actually saying so. And the dream faded out.

I awoke this morning at 6:55 am. I know this because I reached over to check the time on my cell phone. I thought it was darker through my closed blinds than it normally would be at this time in the morning. That's when I began to hear the sound of a light rain sprinkling outside. I groped my way out of bed and went over to the blinds, which I peeked through without actually opening and verified that it was raining. I thought, "but it wasn't forecasted," as if weather forecast are ever truly accurate. I turned back and sort of looked into the dark room and tried to decide whether to get up or try for more slumber, but the call of coffee already had me in its grip. It was at this point that all the night's dreaming came back to me just as clearly as if I had only just experienced each dream.