Monday, June 16, 2008

She's Got A Ticket To Ride

Reservations are made and paid. It's official. I am leaving Seattle next week. I'll be back to gather the rest of my belongings, but I'm going to take a little ride across country. With gas prices as they are, I've been wanting another form of transportation to get me to the east coast...why the east coast? Well, I've been considering relocating to NYC for many, many, many years now and so why not now? I'm going to spend some time with Karen in Hartford, Connecticut and it will be a good way for me to see how it feels to be back on east coast...to see if that is where I want to land.

Honestly, I have no idea what is going to happen on this trip or afterwards, and I need to keep moving forward. I've been doing such intense healing work in accelerated dosages for many months now and it is time to see how I do on my own again. Who of us really knows what will happen in the future? I thought I had a lot of my future all laid out but then circumstances changed them beyond my control. I think about returning to Florida but don't see myself living there again. While I did a ton of healing there, it was never a place that I felt was home or where I could put down roots. Perhaps it is because of all the landfill. The entire southern region of the state is built on swampland. Hard to build a house in the swamp...plus there were alligators everywhere! Literal and metaphorically!

I don't know where I'm going to land and I am open to new possibilities. That's the exciting part. I miss having a car all the time...this is the first time since I was 18 years old that I have not had one if not two cars. I must say I am rather proud of myself for weening myself off of gasoline. It's as addictive as oxygen! I'll probably own another vehicle again either a scooter or motorcycle, but Warren has very strongly (and kindly) asked me not to get one since he's lost several friends due to motorcycle crashes. I hear you brother and heed your call. That goes into the maybe part of the decision making process. Physically I've got the jacket and I'm almost ready to put on a pair of chaps. That's a big step! I am still open to learning how to ride a motorcycle and come back to the west coast on a bike. We'll see what happens.

Dear God,

Thanks for the nervous breakdown and bankruptcy so that I could get rid of my addiction to my car and gasoline! I know it was hard while I was going through it, but it has changed my life in ways that I never expected and I welcome these changes. They truly are all working out beautifully. I am learning how to let go of the control that I thought I had over my life and live in the chi, flow of the universe. Thank you for the gentle reminder.

Oh, and thanks for that thing that you did with the sun! As soon as I book my trip you change the weather! Nice touch!

Let's not forget to bless all the beautiful people everywhere and all of those suffering due to their own obsession with their own thoughts. Wow. You sure have taught me a lot about that too! May all the beautiful people everywhere learn to let go of their minds, just as I have...or perhaps in another form, so they may transform too. Ashey. Namaste.

Here I am getting ahead of myself...let me tell you how I'm getting to the east coast: First I'm taking a train from Seattle to San Fransisco and I'm staying in a hostel for about $30/night in the heart of North Beach, which is like Little Italy....that's where all the great bookstores and coffee shops are plus this is the neighborhood where the beat generation hung out in, so if I want a cup of coffee where Jack Kerouac spent the night, I'm in the right place. I haven't been to the bay area in about ten years and I am sure it has suffered the same as other areas with urban development but like Seattle, the economy hasn't fallen through the floor due to the dot-com industries.

I'll be there for a couple of nights before I board the bus.

What's that, you say? A Bus? Greyhound? Trailways? Motor Coach? Yep. That's right! I'm taking a bus 3500 miles across this great land of ours but it's not gonna take a few days, it will take about 14 days. What kind of bus is that? Why it's the Green Tortoise! For about $850 you get a 14 day adventure stopping at national parks, hot springs, Native American reservations, and other destinations and that price includes entrance to the National parks and 70% of your food! That breaks down to about $61/day. I dare you to do that in a car, alone for 14 days!

What's the catch, you're probably asking?

You get there traveling like a bunch of roadies on the hippy bus that follows the band.

The Green Tortoise is known as a "Hippy Bus" everywhere down the west coast. It prides itself on having a flexible schedule and running late which could be caused by any circumstances for instance: The Tofu needs to marinate one more day before its ready to eat, or Rainbow had a bad trip during the ride through the Northwest Passage so she needs another day to "come down" before getting back on the bus, Dude. Or during the last Sweat Lodge several ancestors came to the driver and foretold about an awesome stream near the back side of Pike's Peak and it's only about 500 miles out of the way and wouldn't it be a shame that we missed it because of the earth changes it probably won't be there next ride so shouldn't we go there too?

Flexible schedule. I like that.

What's attracted me most to this form of travel is the way that I've isolated myself, especially with this crappy weather in Seattle. Half of the trip you are sleeping with all the other bus-mates while driving through the night, the other half you are camping at national parks. You're required to bring a sleeping bag and tent, so there will be some privacy some nights while roughing it.

My biggest fear is the smell. I've traveled with hippies before and they don't always smell too good!

I need to get a moving right now to continue preparing myself for this trip, but I promise to write more frequently. I realize I've been a bit delinquent but it was for good reason. I had nothing to say....so I promise to write daily again. I don't know what my internet connection will be like while traveling, but I definitely will be writing about this experience.

There are about 10 more spots available for the trip, so if you're not doing anything and want to join me...what are you waiting for?

So much love,
All the way from over here....
Linda

No comments: