The Green Tortoise information page clearly states that they have a "Flexible" itinerary. We were on our second night and our itinerary was changed again from what I had booked. Two weeks earlier, when I booked my spot on the bus, we were scheduled to go white water rafting following our stop in the Ruby Mountains. We still were going, but it has been postponed a day. There was a late night announcement that we were still headed to the Salmon River but first we were going to "Craters of the Moon" which is a national monument and volcanic preserve. It is filled with black, razor sharp lava and caves.
The reputation of the Green Tortoise is that of a hippy bus and very laid back. I took this to mean that the passengers would be included in any itinerary changes and perhaps make suggestions or asked if they would like to visit new places. I know this was an assumption on my part and I had no reason to support this belief but somehow I believed that we would be included in the decision making process. So when I find out we are headed to "Craters of the Moon" I am disappointed. I've been there before too and it is no place I'd like to visit twice. Not to mention its name conjures images of a bad ride at Disney Land.
Being a passenger means that we receive information from our driver on a need to know basis. We don't need to know all the details, but I like knowing what is going on. I am accustomed to being a driver which means that I hold all the information...not receive it. Part of my personal transformation includes letting go of this obsessive behavior to know everything in every situation. That is an old habit I learned from being with people who were out of control of their behavior. It is a behavior I learned as a child to compensate for turbulent times. Letting go of my need to know means I am letting go of my need to control my situation. My lesson now is to learn how to trust. Trust that the right thing is in motion. Trust that I am a favorite child of God and that I am safe. This is a big lesson for me and I welcome it.
When you are a passenger on a bus all that you can control is your own behavior. You cannot control thirty other people, all you can do is notice your own response and grow as needed. The Green Tortoise provided me with ample opportunity to witness my own responses to others and I did my best to respond with dignity and respect towards all of the other passengers, even when their behavior infringed on my personal space.
During the second night's sleep, as we drove full speed ahead towards The Craters of The Moon and then Salmon River, Idaho, I was awakened several times by another passenger, Randi, who did not like where she was originally sleeping that night and squeezed in next to me during a bathroom stop.
Randi is addicted to drama and attention. She is a loud, self-absorbed woman from New Jersey. She is one of the few passengers who is always using her cell phone, iPod and lap-top. She talks loudly on the phone so we all can overhear her self-important conversations, she cries loudly while listening to her iPod and she complains loudly when there is no WiFi at any of our bathroom stops. She interrupts private conversations that she has been eavesdropping on to correct facts. She includes herself in hiking groups uninvited and she is always late. She holds the bus up several times from us leaving on time. Randi has many health issues she is very happy to share with anyone who will listen and especially to those who wish not to listen. It is not surprising to me to find out that she kicks in her sleep like she is at battle with her demons during the daytime and fighting for her life as she sleeps.
I find this out in fifteen minute intervals at one, two, three, and four AM. She kicks me repeatedly with force, hard kicks in the side, back and legs oblivious to her own physical actions. Each time I sit up to see why she is kicking me and she is sprawled out, snoring and drooling taking up two sleeping spaces, eyes moving in REM dreaming patterns. Even in her sleep she is demanding attention. The sleeping bus is full, all bunks taken, the party-drinking bunch are passed out from too much sunshine, hiking and Wild Turkey. There is no place to move, so I try to make my six-foot frame (or 1.8288 meters) tiny and move closer to my other sleeping companion.
When I look at Randi, I see a black cloud surrounding her as if her aura is not able to break free from her need to be liked and accepted, even in her sleep. Under normal conditions, I would channel compassion and say a prayer for her to find happiness and self-love in her life, but these are not normal conditions. I am cranky like a child, angry and tired. I crave my rest but can see it will not be happening for me this night. Accepting this situation I remain awake changing my energies to meditation in hope of gathering rest for my weary soul.
We pull into a lush rest area with rest stop with picnic tables underneath big trees. It is pre-dawn, one of my favorite times of day, when the star filled skies gently turn from midnight to indigo to soft light blue as sensual pinks and tender tangerine prepare my eyes for the magnificent sun to arise for another day warming my skin and nourish our ever evolving planet.
Our driver crawls into her bunk to grab a few hours sleep. I am exhausted from no sleep and in dreary exhaustion slip off the bus to use the bathroom. I take my sleeping bag and go outside under the stars, alone to watch the sunrise. I nod off and am awaken to the bus engine starting and backing out of the rest stop. I realized I did not put anything on the driver's seat to let them know I'd moved off the bus and I forgot to grab my emergency bag with cell phone and wallet. Panicked, I sprint at a mad dash towards the bus dragging my sleeping bag through the dew filled lawn.
Driver Dave stops and opens the door and says, "Don't worry. I'm just turning the bus around. We're gonna make breakfast here before heading out."
I can only imagine how terror stricken I must have looked at that moment dashing through the rest area and take a moment to thank god that I would not be left behind although I was starting to wonder if I might not be happier if I'd just get off the bus and head to New York on a Greyhound bus.
To be continued...
So much love,
All the way from over here...
Linda
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