Discovering America?

I think not... How many books and songs have there been written about a young man's journey across or around the country discovering simultaneously things about his country and himself? Not to discredit their validity... no doubt I've taken some inspiration from such stories, but I feel no need to publish my stories in that form. It's been done. I have another take.

This last weekend I protested at the Inauguration of (I can't help but cringe while I type this) President Trump. In order to gain access to the side of Pennsylvania Avenue and boo and harangue the procession of idiots, protesters (and supporters alike) were forced to wait side by side in lines behind security checkpoints with suited secret service and metal detectors. I got there at 7am and waited for two and a half hours, while others waited for nearly five. In that amount of time, it was impossible for the opposite sides to ignore each other. Various conversations sprung up around me and as I listened, it became apparent to myself how I couldn't possibly wrap my head around their ideology, let alone engage in civil discussion. I thought about it throughout the day as our group chanted things that I thoroughly believed, and wondered what the red hats around us must think, and how these two groups could ever compromise. I realized I could not fault them for their ignorance, though they certainly are guilty of it, but I must also realize that if I cannot understand their conception of the world and themselves, there is no hope of solution.

So I need not discover America. I know my route, what it likely looks like there. I could google street view the whole thing if I wanted to. Instead, I'm discovering Americans. Who are these people that swayed the election? What is life like outside my bubbles of liberal Seattle and liberal arts college campus? I just hope that I find in them some recognizable sign of humanity, and that I'm not ruined forever from ever engaging with rural folk again. They might pick up a thing or two from me if I'm lucky.

The Vision

I've got a hell of a trip ahead of me folks, and as I figure, 134 days to figure it all out. Seems like a lot but the way I work, soon enough I'll realize it's tomorrow. Not to worry, I have my vision to guide me, and so long as I know I want it, I'll get there.

Can't say exactly when I decided I was gonna do this, all I remember was getting on a plane in Chicago headed home after a hellish bout of finals, and then getting off with some kind of vague fantasy trip twinkling in my eye. Probably all that staring out the window onto the plains. Makes you wonder what you're missing down there.

Funny enough, I was late to the bicycle. I couldn't hardly ride one without training wheels till I was nine, which is pretty late to the game as far as I know. But once I was on it, boy was I outta there. The bike was the ultimate ticket to freedom. Endless summer days cruising the streets, feelin like you own the place, or rollin over to your buddy's place and cruisin in a pack... there's not much better than that- especially with some cards in the spokes, rumbling like a Harley. So if it gave me all that freedom back then, why not now. I'm always looking for an excuse to bring back my childhood glory. 

And I suppose there's another side to this wish. As one of Mother Nature's sons, I can't help but feel sometimes that there are things outside of my control in the modern life that I am so often forced to live. Coming from a privileged background such as my own, going to college was was almost taken for granted, and it just so happened that the one that I thought was right for me was on the other coast. That means at a minimum, four cross-country plane trips a year, which for someone that can't hardly stand not recycling a plastic bag, or keeping the lights on when I'm not in the room, is a heavy burden on the conscience. So it may not be practical, but it's one way to reduce the carbon by one flight, and pay it forward a bit. 

Thanks for reading, more on the way.