Meanderings Of An Abject Fool

Okay let’s start with my foolishness. The hiking trailer great for when on road, pathways, bike trails, etc. however they are also bulky oodles of moving parts and, at least the one I picked persnickety at best.

I was in Raytown when wheel gave me problems. So much so I had to get an Uber to nearest hotel to work on it. This was definitely no in hotel maintenance job. It was gonna take more than turning a screw or realigning a whatsu. Most likely order parts and waiting. Ordering parts was not part of the plan. That being said I did get 20+ in yesterday.

At hotel I looked other options as I have the time and went back to trains. While I’ve heard they are bulky, full of moving parts,and persnickety that’s outside my preview. So here’s me in a hotel that has signs everywhere stating, positively no marijuana, smoking, vaping of any kind allowed wishing I still had an affinity for pot or at least liquor which you can drink in your room. So both out of question so trains it was. Heading back to house and new plans for mice and N.O.C….to be continued.

This morning started out fine and got loopy quick. I’m walking and being followed. She said hello, her name eludes me, and asked where I’m going I said west Kansas for now. Me too was her reply. She was wearing sweatpants t shirt!! We chatted for a bit and clearly something wrong. I told her I’m calling you help as I’m in no position to do so. Called emergency services and as I did she scampered off. A trifle unusual but I imagine par for the course on this trip. It’s 2 afternoon and I’m waiting for phone to charge then walking again. Interesting day so far…

Weather horrible past two days so I stayed extra at hotel. Spent day reconnoitering the trail I got bout 5 miles just doing that. Leaving sunup. Breakfast first.

Got a ride from sister 9-10 I don’t really recall as I had other things on my mind. Went groovy for a bit making good time, walking and thinking. “Optimism” for me was fairly high meaning it wasn’t in the toilet. Good luck is nothing but bad luck with a time delay.

While it was drizzling all morning it wasn’t bad until it was. Came on slow and steady. The rain’ every moment a little bit more not exponential but always a little bit more. While never a deluge it always increased until there was no way i was going not going to walk, think any more that day.

Or so i thought. Not in a rural area and huge need for a shower camping was out of the question. On this my first night i needed a bed, shower and to let the clothes on my bake dry.

As for the thinking and walking it takes more of both just to find a bed and this wasn’t necessarily the type i was thinking of. i was in an industrial area and could find no place to look for lodging not an overhang or awning in site and every time I used the phone all i got was a jumble of Xs As and the occasional z from the ever constant droplets of rain on my keyboard.

Found a gas station got inside and phone just about out of juice i asked a customer for nearby lodgings. Bout a mile down the road past the high school. 20 minutes I was there and they weren’t full. Got a room, also a discount as the front desk clerk so me and my hiking trailer on her way to work earlier and thought that was neato. Room card in hand I lugged my trailer to second floor, nothing available on first and went to room. Stripped of wet clothing, hooked up phone for charging, i need background noise so found a news channel turned off the lights and went to bed that was approximately 6.

It’s morning as i write the bout 530 or so my watch says I’ve been up for an hour or so. Need to double check my route and pack up and get on the road/trail.

Good morning

I should be leaving tomorrow although terrified i desperately wish to. I should have left work a week earlier than i did. This week spent packing, repacking, bills and almost forgot cleaning, lots of cleaning. It has moved to quickly with little time for thought, not the best idea, things seem to work that way. It’s always the same culprit…time.

Time can be a strange thing in our heads there’s plenty of it until there’s not. Moving slowly until down to the wire and then speeding up exponentially. I have one piece of rather important gear missing and am having it shipped arrives tomorrow. It’s a rain cover for backpack and considering the forecast for the beginning of journey extremely important. This means I start a day late but no worse for it excluding the procrastination. I should have planned ahead for that.

My sister, best thing i can say is she’s also one of my closest friends, had basically had two homes one was hers and the other was on the other side of the state and not in anyway a vacation home. She would come in on weekends and in case of difficulty/emergency to help and give me a rest. Once mom, less than a year after dad as well, were gone decisions had to be made and she was much better at it than i was(still true) we sold house got all affairs in order and at her invitation i moved to a small apartment near her other side of the state so i could decide on what to do while waiting for the car. The Aptera.

While doing so another popped up also extremely cool and that was The Telo.

While it doesn’t have the range 1K miles of my reserved Aptera its got 350 miles plus solar camper shell. Very utilitarian especially if I go mad..er nomad I mean.

Both reservations in and now in a holding pattern. While waiting i had a seizure sorta. Doc said more like a fugue state brought on by recent stress. In any case I wasn’t allowed to drive for six months.

Living in a smallish town i walked everywhere. Groceries, errands and soon just for the fun and the silence. It’s becoming an extremely fast paced planet and the walks helped me slow it down. I had planned on taking a train as planes/airports bite, to California to get whichever vehicle came out first but how bout i walk instead after all Steven Wright said it best every place is within walking distance if you’ve got the time. I do in spades. I took a part time gig so I wouldn’t dig too deep in savings and to keep busy. My statement was if either vehicle comes out tomorrow I’ll put in 2 weeks notice and go if not going anyway come spring. Neither is out yet and spring has sprung. About a month ago i gave notice and on Saturday i go to Lees Summit to hit a trail head for the American Discovery Trail (herein ADT) to walk to the Golden Gate, visit Telo, hang a left to San Diego to visit Aptera…then well your guess as good as mine but in less than a week I’m walking.

It started for me about 1 month before COVID hit I was helping take care of elderly (bout 86ish) parents. Mom late stage ALZ dad with late stage male. During the day two wonderful home health care ladies did much while I worked a particularly tedious job at one of the nations largest coffee chains. I was working full time on the condition when part time was available I’d get that as parents needed more attention than i was giving. Every time i brought it up i was shot down immediately and tired of waiting for a change i put in my two weeks. That evening while reading a book i heard a slight tumble and went into living room my mother was already in bed and dad was on floor. He’d fallen cut his forehead and was attempting to stand while saying he was alright which he wasn’t. Still trying to stand i called my sister always the reasonable, responsible one) obviously she said don’t listen and call ambulance.

Dad in hospital mom in bed i called my manager “ya know that to weeks I gave today? It’s starting earlier parents need someone(me) all the time and i quit. Told sister home health care workers and that was that. I had to quit my job so I could start working.

Several years earlier I received e-reader(like all book junkies) but it sat unused till my work started. It was not only my respite, but an immediate shot in the arm if i wanted a book no waiting just download and start reading.

That’s how it went for a while when HHC was there, shopping, taking care of bills, reading and the web looking for interesting tidbits to occupy the dead spots. At night sleeping facing the door in case someone unknowingly wandered not knowing they were. At last my troubled sleep habits served a purpose.

On one of my interweb forays I found it. It was a cross between The Jetsons and Buckminster Fuller it was groovy it was the Aptera.

I immediately reserved one with the 1K range and waited and waited. Read all updates and did i mention waited. It became my white whale just out of reach a future promise that may never come to fruition. It was necessary I’ve always needed the future possibility of something NEATO regardless of it happening but as Alexander Pope said Hope springs eternal.

Meanderings

Of An

Abject Fool

Basic setup. I’m oldish and trailer seemed(for now) best groove.

Food, Luggage, and stuff. Stuff for now anyway.

NOC NOC

Who’s there?

Phonetic acronym

Phonetic acronym who?

Nobody Of Consequence Nor Of Concern

I am NOC and i have no business doing this. The important thing is I’m not actually doing “this” yet. It’s almost spring and I’m in my sisters pasture rehearsing practicing even preparing but the last one gives me visions of me alone in a bunker with lots of SPAM waiting on an apocalypse be it theological, extraterrestrial or the most likely (if i were a betting man) one of our own doing.

Back to the rehearsal I’ve got a recently purchased tent, backpack, sleeping quilt etc. currently learning how to assemble items properly for when journey actually begins and that will be in approximately one month or so depending on weather or not all ducks in a row. I’ve set up essentials to make sure i can and will be spending a rather chilly evening sleeping under the stars or at least a tent canopy.

Sleeping has always been a problem for me, probably why i spent a good portion of it drunk as passing out is much faster, but in the pasture on this night i slept rather well. Waking up at pee o’clock not so much. Getting up round midnight(pee o’clock) i was fine until i left the comfort of my tent and went out to relieve myself in what I would call the wild. Definitely a trifle cold and what started as a drizzle was now frozen on my tent. I imagine this is the sort I will get used to soon enough as I’ll be entering the world of no choice.

Back to bed I crawled for the rest of my respite. At about six i woke up for real as the sun was still rising. Rather lovely I’m not much of an outdoorsman I’ll admit but damn if it weren’t pretty. Now time for next part of this rehearsal gather all my stuff together putting in proper place loading up and going for a walk several miles around the pasture to make sure it feels okayish at this point not looking for perfection but utility. Does it all work? Can it be done expeditiously? Will it be comfortable? Work-check expeditious-check comfort-that’s relative but it’s enough so check it is.

I’ve still got oodles to do before leaving purchases, organizing, planning and whatnot and little time to do it. No matter how far in advance I plan it’s always down to the wire, I would probably do better to include procrastination in my plan as it’s always around the corner.