Day 215
About 50 people were camped out in the middle of nowhere on the same night. 30 of them were the students but the rest were from all different places. None of them had an office to go to that day. Only an adventure. Everyone was up and moving with the sun. Not because they had to go anywhere, but because they wanted to experience as much as this place had to offer. There was a large gathering around the coffee pot. I packed up quickly and went for coffee and breakfast in hopes of beating a hangover. I was still drunk. I felt fine though. I was happy. Had a great night and met a lot of wonderful people.
I talked to the horse ladies again and we were all worried about the weather. Extremely high winds and cold rain were forecasted for the next few days. I was long walking days away from safety. I arranged for a ride into town with their support vehicle later that afternoon. I didn’t want to but I didn’t want to be stuck in a bad pacific northwest storm in a tent with duct taped walls.
I had breakfast and talked to an older couple who were really thankful for what I was doing. They were in AA and both had over 20 years clean each. I had to admit that I was a bit hungover but told them that I haven’t used any illegal substances in 6 years. It was that stuff that I had my problem with. Drinking from time to time is something that I am personally able to handle. They didn’t care and thought it was good that I had good night. They bought my breakfast and gave me hugs before I left. Breakfast and hugs are a great way to start a day!!
I said bye to all of my new friends and got back on the road. I had a hard time leaving. That place was incredible. I stopped and looked back to give it a proper goodbye. The road was great and I wanted to get as far as possible before being picked up. Jets were everywhere. I was getting closer to the base. I looked back and saw the 2 women on horses and thought about waiting, but they were a little too far to justify it. I needed to get going. I left them a note that was easy to find and drew indicator marks, pointing to the note, into the ground with a stick.
I made it up and over one mountain pass and saw a good place for a big truck to pull off. It was around the time that I had arranged to be picked up and she arrived shortly after I got there. We loaded my cart into the back and drove into town. I would have to find a way to get back out there but I knew I was doing the right thing by finding appropriate shelter from this storm.
It was a nice ride into town. We went to a Wal-mart and I decided to just get out there and figure my way around from there. I sat down outside the Wal-mart to look up options of hotels and a guy came over and gave me a McChicken sandwich haha. I love nice people! This trip has opened my eyes to a total new way of living life. My brother called me and I talked to him while walking over to the hotel that I chose. It was the only one less than $50 a night in town. I checked in and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would’ve been at all. The owner was very nice and the wifi worked incredibly well. That’s all I can ask for!!
I booked 2 nights and left the option open to add more if needed. After checking in, I could hear the winds start to pick up. Rocks, sticks, and dust were being thrown up the walls of the hotel. I thought the door was about to fly open. I locked the dead bolt. Glad I made the right choice. That would’ve been a wild night in a tent.