This is the story of a journey of mine that took me from Oklahoma City to Seattle. I took a bus for the trip and kept a journal of the trip. The journal documented my trip as well as was a sort of journal to the beautiful woman that is now my wife. I wrote this journal as if I was talking to her. So here it begins:
Wednesday, Feb 7:
I'm not sure what time it is, or even where I am right now, but I can tell it's still early morning. I would have started writing as soon as the bus took off but it was too dark to see what I was doing. Anyway, I got on the bus about 6am. I can't believe how crowded this bus is for this time of day. Right now, the bus has stopped in one of many of Oklahoma's backwater towns. This is still just the beginning of a very long and boring bus ride. But it will be worth it when I get there to be with you and Jenai. Ok, the bus is moving now so I'm looking around to see if there is a clock somewhere or a location sign. Aha, I just saw one, we are in Weatherford it looks like. Course, that means nothing to me and I'm sure even less for you. We're heading west toward Amarillo. We just passed a drive-in movie theater on the side of the highway. I haven't seen one of those in a long time. Well, I'm going to put this away for a bit and try to get a little bit of sleep. I couldn't sleep last night after we got off the phone for some reason. It could be that my pillow was packed away or that I just couldn't get comfortable on my parent's couch. In any case, I'l stop here for now and try to get some rest. I'll write some when we stop in Amarillo probably.
Elk City, Oklahoma:
Ok, so I lied, we're not in Amarillo yet. I think we are in yet another bass ass town called Elk City. I haven't gotten much sleep. I've dozed off a couple of times but there is entirely too much noise on this bus to get any real sleep right now. There are a bunch of little kids on this bus and it appears they all have the same mother. In fact, the same lady who just a few minutes ago was having a fit because she couldn't get the bathroom door open. Worked fine for the driver when she checked it. Gotta be at least 10% smarter than the equipment you're trying to operate lady. Not so in this case it seems. I'm looking around the area where the bus is parked and I've noticed something about Oklahoma that strikes me as a bit, I guess pathetic is the word. The scenery in this state absolutely sucks. There is nothing worthwhile to look at around here, unless of course you just like to look at trees and flat, ugly landscapes. I've also noticed something else this states has an abundance of; non-operational railroads. A bunch of old, ugly broken-down railroad cars sitting around by old, even uglier, abandoned railroad houses. This was only supposed to be a 10 minute break but it seems to have been a bit longer due to the amount of people that don't seem to have much of a concept of time. Than again, I'm really not one to talk about that since I still don't have any idea what time it is and nobody around here seems to be wearing a watch. I suppose I could go into the gas station that we are outside of and find out but that would just make way too much sense fo rme to do. I probably shouldn't sit around and watch the clock the whole trip anyway, it might get more depressing. Well, I think that's enough for now. I'll write some more when I get the urge.
Amarillo, Texas 11:40am
Just got off the phone with you a few minutes ago to let you know where I was. Had a minor scare for a minute. Looked around the boarding area and couldn't see my bags. Yikes! Apparently they had unloaded them and stuffed them in the back of the baggage claim area. Whew! I'm going to grab them later on tonight when I get to Denver. Well, this is just so much excitement I could almost wet myself. Sitting in a bus station, waiting on a bus. I don't need a whole lot of words and floury adjectives to describe how I feel about this. In fact, one word alone comes to mind when thinking about what I think of sitting in a bus station in the middle of Hicksville, USA. That word is SUCKS! I'm not sure how much time you've spent in bus stations but I've definitely done my time waiting on buses in small, back water towns. It gets no better with time believe me. You sit around and observe what particular crop of people ride on buses. To tell you the truth, now that I think about it, it kind of worried me about myself. Am I one of these people? Dear Lord No!!!! That's a scary thought. Not that there is really anything wrong specifically with these type of people. IT's just that they seem to come from a different stock than, uhm...people that don't ride the bus. I dunno, it just seems that people that do ride the bus are a little different than people you would meet on a plane. I dunno what I'm talking about, I guess I'm just talking out of my ass. I was going somewhere with this and now I forgot what my point was. Probably something along the lines of most people you meeting riding the bus on these long trips are freaks. And not in a good way. From the looks of things, it could be that the bus to Denver is going to be quite crowded as well....Shit! That's all I need. And more kids too. What are these people, stupid? I would never subject Jenai to the confines of a bus. At least with a plane, even thought it's still as confingin as a bus, at least it's over quickly. I don't mean to sound elitist or judgemental or mean in any way here but there's no other way its going to come out. These people are basically scum. I'm trying not to sound like I'm spending this entire trip bitching about it, but I haven't really got anything positive to say about it yet. Oh wait, I take that back. My luggage isn't lost yet, I got a little bit of sleep on the bus and I've got the first 5 hours out of the way. Well, that's it for now. I'm going to go get a drink and wander around the station for awhile. I'll write more later.
Somewhere, Wednesday afternoon.
Yup, that heading says it all. I don't know where in the hell we are. I just know that it's probably sometime after 3 in the afternoon. I know that beacuse I'm pretty sure I heard someone asking earlier what time it was here on the bus. Supposedly, here in a little while we are supposed to be stopping for about 20 minutes outside a McDonalds. It's not bus station food so it's not all bad. And the McDonalds is in a little town in Colorado so at least I'll know what state I'm in. Actually, I think we might be in Colorado already. I'm looking around at the local area and I just saw a sign that said Colorado Bank and Trust. Pretty good guess that's where we are, huh? Still looks like rinky dink town surroundings. Spent the last couple of hours drifting in and out of sleep and everytime I woke up all I saw was cattle and grass. No real reason that I need to be awake anyway. I'm hoping that I will sleep most of this trip so that when I get there I will be all fresh and energized and rested for you. Not looking like I'll be clean and I will probably smell, but at least I'll be a well rested scumbag. Anyway, so we're driving around this tiny town right now. Seems to be in a part of town where most of the buildings are made of brick. And from the looks of the streets, the snow and ice must have just recently melted. You can see patches of slush at random spots on the streets and sidewalks. We are driving on a street called Colorado Street. Oh, by the way, the bus isn't as crowded this time. I have my row all to myself so I'm able to stretch out a little more. I hope it stays like this all the way to Everett. Across from me is one of the many mothers that decided to drag their kids along cross country with them. Idiots. Just passed a sign that said Lamar 45 miles. That's the town where we're supposed to stop for about 20 minutes. We're out of that town now and I'm looking out the window at 2 big fields of grass and trees on either side of me. One side, pretty much bare except for the wheat fields. The other side just looks like grass, a few grain silos and there's still a lot of snow in some areas. Couple of random pieces of farm equipment keep showing up from time to time. Well, I think I'm done describing the picturesque landscape for a while. Probably write some more when we stop here in a little while. I'm going to get something to eat when we stop. Than I can describe the nasty greasy good I digest for you.
Lamar, Colorado around 4PM
Just got done eating. We stopped outside a McDonalds for a little while. We just changed time zones as well. So the time is actually 3PM your time, 5PM my parents time. Looking at it that way, I've been on the road now for nearly 12 hours. The really sad thing about that is thinking, I've only been on the road for 12 hours. It's going to be long trip! According to the driver we're supposed to be pulling into Denver in about 5 1/2 hours. I'm not sure exactly where the half way point is but I'm fairly certain that Denver isn't it yet. Just goes to show exactly how big this country really is. It's only taken a little under 12 hours to get to this point and yet we still have 3 states to go through, not counting the one we're already in. So what did I eat? I had 2 cheeseburgers, an extra large order of fried and a Dr. Pepper (actually a Mr. Pibb). My stomach was growling for a little while so it's good that I took care of that. Ok, we're back on the road now. We just went over a bridge that has a sign naming the body of water we went over as the Arkansas River. Hmmm, that's strange. I didn't realize that it went out this far. More good news, we're heading directly into the sun. That will get old in about 5 minutes. So I guess I'm going to stop here for a while so I canput my coat over my head to block out those nasty rays of sunlight huring my eyes.
Pueblo, not sure of time
The bus has stopped to change drivers and probalby to let some people off. Seems like a lot of people left. Course, that could be becuase they needed to go to the bathroom or something. I think our next major stop is in Colorado Springs. I could leave the bus and find out what time it is but I won't for two reasons. One, I don't want to lose my good spot. And two, I really don't want to know what time it is, it might be depressing. I'm trying to write fast because it's dark out now and the light in the bus is on now because it's stopped. Not really much to say right now anyway. I've slept most of the way from Lamar to this point. Looks like we're loading a couple people here too, hopefully not too many, I like having a row to myself. I think it might be getting cold too, that could be bad. I hope I can get into my bags in Denver, not only do I need to put some clothes on, but also I'm starting to feel slightly icky. Oh great, on top of all that, someone has decided to douse themselves with perfume or cologne or something. Yuck! Ok, I should end this here so I don't get the lights shutting off on me mid-sentence.
Colorado Springs, time still unknown
Just pulled in. We're only going to be here a couple of minutes to unload some people and maybe pick some more up. Hopefully not too many more. This wasn't a long trip. I guess Pueblo and Colorado Springs aren't too far apart. I didn't bring my map with me so I'm not sure how far apart these towns are. The word is that the roads going in and out of Denver are going to be bad. I'm sure everything will be fine. The driver is just going to have to drive more carefully and a little slower. Okay, the driver is back. I guess that means we're out of here. I'll write more in Denver, whenever we might get there.
Denver, 1015PM
Just sitting here waiting for the bus to leave. Got off the phone with you....... Ok, rude interruption there. I was sitting on the toilet and they called for my bus. Damn, that was quick. I had gotten off the phone with you and went to the gift shop. Can you believe they didn't have any toothpaste. No gum either. What kind of crap is that? But they had breath spreay so that should last me a while. I'm just sitting here on the bus waiting for it to finish loading. I really hope this bus isn't going to be crowded. Man, talk about your bad timing. I was in the middle of some important business on that toilet! Sheesh! Didn't have time to talk to them about my bags either but I'm sure I will get them. Either they put em on the right bus and they'll arrive with me or they're stuck somewhere and they'll eventually get to your address. As much as it sucks, this has happened to me before so I'm sort of used to it and know that I will eventually get my stuff. Stuff happens, y'know? Oh yeah, I thought I'd mention that I'm in the city of my birth right now. That's about it for now, I'm going to get myself settled in this chair. Doesn't look like there are too many people going to Cheyenne, Wyoming this time of night.
Fort Collins, CO, late night
I figured I would make a small entry at this stop since the lights in the bus are on for a few minutes. Between here and Denver we also stopped in a small town called Greely. There are barely any passengers on this bus, which is pretty cool. I've also noticed that this bus smells nicer than the last one. Leave it to me to notice something like that. Well anyway, I'm here in Fort Collins, home of ALL and the Descendents. Which I'm sure means nothing to you and in the grand scheme of things means nothing to me either other than the fact that I can say I've been here. As soon as we take off from this place, I think I'm just going to sleep the rest of the way to Cheyenne. And it looks like we might be ready to go so that's all for now.
Somewhere in Wyoming, sometime before 430 AM
So, let me play catch up here. We left Fort Collins and got to Cheyenne really quick, however, we got there late. It was really fricking cold there too. In addition to that, a bunch of the roads being closed going out to Cheyenne. All of them but the one going north, isn't that cool? Anyway, so we left Cheyenne, heading for Billings, Montana. The road was covered with snow and as far as I could tell, it was still snowing. I'm trying to get as much sleep as I can on this left of the ride. Right now, we are stopped in some rinky dink town. I think the driver said it was called Douglas. I'm pretty sure that we're still in Wyoming. Oh yeah, I guess I should also mention that I heard someone say it was 425. Man, this bus is really freaking crowded. Kind of figures that one of the largest parts of the trip is going to be the most uncomfortable. Still unsure about my bags, I tried to watch them load the bus while we were in Cheyenee but it was way too freaking cold to be standing around in this weather. You know what else I've noticed while on this trip, Kitten? Something I've known just by observing and listening to many of my other experiences, especailly working at AOL. People are really stupid! Nobody can seem to follow simple instructions. We keep getting at least one or twon geniuses that are on the wrong bus. At the various ticket counters they have a list of what busses are going where and when they are leaving. Yet still, people persist on asking the ticket clerk, who I'm sure has better things to do than answer moronic questions, what time such and such bus is leaving for Guadlahara, Mexico (well not really Guadalarhara, but you get my general meaning). Another questions I'm getting a lot of lately is "aren't you cold dressed like that?" I keep responding with a cold stare and a simple "Uhm, yeah, I am." Than of course, I have to go into a semi-long winded version of of why I'm wearing shorts in the middle of a snow storm and how much faith I have in Greyhound at this point. Hmm...this isn't good I think the bus is stuck in the snow. Oh nevermind, maybe not. Well, that's enough for now, I guess we're heading out again. I'm going to try and get some sleep.
Gillette, 650AM, Thursday
Could be Wyoming, could be Montana. Hell if I know. What I do know is that this stop wasn't listed on my ticket and we're going to be waiting for a good hour. From here, we're heading for Billings, which is where I thought our driver told us our next stop would be. There's a bunch of snow on the ground outside. It's pretty cold out there too. Come to think of it, it isn't really too warm inside here either. I'm thinking I need to go talk to the ticket counter to see if they have any where my bags are. Be backin a few. Okay, this sucks. The idiots in Oklahoma City (big suprise there) didn't check my bags properly. They checked them all the way through to Everett but they didn't list all of the major stops so they haven't been on the same bus with me since I left Cheyenne. The lady at the counter say that they will arrive in Everett about the same time that I do but I find that very hard to believe. It's 7:10 right now and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to get on the bus that leaves at 745 or the one that leaves at 8. I'm sure they'll announce which ones are going where. This dink ass town doesn't even have a board listing what buses are going where. Oh, and I found out that I'm still in Wyoming. The ride from Douglas to here wasn't too bad. A lot of people got off the bus there so it wasn't as crowded as it was when we go on in Cheyenne. And on top of that, I've slept the entire ride from Douglas to here. You know what? I was just thinking about something. I thought that as I rode further norht, the low-lifes would sort of, for lack of a better term, die off or at least thin out. Maybe that will happen once we get closer to Seattle. This luggage thing really sucks. At first it was kind of funny and didn't worry me too much because I was almost sort of used to it. But as I get further into the trip and realize the true incompetence of these people and as it gets colder, its really starting to piss me off. If my clothes and other crap aren't there when I get there I'm going to highly upset. Not really anything I can do about it except whine but it really pisses me off that people can't do their jobs right, especially when it puts me in this kind of spot. Cuz when I get there and my bags aren't, not only will I not have any clothes, but also I will not have any deoderant, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc. and will probably not get that stuff for a while. Only God knows when I will get my luggage. On top of all that, my pillow is lost out there somewhere. Ok, I'm going to try and change the subject cuz thinking about this is pissing me off. It's almost 730. this is funny, I'm listening to this Canadian and some other guy argue over if Clinton was a good President or not. Ok, that one didn't last long, now they're talking about medical coverage. I'm not sure if we're still on mountain time or not. In fact, I think I'll find out. I'm going to call my mom and let her know where I am at and what's going on. Ask her what time it is. I hope by the time I'm off the phone with her it will be time to go, or pretty close.
735AM
Well, that conversation didn't last too long, she was kind of busy. We're still in mountain time though, she's only an hour ahead. More people are starting to show up. On one hand, that good cuz it means its getting closer to the time to leave. On the other hand, it means the bus is going to be crowded. Those buses are uncomfortable enough without having to deal with some nasty smelly, Wyoming cowhand sitting next to me. Heheheh! Actually, I've really only had to sit by one person for far that smelled bad. But he definitely made up for the ones that didn't. Man, he was repugnant. I wonder if he'd had his annual bathing experience. It's hard not to overhear peoples discussions while I'm sitting here writing this to you. People really are stupid honey, it's not just me. I hope we can get on that bus quick so I can go to sleep and dont' have to listen to these losers. Hmmmm....it's 745 now and I don't see any buses out there. Ok, I think I'm going to get myself something to drink. According to the schedule, we leave for Billings at 8AM and get there around noon. After that, the really ugly (but last!) leg of the trip starts. Billings to Seattle. Ok, so Billings to Seattle isn't actually the last leg of the tirp but I'm not counting Seattle to Everett, that's going to be a short ride. Ok, I'm out of here.
750AM
Ok, the 745 bus came and went. That bus was going east to South Dakota or North Dakota or something like that. At least the amount of people thinned out a bit. From the looks of things, if the amount of passengers stay the same as it is in here now, I might even get a row to myself again and that's always good. Right now thought, I'm getting to the point I don't really care anymore, I just want to get there.
Sheridan, Wyoming, unsure of time
We've stopped for another one of those 10 minute get out and stretch your legs breaks. i would do that but I think that with the temperature the way it is, there's no way in hell I'm going outside this bus until I have to. They tried to entertain us on this ride. They were showing video. I slept through most of it of course but I was wake long enough to catch the first 2 minutes of an episode of Rifleman (yippee!!!) and to catch the butt end of a documentary about Mickey Rooney. So from the looks of things, I didn't miss much. I have been on the road now an entire day, plus some. And I can tell you this, it certainly feels like it. I feel nasty. I'm sure I can't smell as bad as I think I do though. It's bright outside. Judging by the time we took off and the time they said it would take to get here, it is probably somewhere close to 10AM. We're supposed to be in Billing around noon. I'm going to call your house when we get there. I'm sure you probably won't be home so I'll leave a message. I'm looking outside the window and a car just pulled up beside us. The license plate for Wyoming has a picture of a cowboy on a bucking bronco (or some kind of wild horse). I don't, however(comma) see any of these interesting little sayings people usually see on license plates. The driver just said that we will get into Billing around 1230 and said something about a snowstorm of some kind coming out of Washington that might delay us from getting anywhere on time. Guess we really won't know anything about that until we get into Billings to know for sure. I didn't realize that they had Texacos this far north. Are there any in Seattle? I can't remember. I know there aren't any in Alaska. Not that I can remember anyway. All the ones I remember were called Tesoro or something like that. Well, we're pulling out of this tiny bus depot that doubles as a gas station. Actually, that's probably vice versa. The video is now showing a documentary about some rodeo. True excitement. Well, that's enough writing for now. Not much to say about Sheridan.
Hardin, Montana, morning
We just pulled into this auto repair place for a few minutes. It's funny where you find these bus depots. I've been falling in and out of sleep all morning. The past few minutes I've been listening to the driver and a couple of the passengers talk about George Custer. The Battlefield is somewhere around here apparently. Than they went on and started talking about politics. I think they were going to be driving by where the Little Bighorn Memorial is. I know it sounds like I'm whining a lot in this journal and you can tell that this trip is really boring and that it sucks in general for me. But I want you to know that no matter how boring it gets or how uncomfortable the trip is, or how much they're screwed up things with my luggage....no matter what happens on this trip, it will all be worth it when I get off the bus in Everett and see your smiling face. You are the reason that I'm going through this and you are so worth any crap that I've had to put up with on this trip.
Billing, Montana, 1245PM
Just got into town a few minutes ago. I left a short message on your machine. We're supposed to leave here about 130. I'm a little hungry but I'm sure we'll stop somewhere later. Doesn't look like there's much to eat here in the bus depot and it's probably too expensive ayway. I think there are some places around here to eat. But I sure as hell ain't going out in this weather. Speaking of weather, I haven't heard any thing new on the winter storm issue coming out of the west so I guess it's not big enough to concern anyone. On the luggage issue, what it seems happened is that anyone who came through Denver got separated from their luggage, which ended up going west to Salt Lake City and than north to Washington. These bags are supposed to arrive fairly close to the time we get there. My question, therefore is, if the bags and the people are arricving at relatively the same time, why didn't the people go that route as well? Why didn't they just send the freaking bags on the buses with the people on them? I have no idea. We won't know anything more about my bags until I arrive there in Everett. I really hope that my bags get there about the same time. Otherwise, I'm going to have to go somewhere and buy a set of clothes. Cuz I sure as hell ain't walking around Seattle with these clothes on. For one, I've been wearing them since Tuesday, and tow, I'm wearing shorts! My god, it's cold up here. I guess next time I do something stupid like this I'll dress for where I'm going and now for where I'm at. Also, I want my stuff cuz my pillow is in there. Looking around Billings on our way to the depot, it sort of reminds me of Alaska. As I said earlier, as much as this trip is sucking ass, it's all going to be worth it when I get there. I'm really looking forward to seeing you. And I'm looking forward to seeing Naibug as well, of course. This is going to be the last leg of the trip. Billings to Seattle. As I said, Seattle to Everett I'm not counting cuz all that'll be over quick. The cool thing is that I'm over the half way point. I only have about...uhm....ok, lemme figure out my math here.....I have about 20 hours left until I get there. Damn! Why did I sit here and figure that out? That sounds so depressing. We're still in mountain time I'm sure. Speaking of mountains, the scenery here is a lot better than all the other places. At least there are mountains to look at. In a lot of ways this area reminds me of Alaska. Mountains are cool, cool to look at, cool to hike through. Not sure if you're into that kind of thing but if you are, it would be cool to do something like that with you sometime. I'm not really much of an outdoorsy person but when I was in Washington back in 1994 we spent a couple of weeks in the mountains and I thought it was kind of cool. They just called for 2 other buses that leave before me, however (dot dot dot) it doesn't look like the passenger content is getting much lower in this terminal, that can't be good. Than again, there is large line forming by one of the doors so maybe these are the people heading in those other directions. Well, I'm going to quit for now so I can take one last pee before it's time to get on my bus. I'm not sure when the next writing will be. I might just make a small entry (if I'm awake) at all of the little stops we make just to have something to put in here.
Billings (still) 145PM
Bunch of incompetent jerk offs! The bus we were supposed to be on, the one that was supposed to leaving here at 130 just pulled in. So they have to unload passengers and luggage. Than they have to clean up the bus and than re-load the people who got off of it and are still going west. I'm not sure how far off this throws the plan of when i'm going to be there. I'm sure it doesn't throw it off a whole lot but concerning the screw ups that have already occurred, I'm really unhappy with Greyhound. Course, this will more than likely be the last time I have to take the bus anywhere. Well, I just figured I'd pop in here and bitch about Greyhoudn a bit. That's all for now.
Butte, Montana, 8ish PM
Ths bus has stopped for lunch. Kind of late for lunch, isn't it? In any case, I wish they would have said at our last stop that we were stopping to eat soon cuz I loaded up on junk food back there. We are about an hour off our schedule, I think I figured out why this bus was so late pulling into Billings. This guy is a pokey driver. I'm hoping we change drivers soon. Not sure when that happens but I know he's not driving us to Seattle. I think what I'm giong to do is attempt to get in touch with you when i get into Spokane and let you know of an estimated time frame for when we'll be getting into Everett. And of course this leg of the trip being the really long one, it's also looking to be the msot uncomfortable. They've got people packed into this bus like sardines. However, if you think of the grand scheme of things, if it's 8 here, it's 7 there (we're an hour behind), we were supposed to be here there at 830 (930 our time) so if we're an hour behind we wont be there until about 930 (1030 our time) so the positive side of looking at it that way is that we only have about 14 and a half hours to go, which sounds like an ass load of time but considering I've already been on the bus for....(time to do math)...oh forget it! A really long time! So 14 hours doesn't sound as bad as it really is. I'm hoping that the next driver will try and make up for some of the lost time. And maybe if I get really lucky the bags will get there in Everett before me (I can dream, can't I?). I can't wait to finally ge to spend some time with you again. I miss you terribly. I'm so looking foward to walking around town with you tomorrow, holding your hand as we shop and do whatever. I am really looking forward to that hug I hope to get when I get off the bus. To see your gorgeous eyes, your long, beautiful blonde hair, that cute nose (really cheesing it up here, aren't I?). I can't help it, I'm just keeping you in my thoughts this entire trip, it seems to make the ride go by a little smoother and the unfortunate incidents that have already occurred to not seem as bad because I know at the end of this pain in the ass bus ride, is my princess waiting for me. Soon, it will be the time when I can wrap my arms around you and not let go for a really long time. Not far away from you, I'm sitting here on a bus, thinking of you, writing to you my thoughts and observations, just so you know that I've got my mind set on you. Soon I will be with you again my Kitten. Oh, by the way, I'm not the only person on this bus wearing shorts. But I'm not sure this kid lost his luggage cuz he got on the bus in Wyoming, after the great Denver Luggage Shuffle. Maybe he's just stupid. This driver really has no concept of time. He stops for these 10 minute breaks that turn into 15. Like we aren't late enough thanks to him. I called your house a little before 8 here and left a message. I wonder what you're doing right now. Probably over at Nyla's. I hope you're doing okay right now. I'd hate for you to be sad and all. Soon you won't have to wait for me anymore. i wish I had a map so i could figure out what part of Montana we're in. Maybe if we changed states again it wouldn't seem as bad. We've been in Montana for a very long time. I guess Montana is a really big state. Well, the bus is starting to fill up again, finally, meaning we'll be pulling out again soon. That's enough writing for now. I love you Princess.
Some buttcrack town called Missoula, Montana, time unsure
Right before we pulled into this place I heard someone say it was 930 but that can't be right. I probably heard him wrong cuz it's been way more than an hour since we left Butte. It has to be more than an hour. If it has actually only been an hour since that, than time is dragging slower now than the entire trip. Course, riding with Pokey the Puppy behind the wheel........I swear my grandmother could drive faster than this guy (yes, my grandmother is dead in case you're wondering). And I don't wanna hear any crap about the roads from this guy cuz I looked out the window and there's ain't shit on them. We're only supposed to be here for 10 minutes but like I said earlire this driver has no concept of time. Speaking of time, someone just said it was 11 PM, which makes it 10 there, which means I probably should have gotten off the bus and called you. Crap! Well, too late now. I'm not sure when we're stopping next but on our next 10 minute break I'll call you to at least let you know everything is ok (relatively). I know we have some sort of stop coming up soon because I heard somebody say something about needing to change drivers. I think that's our next stop. I'm not sure how far until we get out of Montana. Well, the driver is back so I'm done here for now. Hopefully, we'll stop before you're asleep so I can talk to you for a few minutes.
St. Regis Montana, 1230AM Friday, February 9
This is the last day of my trip! I just got off the phone with you. Our new driver just showed up. I hope he drives faster than that last loser. We're almost out of Montana finally. Next state is Idaho and than Washington. I am so looking forward to seeing that Welcome to Washington sign that I'm going to stay awake once I find out where we are. Hmmm...that made no sense. Usually I wake up when we stop, so since we have a batch to unload in Idaho, I'll wake up and hopefully we'll be out of Idaho soon after that and entering the state of my new home. Isn't that cool? That reminds me, sometime next week or sometime I'd like to get a new drivers license so I can make one step closer to residency there. I don't want to have to pay any out of state fees if I ever end up going back to school. No big deal, just thinking random thoughts. You know, I think we've probably been here more than 20 minutes. The new driver is here. What is he waiting for? I'm going to try to sleep most of the way home. I'll try to sleep until we stop in Idaho to unload some people and as soon as we get into Washington I'm going to try and sleep all the way to Seattle. Aside from the fact that I'm really irritated with the trip sof ar, and the fact that I'm getting a bit cold, I really am excited. I'm really happy that I finally get to see you again, that I'll get to hug you again, that I'll get to run my hands through your hair again. Just generaly being in your presence is gonig to be really cool. I can hardly wait.And I'm so close now! I'm so glad that I'm going to see you again that I don't even care that my pillow is hundreds of miles away from me. Well, actually, i do care that it's missing, but I'm not totally pissed about it anything. I'm sure that all my stuff will turn up sometime. It better anyway, my entire life is in those bags. And to top it off, you and Naibug's presents are in those bags. Well, the bus is finally starting to get ready to move, the driver is starting his little pre-take off spill. I'll write some more later. Writing while the bus is moving sucks and it's probably hard enough for you to read this without it being totally illegible because of the bus hitting every bump in the road.
Spokane, WA 3AMish
I'm in Washington Kitten! Wasn't awake to see the welcome sign though. Woke up sometime after our stop in Idaho and realized that the person that had been sitting next to me all day was gone. So I got comfy and went to sleep again. When I woke up I was the only person on the bus. That's when i ran into the bus terminal and called you. So they just packed up the bus again and naturally it filled up again. No more getting all comfy for me. However, it does look like lippy isn't ehre anymore. He must have gotten off for good in Spokane. I think we're in the same time zone now though, it's supposed to take about 6 hours or so to get there so if its 3 here, we should pull into Seattle about 9AM. Not sure when that puts us into Everett though. I hope my luggage has found its way home or close to it anyway. If my luck is for the better today it will be waiting for me there or will pull up soon after. In any case, it will be nice to be able to have some clothes to change into. Ok, they are going to start the bus soon so I'm going to try and doze off. See you in a few hours Kitten. I can't wait to see you. I love you Princess.
Somewhere on I-90 West, time unknown
Ok, so here I am sitting on the bus that's sitting in the middle of the road because a semi jack-knifed on the road about 100 feet ahead of us. The bus is okay and I'm not sure if the driver was hurt or anything but we sure got ourselves a bus load of cranky people. One thing is for sure, if i wasn't irritated or annoyed with this trip by now, I sure as heck am now! We have been sitting for a good hour at least with no results so far. A bunhc of cop cars have driven through but I have yet to see one tow truck enter the accident scene. What are those cops doing up there anyway? Investigating the accident? Can they be any dumber? Hmm...let's see guys, dumb ass trucker can't drive, case closed. Ok, let's wrap this up and get this hunk of shit out of the road. And yes, honey, as much as I'm giong to be bitching about this for a while, I am thankful that nobody was hurt and that everyone in the bus is okay. Ok, after somewhat of an hour, they finally got the truck off the road and out of the way. Hmmm..ok...so why are we still sitting here?!? Uhm.....c'mon, let's go! What the hell?!? Those darn donut-eating pigs need to get out of the way so we can get out of here, we're way late enough as it is! There are a bunch of people on this bus that had connecting buses to locations past Seattle, and I mean further than Everett. That's right, I said HAD connections. Those buses have since left Seattle already. This probably means that the bus to Everett is already gone. I'm sure we should have been in Seattle by now. I'm not sure what time it is but I remember that at our last little 5 minute stop, we were very close, like within 2 1/2 hours or so. Ok, we still haven't moved, the freeway is completely clear, and we're still sitting here!!!! I am soooooo annoyed with bus travel right now you couldn't believe it. Ok, I have a joke for you. How many cops does it take to clear a freeway so traffic can get through? Ok, sorry, no punchline cuz I don't know the answer. Obviously it takes more than there are here cuz we're still sitting here while the cops are just standing around. Ok, lets check the situation thus far. They lose my luggage so I can't get into some long pants and I'm freezing my ass off. The driver in Montana is an hour late causing us toe be that much behind in our schedule. That same driver drives slower than my dead grandma so that makes the trip take even that much longer. We get a new driver and somehow manages to get pretty close to the original schedule and a truck jack-knifes on the freeway into Seattle. Yup, all in all, I have to say this has been a fun trip. Not! Ok, we're still sitting here. Just thought I'd mention that. I hope those idiots know that we would like to get out of here sometime this century! Ok Steve, calm down, have some dip.............why didn't I just shell out the extra dough and take a plane? Because I am stupid, that's why. But in spite of all this, trouble, for lack of a better term, I still stand strong to what I said earlier. It's all going to be worth it when I get to see you again. On the side of the road there are some horses that have walked up. Actually, the scenery her is quite pretty. 2 or 3 horses roaming around their little area. Couple of snow-packed mountains. Nice looking trees of some sort, probably pine from the look of them. And a bunch of dumb cops standing in the middle of the road doing nothing. Oh wait, one of those things don't belong in the 'things that are nice to look at right now' group. Can you guess which one it is? I still don't understand why we're still sitting here. The horses are playing. I'm sitting here watching them and it looks like they're playing tag. No it really does! They're running around their area as if one of them is chasing the others. Oh hey! There's another one. There are now 4 horses. Ok, the cops have finally said we can go now so we're heading out of here. It's about time. Uhm...or so we thought. Ok, maybe not, we're still sitting here. *sigh* Hey, what the hell? They just let some guy behind us go ahead. That's fucked up. Oh no, it's not the cops. The bus driver is letting him pass us. he's letting the traffic behind go first, what a fucknig putz! Ok, we're finally moving. I think I'm going to stop bitching nwo and try to take another short nap. Only a few more hours and I get to see you Princess. I love you.
That is the end of the journal entries of this trip. The Epilogue of this story is that soon after this entry, a few hours later that is, I got to Seattle. Yes, my connecting bus to Everett, WA (just outside Seattle) had already left so I missed it. I ended up having Jesica come out to the Seattle terminal to get me because the next bus to Everett wasn't for another 3 hours. My luggage did finally show up....2 days later.
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