I was fortunate enough to indulge in the American roadside for a week. After a hearty pint of oil and a frantic purchase of two pairs of new shoes, Ruby and I decided to hit the road. This, perhaps shortsighted, Journey was sprung from a recent and unexpected desire for wisdom and adventure with a hint of challenge.
A short odyssey that would take me to the pulchritudinous Rocky Mountains in Colorado and the almost boundless Chaco Canyon in New mexico.
Nonetheless, as I listened to the sound of my camping gear clunk in my behind, I could not help but to enjoy the drive to the gorgeous Rockies.
Habits are often a gift or a curse if not properly overseen. In my many trips, I have indulged in a particular habit created by the many consumables and advertising given to the wondersing souls that arrive at rest stops. These documents that I extol wholeheartedly are known as state maps.
Perhaps, these thoughts are created by fleeing dreams of discovery or naivety but I would always visit a rest stop to collect a map once I arrived in a new state.
While I may be unaware of the location of my small collection of maps, I am proud to announce that I should be getting close to obtaining ten maps.
However, I would be closer to this goal if Kansas had not betrayed me.
While Ruby was kind enough to aid me in reaching as many rest stops as we did without adding hours to our 24 hour journey, I was never able to collect any maps in kansas.
It was a quiet uproar, but with a waning hint of curiosity and wanderlust.
This continuous state of hopeful nativity followed me as I traversed through the “wheat state”
Often, as a solo traveler, I have a hard time exploring the wonderful roadside ambience and environment. Respectfully, in some states the environment can be quite repetitive to the point of hypnotism. However, as I frugally stopped at yet another rest stop, I couldn’t stop but to soak in my surroundings.
A sand like color resided on surrounding patches of grass with hints of bright green and shades of brown. Simple points of interest scattered around the area in the form of trees. They may have lost their splendor, yet these trees continue to be erect despite their environment. As I marveled at my surroundings, my gaze was interrupted by the wandering howling wind, where at times it would speak in whispers or in Choleric shouts. Perhaps, these winds were powerful enough to spook the clouds, for the sky was a vibrant blue.
Vessels with dozens of wheels raced behind me, but in this tiny spot of the universe, I couldn’t help but to be enchanted by this unconventional oasis. It is quite humorous to think that these areas are so crucial for roadside adventure and that many of these areas are underappreciated.
That said, as I relaxed at the rest stop. I admitted to thinking about the rest stops in Illinois. To put it simply, they were quite outstanding. While many of the rest stops had the bare necessities, The prairie state was kind enough to include some niceties. Well maintained parks with wonderful bold yet natural colors. The buildings were quite different from one another, something that even Kansas lacked. If you are fortunate enough, you might even spot one of these buildings with personnel or staff. However, the grandeur item I found in one of these rest stops was an ice cream machine
What a luxury, I was perplexed yet intrigued by this large size machinery. Like if I had witnessed a historical event, I couldn’t help but to take a picture. Stepping out of character, I began to share this novelty with a group of friends via messages. My mouth salivated like a waterfall. If a stranger would have walked up on me in this state, they might have confused me for a starving dog. People might have run in fear in my feral state, but personally I did not care. The ice cream machine and I were speaking the same language, a dialect designed for this very moment.
The mechanism craved quarters and I craved frozen delicacies.
My finger lingered around the buttons for a while.
“Vanilla ice cream sandwich, Snickers ice cream bar, Fudge bar….”
My thoughts raced as fast as horses.
“…Strawberry shortcake bar, Chocolate Eclair Bar, Vanilla Cone…”
Only one thing could end my hypnotism.
“…!”
The King Of Ice Cream.
“A Cookies and Cream M&M Ice Cream Sandwich”
The machine laughed hysterically as I succumbed to their will ~ Only stopping to eat my dollar bills. I paced for a moment as the machine counted the bills. Without a second thought, as my balance manifested on the screen, I assaulted the button of the machine. I heard the gadget rumble and…!
Nothing.
I clicked again, hoping that something different would happen.
“Out of stock, Please make another selection”
My life at that moment was like a tenuous glass window and this message was like an unwanted baseball ball.
Disappointedly, I clicked the buttons until it gave me something. Six clicks in and I ended up with a vanilla sandwich. As I took a nibble into the frozen treat I noticed that the damage was already done. A void was created in my heart ~ I was unaware of what I had done for Lady Fate to betray me in this matter but one thing is for sure. At that moment, no amount of snow would fill my heart. As I licked my imaginary wounds and wiped my nonexistent tears, Lady Fate must have heard me for she began to deliver.
Morning came, with pleasant awakenings. While it was quite uncomfortable to sleep in my vehicle, My spirits were as high as a skyscraper. No ice cream (or lack of) would ruin this happy camper. Around 12 hours were ahead of me and I felt destined to complete them that very day.
Ruby has always been my mighty companion, yet there is a problem with her company. She is quite inanimate. While she is quite cherishable in allowing me to listen to a cornucopia of content, I cannot help but to wonder if it would be enough to satisfy me.
My doubts were falsehoods, for the mere scenery of the adventure was enough to wow me. Especially as I arrived in Colorado itself. The timing was quite perfect as well.
As the sun began to wave goodbye with an orange hue in the sky, I began to witness some sharp looking clouds. Perhaps a bit low for what I was used to, but I was oblivious over the true reality of those shapes.
They were mountains, far away mountains at that. If my life was a watercolor painting, the sky gave those mountains a lighter hint of orange.
Nevertheless, The moon tugged the sun to bed. As I began to enter the proximity of Estes Park and by Proxy the Rocky Mountains, Lady Fate decided to return the Frozen Treat she took from me. The Sky began to cry with frozen tears.
Snow came to cover Ruby and I. Cutting our speed in twine, we began to journey through the dark streets of the park. Nature might have seen potential in me, for the snow storm felt designed to be triggered at my arrival. As I drove through the curvy and almost never ending roads, the once pristine clean roads began to transition into a white wonderland. As white as a canvas ~ A canvas destined to be painted with my memories.
I saw many vehicles begin to exit the areas as I drew closer to the mountains, and we greeted each other by lowering our high beams. A tingle traversed through my body, I knew that this incoming storm was a bit of an omen. Yet, as my worries manifested, my enthusiasm grew in doubles. By the time I arrived at the destination, I was practically laughing in excitement for what would be the beginning of my adventure.
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