On The Road Again...

I deplore flying. That is a funny statement considering I grew up on an island in the middle of the ocean and the only way to see anything new was to fly. Still, I seriously do not like to fly. I've been told it may be a 'control issue' - as I have to hand my fate over to some pilot. I think it has something to do with the fact that I cannot see much of anything outside - clouds are exciting for only so much time.

So leaving Vegas and heading eastward without a vehicle of my own (which, dear reader, is my preferred method of travel), I opted for Greyhound.

I am no stranger to the foibles of cross-country-bus-riding, I've done it several times before with some level of fond memory. Back and forth across this great land of ours...

The Southern Route is gorgeous, and stopping in all those little towns in Texas is a bit of a reminder that people live in so many different ways, you cannot judge. The Northern Route is exciting, going through some of the larger cities and seeing landmarks I grew up viewing on TV or in magazines. This trip, I get to enjoy the scenic Mid-Country Route - one I hadn't experienced before.

This particular route goes from Vegas through Arizona and New Mexico, then skips through the Panhandle of Texas into Oklahoma and turns north toward St. Louis, across farmland to Nashville, then to Atlanta and spins me back up toward North Carolina - my final destination being Raleigh. Everything was fine, even changing from bus to bus, until Little Rock, Arkansas.

The bus (or was it the driver) got muffed up. We were delayed for over an hour. The subsequent stops were a nightmare of missed transfers, more delays, stress over making sure my duffle and suitcases were still with me and not stolen, questionable passengers, tweaking druggies, and road food that did a number on my gut for the following weeks. I got cranky.

Some good things resulted from this adventure...

I met some wonderful people who helped to pass the time and we kept each other (and our respective belongings) safe until we all parted ways. I saw portions of the country I'd never visited before, and are now added to my bucket list for future road trips. I came to appreciate the hospitality of Greyhound workers under duress - and believe me, there were a whole lot of angry people after the fourth delay in this adventure.

And I got some really good pictures. The iPhone can be a pain sometimes, but taking pictures with it is pretty simple. Except for panoramas at 70 miles per hours, those are tough! Click for larger views.