the road less traveled

Six years ago I literally got in my car with less than forty dollars cash in my wallet and without a map, headed to Austin, a place I had never been. The initial plan was to just stay for the summer and finish up a project I had been working on. Truly I never dreamed that I would not only stay for almost five years, but also in that time not return to visit California.

I left in the late afternoon on May 20, 1998. I decided to stop in Palm Springs as I was starting to see double, and part of me really wasn’t ready to cross the border. It was after midnight. (I know the date only because it was the day they buried Frank Sinatra (not far from where I stayed actually).)

It was the first time I had ever stayed in a hotel by myself. I remember checking into the Motel 6 and the woman trying to flash me my room number. When I asked why she was doing this, she explained that there were people behind me and this was a safety precaution. After the third try the gentlemen behind me agreed to turn around. Needless to say I didn’t get much sleep that night. It didn’t help that the winds were howling too.

When I awoke at around 5:30am the next morning, I helped myself to the “free” breakfast, checked out and headed across the desert and into Arizona. I remember thinking it was a big deal driving in another state. The plan was to stop in Phoenix or Tucson, but it was still light and I just really wanted to get there.

I stopped to get gas in New Mexico and checked in with my friend telling her that everything was fine only to get back on the road and literally find myself in a makeshift checkpoint. Police officers blocked the road and everyone was required to stop, pull over, show ID, insurance and registration. It wouldn’t have been so scary except the officer pointed at another car with California license plates and asked if I was with him. I told him I was traveling alone and asked if the man in the car he had pointed out had indicated that we were together. He didn’t answer my question, and instead asked about the little lime green hippo on my front seat, and then let me go.

It was still before sunset when I made it to Las Cruses, New Mexico and decided to call it a day. I decided to stay in the Holiday Inn Express thinking it would be a little safer.

I got something to eat, turned on the TV and decided to call it a night, although the sun had just set. I was exhausted. I was finally getting comfortable when it was clear someone was trying to get into my room. They were entering a card key and trying to turn the knob. I was so scared I couldn’t move. Thankfully they were not successful and just went away.

A few minutes later I was able to get up and looked out the window. I saw an elderly woman standing there talking to what looked like her grown son. I went outside and asked if she had perhaps accidentally gone to the wrong room. She told me that she hadn’t and went on to explain how she had seen a strange looking man trying to get in a few minutes previous.

I called the manager, and a few minutes later a young man who couldn’t have been more than twenty arrived at my door. He didn’t know what to do. He offered to move me, but I didn’t see what good that would do. Needless to say I once again did not sleep well, and awoke at the crack of dawn with the single goal of making it to Austin by nightfall.

It was hot and it didn’t help that there were fires in Mexico causing all sorts of problems. Apparently many people weren’t able to use credit cards because of the smoke and satellites or something. Fortunately I didn’t run into that problem or who knows what I would have done.

I noticed that the temperature gauge in my car was a little higher than normal. I pulled over at a Dairy Queen and tried to get rid of my headache while the engine cooled down. I was just outside the turnoff for Austin. I drove the rest of the way with the windows down and the AC off. I remember sweating so much that I got some of my sunscreen in my eye. But I did cross the Austin border by nightfall.

I made the turnoff at Enfield Road, but made a wrong turn at the exit. That led to one more wrong turn and then another. Finally I found a pay phone (this was 1998) and called. I was actually around the corner from where the office I would work was. I was given directions and arrived at my (then) friend’s house within ten minutes. She was on the phone. I was greeted by the French intern (and the devil dog that she was walking on a leash made out of a phone cord) who was also staying with her and apparently on the verge of a mental break down. I slept on the pull out couch but was so exhausted, I probably could have slept on a pile of rocks.

The next morning all of us walked down the road to Mozart’s (a local coffee house on the Lake). It was already in the high 80’s and fairly humid. I think I was still in shock by what I had done. It was by far one of the craziest things I have ever done (so far).