Camping

Return Trip. Day 1:
         In order to begin this next blog I must address the fact that my companion Chris, is no longer with us. In order to start his Teaching Assistant position on Monday and take the GRE's on Tuesday Chris had to fly home, unfortunately. Thus, from now on I am a lone ranger. I search for my soul, my destiny, my dreams, alone. No longer do I have someone to point the camera at in the passenger seat, no longer do I have someone to set up a tent with. I must fend for myself as I cross 3,500 miles of barren, hostile territories.
          After dropping Chris off at the airport I swung the car into cruise control and set out for Highway 5 in search of Interstate 40. Making my way down the 5 through the hills and pastures of California I reached Arizona and the KOA I would call home for the night, which was absolutely gorgeous surrounded by desert and the night sky. The temperature was about 105 degrees when I arrived but I thought, "we are in the desert it should drop down to at least 80 degrees." I was wrong. Stepping into the tent, my shirt immediately began to dampen. Lying down and looking up at the stars I realized that this would be a long night. Beginning to lose mass amounts of water I went into a state of hallucination. I would awake every thirty minutes in what seemed to be a puddle of water. My sleeping bag, my clothes, and my air mattress were all drenched in sweat. I longed for a sip of water but knew it would do no good. I was rapidly approaching death when I awoke one last time at four a.m. Gathering all my strength I stumbled out of the tent and began to chug any water around me; in the car, on the ground, and the little condensation on the plant life beside my tent. I proceeded to lay in my car for the next hour attempting to recharge, gain a sense of awareness, and hydrate. Tormenting and traumatizing are the only two words that come to mind. After packing everything into the car I flipped off the campsite, murmured suck a bag, and drove back up onto Interstate 40.
            Today, I spent eight hours of my life driving from Needles, Arizona to Albuquerque, New Mexico. A wonderful eight hours through all sorts of landscape, terrain, and weather. The advantage of Interstate 40, although direct and straight, is you get to see all the beauty that surrounds you. Anyways, I arrived in Albuquerque at approximately four thirty p.m. I am spending the night in a Days Inn attempting to recover from the traumatizing events that occurred the night before. I will poke my head out of the Inn and grab a bite to eat then sleep and continue the journey tomorrow. I should arrive in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma around four p.m. tomorrow. Godspeed.