#RT2N Day 2

Another long driving day today started a little differently than originally planned. Will and I went to a coffee shop near campus and got breakfast and started just catching up on things. The thing that shifted my original travels plans was that I had a phone interview for a sales position during the afternoon.

After catching up decided to get a head start on my travel and headed towards Kansas City for an hour. I found a truck stop, pulled over, prepped or my interview for a little bit, then sat in my hot sweaty car talking on the phone about myself. Gross.

Once this was done I was able to kickstart my day, continued driving towards Kansas City and parked outside of downtown and hopped on their street car. Side note, their street car is useful. It does the bare minimum of what a street car should do. It took people from downtown to the surrounding neighborhoods. It was a straight shot through downtown to their union station. I jumped on without really know what was downtown. I rode the street car all the way to the other end (Union Station and jumped off. I discovered that they have an amazing WWI memorial overlooking downtown. So instead of checking out union station I moved up the hill and investigated. There’s two mausoleums an oblique looking over the hills.

Then I went back through town on the street car and got on and off at nearly every stop, checking out what was close to the street car. I found a great brewery and coffee culture, towns of street art and more. But within two hours it was time to move on and get to my camp site in Salina, Kansas.

This is where I had my first moment on my trip. I dint really know why I was going on this trip, I just knew I wanted to see some mountains and maybe get inspired to do something by the time I get back. Salina was the first time I had a moment. I showed up to my campsite right at sunset and it was time to set up and settle in.

OH, side note. Anheuser Busch is headquartered in St. Louis. So, when I’m driving towards my campsite I realize I might want some beer by the time I get there, so right before the interview I ran into the truck stop to pick up some miller, and I think I received the dirtiest looks I have ever received in my life on my walk out.

Anyways, I get to the site, set up and I sit down. Inside of the tent I had the realization that I was 100’s of miles from home, with just me and my car. If anything goes wrong, I’m screwed, nobodies coming to save me. The only thing I can relate this too is your first sleepover at a friend’s house, or your first night at college. There’s a moment of feeling alone, free, and vulnerable. No one is around to protect you, you’re on your own, in this new unfamiliar place.

It as oddly freeing. Moments like these don’t happen often. When I was at school my parents were an hour away, when I slept over at friends’ houses I was like a 10-minute walk from home. So, this really was a first.