Amtrekkin' 2

It’s been a great couple of days. Wednesday was pretty relaxed. Trying to fit as much as possible into one day for three weeks gets tiring, so I needed a break. James and I went out to eat with Nate, a guy we met at the hostel, to Mo’s, who has the best burgers we’ve ever had: a big chunk of tender, juicy meat, a hardy bun, slabbered in BBQ sauce, and with plenty of bacon; it was delicious.

James and Nate

We walked out of the restaurant into what we first thought was a riot in the streets. There was a block full of people wearing green, white, and red, waving flags, honking horns, and screaming. A soccer team had just won a game apparently, and these people were very excited. We three just stood on the corner watching in bewilderment, taking in the energy. The cops eventually showed up and broke up the party, and after they all drove away honking horns and waving flags out the windows Nate left us to go to Oakland. James took me down to the Warf and showed me around a little bit. We watched some break dancers, talked to some people he had randomly met down there, and just hung out.

Later that night while we were walking up to the hostel James and this guy staying at the Green Tortoise started talking about how the best way to travel is with no plan, and to just follow your heart wherever it takes you. I realized how true that was. I tried to fit 7 cities into 21 days, when in reality many of these cities needed more than 21 days to even get to know. I had had the urge to stay in SF another night and to skip Denver all day that day, and I mentioned it to James at one point. After our conversation he looked at me with a face that was encouraging me to stay another night, I knew what I had to do. I went upstairs and changed my plans again: one more day in San Francisco, the coolest place I’ve ever been, skip Denver, and come home a day early.

Canceling SLC was an easy decision, I knew no one there and it was supposed to be fairly boring. Denver, on the other hand, was supposed to be amazing. I was going to meet up with Jessica again, she wanted to show me around, and I was supposed to stay with Nancy Greeley, an MV alumni. I was excited for both things. However, if Denver is supposed to be so awesome, I think it would deserve more than two small days, and SF was so great that the five days I did have there did still not do it justice.

I’m going to be traveling again this summer, and possibly take a year off from school to continue on going. I’ll be able to do it right this time. I’ll stay in each city for as much time as I think I need to, not a measly two days. I’m going to have some destinations in mind, but I don’t want to know exactly where I’m going next until it’s time to go.

If I could go back in time and do it differently, though, I don’t think I’d change a thing. The best way to learn how to do something right is to do it wrong. I had an amazing experience that I could never forget, and my worst experience was just leaving. I learned so much, more than school could ever teach me; about travel, life, living, lemons, and a few random facts as well. My path became intertwined with James’ (and many others) and I would be shocked if we did not see each other again.