Sunday 6 May 2012

Took a van across America, with some strangers. As you do... - Part One


For starters...


It's a really daunting thing trying to write a blog about the three week trip you took with 13 strangers across a country.  For a start, you have to try to remember everywhere you went and everything that you did, as well as remembering the incidental shenanigans that usually spice up the tale.  I've come to the conclusion that this is near impossible considering that, two weeks into the trip, we were already having a hard time remembering what we'd done!  Imagine the mammoth task in front of me then to try and rake these memories back now that I'm sat at home, in my very normal life, with a million distractions around me!

It's a weird feeling.  The whole trip seems like it was months ago but also like it was only yesterday.  I still wake up expecting to bump into the other trekkers at some point in my day and then when I don't, I feel a little bit gutted.  They were my entire world for three very intense weeks and it's hard to think that I won't see all of them again for awhile (if at all!).  Facebook helps with this because we can keeps tabs on each others lives and chat with each other, but it isn't the same as being sat around a campfire, drinking and laughing with them.  I'm very honoured to have had that experience.

So, I better get on with this blog then, eh?  There's a lot to get through so I've split the blog into parts.  I decided to do this because it was taking ages to write and edit and with my motivation and ability to procrastinate being what it is, we'd be here all year waiting for part one!  I'd also like to go on record now to say that this is just my own ramblings and thoughts about the trip and so therefore won't be a 100% accurate accounting of the trip, but will hopefully give you a 'Kenny-eye view' of our trek across America.  I'll also try to keep it entertaining, but no promises there!  So...

Time to hit the road...

 

I remember a conversation I had with a friend of mine just before I left for America.  We were talking about how easy we thought it would be integrating myself into the group, taking into account my age etc.  We both decided that it shouldn't be a problem because I make friends easily and that in any group of people there's always going to be one knobhead who irritates the whole group so as long as it wasn't me, I'd be okay!  I look back on that conversation now with much amusement, not because I turned out to be the knobhead, I didn't (I hope!), but because this time the statistics were right and one of the group did!  More on that later!

Turbulence - Not easy to find funny pictures of...
I land at Newark Airport at about 7.30pm EST the night before the trek is due to start.  The flight over was pretty awful, we hit some really bad wind turbulence as we started crossing over Canada and the plane was all over the place!  It was easily the worst turbulence I've ever witnessed; I have to say that at this point I am super tired and quite emotional anyway.  I really want to go into New York city but even when I muster the courage, I'm told by the concierge that a taxi into the city will cost $100.  He suggests I get the train.  Even at my un-tired, un-super-emotional best I wouldn't brave the train on my own.  So I decide to stump up the cash for a taxi.  Just to make sure, I check my cash flow at the cash machine, only to find that it won't authorise any transactions.  So, emotional, tired and destitute is how I spend my first few hours in America.  I buy a Budweiser and am happy that at least it tastes as good as the buds we have in England.  I go to bed defeated; feeling horribly alone and worrying about how tipping works while vowing to NYC that I will come back and spend some time with her one day.

I was woken up in the early hours of the morning by the arrival of the guy I was sharing a room with.  His name is Justin and he's Australian, he's also carrying the most amount of luggage I have ever seen, something which didn't really change for the whole trip!  With us both awake, Justin began settling into the room and this gave us a chance to have a chat and get to know each other.  My first impression of Justin was that he seemed like a pretty laid back and interesting guy.  This was an opinion which wouldn't change for the whole trip.  We talked about his travels so far, my flight over and the massive amount of luggage he had.  That wasn't even all of it, he said, he'd mailed loads of stuff back home as he travelled!  So much for travelling light!  it certainly made all the worries I had about luggage allowance on the van evaporate!  With my soul soothed a little from this first encounter with a fellow trekker, we settled down and got some sleep, ready for the trek to start in the morning.

Morning came and we sorted out our stuff and headed down to the lobby to meet the rest of the trekkers and our trek leader.  I have to say that I was nervous at this point of the trip, after all, you never know if you're going to gel well with the group or not, I was just kind of hoping that the initial shyness I always feel at meeting new people wouldn't be too much of a barrier.  As it turns out, I think pretty much everybody else was feeling the same way.  As Justin and I reached the foyer, we spotted what we thought was the trek group and headed over.  At this point our trek leader hadn't arrived and so we set about introducing ourselves.  So here are the trek group, roughly in the order of how I met them!  We have; Justin - Australian, Daniela - German, Josephine - Danish (and whose name I've finally spelled right!!), Ida - Danish, Yela - South Korean, Megan - English, Natalie - English, Alex - English, John - English, Lee - Welsh and last but definitely entertaining, Rudy - Dutch (More about him later!).  We then met our guide for the trek, her name was Andrea and she was Texan and quite possibly had no idea what she'd let herself in for!.

Trekkers Assemble!!

After Andrea had covered a few incidentals and taken some money from us for the various activities we'd be getting up to, it was time to load our cases and bags into the trailer and get into the van.  Thinking back now, I don't think any of us put any special consideration into this nondescript white van when we saw it.  Ultimately though, we would all become intimately familiar with it over the next three weeks.  It was pretty much our home for most of our journey across America and it never let us down once.  It may have been cramped and uncomfortable at times but it was home.  The first time in the van, I was sat on the backseat with Lee and Justin for our entire ride to Washington DC; a ride which covered 230 miles and took around 4 hours approximately.  While the company was fine, it was decided (mostly by me, but I think a lot of the others were in agreement) that the backseat was the worst place in the van and I vowed never to sit there again, and I never did (though I came perilously close once or twice!).

The main reason for my decision was the fact that for at least the first three days of travelling in the van, I couldn't figure out how the seatbelts worked!  This basically lead to me being strapped (and I mean strapped!) to the back seat all the way from Newark to Washington DC.  I couldn't move at all, much to the amusement of my fellow trekkers who found it all hilarious!  In my defence though, as time in the van wore on, I wasn't the only one who battled with those seatbelts, although from day one onwards, it became known as doing a 'Kenny'.  Thanks guys!

Washington + alcohol = plenty of broken ice...


We finally reached Washington DC and our very first campsite of the trek.  Here, Andrea got us to put our tents up and explained our itinerary and how the cooking/washing/food buying would work.  We also met the 14th member of our trek, this was Claire, an Australian girl who even now appreciates that I'm just writing down her name instead of saying it.  To say that the lancashire dialect mangles the poor girls name is an understatement!  First order of the day was to drive into Washington DC that night and check out the sights while they were all illuminated.  Before we went to see the sights though, we all got together in the campsites common room, had a little chat, a few beers and did some ice breaking stuff and before we headed off, Andrea made us a chilli!

First of all, Washington DC is a beautiful city and well worth a visit if you get the chance.  Seeing it all lit up at night was brilliant!  The highlight of the evening trip for me though was getting to see the Lincoln Memorial all lit up and the amazingly tranquil and relaxing U.S. National World War II Memorial.  I don't know whether it was because it was such a lovely warm night or the place itself, but sitting down on the steps and listening to the waterfalls there, I felt really at peace with the world.  It was a pretty good feeling.

On the way back to the van from our sightseeing trip, we got a little lost and all ended up scrambling over a chain link fence.  Never really being the sporty type, I clambered over that thing concerned about how graceful my dismount might be.  Nevertheless, I got over it in one piece but managed to tear my jeans right along the crotch.  Guess I should be thankful that it was only my jeans, considering what was to come on the rest of the trip, and that we were heading back to camp anyway. We all got back to camp mega tired and well worn out, so we all settled down to our first night in the tents. 

The next day turned out to be an amazingly sunny one and we had a free day to spend wandering around America's capital.  We all travelled in a group at first straight after Andrea had dropped us off and agreed a meeting point.  We'd decided to wander down and take in a few of the museums on the way to the Washington Monument.  A lot of Washington DC at this time was undergoing renovation as a recent earthquake had done a bit of damage to the city and its structures.  Anyway, after taking in a few of the museums, chiefly the National Museum of Art and the National Natural History Museum, the group decided to split up.
I think he's found it!!

Lee and myself decided that we would go find the White House so we did just that and managed to get a little lost before bumping into Natalie and Megan who were also searching for the White House.  At this point, we decided that Lee should ask a helpful security officer nearby where the damn thing was cause we were struggling to find it.  Lee asked, the woman gave him a funny look and pointed us towards a nearby fence.  As it turned out, the friendly security officer we'd asked was stationed at the White House itself and we were stood at the gates, asking her where it was.  Trust me when I say that the thing is well hidden!  No, really, it is!  Anyway, apart from the crane, we got some good photos of the place.

After that, the four of us wandered around DC, discovering that the DC Macys had a thing for pink (in the Mens Department!!), Starbucks saved my life, or at least allowed me to sort out my money issues, that hair gel is tough to find and that the International Spy Museum was a bit costly (plus we didn't really have time to go in).  So we spent some time chilling out in front of the Capitol Building and enjoying the sun while using our cameras to read the protest signs in front of the Capitol Building (apparently foreskin isn't a birth defect.  In case you didn't already know!) Lee had a quick stalk of some minor tv celebrity and then we headed back to the van and camp.

Andrea had bought us pizza for our dinner and then we got a campfire going and shared out the booze.  I think it might have been Alex who suggested playing 'Never have I ever'.  For those of you who don't know, 'Never have I ever' is a drinking game where you state something (for instance "Never have I ever worn Old Spice") and then whoever has done whatever you stated has to drink, including you, if it's something you have done.
It all started very innocently...

Needless to say, it's a very good way to get to know people and break the ice in a group.  Now, as any of you who are close to me know, I tend to be honest and open about most things, including the things I've done in life because I see no reason to lie about my past.  I think this honesty earned me some brownie points with the group when we played, as some of the things I was willing to share seemed to be an eye opener for them and I think it was one of the few times when my age was an advantage (though there was still only me drinking when I said "Never have I ever been married").  Either way, we all had a good laugh and got to know each other better and once the beers had been drank and the fire had died down, we all settled down to our second night in the tents.  I went to bed pretty drunk, with my nose quite badly sunburned but having had a great day in great company.

The Cluster Fox - Not just any tent...
My Lantern, the hero


Before I move on, I feel that I have to give an honourable mention to my humble lantern.  On our first night in The Cluster Fox (for that was the name of our tent), Justin and I decided to hang my lantern from a dongle that Justin had handy.  When it came time to putting the tent down for moving on, we didn't move the lantern because we couldn't be arsed.  That cheap piece of crap hung in that tent for three weeks, getting rolled up and thrown into the trailer practically everyday, whether the tent was damp inside or not.  Even so, every time we turned it on, it worked faithfully for us and continues to work to this day.  Not bad for something that I got for free!  Good work, lantern lad!

One seriously long drive...

The next day saw us on the first of four epic drives across the country.  Consisting of a 350 mile trip, we headed from Washington DC through Virginia, heading for Tennessee.  All in all, the trip took about 5 and a half hours approximately and as usual, we mainly slept in the van on the way there.  We finally arrived at our destination, a place called Warriors Path and quickly set about setting up our camp while the cooking team set about setting up and preparing food.Those of us who weren't cooking had a bit of a throwabout with an american football that we'd purchased somewhere along the way  That night we stayed at the campsite chatting and playing a game called Catchphrase which had nothing to do with the TV show and to which we mostly made up our own rules.  We had fun though and mostly stayed sober, even going to bed reasonably early because we had another long haul of a drive the next day.  Although this drive was to take us to the camp where we'd be white water rafting.  Excited by that prospect, I headed to bed.

To be continued...


1 comment:

  1. Great read so far Kenny!
    Crazy how I cant remember what we done at camp on that second night! Im sure some Budweiser mustve been involved along the way!
    Hmm was Rudy there on that second night?

    Cant wait for the next installment!

    Lee

    ReplyDelete