Humans logo

Tale of Two Cities

Show You How I Live

By GetyourmindrightPublished 3 years ago 7 min read
1
Meanwhile, at the ranch...

Life had hit a dead end. It seemed as if the only way to move forward would be to climb the wall. Society found its thirst for action and adventure quenched with movies and not in reality. Waking up to the same routine daily without questioning anything felt way too normal. It was time for me to leave Illinois and create something more meaningful on my own. The west coast signaled, from miles away, an invitation to dive into the unknown head first. Oregon would be my first stop.

Originally, I had planned to hike all the way across the country with only $1000 in my account. I wasted everything on camping supplies, dreaming of braving the wild all on my own. Two days into my journey, after I decided it would be better to take a train to Portland, I only had enough cash to make it as far as Williston, North Dakota. This option did not seem bad, considering it led to a possibility of meeting some Native Americans. However, intuition warned me not to go. Attempting to sneak my way to Portland, I took down my destination sign and gave the second shift conductor a new location. Crossing my fingers, I did my best to relax for the remainder of the trip. Upon arriving at Williston, the conductor appeared confused. Someone had paid to stop there. After having traced the ticket to me, he advised caution due to the fact that Williston is a dangerous town. He warned that “things happen in this town that you don’t see on the news”. I was prepared to face whatever awaited me. Adventure I sought, adventure I would receive. Fortunately, the conductor had compassion and offered to pay for a ticket to Portland. A deep sinking feeling in my stomach suddenly shot up in disbelief as I took the rest of the trip to appreciate life’s goodness.

Upon arriving in Portland, I stayed at a homeless shelter and received the opportunity to hear many stories, both tragic and exciting. I met a Hispanic man, Edgar, who had traveled from afar for similar reasons. For the next week, he showed me the city and took care of me. One morning, we left early to ride our bikes to the top of a mountain. From this point one could see two huge mountains on opposite sides of each other with a city underneath. Nothing had captivated me quite like this scene in some time. After an exciting week of exploration, it was time for me to depart. I thanked Edgar, exchanged information, and headed on a long journey towards Canada.

One night, as I was traveling by foot, it started raining heavily and I had but a small rain poncho to compensate for warmth. I had not felt this alive in years! The realization of true power when one intrudes passes the borders of their own comfort zone felt chilling! As minutes became hours, I stopped at a bus stop to rest my feet. A man approached from out of nowhere. He seemed to be homeless and possibly very hungry. I reached into my pocket and handed this gentleman the only five dollars to my name. The man smiled with gratitude and walked across the street towards a local 7/11. Immediately following the encounter, I passed out on the bench, hoping to awaken in bright, sunny daylight. I had probably been sleeping for a total of twenty minutes when I awoke to the man coming back from his shopping spree. He humbly approached me with a five dollar bill and a seventy two ounce big gulp, which had a blue raspberry flavoring. To this day I truly believe this man was an angel who was looking to bless me back.

After a week of hiking, the Canadian border was just over yonder, where the great Peace Arch separated British Columbia and the sleepy town of Blaine. Numerous little birds had recently informed me that the Canadian border would have been open at that point. Experience showed that this was a lie. The border was predicted to be closed for another month. Even this guestimation could not have been further from the truth. With a dead end right ahead, I decided to make the most of my time in Blaine. A state park, with trees straight from storybooks, contained a frisbee golf course embedded in deep woods. As I explored the forest at night, I came upon two logs, stood up against a fallen tree. Without a doubt in mind, intuition quickly demanded a tree tepee. First, the skeleton of the hut was made out of all kinds of branches and logs found scattered across the ground. The second layer was all the branches from various trees, blended well enough to not stand out on a conspicuous level. Next, I found a painting with over fifty frisbee disks, two chairs, a good bank, a sleeping bag, rope to tie the branches together, and wooden pallet planks for hardwood flooring. All of this was just meters away from the Canadian border. At night the search dogs could be heard barking, and bright lights surveyed the proximity, overlooking the camouflaged hut. As I readied my sleeping bag due to the sound of thunder, I heard a noise from outside the hut. “Where did this come from?” A puzzled voice pondered. “Is someone in there?” I was not sure if it would be the wisest decision to answer; therefore I kept low to avoid confrontation with this stranger. However, as things became more obvious, I called out to this young man, who was but no more than a few years older than I, “I’m in here”. It turned out, Tyler had started this hut 9 years ago with his late brother. He offered to buy me a beer and we talked all night, exchanging pasts. He felt bad for not offering a place to me but I understood. In but a few hours, the rain began to pour through the hut. Tyler departed from my humble abode and that was that.

The next day, I woke up more soaked than a wet rag. I went down to the local store to dry off in the bathroom when the manager walked in. It was most likely he had come in to kick me out of the store. When he saw the tired look in my deep blue eyes, he offered to buy me coffee and some doughnuts and offered encouragement towards my journey. Perhaps this was the same angel from days back. One day I will know.

I returned to the forest from whence I came, ready to plan my next steps. Not long after, Tyler returned that with more beer and an intriguing proposition. Fortunately, my aspiration to travel inspired him to do the same. He offered to take me back to Chicago in exchange for a tour of the city! Riddled with disbelief at the situation at hand, the only thing to do was to shake on it.

Tyler had never left Washington before; the train ride captivated him. Upon reaching the city, his first mark off the list was to buy a beer in a new state. Once night fell, we found the tallest building in the Chicago to stay the night. Once checked in, Tyler wanted to explore so we left for a few hours. As it became time to return, the path back to the hotel seemed less and less familiar. Along the way, a man, claiming he knew magic, approached us. He showed us a card trick and then demanded we pay him. As we began to walk away, three other men started to follow us. We quickly lost the group and searched the city for hours before arriving back to our hotel. In the morning we traveled to my home town and he taught me how to fish. He offered to cook some for me, but I did not fancy fish caught from a backyard sewer pond. After a week of showing Tyler my town it was time for him to return home. Thus marked the end of my journey. Surely, I was taken care of the whole trip, and I am truly grateful for such an impeccable experience.

travel
1

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.