East Bound and Down…Loaded Up and Truckin’

“These mist-covered mountains are a home now for me, but my home is the lowlands and always will be."

- Mark Knopfler

 

The Move West

On March 9, 2007 I packed up my belongings, picked up the U-Haul trailer, and waited for The Choz.  He came over after work and helped me load up.  I soon dropped him off and headed to Lunchbox’s dad’s house.  I stepped inside, quickly ate dinner, and then headed back out to the car.  I tossed my keys to Lunchbox and said, “You’ve got the first leg”.  The two of us pushed through the night to Omaha, Nebraska before stopping at a hotel.  The first night’s drive was timid.  Neither of us were sure about how fast we should drive a fully-loaded 4Runner pulling a 3,000+ pound trailer.

Day two was a little better.  We hit the road early, on minimal sleep.  Pulling the trailer was good for the driving rotation.  We were burning through fuel so quickly we needed to stop for gas every three hours.  That meant every three hours we switched drivers and picked up some beef jerky.  Effortless.

It was about nine at night when we were approaching Rock Springs, Wyoming.  We were both hungry and wanted some dinner.  My vote was for Wendy’s.  The Lunchbox, always being difficult, wanted to try Taco Time.  Not knowing how many highway exits there were in Rock Springs, I reluctantly agreed.  I don’t want to get into all the details of my Taco Time experience, but it was horrible enough that when Lunchbox and I got back in the car I told him we were going to have silent time to regroup.  I turned up the music and settled down.  Those who intimately know the relationship I have with Lunchbox will be surprised that I snapped at him only once during thirty hours together in the car.  He can be annoying.  I can be volatile.

We stopped in Salt Lake City, Utah for the night and stayed in a two-room suite hotel…thank you Danhard.  The couple in the next room were bound to win a prize…they were going at it all night long.  Minimal sleep…again, gas, beef jerky, Red Bull, and we were off.

We got into Reno, Nevada in the early afternoon and unpacked the truck/trailer after Lunchbox showed off his trailer-backing-up skills.  I was impressed…I’m terrible at it.

Two years and twenty days later I am leaving.  A little more well-traveled, a little less employed, two years older, better at skiing, and the proud writer of a blog.

 

The Reason

Over the last two years I’ve been asked time and time again, “Why did you move to Reno?”  I’ve always given a quick and easy answer:  money.  It is partially true.  I didn’t pay for much of anything out of my own pocket while in Reno.  Danhard covered my rent, utilities, cable (including every movie channel), flights back to Chicago, etcetera.  Although the money aspect of my movie has always been prevalent, there has been more to it.

I was living in Chicago with David and Big Head.  I was driving at least an hour each way to and from work.  I was working late and making pretty good money for it.  I would park my car somewhere around my apartment on Friday afternoon and get drunk enough over the next two nights to forget where it was.  Every Sunday I would wake up at 11, throw my laundry in the washer, take a nap (usually in David’s bed), wake up and throw the laundry in the dryer, return to my nap, and wake up again to fold the clothes.

At least once a week, usually at an extended lunch with Tommy, I would put my head in my hands and mumble to myself, “What am I doing?”  I wasn't really happy.  I had drive.  I had some ambition.  I had no plan.

I had never been alone.  I had never lived without family or roommates.  I would often wonder if I was the person I was because of me or merely because of my surroundings.  I felt like I needed a change.  I needed to see if there was something else out there.

Not too soon after this awakening, the proposal to move to Reno was offered to me.  I didn’t have to think about it long.  I had some questions about the move but went with it anyways.  I wanted to do something on my own.  I wanted to see something new.

 

The Result

The past two years have been great and terrible.  There have been moments of pure bliss…solo ski runs while rocking out to The Killers, sunsets on the Pacific Ocean, hitting 5001 into the jukebox at The Buccaneer.  There have been moments of sadness…fielding phone calls from drunken friends at Buffett concerts 2,000 miles away, lonely and boring weekend nights.

With that said, I feel that I took advantage of my situation as best I could.  I did a lot of travelling within the U.S.  My limited expenses allowed me a generous budget to visit cities like Austin, New York City, San Diego…a few times, Los Angeles…a few times, San Francisco…a bunch of times, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Phoenix…and all of Arizona to the north, and so on.

Over the past two years I’ve made a bunch of new friends.  Some who are very near and dear and will be so for the rest of my life.  I’ve also had the opportunity to get to know some old friends a lot better.

The past three months have been absolutely amazing.  Even with the misfortune of being crippled for a month or so, nothing has been better in a very long time.  The Winter of Dan is something I’ve talked about having for a while.  I think I fully embraced it.  It had been about 14 years since the last time in my life where I had no job, no responsibilities, nowhere to go, and no one to see.  I stopped wearing a watch, stopped caring what day it was, and stopped thinking about where I was going.

South Lake Tahoe is a magical place.  I think it is firmly seated in second place on the list of places I’ve lived.  If there were any real career opportunities in town…I would never leave.  If anyone ever wants to disappear somewhere for a while, there is no finer location than Lake Tahoe.

Over the past two years I’ve learned a lot about myself.  I think I finally have a grasp on what makes me tick.  Although the alone times can be reflective, relaxing, and enjoyable...being around good friends is the most important thing to me.

So here I am…at a major crossroads in my life.  I essentially need to start over…new job, new home, new mattress.  I’m not quite sure what lie ahead, but I know I don’t regret anything I’ve left behind.  And...at the risk of sounding cliche (something I absolutely hate)...I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

 

Fitting Songs

“Brothers in Arms” by Dire Straits

“Wasted on the Way” by CSN

“Homeward Bound” by Simon and Garfunkel

“East Bound and Down” by Jerry Reed

“Exitlude” by The Killers

 

The Future of the Blog

My intentions have always been to stop the blog once I’ve left Tahoe.  Some people whose opinions I trust and respect have encouraged me to keep it going.  I’m not sure how I feel about it.  As I stated above, this blog was written at a time in my life when I had nothing to look forward to, nothing to worry about, and no plan.  A part of me wants to just leave it at that.  A part of me wants to keep it going.  We’ll see what happens.

Regardless of the long-term future of the blog, I will continue to post this week and inform you all of my drive.  I’m sure I’ll record some good voice notes.

In closing...Goodnight Cleveland!  There will be no encore.