Life on the Road

KIMBALL, NE

I scan the license plates in the dark motel parking lot- Idaho, New Jersey, Wyoming. I am staying at a roadside motel in a tiny town in Nebraska, the sort of place that is unlikely to draw anyone on purpose. I doubt anyone stays here for more than a night, all people on their way to somewhere else. Through the rear window of a little blue car from Delaware, I notice a pair of jeans laid out to dry. In the passenger seat of an SUV, a box of Lucky Charms peeks out of a box of groceries. This is life on the road.


My own truck contains a cooler, a bag of groceries, a stash of toilet paper and trash bags, a bag of clothes, a pile of camping gear, along with a basket of yarn and a portable art studio of sorts. There is a bottle of lotion in one cup holder, a jar with pens and eating utensils in the other. A collection of shoes is heaped on the passenger side floor, and a damp towel hangs behind my seat. The passenger seat is piled with an atlas, an audiobook, a notebook, and a water bottle. I have everything I need, with the exception of a shower and a printer. And a mailing address. 

I love the freedom and mobility of a reliable vehicle packed with everything I might need for the next few months. I have some obligations along the way- I just finished two different classes in Colorado, and will be working in Montana for 5 of the next 6 weeks, but otherwise, I choose my route each morning, visiting friends and sites along the way. It's not a bad life, but it's not always terribly easy. The world is really well set up for people who can answer "Where are you from?" in one word. It can be a little tricky dealing with personal business on the road- that contract I need to sign and return? Well, let me find a print shop and a post office. That card I need mailed to me? Hmmm, who am I visiting next? Or maybe I'll have to take the gamble with general delivery. At least finding internet has become easier, although it is often what motivates me to pay for a motel rather than a campsite. 


This morning I will pilfer a few bags worth of ice from the motel ice machine to pack my cooler, and then I will head south to Panorama Point, the highest point in Nebraska. From there, I'll head to the nearest town who's dot on the map looks big enough to have a print shop and reliable cell phone service. Then vaguely north, winding my way to Montana over the next 5 days via the Black Hills of South Dakota.