Heading back west

Woke up in the bushes. What I thought was a parking lot was actually a road, so tons of cars were driving by. It was awkward. 

I got a Rideshare from Craigslist, but they weren't leaving until four and I wanted to meet a trucker in Knoxville to get back with some time to spare. I went to the on ramp to get see if I could get back to Knoxville. This lady picked me up with her daughter. She asked if I could drive because she was sick and feeling tired. Of course, I helped her out, but she lived in this town that was just far enough off the freeway to have another freeway-double-interchange thing. Whatever it was, there was nowhere to hitch out. 

I still had that Rideshare so I didn't panic, I decided to hang around and wait until four. There was a community college nearby with a cool pond with a little mill on it. It was the most picturesque frisbee golf course I've ever seen. 

My ride asked if I made it to the nearest town. So in fear of losing this ride, I walked the two miles to the nearest on ramp and hitched a ride into town. 

Four came and my ride picked me up in Canton, NC. She was the coolest chick ever. You don't meet a lot of hippies that are still down to earth. She has been living in Guatemala for the past couple years and came back to the US to travel to music festivals, dance, and blog about the whole thing, while getting paid for it. We had some great life/universe conversation and belted some Temper Trap. She dropped me off at the truck stop just outside Knoxville, TN. 

I figured it'd be best to keep moving and try to hitch a ride out before the sun set, but no luck. So I decided to try the trucker strategy and sit outside the truck stop with my sign for a bit. 

Even though I looked like a soon to be famous country music star, no one was biting here either. It sure is fun watching truckers though. They come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. I can't imagine truck life being a good one. You go from one truck stop to another, all with the same shitty gas station food. 

Around midnight I called it a night. I figured I'd have better luck in the morning. My last night on the road I pulled out all the stops and got my sleeping bag out and everything. I slept in this nicely mowed field behind the Taco Bell. I haven't decided whether I'm going to miss road life or not. It's definitely hard, but it's also very rewarding.