Marathon Runner

31 hours. Straight. In the snow for the last 6 hours. And I mean snow. A lot of it. People spinning out in front of me. Emotional basket case by the end. I literally cried. But god damn it, I'm a man and there was no way we were stopping to stay the night. I would rather die in a blizzard than have to live with myself after wussing out and staying in a hotel. This is how I do road trips.

That was my drive from Santa Fe back to Olympia. Summed up. Before we started the drive, my brother and I made a commitment to do it straight through. We thought the drive would take 25 hours. 25 hours is doable. From Santa Fe through Arizona and the entirety of California, my brother and I only stopped to get gas. A couple of coffees and a Thin Lizzy CD had us set. Then we hit the California-Oregon border.

We were 20 hours in at that point, a little frazzled from the long road behind us, but spirits were high. However, the mountain pass into Oregon was status 'Chains Required'. We didn't have chains so we ignored the warning and I white knuckled my Subaru over the pass. We barely made it. Another 3 hours of driving and then we hit Salem, Oregon. That is what did me in. It took us 6 hours to get from Salem to Southern Washington. The roads were in worse conditions then they were over the pass. By the end, I was shaking with fatigue and anger. It was the most dangerous drive I have ever done. Thank god my brother was there to scream at the other idiots on the road. He helped keep my sanity intact.

We made it home, said hello to my folks, and I went to my room and cried. I was on the phone with Molly and I broke down. Now I know how those Vietnam Vets feel. No sleep and a bunch of Asian cars coming at you, spinning out all over the road. I wept like a two year old. I haven't cried in some time, and it felt good to let it all out.

It is also good to be home.