I was hopeful as Kevin and I stood out in front of what we thought was the famous/infamous frat house. I was texting Jill back an forth to make sure we had the right contacts for this place. It seemed like if we didn't mention the right people, we would not be welcomed. I was nervous, but I finally worked up the courage to knock on the door.
Before the door even opened, we were greeted by the sounds of deep barking. Great, they have a guard dog. As the door swung open, a young kid (younger than me at least) barefoot and shirtless wearing only sport shorts stood curiously half bent over holding tightly to the Doberman's collar. He had long hair and had a slightly glazed look about him. I fed him the line I had been rehearsing in my head for the last 15 minutes, "Hi, my name's Tom and I know Bruce Leach and was told to ask for Ryan R*** or Derek L***" (I'm withholding their names considering the stories about to be told...) The guy at the door politely told us to wait where we were as he went to get Ryan. Ryan came to the door and I think had been expecting us via Bruce and greeted us with, "Ah! The Travelers! Come on in..."
I had never been in a frat house before, but it reminded me a lot of the dorms. Kids playing video games (Super Smash Bros. to be exact) a pool table and a truck load of couches. I was fairly uncomfortable from the start. Just like any 18 to 22 year old male, hospitality was not their strong suit. We just put our bags down in the front room and one by one the guys started to gather around to hear some stories; oh and pass around a joint. It wasn't 10 minutes into the stay and Mary Jane had already made herself known. I caught some flack for not partaking. They insisted that on a trip like this I needed to "experience everything". My thinking was that by not getting high and numbing my brain and senses that I actually would be experiencing everything. It only took a few times of reinforcing the reality that I wasn't going to try it until they backed off; it was offered a few more times, but they never pushed after that. Kevin, however, smoked his share.
We stank and I wanted to take a shower. This was the only time I used my quick-dry camp towel and I was so relieved to have it. I don't think I need to go into detail in regards to the state of the bathroom. There were 18 guys living in the house and 3 bathrooms that were barely surviving.
It was late afternoon and after getting cleaned up and some video games, Kevin and I went out to find some food. We found our way down to a Subway. I woofed down a footlong Italian BMT while Kevin "munched" on a few cookies and chips. I was nervous to go back to the house, there was talk of "some people are gunna get messed up tonight". I was so tired. It was only pushing 7 and I was thinking about where I was gunna sleep tonight. Ryan told me I could move my gear up into his room to "keep it safe" because there were gunna be a load of people over that night. Ryan was a real cool guy, super nice.
That night was kind of a blur for me, mostly because I was simply exhausted. I took a few opportunities to chat with a few of the guys, but a lot of it looked like Kevin and I just sitting on one of the couches watching sports whatever was on. More people showed up and I went outside onto the cement porch. The music was blaring and the smoke was thickening. It was chilly, but not cold enough to send me back inside. Derek, the current president came out and talked to Kevin and I for a while. He seemed very impressed with what we were doing. Traveling they way we were and all. We told him the story of the motel.
From the guys that lived there that I talked with there seemed to be a respectful jealousy towards us. Being "free". I'm glad that I was able to tell them that I went to school and graduated before I set off on the road. I think gaining knowledge from experiences like this is unique and unattainable through any other course, but an academic education is irreplaceable as well. I encouraged them to finish school and then do whatever traveling or adventures they see on the horizon. That is, if they we're drunk and/or high.
The party that night was a challenge for me. I realized that there is no way I could live that kind of life. It seemed like they were drowning in a continued state of avoiding and hiding from reality; from what life really consists. But that's just my point of view.
Passing the time that night was difficult. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. Finally, 4am crept up and I needed to find a place to rest. Normally I would be fine with crashing on the couches down stairs, but thy were littered with people and shaking from the music. I found Ryan he said I could shack up in his room on the couch. It still wasn't peaceful. People were constantly coming in and out; surprised that someone was trying to sleep. I longed for the light of day. I wasn't going to get much sleep anyway. Then it hit me, how are we going to get out of here?
I awoke groggy and frustrated about the night prior and anxious about the day. I doubted any of these guys would "be able" to take us very far let alone get us out to the freeway. It was about 9am and I got dressed and walked down to Starbucks, That's how bad it was; I resorted to Starbucks. I got a latte and a scone and enjoyed some quieter moments. I had my camera with me and on my return I took some time to snap a photo or two. There is a sizable building near the center of the campus. The words, "HENDRICKS CHAPEL" were carved into the stone slab that was held up by 30 foot pillars. I hoped to God it would be open; it would have been the perfect remedy for how I was feeling. Alas, it was locked. Fitting.
When I returned to the frat house nearly two hours later there was a lack of surprise that flushed over me to find that the place was still as quiet as I had left it. No one was awake. Usually by this time of the day I had been on the road for at least an hour and now I was hoping to get out there with enough light to function.
Kevin moseyed his way down stairs to find me watching college football and we watched and waited for any sign of life, other than the few people that didn't make the effort to go upstairs last night to their beds. Around one o'clock a flood of them came tumbling down the stairs and were off to a volleyball game. We weren't invited. We talked to one student about how we didn't have a way of getting back out to the highway and he said that after he returned from buying booze for the night ahead, he could help us out.
An hour or so had passed and by this time Kevin and I were packed and ready to go. We had talked about getting him a bus ticket to Boston and after a few phone calls to the bus station, I decided to buy him a ticket. His bus was scheduled to leave at 4:15 and it was approaching 3pm. I found the guy who said he could give us a ride and he said, "let's go!" He was in a hurry to go out and get even more alcohol. Another reason I wanted to get out of there. I planned to walk to the nearest on ramp from the bus station and try to get to Albany.
I bought Kevin is ticket, we offered good luck to each other, he called his girl one last time to tell her he would be there that night and we parted ways. I was glad to be able to do that for Kevin. He had been a good traveling partner and I was also looking forward to traveling on my own again. Kevin and I keep in loose contact over Facebook and last I heard he's still in Boston. He wants to eventually start his own computer business doing (I think) software fixes remotely or something like that. Good luck man!
It was about 3:30 and I had about 1.5 miles to walk to get to the closest on ramp for the Thru-way. Daylight was weening and I knew I had little time to get my thumb out there. I walked as fast as I could with 66 pounds on my back (I weighed my pack at the bus station!). My next stop would be close to Albany because I had "family" there. I put family in quotes because it's a stretch. I had never met them, I had never even heard of them before I was in Iowa a few weeks back and my cousin in-law told me she had an "aunt and uncle" out in northeastern New York. They weren't even her aunt and uncle by blood! But nonetheless, I had their number and was not going to pass up this opportunity.
As I walked briskly through the brisk air I called the home of Kate and Ralph Meyer. A warming female voice answered the phone and it didn't take much introduction on my part for her to know who I was. Thankfully Kiley (my cousin in-law) had let them know I would be coming their way and Kate was happy that I had called and that I was relatively close. What was better news is that they were heading to Vermont the next day! I had to reach Albany that night or at the latest before they left the next day. I told Kate I would do my best to reach Albany that night, but sadly could not guarantee anything.
There I was in the middle of New York on the outskirts of the city and 5 miles from the frat house and after a few hours of hitchhiking without luck, dusk was giving way to night. There was no place to camp. Not safe at least. Traffic whizzed around surrounding industrial buildings and given the amount of sleep logged the night /morning before a bed inside a quiet motel room seemed too appetizing. I succumbed to my darkening reality and with quick fingers on a touch-screen was able to locate the cheapest motel within walking distance.
I settled into my room that night and looked forward to some real good sleep. I had called the Meyers back and told them my plan, that I was going to take a bus from Syracuse to Albany the next morning and was scheduled to arrive at the bus station at 9am. Even though they live an hour north of Albany, Ralph told me he was more than willing to come and pick me up.
As I was preparing for bed I went to plug in my almost completely drained phone only to find that my wall charger was not in it's specific location within my camera bag. I searched a wee bit, but soon realized that I had left it plugged into the wall downstairs at the frat house. The frat house was 5 miles away; within walking distance, but late night in a city I didn't know without a way of finding my way (a.k.a. my phone was dead) was not a good idea. Besides, they had some huge party going on and there was no way I wanted to be there. I would have to make do...
My wake up call came at 4:45 and I readied myself for the two mile walk back to the bus station where I parted ways with Kevin less than 12 hours prior (he had made it to Boston by then). I snagged two nutrient rich bananas, (they're like God's energy bar!) left one of my blog cards on the desk for the sleeping attendant and was out the door.
The air was thick and gray with heat sucking moisture, but my constant movement kept me warm. I didn't stop walking. My normal form of gaining directional information (my phone) was pretty useless, but thankfully my father passed on to me a keen sense of direction and a tight memory. I found my way back to the bus station without a hitch. ;) Yeah, that's a pun.
Before 6:30am I was loaded on the bus and was looking forward to being with people that at least knew OF me and vice versa. I had reserved about 5% battery life on my phone to be able to call Ralph once I arrived and hoped that would be enough, but turns out I needed not to worry. Before we disembarked, a young man, a student I think, sat down across the isle from me. I noticed that he too had an iPhone and without hesitation I asked if he had a "car-charger" with him. The bus was equipped with charger outlets and he had the charger! He thankfully let me borrow it. When God looks out for us in little ways, it really gets to me. He blessed me with that simple acquaintance.
Allow me some space to talk about why I lowered my standards and took a bus. A. I was utterly sick of New York. I had been there too long and the rain and difficulty of travel were emotionally weighing me down. I needed a fresh state, which leads me to "B" B. I had a guaranteed ride to Vermont and more than likely a place to stay along with it. But mostly, I was over New York. :)
We arrived in Albany on time and I called Ralph right away, but it went straight to his voicemail. I had called him earlier to let him know that I was for sure on the bus so he knew I was coming, but now all I could do was wait and hope I wasn't stuck in downtown Albany for who knows how long...
