The drive from Arkansas to Virginia was long, but not hard. The worst thing is that my back and neck are pretty upset with me. I honestly chock that up to my complete lack of fitness discipline. I am looking forward to getting back into a shape not as snowman-like.
Yesterday was kind of rough. I got my rental, since Enterprise picks you up it was really simple. The guy that picked me up told me all about "Outlaw Trails", which are unregulated trails kept by locals. He offered to show me all around them, and gave me his phone number.
He was adamant about being able to bring beer and my gun on it, which are both forbidden on the official trails like the Hatfield&McCoy trails. While I don't have a gun and have no desire to drink and drive, it was still a very nice gesture.
The drop-off for the U-Haul was simple and their app for returning one after hours was really easy to use. Bravo!
The trouble started then. I previously checked to see if there was Lyft in the area, and it appeared from their app that there were drivers. This was false. No Lyft, Uber, taxis, limos, or any sort of rides available.
Sasha sprung into action to help out from Cali. She finds a bus that will take me to the city I need to go, and the schedule says that it should show up about 45 minutes from then at a mall a 15-minute walk away. Cool deal, so I walk.
I get to the mall, and find the bus stop. It's not a regular bus, it's one you have to flag down. But it's SUPER CHEAP. The fare to get me to the city I needed was like $1.50. 😲
As I'm sitting there, several employees came out for a smoke and a couple confirmed that it doesn't run on the weekends.
Sasha even called the local police department to ask for advice, and they said they would give me a ride! Alas, it was out of their jurisdiction, so that was a bust.
Finally, I reached out to our realtor. She started making phone calls and sending texts, but in the end no one was available. BUT, she told her husband that he had to come pick me up and take me to my hotel. He drove an hour away from his house on a Saturday night to come get me. Unreal. I thanked him profusely, but he utterly refused that I pay for his gas or time.
Despite no services here, the hospitality of people is still surprising me. In fact, some random dude saw me walking with my backpack and CPAP bag and bought me a bottle of water. Seriously, that just shocked me and despite not needing the water, it was amazingly kind.
This is definitely an adventure. I'm looking forward to life being less interesting I think :)
Happy new year to everyone!
