day 29
Tuesday, August 12 2008
Buffalo, NY to Indianapolis, IN
The car I rented in Oregon has, it should come as no surprise, an Oregon license plate.
As I drive further and further away from Oregon, it’s fun to see the occasional driver or pedestrian do a double-take at my license plate. You can almost hear them thinking “Wow, that is a loooong way from home.” And I have taken a secret pleasure in nodding my head and thinking “Yup. That’s right. I have driven many a mile, my friend.” A little bit of bragging rights never hurt anybody, right?
Today I am driving from Buffalo to Indianapolis. It is the first time that I am heading from East to West. To put it another way, it is the first time I am heading towards Oregon instead of away from it. And I can feel my “Wow, that car’s a long way from home” credit starting to dwindle away. It’s impressive to see an Oregon car in North Carolina. It will be less impressive to see an Oregon car in Wyoming, and incredibly unimpressive to see my Oregon car once I hit the state border of Oregon.
I have officially begun the last leg of my trip. The trip home. I can’t say I’m not eager to get back into my own apartment, to see my friends, to sleep in my own bed. But I wish my car would still be impressive to everyone who saw it on my way back to Portland. I guess that bragging rights can be ripped away as easily as they are bestowed.
