Covid Road Trip - The Road Home...

My last day in Ohio was spent relaxing and, really, doing a whole lot of nothing. It felt good to have a "down day". We had a nice dinner and then I did a tattoo shoot with Ron and his daughter Madison. Those images will be included in my "American Ink Project", so I'm not going to include them here.

After leaving Ohio I had to go to New York to take care of some business. It was strange. I was in New York for a total of about 18 hours. I'd never done a whirlwind trip like that. But, I got in and I got out, and it was all good.

I would've loved to have made that 390 mile drive, but there'd have been nothing for me to do once I got there...

Actually, spending such a short period of time in New York was fine, because it was still pretty much shut down. I stopped at some bagel joint and I had to wait in the parking lot for them to bring me my order. I figured the sooner I hit the road the better.

I had a really good night's sleep in my hotel, and I didn't wake up stupid early to get on the road. My plan was to drive straight through, stopping along the way as I needed to.

Along the way in North Carolina I hit a wall. I could feel myself dozing, so I decided to pull off at the world's greatest truck stop, Kenly 95. I slept for about an hour and a half; maybe two, then got back on the road. After about two hours I again felt myself dozing again. Mind you, it was about two in the morning, so I didn't feel bad about pulling over a second time. This time, though, I slept for the better part of four and a half hours.  I woke up, found a McDonald's to get some coffee and a sausage biscuit and got back on the road.

The roads were pretty empty, I thought, for a weekend, so it made for a nice leisurely drive. Every so often I'd turn the stereo up, roll the window down and get some of that warm morning air.

I used to live in Charleston, and I have friends there. Couldn't stop though...

The road home...

 

I forget what time I finally made it home to St. Augustine, but I was in pretty rough shape when I did! I unpacked the car and then retreated to my bedroom and took yet another nap. It was well earned, I think.

You know, this road trip was a really good thing for me. The last time I worked was March 13. It was one of my college shoots up at the University of North Florida. Once that was done, it was done. Universities throughout Florida and Georgia shut down, effectively putting me out of a job. It felt good at first but, after a while, I got tired of pretending I had a reason to be sitting in front of my computer every day.

So, I decided to pack my suitcase, make some phone calls and head west. It's always good to see old friends, and this trip reconnecting me with my old shipmate Alphonso was a definite high point. It also gave me a little kick in the ass regarding my tattoo project, as well. In the two weeks I was gone I did five tattoo shoots. I hadn't done five tattoo shoots in the previous year. It was good to get focused on that while on the road and rededicated to it now that I'm home.

This trip reaffirmed my belief that, sometimes, you just gotta' go. Don't spend a lot of time overthinking what you want to do, just start doing it and let the plan play itself out on its own.

I've found it works out best that way...