I’m not comfortable being a guest in someone else’s space. By which I mean I’m not comfortable staying with someone else as a guest while they’re there. I have an invite to stay at an friend/acquaintance’s house just outside of St. Louis. I’m not sure I want to go – to his house or to…
Category: Life
What Are the Chances?
The woman in Tent City, perhaps inebriated, quickly latched on to my vibe, my road trip, and my approach to life. She’d tell me that I seem to “get it” more than most people or that I have a calming presence. I hear these things a lot from the people I meet. She asked if…
A Brief Update
Tuesday, 10/3/23 Church bells ring at a quarter to eight in the morning. I’m anxious to get on the road and also in no hurry. I haven’t accessed my car in a few days – which feels odd. I hope Robert plant is still doing ok, and that the car doesn’t smell too bad –…
Rain Rain Go Away
I‘ve camped a total of three nights on this trip. It has rained each time. Last night, the rain started at about 3am. It’s going to rain on and off all day. There’s no avoiding getting wet, and it’s not even a matter of how wet. It’s the type of thing where it’s probably best…
Update from Birmingham
I seem to have three mental threads (maybe four) taking up residence with me here in Birmingham. One: I’m overwhelmed by the history here and the battle for civil rights. Two: I may have overstated the reciprocal nature of the connection I made in Charleston. Three: I’m over-thinking the logistics of Arkansas (camping for a…
Arrived in Birmingham
At dusk, bats flit and fly over the Alabama highway. Leaving Charleston was bittersweet. There was a small sense of hollowness as I said goodbye to my new friend and made my way across South Carolina and Georgia into the Alabama dusk. “Yet knowing how way leads on to way…” It’s morning and I’m in…
Where Joy Has Been Rumored to Appear
The person on Twitter had quoted Vonnegut: “I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.” Whenever I come across this quote, I’m reminded of Stephen Dunn’s essay on gambling in which he…
Cultural Impasse
“Hey man, not everyone is a criminal.” That’s what the guy said to me as he entered the doorway to his building. He was a young black man, lighter skin, a little shorter than me, glasses, and I think a bald head. I was caught off guard and didn’t know how to respond. I think…
A Tale of Two Matts
Yesterday, I left the misty damp of Shenandoah and drove 7-8 hours south and east to greet the misty damp, but warm, air of Charleston, South Carolina. Today, I desperately want to go out and walk around. I’m slightly hobbled by a blister that’s the size of a small hammer… and now, in this moment,…
Learning Like a Kid Again
The Uhler clan has never been accused of being outdoorsy. My father told some stories about fishing and him sleeping on the beach when he was younger. There were a few years where my brother and I would go fishing with my dad and grandpa. But outside of that, the most outdoorsy thing I did…
So It Begins (Assholes and Maniacs)
On Friday morning, at around 8:30am, I loaded the car (again) and with the odometer reading 34,223 (give or take, I only remembered to look shortly after I pulled out of the development), I began my slow trek south and then westward. My first stop would be Richmond, VA – about five hours and 270…
Here Goes Nothin’
It would be easier to stay or at least postpone. My friends are having an impromptu get together Saturday night. I’ve been watching the news of a storm moving up the east coast. It’s going to be raining from North Carolina up through New York for the better part of this weekend. Exploring a city…