January 1, 2012
Portland: thus far and no farther
Like many an explorer before me, Portland, it turns out, is the point at which I turn around and begin the long trek back east.
I’ve been on the road for 32 straight days now and have only 15 more left on my Amtrak pass. So when I opened my computer this morning and started to plan the next leg of my journey, I decided to head south towards Los Angeles instead of further north to Seattle and perhaps eventually Vancouver.
Thanks to an extended stay here in Portland, my clothes, at long last, are finally clean. But my bones are aching and my muscles are sore. My shoes are pretty soggy, not to mention coming apart at the soles and my resolve has long ago started to fray. That said, more than anything, my decision to bail on the rest of the Pacific Northwest is being driven by logistics far more than my will power.
I couldn’t have made it to Seattle before very late tonight, and the Occupation there doesn’t meet again until Tuesday evening. With that schedule, I wouldn’t have arrived in Los Angeles any earlier than Thursday, which would have given me just over a week to re-cross the country – not a lot of time to stop at many occupations with Amtrak as my primary mode of transportation.
I had long ago given up on my idea of interviewing the folks at Adbusters magazine, the people who initially dreamed up the idea of occupying Wall Street, because they haven’t responded to my emails. Besides, they are notoriously shy – save for a recent story in the New Yorker – and the truth of the matter is they don’t have much relevance to the movement any more. Their idea was the coalesce a singular protest in New York around one single demand. That tack, I’m guessing, would have fizzled out long ago.
So instead I’m Southern California-bound. Then Albuquerque, then maybe Texas, New Orleans and a few other southern locales before heading back home to Rhode Island. Time will tell exactly how many more occupations I can hit before being back in Rhode Island by January 16
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If you need any transportation help near NJ, we are ready with a full tank.