Where the universe parked me
June 19 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
Not much has changed since my last update, which, after the last week, is probably a good thing.
Yesterday morning, the tow truck finally arrived and my van officially went into the shop for teardown. The owner himself came out to pick it up and will be doing the repairs, and he's been great to work with so far. While loading the van, he already spotted several issues that the insurance adjuster missed in their estimate. His hope is to finish the teardown by Friday, order parts immediately, and, if everything arrives on time, keep the repairs moving without too much delay.
One thing he seemed particularly concerned about was the fact that all of the oil leaked out. Fortunately, I haven't tried to start or run the vehicle since then, so hopefully his concern is just a precaution and not a sign of additional problems.
With the van now in the shop, I've finally been released from what I've been calling my Walmart parking lot incarceration. More than one local warned me not to leave the vehicle unattended for long periods, so that parking lot became my home base while I waited for the tow truck. Now I have a little more freedom to explore.
Unfortunately, I've also accepted that Yellowstone probably isn't happening on this trip. It deserves more than a rushed day visit, and I don't want to spend the time and money driving all the way there only to turn around and drive right back past it again on my way to Oregon. Yellowstone will still be there when I next get an opportunity to visit.
Instead, I've relocated to Casper and am using it as my temporary headquarters. Having regular access to a gym, showers, coffee shops, and other modern conveniences feels surprisingly luxurious after the past couple of weeks. The nearby Casper Mountains offer plenty of hiking, and there are enough community events around town to keep me busy.
Last night I made it to a local Pride event called "Gayyyme Night," where a group of us spent the evening playing board games. The main game involved building ridiculous sentences from magnetic word tiles and voting on the funniest response. Unsurprisingly, my competitive streak and love of words carried me to victory.
Earlier this week I also attended a storytelling event focused on queerness in nature. One speaker, a member of the Arapaho Tribe, shared their experiences as a Two-Spirit person. In many Native traditions, Two-Spirit people have historically been viewed as holding a unique spiritual role within their communities. Listening to their story was a genuinely special experience and one I'm grateful I had the opportunity to witness.
So for now, I'm settling into this unexpected pause. The plan is simple: explore local history, find some hiking trails, attend community events, and enjoy what Wyoming has to offer while my van heals.
It's not where I expected to spend a couple of weeks, but Wyoming is a beautiful place. If the universe was going to park me somewhere for a while, there are certainly worse options.Read more