I woke up on the marijuana farm in Maine. It was my last day there and then I was off to an ecstatic dance event in Norwell, Massachusetts. It was a quick five hour drive. The event was put on by Pat and Melodie. I had met Pat at a previous Permatours event. Their place had multiple gardens that had geometric sand paths throughout them. Upon arrival we drank tulsi tea as we chatted. Tulsi Tea is a natural herb that helps the body adapt to outside stressors. We then started things up by going into the garden and finding a comfortable spot to sit while Melodie led us in a meditation. After the meditation we were free to move about the garden and flow into ecstatic dancing. Ecstatic dance is a type of dance where you move freely however the music calls you, while dancing individually. I loved dancing in the sand all along the plants. It was an amazing way to feel everything that’s happening and process it through movement. We danced for about an hour and closed out the dance with a body scan meditation and chatting. Pat let me pitch my tent and camp in the yard behind his house afterwards.
The next day I was going to head to the lower part of New York State to go with my friend Teg to a Renaissance Festival. As I was driving through Connecticut, the exhaust on my car started to get louder and louder. Right as I went to pull onto the highway I heard a loud bang and then the sound of scraping metal coming from under my vehicle. I pulled off, nervous to look. I found that the muffler had disconnected in the middle front area of the car and had fallen to the ground and was now dragging. I recalled back to my last mechanic and remembered telling him, “I know my exhaust is messed up, but just ignore that.” I thought it had only had a small hole that I would need to fix at inspection time, but clearly I was wrong.
I called good old Triple A again and began the long wait. As I was waiting, a man named Eric pulled up asking if I needed help. I told him what happened, and that Triple A was on its way. He asked where I was heading, and I told him New York. He offered me a ride and said he could take me all the way to Albany if I needed. I was super grateful, but told him I had to stay with my car. He pulled off to see if there was anything he could do. After looking under my car he said we could just pull the whole thing off, then I should be able to drive to where I needed to be without a tow truck. He easily did that by cutting one small plastic piece. He unfortunately cut his finger in the process. We exchanged numbers and he told me if I needed any help at all to call him and he would be there. What a kind soul he was.
I then called the tow truck driver to tell him that I would be okay without him, and I could make it to a shop. He said he was close by and would come anyway just to make sure I was safe. The tow truck driver pulled up and looked over my car. He said it would be safe to drive but that he was going to put the exhaust on his flat bed and have me follow him to the shop. He said he would call Triple A and tell them that the tow was canceled so they wouldn’t charge me for my trip. He was helping me out of the kindness of his heart like the last man had.
When we got to the shop the tow truck driver went in and talked to the mechanic himself to make sure I wasn’t getting screwed over. Unfortunately for me it was Saturday, and they said they wouldn’t be able to fix it until Monday. I was told that my entire exhaust and muffler system was junk and I would need all new parts. They told me they would scrap the old parts for me and took them. They had to order the parts and gave me an estimate of $500 in all with labor. They made an appointment for me and I was set to come back Monday.
I needed to find somewhere close by where I could stay for two nights, but I didn’t want to drive my noisy car around looking for a camping spot. My best bet was to find a cheap motel. I ended up finding a Motel 6 nearby and got two nights there. I settled in. It was nice having a room to myself where I was fully alone.
The next day I woke up early and got coffee that the hotel provided, trying to figure out what I might want to do with my day. I had learned of a hiking trail that started right at the entrance of my motel and thought that might be something nice. I packed a back pack and set off. It was a cute little trail that ran along a river in a thinner patch of woods in the middle of the city. A beautiful little escape. I walked, eating grapes that surrounded the path along the way, as the sound of the water carried me forward.
Eventually I came to a metal beam that went across the river; it led to a crumbling brick building on the other side. I climbed up the pillar that the beam was on, and slowly walked across the beam over the rushing water. Standing above the swirling water made my head spin and my heart race, but in the best way possible. I live for that rush.
Reaching the other side I was at the bottom of the crumbling brick building and had to find a way up. While exploring I found a pile of bricks that had been piled up into a little platform that made it possible for me to climb to the roof. Beyond the first building were two other buildings, one had the look of an old warehouse, and the other was a very tall, thin brick structure. I went over to the warehouse to explore first. Every part of the building was covered in intricate graffiti. I explored the entire building, climbing up the different machinery, taking in every bit of graffiti.
Afterwards I went over to the tall thin building. There was an opening in the structure that was out of reach, but I needed to see what was inside. I carefully climbed up the broken down wood and bricks, avoiding the rusty nails. Once inside I looked up. The entire structure was hollow and just kept going. There was a rusty metal ladder in there that led to the top, but unfortunately it was just out of reach. After exploring I walked back across the beam to the trail. I continued on peacefully until I came to the end, which opened up to a lovely park on a pond. I decided to walk through the city to get back to my motel so I could see what was around me.
The next day I woke up early so I could get my car fixed. When I got to the shop, the man who I had originally talked to was not there. The man working told me that my information had not been put into the computer and they weren’t sure if my parts had been ordered. They didn’t even know what was going on with my car. At this point I was feeling frustrated and could tell that this was not a good place for me to get my car fixed. They insisted on putting my car up on the lift and I let them, but also told them that if they were not able to fix my car today that I would be going somewhere else. They came back telling me that they could fix it, but it would be $1500, triple the amount they originally told me. I said: I’m not paying that since I was originally told $500! The guy tried to argue with me, but I was firm. He then told me that I would also have to wait until all the parts came in since they only had half of them, even though the original guy said they would be there. I told them I would be going somewhere else. They tried to persuade me to stay, telling me no one else would be able to get me home today, trying to convince me that they were my best bet. They were trying to back me into a corner. I stood my ground, took my keys and my noisy car, telling them that I would be able to find someone to fix it today and for way cheaper. They laughed at me as I left but, I wasn’t discouraged. Their mockery made me feel that much stronger, and pushed me to be able to prove them wrong. While searching around I was directed to a place called Pop’s Exhaust. I drove up, explained my situation, and that I needed to leave that day. I showed him the pictures of my car with my pulled off exhaust lying by the side of the road, and he told me to call the other shop and get my old parts back. I called the original shop telling them I wanted all my parts back. They told me they were in the trash and I said: well you better get them out! They eventually found them, but told me that there was no possible way to fit the entire thing in my tiny little car. I said: yes I will, just watch me. When I arrived at the shop, my exhaust parts where sitting outside. I carried that huge thing over to my car. With a lot of struggle and effort I was able to fit most of it into my car. There was 3 to 4 feet hanging out my window, but I didn’t care. I didn’t have a flag so I improvised using a bright orange pair of leggings and a yellow T-shirt, tying them around the end that hung out of the window, and was on my way.
Nick, the man who worked at Pop’s got my car in right away. I explored the nearby city while he fixed it. He only took a few hours. He used some of my old parts that were still good and welded on new parts in the spots needed. He fixed it for cheaper than the original quote the other shop had given me and I was back on the road before four. I was so grateful that I was able to find this shop with these kind people who were able to help me in every way that I needed. I hit the road again. Now heading to New York, back to my home town for a short amount of time. I had a little unfinished business there that I had to take care of. A friend let me stay at their house while I was there. I was able to spend time with my dog Maggie, who I had been missing very much on my travels. I swung by to see my parents, do some laundry, and played one of my favorite domino games, Mexican Train Dominoes, with them. While in town I also went with my friend, Sam, to a rock climbing gym in Syracuse. They taught us boldering, which is free climbing without any harnesses. Then they taught us climbing with the ropes and harnesses, after which we were set free to climb as we wished. I’ve rock climbed in a gym twice before, but it was just up once and that was it. This time, where we were able to climb as many times as we wished, with multiple options of rock wall courses. It was so much more exhausting than I had thought would be. My hands quickly grew sore and callused, but I loved every bit of it. It was such a good work out while being fun at the same time. Climbing in general has always been one of my favorite things. I know I’ll be going back to different gyms to climb after this amazing experience.
I was anxious to get back on the road, so after being in my hometown for a short time I headed to the Unencumbered Festival in Onchiota, New York.
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