Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea

Since I am fairly confident no one is reading this blog anymore, I am writing primarily for myself, and to segue from one journey to another.

I finished the bike trip. I have been in the United States for two weeks now and have said my hellos to practically every great friend and colleague I have known in my college years since my return. What a whirlwind it has been! I visited Lancaster, Ithaca, Philly, Newark, Baltimore, and Washington- except by car. Far less engaged in my landscape. At first, driving and constantly experiencing my world from a car felt extremely foreign and oppressive but I have slowly taken the burden back on in full and accepted the realities of life. Similarly, my computer use is at approximately 8 hours a day in the face of seeking employment and I am back to *shudder* texting. I can still remember just a few weeks ago how simple and clean my life seemed in comparison.

The riding ended in Hungary. We paddled 4 days below Budapest on the Duna. We got violently ill. Then, one morning at 7 AM in a cool doorway of Csepel, we became I. Brian and I officially parted ways (at least until our Ithaca reunion) and I moved north to Slovakia, Czech Republic, and, briefly, Austria. I visited Jess and her family. It was a very rewarding, educational, and fun trip into the northern worlds of the eastern block- a less known territory for me. I learned more about her past and her mother's life. I also utilized my elementary Hungarian with her aunts!

I spent more time in Budapest, entertaining both Jess and Jadine, a friend I made in Slovenia. I really enjoyed showing people around the city I love. Nora and Karoly took amazing care of me in Labanc Utca and I consumed book after book. I worked lightly on my Hungarian and met with Andras and friends in the evening. I learned the transit system and the city layout better than I ever knew possible in a city for myself.

I suppose, at this time, I should try to reflect and put into words the entirety of the trip. If there is anything I have learned over 2 weeks of trying to explain how the trip went, its that I can't easily. When asked, my mind immediately flashes to those moments of "glory." Everything was for the glory. To explain glory and the scenes washing against my memory and the changes I have undergone is impossible in words. I hope to express myself better through the photos and occasional story telling and in how I live my life and how I present myself to others in the future. The greatest expression of my experience is now me. The adventurer, individual, free spirit I have become.

In that vein, I am now, and have been for about a week, preparing to leave for California. I am crossing another vast mass of land. In my car, I will make my third cross-country journey in 4 years. '05, '07, and now I can add '08 to my American explorations. This round, I go through the middle- Route 70. I can only hope the country and its beauty treat me as well as I have been treated in the past. Alone, aside from my 185000+ mile car, which we will call "Zoltan" (as no one will let me name my first son that anyway), I will fly fish and bounce from here to San Francisco where I hope to finally settle down for a little while and start a "real life." My first one ever. Fingers crossed.

I know one thing: I will keep learning about myself and about the world as I push myself outside my comfort zone and reach out to new possibilities and new people. I look forward to continuing my informal education.

So, lookout, mountains, and lookout, sea, I am coming tomorrow.

Cross country and California Beginnings Blog: www.lookoutsea.blogspot.com