Into the Mystic: A Venture From East to West: Back to School

"So you're one of those cyclists traveling the country. You're alone?" said a welcoming voice behind me. As I took my eyes off the tent I was setting up, I turned my attention to the shirtless, stocky figure holding a basketball under one arm.

"Yeah", I generically responded, unsure of my tone as it walked a fine line between confidence and vulnerability.

"Shoot, that's gotta be an experience. My name's Aaron Moyer. I'm the youth pastor at the local church. Are you planning on sleeping in the park?"

"That's the plan. Nothing like a little nap in the park".

"I've got a small apartment down the street with an empty bed. You're more than welcome there. It's also supposed to storm tonight".

Whoa. Suddenly, I had the option of a home and a social evening or an introverted/slightly creepy sleep in the park. This also had come shortly after another kid had told me there were "new girls in the town who had thrown rocks at the cyclist's tents last week".

"You said it's supposed to rain?" I asked retorically. "I mean, a bed does sound pretty incredible".

Aaron began helping me clean up all my camping gear. Right from the get go, I immediately got to know the character that Aaron was. Firstly, he was absolutely hilarious. He had the crazy sense of humor that I've found in very few people outside of my family. The both of us got into our little comedy routines as if it were a stand-up show. We fed off each other's energy.

Aaron drove ahead of me as I followed my bike to his apartment almost directly across the street from the park. It was funny, within 10 minutes we had both shared our past with girls, our families, and everything about each other. In 10 minutes, Aaron and I became close friends.

The night was spent hanging out, watching television, talking, laughing, and eating tostitos with cheese dip (homemade cheese dip made by Aaron's sister and mom... SO good). At one point, Aaron drove me past the town of Joplin where an F-5 tornado had passed through two years earlier. To put it in perspective of the one that recently ripped through Oklahoma, this tornado killed over 160 people. Eventually, the two of us passed out watching "Van Wilder".

In the morning, Aaron and I went to Cooky's Cafe, which is renowned for their pies. Although I skipped dessert, I've come to obsess over the South's biscuits and gravy. Where the hell have these been in New Jersey? They're the greatest combination of ingredients since chocolate and peanut butter (they're probably older than that).

After breakfast, Aaron took me over to his massive church where I met the pastor, David Powell. Very kind, the guy was maybe 60 years old but was an avid triathlete. The guy was moderately intimidating. He was an avid cyclist, riding the 30 something miles to Pittsburg then back. He was very sociable but it was strange how his eyes communicated. I won't go in depth, it was just weird. We talked for about an hour about cycling stuff and then we all prayed. I went back to Aarons, got my gear, got some water and snacks from the church, and hit the road.

Winds today were over 20 mph but they were coming at an angle all day. Pastor Dave stressed the difficulty they would cause but it was a really enjoyable ride. The wind didn't really bother me until the last 15 miles. In that last stretch, I spied a truck with yellow flashing lights coming from behind me. After it got 50 yards ahead of me, it pulled over and the two gentleman wearing those relfector worker shirts waved me down.

As I got closer, the one man reached into the bed of the truck and withdrew an ice cold water. Garry and Alva were awesome individuals. Coincidentally, the two men were placing signs for the TransAmerican Route (76) and I was the first biker they'd seen. Questions were numerous and conversation was plentiful. When I got onto the road again, they told me that they'd probably see me up the road.

Fast forward the few miles to the border of Kansas/Missouri, and I'm clumsily attempting to set up my phone on a timer to take a self portait.

"You'll never get anywhere riding like that", yelled Alva from the front seat of his truck. The two saved me with another ice cold water. Alva did me a favor and took the picture for me and we ended up chatting again. Alva had been living in the town of Houston, Missouri for 38 years. Garry had been a resident just north a ways for the last 30 years. The two were wonderful company. We talked for a good half an hour about the lay of the land, their past, and work. It was lovely.

No more than 5 miles away, I finally reached Pittsburg. In a matter of an hour, I'd get my bike fixed, and meet Audrey, my host for the night (and also the niece of the bike shop owner... Right? Small world). Since my bike wouldn't fit into the car, I cycled the two miles.

My house for the evening would be at Graciella's, a student from Paraguay who'd been in the United States for the past two years. I also met Alberto, who was a fascinatingly intriguing intellectual. He was born in Brazil, lived in Paraguay, then moved to Hong Kong and eventually found his way to the United States a few years back. Hannah was the third guest who I got the vibe was really laid back and relaxed. She'd finished high school a year back.

The evening had no shortage of excitement. From Graciella's, we went to the Pitt State (also strange) dormitories were I met a plethora of other people. Abdullah; the awesome host who helped Audrey and I cook a delicious pasta dinner. Abdul; the quiet but constanty smiling hookah owner. Colin; the Saudi fresh into the United States with a strong language barrier. Morgan; a 20 year old stoner/student with one year left. Amanda; the thin tattooed lady with the intricate fashion sense. And Alyssa; Amanda's right hand girl with a profound sense of humor.

Eventually, I would go out and hit the summer college party scene. Out there I would meet more individuals. Trezz; the local student from Wichita who was really interested in my trip. Joc from Southern Sudan who owns a house with his two younger brothers (all over 6'4) and throws parties regularly. Man, the evening was long.

My head's a tad fuzzy. It's 95 today and only looking to get hotter. This should be fun.