I wake up the next morning to a delicious homemade breakfast. Something i have not had for awhile. Living on my own, I skipped breakfast so many times. This breakfast i would miss later on after so many breakfasts each morning of Cliff bars. Eager to get back on the road after spending the morning with my grandmother, i hoped back on the bike and took off for Idaho Falls. It was a short day. After such a long day yesterday, I wanted a short little burst to make the next day easier. I would be covering damn near the whole state of Utah tomorrow.

Idaho was cold. The sun was out, but it made no difference. The scenery was flat. I could see the Rockies in the distance. They towered over the horizon. Trucks went by, the wind howled by, and my music played in my ear as i scooted down the highway. I was camping tonight, and that got me excited. Camping is my favorite. I finally got to use all my gear and set up my tent. It had warmed up to a tolerable temperature by now and the thought of camping was even more exciting now.

I pulled off the highway and I find myself down a gravel road leading to the campground I’m staying at. My motorcycle stop in front of the main office building. I walk in and find two high school age girls behind the counter. I am the only tent camper at this campground. Everyone else is in an RV of some sort. Its early on in the evening. The tent gets set up without a hitch, and i get a fire going from some wood i bought from the campground store. Its not really camping. They have bathrooms, showers, and even a pool! I went back to the store after having set everything up. Food is required at this point. I grab a locally brewed beer, mainly because i’m from Portland and i’m a beer snob i guess, and i grab some pop tarts. That Is my dinner. The girls behind the counter radio an old man in a golf cart to come check me out because of the beer. I graciously say thank you and walk back down the road to my campsite.

The fire is roaring and i have music playing through a small Bluetooth speaker i brought. No one is camped near me. My closest neighbors are some cows across an irrigation ditch maybe 20 yards away. I sit by the fire and enjoy my beer and pop tarts. I have a big smile on my face. My body is euphoric with with the smell of campfire in the air and the feeling of freedom. This is where it really begins. I am on my own from here on out. No family along the way. No one is there until the very end. Its all on me. And its a feeling of pure bliss. Next week doesnt matter, two weeks doesnt matter, next month doesnt matter. Only today matter. Where is the next gas station? Where can I eat my next meal? Where am I sleeping tonight? Thats what matters.