Okay I made it safe. From Virginia for 27 years to Austin, Texas. I sold my car and basically everything I own. All that I’m holding in the above photo is all I own. Everything was going smoothly. I dropped off my bike bag and my suitcase to check it on the plane. However, after landing in Charlotte I realized the connection was going to be close. I had had to tighten my laces, turn my hat backwards and sprint to make my connection in Charlotte.

I sat next to an older gentleman on the plane named Jason who gave me the advice to “hustle” while I’m in Austin and “make as much money as you can”. He was a retired communications professor who plans to retire on a small island in Indonesia. Mario, the uber driver, chaperoned me, my bike, and my suitcase to the apartment complex. I met my landlord Corey, a lifelong Austinite, who showed me to my place. I immediately hit the road for a quick run. I made it to UT’s campus mentally noting a myriad of interesting stores that I would need to later visit.

What I failed to note was my exact route out to successfully backtrack home. I became rather disoriented and relied on the help of a few strangers to guide me home. Kenny then ubered me to pick up my mattress. I biked to the HEB .5 miles away and met Rafael who directed me to the shower liner. I made it home without getting lost but was rudely reminded that I didn’t have shower hooks to hang it with. I didn’t have time to get sheets or a blanket so I used my cardigan, my jacket, and a rain coat as bed linens and my VT polo as a pillow. At night I swear I heard a bomb go off at around 3 am and then at 5 am I was so paranoid that I was convinced someone had broken into my apartment. Overall, I’m glad I made it. I have a lot of exploring and adventuring to do.