The destination was Fairbanks, 120 miles away from Healy, and I had the day off and some errands to run. I grabbed the old guitar I was hoping to fix up and an empty backpack and left the house around 10 a.m. After two rides, the longer of which with a package delivery guy, I got dropped off in the city around 1:30 p.m. on the opposite side of town from where I needed to go. I thought, I could try to hitch a ride, or without a car, I can be alright with hiking a few miles when necessary and not bother anyone else. Grass roots guitar was my first stop where I picked up a new nut and a package of light strings. Next was dinner at a local bakery restaurant, followed by a visit to Home Depot to shop for materials for my boat. Finally, I went to the Safeway and filled up my backpack full of non-perishables and went looking for a good spot to try to hitch back. Where I hoped to hitch from was no good, so I decided to walk back to where I got dropped off. After getting a little lost and doing some backtracking, I made it back to where I started, waited a bit then caught a ride to the next small town, then another one all the way back to Healy, finally getting home about 12:30 a.m. Total hitching distance, about 240 miles. Total walking distance around Fairbanks, about 15 miles. Check out my course.
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Last week I needed to get back to the house for a three o'clock tour after spending the morning down in the canyon. The first van that passed picked me up. It was a friend who worked at the bar who was going on a hike before work, and could only take me about halfway. I got out with her at the trail head and continued down the highway, thinking it wouldn't be a problem to catch a ride from there. Was I ever wrong. No one would pick me up, and realizing I was now going to be late, I started jogging along the side of the road with my two bags of expired potato chips I just got for free from the local store. Six miles later I arrived at the house barely on time just to find out my coworker was going to take the tour instead of me. A frustrating lack of communication on my part.
These two stories are accompanied by the daily routine of figuring out shuttle times, and free bus trips, and using anything lying around the house like bikes and scooters to get where I want to go. Cars are definitely convenient, but necessary? No. Regardless of location, I think if you begin a new lifestyle without a car, you'd be able to make adjustments and do alright without one. If you've become accustomed to having one for so long then I think it'd be mighty difficult to give it up and try to go without one. I know it'd be extremely challenging to do in Southern California, I just don't like hearing people say it'd be impossible.
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1 comment:
i like your perspective on the whole not having a car is possible idea. you are right, and i am learning that from not having one myself. of course it is more convenient to own a car, but if you don't have the luxury then that means you just need to plan better and be willing to take adventures.
i miss you trav!
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