Venturing

I landed near the first bend in the Ohio River, Northwest of Pittsburgh last night. I am not quite sure how or why, but here I sit, typing to the drone of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, working to be grateful for the occassional bird song penetrating the traffic hum. The lack of field gear has me using motels and food service this time around. Highway traffic is often part of that gig. Oh well. Certainty feels counter-productive for this phase of the journey. Let the wanders be wondery, let the rhythms and tones of life be random.

Somewhere in the poorly organized yaddahs I left in Texas is material about this very bend in the Ohio River. The Monongahela can flow without me another while. Think I'll go bounce around the first bend this morning. I seem to recall a peculiar blend of industry and gentrification. I think. Memory test in progress. How many years has it been since I gathered that impression? The last was after my return from Ecuador in 2008.

Among the asides I enjoy in road life is border rivalries. Townies can be quite humorous in their rivalries. I confess to pushing those buttons at every safe opportunity. I do watch for political sensitivities when near that particular control panel. (e.g. No Peruvian jokes at the Ecuador/Peru crossings) There are both politically straight borders and ragged river borders between Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia nestled within that bend of the Ohio River. Hm-m-m-m. . . Colorful ponderings. . .

The anxiety level remains high, but it feels like acceptable levels for the phase I am in.