about 8 years ago, i got tired of the winter cold, and boarded a greyhound bound for tucson, arizona. the bus ride took 2 or 3 days if i remember correctly. anyways when we got to southern arizona we stopped somewhere close to the mexican border and stopped at a mcdonalds for the riders to get something to eat. i didn’t get any food, but i remember stepping outside into what felt like a warm blanket. it was so nice, i immediately relaxed and sat outside.
then when i was in tucson, walking around, i saw a road runner bird, which i had never seen before. which was cool.
i stayed there a couple days sleeping outside, and constantly walking around the city and trails. then after i had explored the city and not wanting to spend another night outside, i hiked back to the greyhound station and bought a ticket home, and waited in the station for my bus to arrive. it was a short and sweet visit, although sleeping outside is not recommended.
yeah i saw one hunt down some burrowing rodent in a dried up creek, well it may have been called a river in arizona, but it would be a creek here. it was kind a brutal, it caught it in it’s beak and then bodyslammed the little rodent to death on the dried up creek bed.
i used to sleep outside in lots of cities, instead of staying in hotels. i would just walk around until i found the local homeless, and would congregate with them and sleep, where i felt it was safe and i wouldn’t get arrested.
i found homeless people to be accepting and they don’t ask questions about what you’re doing there. it’s the weirdest thing, like they could care less that you travelled thousands of miles only to sleep on the street. thankfully nothing bad ever happened to me, and it never rained the 10 to 20 times i pulled that stunt. in fact good samaritans would often assume i was homeless instead of a broke traveller and would help me out with a free meal, or once a guy walked me to a soup kitchen for breakfast. it gave me a bit of pronoia i guess, that people were looking out for me.
but i wouldn’t do it again, it was during my 20’s. now i need a bed to sleep, and a warm shower.
let’s see. let me count the nights outside in cities
i slept outside in boston 2 nights
i slept outside in new york city 1 night
i slept outside in pittsburgh 1 night
i slept outside in nashville 1 night
i slept outside in cincinnati 1 night
i slept outside in louisville 1 night
i slept outside in tucson 2 nights
i slept outside in phoenix 2 nights
i slept outside in los angeles 1 night
i slept outside in seattle 1 night.
i slept outside in washington d.c 1 night
i slept outside in lexington 1 night
my memory isn’t so bad, so all total, 15 nights, if i counted correctly
