Las Vegas to Seattle and Back in Three Days (Part 1)

Around July 2011, I think it was on the 14th, I was in a bit of a bind. Everything else was fine except I really didn't enjoy the work I was doing. I hadn't been able to sleep well for months. Every time I tried, my heart would start racing as if I was in physical danger and my body was primed into a fight or fight state, dreading the time I have to wake up the next day. Until I got fed up.

So as soon as I went to work on a Friday, I called my good friends at AVIS. They actually knew me by name, mostly because I usually wound up breaking in the newest sports cars in their fleet. Tragically, they wouldn't let me loose with a Corvette just yet, but since I'd already rented the Camaro SS, I figured I give the 2010 V6 Mustang a shot.

Right off the bat, I hated this car.

I didn't like that the new V6 could probably run along with my 07 GT Premium. I didn't like the restrained exhaust, and the lack of road presence--despite the fact I knew on paper that this is probably a better car. The whole image it portrayed was that of an apologetic muscle car, and the one thing I hate in any car is it pretending to be something that it isn't.

I parked my car by AVIS and drove the rental back to work, and as I settled back in my office, the laughing hyenas came.

The first blow came from Kris, a C# programmer I used to work with. He said something along the lines of "you're out of your mind dude. You need a better car."

I defended myself by mentioning I've already driven any car worth driving there, and that they wouldn't let me ruin a perfectly good Corvette. It didn't appear to work.

"Really? You can't be serious." Erik said. He's a web programmer I also worked with, tends to have nicer things.

Having already used my only good argument, I recycled it by telling him it was either the V6 Mustang or a Chevy Aveo, and so long as I'm mentally, legally and financially sound, I wouldn't be caught dead in such a thing.

I couldn't blame them. I own a 2001 Mustang V6, and a 2007 Mustang GT, and just rented another Mustang. I was, and as of this moment, at risk of becoming an unofficial Ford representative.

At the end of the day, I stopped by the bank for absolutely no reason that I can recall. I'd already booked my hotel in Twin Falls, ID. Perhaps I had some cash to deposit or something.

At any rate, I took off on the I-215, heading toward the I-95. I called my sister and told her where I was going, and within minutes I ran into Metro's finest with a cell phone glued to my ear.

I should mention there's a new law in Las Vegas that fines cell phone usage while driving.

Luckily, he was in a good mood and let me off with a stern glare while gesturing that I put the phone down.

This encounter triggered my automatic response whenever I've attracted Highway Patrol's attention: slow the hell down, wait until I'm outside city limits, then resume normal driving.

About two hours into the drive, just outside Crystal Springs, NV, I started having second thoughts. Seattle seemed like an entire world away, and the utter frustration that compelled me to do this was now replaced with genuine trepidation.

What if I blew out a tire or ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone reception? There was no spare in the trunk, just an equally useless ?phone number for AVIS roadside assistance. I'd have to sleep on the side of the road in the freezing Nevada mountains or something. Being fairly young and stupid, I'd of course already broken the first of the commandments on solo grand touring: thou shall have emergency supplies.

As the sun continued to recede into the horizon, the darkening sky quickly became awash with the first twilight stars. I turned on the radio to take my mind off things. Nothing good was on, and I was out of range for much so I only had a couple of channels to surf through until Simple Minds - Don't You Forget About Me started playing. For the first time in weeks...everything just seemed alright. I didn't particularly like the song, but it was one of those moments where everything came together. The car, the road, the scenery was all perfect.

For better or for worse, that song is the background music I play when reminiscing about this drive.