We made it to Arizona! It is beautiful here, with about 1 1/2 feet of snow on the ground. The first day we arrived, we picked up our snowshoes at Flagstaff Nordic Center and went for a little hike. Bob said to me, "You'll probably be a little faster than me while we're snowshoeing, since I've never snowshoed before." "What!" I exclaimed. "You mean we're getting ready to snowshoe for at least a hundred miles, and you've never been?" We laughed and I joked that he would be like Bambi first trying to walk, but of course snowshoeing requires no more skill than walking and he did just fine. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, the adventure of getting to Arizona from North Carolina.
Overall, taking the Greyhound is a fine way to travel. Going across the country, however is always strenuous, and this time proved to be no different. The funny thing about the bus, is that at first, one is totally dependent on his/her bus driver to clue them in. Our first drivers did not do this, which resulted in some chaotic transfers. But in the end, we learned the rules of playing the Greyhound game, and things went smoothly.
Our second transfer apperently no longer exsits, so at 2:00am we arrived in Charlotte and were directed to Atlanta. So instead of heading directly west through Tennessee, we headed south! A day later we finally started in a more westerly direction and felt better about things. We were a bit scared that we may not make it to Arizona in time for Christmas. In the end, we arrived just 4 hours later than scheduled.
By the time we started heading west, we had figured out that connecting buses usually wait for all passengers to arrive, even if buses are running 1 or more hours late. We also figured out that as a passenger on Greyhound, you must rely on your common sense, and not on the employees of Greyhound to get you to your destination. By day two, Bob was calling Greyhound to get the arrival and departure times for all buses heading in our direction, so if we missed a connection we knew another bus was just 4 hours behind. Always be the one responsible for your baggage, don't assume Greyhound will tranfer it for you. When we got on a bus, I would drop my bag and board while Bob waited to make sure our bags were loaded.
Another thing we learned is, take the first bus out. You never know what will happen and it's best to make your move as soon as possible. On this note, eat when you can, because you never know when your next meal will come. Thankfully, I had packed a bag of snacks on our first leg. None of our buses stopped at places with food, and our 1 to 2 hour waits always turned into 10 minute rushes at the stations because of buses running late.
I was a bit apprehensive about taking the bus at first. I had in my mind a picture of all the crazy stinky people we would be riding with (not including ourselves). I was wrong. It didn't take long for us to get to know the people sitting around us, and we soon became a community. We looked out for our fellow travelers, making sure women and children got off the bus with all their baggage, making sure people knew where to meet their connections, sharing food, and raising moral. All sorts of people ride the bus, and we actually had some intellegent conversations. We did move seats once when some young army recruites started talking about the benefits of invading countries and "fixing them." And once we did have some stinky men on the bus, and we all joked about it. It wasn't until we were well into the Rocky Mountains did we run into some real crazy people and addicts. Albuequerque, with their new station, security guards, and smooth running operation, had the sketchiest of passengers. From those coming off the Rez or from the inner-city Ghettoes, to men with children who had been riding the bus for a month looking for a job, to a golden-haired granny who was probably the looniest of them all. This made for good people watching, and I never felt unsafe.
So it makes for a good story, and that's why we chose to take the Greyhound, for a new kind of adventure. And now we know.
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