Coming home from the eclipse

Phew. Woke up in Jersey to the sound of employees kicking us out. Slowly work our way out. We visit a cemetery for Evan and the local bakery his family goes to when they visit family. Then we drove up through NY into CT then back to MA.

Palisades Parkway

We drove north and I stopped at a scenic outlook. I saw a Sprinter from France so I mustered the courage to go speak with them. They were a very nice older couple. And willing to speak with me. It got weird though.

After all the effort to get through the language barrier I decided to tell them I am trans. It was fine. Trump was brought up, questions of family. The wife said I was a very beautiful boy. I told them that's why I am in the van, to discover myself. I told them how I used to be afraid. And I used to have an old voice. I showed them my old fucking voice! lol.

After I used my old voice they spoke in french for a bit and it comes out that she thought I was a girl trying to be a boy! lol. So we circled throug hand finished up the conversation. I am thankful for that interaction. I taught me a lot about communication. Maybe I will be able to leave the continent one day.

Connecticut

Later, we stopped at an abandoned mental health facility in Connecticut. Turns out, its' not so abandoned anymore. Some of the facility is redone and used for town stuff. They are redoing sidewalks. It looks like they hope to finish remodeling the entire place. Or at least salvage the good buildings then demolish the rest. It was not nearly as exciting as we hoped.

Trudging home

After the brake fluid leak debacle we just slammed it home. It was weird. I could feel Evan's urgency to get home, or at the least, his discomfort with being in the van so long. I would have preferred to slow down take a couple days. Recoup where I am. But I could really sense Evan was done. That's fine.

This trip gave me so much. And I couldn't/wouldn't have done it with anyone else.