From NY, NY to Pittsburgh, PA: The bus departed at 1 p.m. to Philadelphia at the New York City’s bus terminal.There were actually two lines and entrances for Philadelphia which was the first transfer I would have for this cross continent trip.I guess one line was for those people’s destination was PhiladelphiaI didn’t know and stood at the first line.When it was time to get on the bus and the security guards started to check the bags, they told me to get on the second bus after they saw my tickets.One of the guards was quite rude and asked me to hurry up.The other guard asked me where my destination was.I told him it was San Francisco and that surprise him.There were only around ten people on the second bus.I only noticed three girls and one young man who sat in front of me.The spoke a language I am not familiar with.I guess they were from Russia or East Europe.Some of these girls took some pictures of New York City on the way. and the other was for the transfer.
In Philadelphia, I was taking my time to wander around and have a snack before I boarded the bus.But then I didn’t know which gate for me to board the bus.I had to go to the information desk to ask for that.There was a long line at the gate which I was going to board.The bus started to show sign of trouble when we were out of Philadelphia just for a while.It stopped several times on the road and two guys sat in front of me started to complain loudly.The bus driver was nice enough to address everybody he would take care the problem.We were lucky not stop in the middle of nowhere.At last, the bus came to the bus station of King of Prussia, PAThe bus driver first said a new bus would come to get us in an hour.Then he changed to two to three hours.The truth was the new bus appeared after more than four hours.Two local sheriffs showed up when we were waiting for the new bus.They exchanged some words with the bus driver.I took out King Rat and started to read.It has been almost four months since I started to read King Rat.I had to finish reading Jim Roger’s Investment Biker, Adventure Capitalist and Hot Commodities during these times.Plus, I had to read the Notebook, a very interesting story, which was introduced by W.I went into the station to buy a bottle Coke.Someone inside reminded me the vending machine was broken and it only took quarters.I had to change the quarters in the front desk.I sat on the stone bench around the outside wall of the station and read the book.Many people made the phone call and informed their relatives or friends or people who was going to pick them up they were going to be late.There were one girl and one boy sat next to me.They seemed to know the three girls and the young man I mentioned before.The boy asked me where I bought the coke. He had to speak a few times until I got what he said.I told him the place and the problem with the vending machine.The girl wore tight light blue short sleeve cloth and looked very young and pretty.I spoke with the driver about the delay of bus schedule.He tried to assure me he would put me on first for the next available bus.At last, the bus came and we continued our trip.The bus made a stop at Harrisburg, PA in the evening.It was raining at that time and the city looked very beautiful.There was a party going on inside a building which has tall glass windows.I was thinking I needed to study a little bit about Harrisburg when I got home.I didn’t know Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania until later.The bus made another stop at Blue Mountain, PA before it arrived at Pittsburgh, PA.We had to get off the bus first and boarded the bus later after it was clean up.The bus driver gave a reboarding ticket to everyone whose destinations were St. Louis, MO.A girl sat in front of me asked the driver if we were St. Louis yet.The driver said we were not there yet and told her to get back to the same bus later.I didn’t pay much attention to her but I knew she was taking the nap on the bus.When I got off the bus and went into the station, I didn’t see her follow up.I turned back to the bus and told her to come with me.She asked me if she need to take her bags with her.I told her it was better to do that.But at that time a cleaner came to the bus and asked us to step down the bus because he needed to clean the bus.We told him we needed to get the bags but he said we didn’t need to worry about that if we were going to come back to the bus.He war very rude when he asked us to step out the bus. and we all got off the bus.
We went into the station and stayed behind the gate which we supposed to reboard the bus.I asked her to take a seat and take a break.But the girl worried about her bags and other stuffs.She went into the information office and told to the officer in there.Later, she came back and sat down.When the reboarding announcement came out, the boarding gate was changed to the next one.The girl was the first one to get to the gate. Either she understood the announcement well or she knew that before hand.We got on the bus.She was happy to find out her bags were still at the same place. She still sat behind the driver and I sat behind her.
Columbus: left Pittsburgh around 1 a.m. and reached Columbus around 6 a.m., the girl asked the man who sat next to her if we reached St. Louis yet.I stood up and tapped her shoulder.She turned around and I told her we weren’t there yet.Since we were going to board at the same bus after the bus was cleaned up, we had to keep the reboarding tickets.This time, the girl took all her bags with her and got off the bus.She stayed at the gate we would board later.I went up and said hi to her.I asked where she was going to and she said something about Denver and Frisco.She might tell me about the Keystone Resorts too.But at that time I was not familiar with these places at all.I told her San Francisco was my destination.She said she had to make a call to tell the person who was going to pick her up at the destination she was going to be late.She went to the phone booth and came back quickly.I asked her if she made the call and she said the phone card didn’t work.I took a look her phone card and I found the card only could use in the New YorkState.I took out my cell and told her she could use my cell to make the call.She asked me if she could make the international call on my cell.I told her she couldn’t and was wondering why she needed to make that long distant call.She explained to me she had to call somebody in Ukraine first and then the person would call the other person who is in Frisco.I wondered why she didn’t have the Frisco person’s phone number and had to go around a big circle like that.I wanted to help her to make the call but it was too early in the morning.I told her I would get a phone number for the international call for her later.I showed her the map book of all fifty states.She asked me why I wanted to go to San Francisco instead of other places.I told her I was making decision between San Francisco and Los Angeles.I felt Los Angeles is more crowd than San Francisco before I had the static of the population to prove my view.Los Angeles is a fashion and modern city while San Francisco comes with more heritage and history.Also, I am not fond of those stars though I like to watch Hollywood movies.She told me she wanted to go to Los Angeles.She asked me why I traveled alone.I told her it was hard to find somebody who had the same vacation schedule as me and was willing to travel cross-state by bus.After we boarded the bus, she asked if the next stop was St. Louis.Since I sat two rows down, I went up to show her how far we were from St. Louis with the map. The driver came into the bus and asked me to leave the front row. I found a seat at the next row across the isle. She gave me a Ukrainian candy later.Maybe she wanted to thank me for helping her or she felt sorry I was kicked away by the driver or both.
Indianapolis:I called my dad to get the access code for the international call.The girl said she was not comfortable about accepting that kind of help from me.But I insisted to help her.I called Ukraine after the girl gave me the phone number.I handed the phone to her after I dialed the number.But it didn’t work.Probably it only worked for calling China but not Ukraine.She complained about the delay of buses and asked how many stops we were going to have before we reached St. Louis.I told her honestly I didn’t know.I showed her the bus schedule I printed from the Greyhound’s confirming email.The schedule just showed the major bus stops.She liked to sit in the front seat which was just behind the driver.Though sometimes the drivers warned nobody could sit in there, it seemed she was an exception.
Terre Haute, IN and Effingham, IL: the bus made a rest stop at one these two places.I can’t remember which one now.We stopped at a gas station and I went inside to buy some candy bars and food.Later, I came back with a bagful of stuff.Olha didn’t go into the store but she stepped out the bus to take some fresh air. At that time, I still didn’t realize she came to the U.S. for work instead of studying.She complained she didn’t get the help in accommodation.She got a list of people she was going to meet and sent email to everyone of them to talk about the accommodation problem.But few of them replied to her, she told me.She said she missed her family and her friends.It was bright and sunny day at that time.I asked her where the place is. She said it was a small town.I looked at the blue sky and said she might like it if she enjoy the nature and like the life at a small town.
St. Louis: at last we came to St. Louis bus station when the sunset was on the way.There was already a long line waiting for going to Kansas City.We sat down next to each other.There was a guy on the same bus and were going to Kansas City too asked us to watch his bag for a while.She asked how many brothers and sisters I had.I told her I had one sister and one brother.She asked me if I took care of my siblings most of the time.I told her I prefer to give freedom to them than tell them what to do.She said her brother like to watch her closely when she was little.I told her I believe my siblings could do better with my minimum management.It turn out they are doing better than me right now.On the other hand, the relationship isn’t close between us.I said people work harder and smarter when they work for themselves.In fact, that’s different between capitalism and communism.Now, communism failed in the competition and capitalism is the only system work well and is dominating the world.She said she used to like to help other people but some people didn’t appreciate her help.So now she only helps her family and closed friends.She didn’t know how to use the word “appreciate” when she said it.She felt Chinese is more friendly and helpful than American she had met.Personally, I felt American is more helpful than Chinese based on my own experience.I told her I am probably the first Chinese she had met and known in the U.S.It is pretty hard to find a Chinese in Ukraine too, I figured.She said she knew a Chinese girl studies in her college and the girl went to work at New York City this summer.She gave me two Ukrainian candies.When I asked her if she wanted the gum, she was trying to ignore me.Though we knew each other for a while, but I never got her name.She never asked my name either.So at there, I asked her what her name is.She only told me her first name “Olha”.She taught me how to pronounce the name.She said it is used as first name in Ukraine but people usually used it as last name in Poland.She said she attends a college as an undergraduate student at Poland after she graduated from a Ukrainian college.She might tell me the name of the college she attends, the place where the college locates and the city her family lives.But all these places I was not familiar with and I had hard time to remember them.She said her major was in art when she was studying in Ukraine.But she had trouble to find a job.So she chose to study marketing.She asked me if it is easy to find a job in New York City.I said it is easy to find a job if people is willing to work hard.But it is difficult to find a good job.I told her I wanted to find a better job and improved my communication skill.She asked me if I understood her English.I said I understood but I didn’t understand a lot of things she said because they were strange to me.We met a man who is from TennesseeState.He said he was running for senate for his county at that time.We talked about a little bit politics and high-speed train system he campaigned for.I asked him if St. Louis used to be occupied by French because I saw the decoration on the ceiling of the bus station.He said it was and told me French is lover but not fighter.I said no wonder French lost to German in the WWII.He reminded me that China used to be occupied by Japanese and the French revolution.He actually took out a book which title is French revolution.The bus was late and we waited for more than an hour to get on the bus.The waiting line was long and it took two buses to take care all the people.We were last few people to get on the first bus.So we didn’t sat together or sat close to each other.Olha found a seat in the second row and I had a seat in the tenth or eleventh row.
Kansas City: The bus made a couple stops between St Louis and Kansas City.At one point, Olha turned around and it seemed she looked for something.When she saw me, she turned back.It was around 1 a.m. when we arrived at Kansas City. I was so sleepy.When I got off the bus, I saw Olha stood in front of the door and bent over looking for something in her bags.There was a man coming out of the door and Olha was on his way but she didn’t see it.I went up and pulled her out of the doorway.I asked her how she was doing.She said she was sleepy.I asked her to go inside the station.We found the gate for reboarding and put down our bags at there.She told me a Mexican woman sat next to her on the last bus and she couldn’t understand what the woman said.I told her I had a Mexican man sat next to me.She seemed in pretty good mood.
Somehow, I figured out why the ocean is being a symbol of death in the psychology study. H used to ask me how I felt if I was in the center of the ocean.I told him I would become one with the ocean.That’s before I read Civilization and Its Discontents. A part of the book mentions the relationship between the death and the ocean. I started to think why there is a relationship between these two things when I was on the vacation. I told W that we can’t get into the same river twice. All the rivers eventually run into the ocean in the end. If the water presents the time, then the end of time is the ocean.The end of everybody’s time is death. So if this equation is possible to establish, then the ocean presents the end of our lives for us.
i was looking for pics of Keystone Resorts, CO. then came across this girl's homepage. She plays Poison Well in her page and she also works at keystone resorts right now. She is charming and beautiful. These are some of her pics:
Lyric: When it happen again like the time before Took a trip through my mental and find a small door To a passage written through time this is my mind set You find it deeper inside the strong-minded I find the energy and feel ire Changes the gravity inside of me We have no time to fret No time for regret If the poison doesn't kill us we comin live and direct
This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey
My brain strain I feel no pain All kinds a chemicals race through my brain This and that well let me counteract I'm lost in the vortex and aint comin back I become you and you become me Lost in dream of fact or fantasy Hallucinations from red to green Find the calculations for why we fiend
This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey to the poison well This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey to the poison well This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey to the poison well This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey to the poison well This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey to the poison well This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey to the poison well
Yo Yo I can see clearly despite all the nonsense I can see clearly despite all the bullshit You can break it down but it still makes no sense I can see clearly despite all the nonsense
This is my brain So sick science cant even contain Is there any thought process that remains This is my brain So sick science cant even contain Is there any thought process that remains
This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey to the poison well This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey to the poison well This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey to the poison well This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey to the poison well This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey to the poison well This is my life This is my hell Straight took a journey to the poison well
I found my hell Inside Tha Poison Well I found my hell Inside Tha Poison Well
The bus started to show trouble on the way from Philadelphia, PA to King of Prussia, PA. At the end, we had to change to the new bus. But we waited for more than four hours for the new bus to arrive.
Greyhound bus station, King of Prussia, PA
This is the one that was getting tired of running.
"Oh, man. What a trip!"
Got a Ukrainian candy from Olha. Columbus, OH
St. Louis, MO
Got two Ukrainian candies from Olha. This one was taken by Olha. What a wonderful time we had together!
The bus was late for more than an hour.
The ceiling of Greyhound bus station at St. Louis, MO
Another bus broken down somewhere near Colby, KS. We waited for an hour for the new bus to come to get us. Gave a candy bar to Olha. When she got on the new bus, the way she said "Optimistic" was really like W's.
The bus was running in Wyoming. For a long time, there wasn't any town or city in the sight. All we saw was endless road and many sights with "Caution: Strong Wind!" How lonely I am! As I remebered, Brokeback Mountain's story happened in here. But I didn't see any green mountain. Maybe they are in somewhere of Wyoming. I told Olha I might just go with her to the place where she was going to work when she told me about Frisco and Keystone Resorts.
Seeing sunrise at Nevada. It is my birthday.
Just woke up and looked a little sleepy.
After almost three days travel, I came to San Francisco at last. There was a parade at the market street at that day.
The room I stayed at Hostelling International's Hostel at San Francisco's downtown branch. There is a computer room and study room at the second floor. A kitchen is located in the third floor and the TV room is located in the fourth floor.
Once I checked in the hostel at San Franciso, I started to do some research about Frisco and Keystone Resorts which Olha told me about. When I found out there is a hostel, Fireside Inn, at Breckenridge, CO, I made a reservation right away by phone. I planned to leave San Franciso at June 30 and would stay at Breckenridge from July 1 to July 7. I also cancelled the reservation with another hostel at San Francisco. I was dreaming I could find Olha at Keystone Resorts or somewhere around that place.
Geary St. and Powell St., San Francisco
In the cable car
Alcatraz, San Francisco
In the bike rental store, San Francisco
Met a couple who is from Kentucky when I was biking at the bay area. They took my pics for me. They told me it was third day they went to see the Golden Gate Bridge because the two previous days were foggy and they didn't have the clear view of the bridge. They asked me if I wanted to ride with them and I said OK.
On the Golden Gate Bridge now. The one on the right is the husband and the wife was taking the pic.
The husband was trying to get a better view to take the pic/s for the wife.
The fog was very thick. Too bad, we had another foggy day.
Sausalito, CA
This is Bijan Petri who owns Petri's atSausalito, CA. I copied his photo from the store's webpage. The store is full of expensive items. So when we went inside, Mr. Petri friendly adviced me to take off my school bag from my back. Neither of us want any incident happen in case if I made a big turn and broken something.
Mr. Petri only allow me take a pic in the store. "Touch with your eyes" sights are everywhere in the store.
This the view of the front door.
Back to San Francisco by ferry.
That's the best view we had about the Golden Gate Bridge at that day.
Sealion playground, Pier 39, San Francisco
Union Square, San Francisco
Street View
City Hall, San Francisco
San Francisco Public Library I bought a book, Hidden Colorado, in the library. Had to do some homework before I set off for the new adventure.
Asian Art Museum
Union Square
Chinatown
I bought the ticket for traveling from San Franciso to Frisco, CO online on June 29. At the same day, I changed the schedule for traveling from San Franciso to New York. I left San Francisco in the early morning of June 30 and the bus went throught Grand Junction, CO rather than Wyoming to Denver that time.
On the lower right side of the background is SuperSlide.
I was planned to play SuperSlide at first, then decided to hike to the top of Peak 8. Well, it was not easy to hike from 10,000 feet to 13,000 feet. There was a small rain when I got to this lodge, so I stop there for a little bit.
I spent too much time at the top of Peak 8. On the way down from the top, there were thick black clouds gathering on the sky. I was far away from original easiest hiking route, so I had difficult time to find a way to come down. Then big rains dropped down from the sky, I was so lucky to find this place to hide at the begining of the big storm. The storm continued for almost two hours. Chilly wind, loud thunder, and striking lighting came with big rain and hail all at once. I was so cold and my hand started to shaking. I remembered I still had a small Jose Cuervo which I bougth at San Francisco didn't open yet. I took it out of my school bag and drank the whole bottle to keep myself warm. At that time, I didn't know how long the storm would go on and how I got to the town. The small empty bottle of Jose Cuervo is on the lower left side of the pic. The plate at the station shows the elevation is 11,214 feet. The afternoon storm is very common in the Summit County, CO. Usually, it is sunny in the morning, storm in the afternoon and sunny again in the evening in the summer.
View of Breckenridge after storm at the station where I hid.
These July 4th firework picutres are taken from The Summit Daily News webpage. The firework was on the Lake Dillon. I was at Town of Dillon's Lakeside watching the firework.
How much I miss her!
Every breath you take Every move you make Every bond you break Every step you take Ill be watching you
Every single day Every word you say Every game you play Every night you stay Ill be watching you
Oh, cant you see You belong to me How my poor heart aches With every step you take
Every move you make Every vow you break Every smile you fake Every claim you stake Ill be watching you
Since youve gone I been lost without a trace I dream at night I can only see your face I look around but its you I cant replace I feel so cold and I long for your embrace I keep crying baby, baby, please...
Oh, cant you see You belong to me How my poor heart aches With every breath you take
Every move you make Every vow you break Every smile you fake Every claim you stake Ill be watching you
Every move you make Every step you take Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you Ill be watching you Ill be watching you Ill be watching you...
