My Journey West

On June 18th I had no idea what the next two weeks would have in store for me. The plan was to leave on the 19th, Idaho bound for a family reunion, and return on the 22nd.
The reunion which consisted mostly of Doyle's, my Father's family on his Mother's side, was wonderful in every sense of the word. We stayed in a beautiful home in the mountains. The women spoiled us with hearty meals and a massage of the shoulders. We drank beer all day long and stayed up til 4:00 in the morning every night. There was plenty of smoke if you knew the right relatives and like any trip it was over before I knew it.
My last night I stayed awake, cherishing every moment with my cousins and siblings. We drank and laughed and shared stories from our lives while sitting in a hot tub under the big sky of Idaho full of stars so bright and close that it was as if you could flick them with your finger(maybe that was the shrooms).
Time was running out for us and suddenly the mood changed to a feeling of melancholy. My two cousins, Lucia and Tessa, whom I hadn't seen in 13 years, were wearing their puppy dog faces and my heart felt broken. Tessa, the free spirit, convinced me to stay longer and when I say convinced...well, it was more like just bringing up the idea because I was not ready to leave. The journey was not over. There was more to see before returning to midwest. My cousins, their children, and their mother(my Aunt D) were pushing on further west to the coast. And I would be damned if I was going to miss out on this trip.
The only thing I had to do at this point was tell my Father that a ride to the airport was no longer necessary. Now I could write a book about the old man. He is the strongest man I have ever met and I'm not talking about his fighting skills which were superb in his day. He is unique in the sense that he doesn't give a shit about what people think. He was recently shot in the leg two years ago and now walks with a limp which will most likely be with him for the rest of his life. He is a simple man who leads a simple life that is relaxed and subject of envy. He smokes a little grass, has long hair and pays $40 a month to live on the Demoines River. When I told my Dad that I was staying he asked, "Abe, do you have your fuckin head screwed on?" My response was, "Yes Dad."
Having never been further west than Whyoming, I was ecstatic to see Oregon, Washington, and California. I experienced some of the most breath taking scenery from the mountains to the Redwoods to the drive along the coast of the Pacific ocean in northern California. The air in some of those places was like a drug itself. Observing God's work first hand made me walk away feeling a little wiser.
There is an attitude in the west that is hard to describe. A feeling of freedom overcomes you. The pigs are not winning the war against marijuana. In fact, they are losing miserably. The people have spoken. On any given day at any given time a person can walk the streets of SanFrancisco and smell reefer wafting in their direction.
I experienced the police's failure to arrest my cousin's friend. We were smoking in her vehicle when I got out with my 12 pack of Budweiser to get a little air. The police, in an umarked car, rolled up on me. I warned my cousin and her friend(still in the vehicle) and then turned to have an officer standing directly in front of me. The girls showed their medical marijuana cards and the next thing I know the female cop(good cop) is talking about diet, reality t.v, and hot guys. I was stuck in an episode of Reno 911. The male cop(bad cop) wasn't having it. The girls were clearly aggrivating him with their talk of legal marijuana and how he was out of line for searching the vehicle. The bad cop found some keef and had an argument for arresting her. Apparently, concentrated pot is illegal in the state of California. A half an hour later the victim of police harrassment was dropped off at my cousin's door with no charges pressed.
The best part of this trip was being with my family. It was stressful and at times it felt like the walls would cave in. Traveling with 8 females, ranging from ages 2 to 58, is not an easy task to take on. I would not recommend doing so unless you have patience and a lot of alcohol. Fortunately for them, I had both.