The morning dawned bright and beautiful, an auspicious, if deceiving, omen for our travels. We loaded all my worldly possessions into the back of Cindy's Toyota. It didn't even take up all the space in that small truck bed. Mostly clothes, a beanbag chair, some household odds & ends collected over the past year, and a cooler of food my mother had packed for our trip.
   A small group had gathered in the driveway to see us off, but it wasn't the exuberant affair of the night before. This was it, I was truly leaving. The first of our group to not just leave home, but to go far beyond a quick road trip.
   While saying my final goodbyes, Nev pulled me aside to make vague promises to keep in touch and maybe join me later, and I made reassuring nois...

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