It was 2:04AM EST on Saturday morning when Amanda and I stopped just west of Morgantown, West Virginia on our way to Kansas City, Kansas. It was time to refuel and decide if we should keep driving or call it quits for the night. Amanda headed inside, and I followed her in a few minutes later. As it turned out, a crime was unfolding at the counter.
A woman was attempting to purchase a case of beer, but state law prohibits the sale of alcohol after 2AM. The woman suggested that the cashier 'buy' some beer at the end of his shift in the morning. "Well, everyone here knows that I don't drink, so that just will not work" he told her. "What if I just walk out with it?" she inquired. "That's stealing." Out of suggestions, she put ten dollars on the counter, took the beer, and told the clerk to figure it out.
Amanda and I walked up to the counter after she left and asked what just happened. The clerk ended a short call with his manager and started to ring up our purchase. "Aren't you going to call the police," I asked. "No, she's a regular." He pointed towards a bulletin board and continued, "I'm going to put her picture up on the wall with the others." Amanda and I laughed, but the clerk dove into the ethics of what transpired, wondering aloud if he could simply keep the $10 or add it to the night's sales. Feeling the pressure of the clock, we left it to the clerk and his bulletin board to sort things out.
We made it to Kansas City without much more excitement. It was a clear night with plenty of light from a bright, full moon. The drive through western Maryland was my favorite part of this leg. The highway winds through steep mountains and a few small towns. I have never seen Cumberland, MD, but it was stunning in the moon light. We could see silhouettes of high mountains around the small town in the valley. There were tons of steeples and strands of lights lining several buildings.
Here are the key stats for our first leg:
A woman was attempting to purchase a case of beer, but state law prohibits the sale of alcohol after 2AM. The woman suggested that the cashier 'buy' some beer at the end of his shift in the morning. "Well, everyone here knows that I don't drink, so that just will not work" he told her. "What if I just walk out with it?" she inquired. "That's stealing." Out of suggestions, she put ten dollars on the counter, took the beer, and told the clerk to figure it out.
Amanda and I walked up to the counter after she left and asked what just happened. The clerk ended a short call with his manager and started to ring up our purchase. "Aren't you going to call the police," I asked. "No, she's a regular." He pointed towards a bulletin board and continued, "I'm going to put her picture up on the wall with the others." Amanda and I laughed, but the clerk dove into the ethics of what transpired, wondering aloud if he could simply keep the $10 or add it to the night's sales. Feeling the pressure of the clock, we left it to the clerk and his bulletin board to sort things out.
We made it to Kansas City without much more excitement. It was a clear night with plenty of light from a bright, full moon. The drive through western Maryland was my favorite part of this leg. The highway winds through steep mountains and a few small towns. I have never seen Cumberland, MD, but it was stunning in the moon light. We could see silhouettes of high mountains around the small town in the valley. There were tons of steeples and strands of lights lining several buildings.
Here are the key stats for our first leg:
- Departed McLean around 10 PM EST on Friday, August 28
- 16.5 hours driving time
- 1,074 miles completed
- $58 in fuel
- 7 x 8 x 9 cubic feet of stuff packed and in transit (ABF freight)
- Officially homeless at the stroke of midnight
- Plan to depart for Rocky Mountain National Park Wednesday morning
