Today is Thursday, June 16th, 2022, and I don't know where I am.

I'm parked on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, and I'm not even sure

I'm still in Louisiana.

I haven't had a bar of service all day, I've been driving for nine hours, and the only

thing I want to do is sleep, but I'm afraid to close my eyes.

Just airing at this screen is only making it worse, but I need the distraction.

None of this makes sense.

My house is a 30 minute drive to town if you take the highway, but in any other direction,

you can ride the back roads for hours.

Most aren't even on the map.

When I was younger, mom would take me riding on some evenings, and we always found new routes

to explore.

It's also how I learned to drive.

After getting my license, I started going more often.

Sometimes I would bring friends, but for the most part, it's something I enjoyed doing

alone.

Especially after mom died.

She was killed by a drunk driver six years ago.

I've never seen a house or more than a handful of other vehicles out here.

It's perfect for camping.

I've stayed overnight more times than I can count, and always felt perfectly safe.

It's almost like being the only person in the world.

...