Rest in Weed
From a truck stop in Weed, California, Mike kicks off the “Trans-America” livestream series to chronicle his adventures on the road with Matt. He reflects on the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and his recent move from Columbus to Portland.
Good evening, my friends! This is Mike George reporting live from beautiful Weed, California, at the foot of Mount Shasta in Northern California. I’m here at a Pilot truck stop, and it’s a bit dark out, so bear with me while I try to figure out the lighting. I feel like an old uncle trying to use Facebook for the first time.
Before we get started, I have a safety moment for the day: don’t wander around a truck stop in the middle of the night doing a livestream while there are moving trucks everywhere. If you see a truck coming, please alert me in the comments! This is my first time descending the I-5 corridor, and it is absolutely beautiful, even if we have to go 25 miles per hour uphill while angry drivers pass us at 60.
I actually moved to Portland to get rid of my car and avoid becoming like a character from WALL-E, but I have to admit, driving in Portland is actually fun — it’s like "Pittsburgh on speed" with all the bridges, mountains, and rivers. Tomorrow morning, we hope to do another live stream to catch the sunrise over Mount Shasta; Matt (also known as “papi”) says the view is spectacular.
Now, about the name of this town: Weed, California. For those who know me, I smoke a lot of weed, but I was actually quite naive about the laws. I didn't realize that when I left Ohio, I should have researched which states had legalized recreational use. I was pleasantly surprised to find it's legal in Oregon and Colorado, too.
I'm currently riding around in this truck like a princess while Matt "warriors it down the road" in a 53-foot semi full of wood. I’ve been enjoying my "scruff" lately and have cut down to shaving about twice a week using straight blades—specifically the 50-cent Bic lighters and shavers. BIC’s are great; if someone hands me a non-Bic lighter, I’m tempted to throw it down just to watch it explode.
I’m trying to show you the stars tonight, including Ursa Major (the Big Dipper), but I’m not sure if the camera resolution is picking them up. We are surrounded by your typical truck stop staples: McDonald's, Taco Bell, and a shop called the Weed House (or "Weed Shack"). Despite the name, it's not a dispensary—they sell glassware and cute t-shirts, but not the actual "kabi" itself.
Being on the road with a truck driver is a bit of an exercise in "weed sobriety" for me, because drivers are subject to regular and random drug tests. It’s actually been a nice moment of clairvoyance for me.
I’ve been reflecting on how much I miss Montreal and its Pride celebration, and I’m a bit saddened by the "queer exodus" happening in cities like Columbus and Portland, where many favorite local bars are closing down because the downtown areas are becoming so expensive. I lived in Columbus for five years and loved it—it was where I got my career started—but I eventually felt like it "powered out" on me because it’s so stubbornly anti-rail.
I went through a bit of a "version upgrade for my soul" last year—a mix of a midlife crisis and depression—and moving to Portland was fantastic for my headspace. I’ve been staying with my friend Leah Paul and her cat, Cosmo. I used to think I was allergic to cats, but I have a hypothesis that I smoked so much weed it distracted my body from the allergy.
We are heading to Phoenix next, which means we’ll unfortunately miss the solar eclipse in Portland. If you have a chance to catch that eclipse, please do it—ride out with your lover, hold hands, listen to M83, and just enjoy the darkness for a second.
I’m going to try to do these updates more frequently. I retreated from Facebook for a while because it can be such a toxic place, but it's great to see all of you. Please take care of each other and spread the love—there isn’t enough of it in the world right now.
This is Mike George from Weed, California, signing off. Good night!
