As the Greyhound pulled out of the Chicago Depot I looked around. I purposely piled my coat and carry on in the seat next to me to keep it unoccupied. With a portable CD player hooked to my ears I settled in for a long trip.
I was gabbing to a lady who was from Springfield. She was visiting her daughter in Chicago and felt obligated to tell me her life story. I didn't mind as I knew it was going to be a long trip. We picked up more passengers in Springfield, but it was not considered a stop since we couldn't get off.
When we started up again the driver lost his bearings. He had no idea on how to get back to the expressway. We common passengers were asked for guidance.
I was on my way to Denver, but our first major stop was St. Louis. The depot there is small and old. Here a man was complaining that he purchased the correct fare. In reality an agent sold him a fare that would leave him one stop short of his destination. He spent all of his money on bus fare.
Our next scheduled major stop was in Kansas City although there were minor passenger pickups throughout Missouri. This is a much cleaner and modern depot. A group of Amish leaders were traveling from Minn. They stayed by themselves and didn't mingle. Some people were quite talkative. Others kept to themselves.
It was evening as we traveled through Missouri. The sun set before St. Louis. Most people tried to sleep, but there is only so much rest one can get. One man got off in the center of the state. He was to be picked up by his son in law. It was raining and there was no covered area to wait. He was a pastor of a church near Columbia and a great listener of my talk.
The next major stop for us passengers to walk around was Salina Kansas. I don't remember much as I slept through it. Sleeping in an upright position is hard because it is uncomfortable and unnatural. If you fall asleep you run the risk of missing a transfer.
Travel by bus is nice if you enjoy meeting real people. Most awake travelers will welcome a good conversation as there is nothing to do except to talk. Some people read and others like me listen to music through headphones. Books and music can be shelved in place of a great conversation.
In western Colorado the bus stopped in a small town. There was nothing there but a gas station, a greasy restaurant, and a gift shop. I went in to use clean toilet facilities. When I got back on the bus I noticed that the guy in front of me hadn't come back. He was still in the restroom. The bus couldn't wait; so it left without him.
As noon approached, we rolled into downtown Denver. There I had a special friend waiting. We met on line in a chat room. I didn't know if she would actually show up. Becky did.
