Thank You Alban. You're My Zombie!

A little over a year ago Alban approached me; he said, "Dude, we should drive to my house for Thanksgiving." We were in college in Walla Walla at the time, and Alban's house is in Maryland, the state. I said, "Woah, I don't know man. Who wants to drive across the country in the middle of winter?" To which, Alban replied, "I do. I'm always down for a new adventure, especially something that requires me to get out of my comfort zone and act unscrupulous."

I was taken back by Alban's wild enthusiasm, either he just finished a math assignment, I thought to myself, or he just drank a sensational new coffee blend, or he's been bitten by one of the undead. Still, even with his contagious 'let's go for it' attitude,  I drug my feet. "It sounds like it might be kinda fun man, but I'm just not sure. What if you bail on me? I still haven't forgotten the canoe trip." Alban had promised me to go white water canoeing the previous spring, but to make a long story real, he bailed on me last minute.

He hurdled my excuse like it was a small shrub, "C'mon man. That was last spring, things are different now. Besides, my house is only eight hours from Southern, you can make a mini-road trip down there to visit friends."

I couldn't believe it, not only was Alban suggesting that I drive 40 hours one way across the Contiguous 48, he was even suggesting I drive an additional sixteen hours to go to ... to ... Southern. The quadruple-bypassed-heartland of Lil' Dees.

"I really don't think it's a good idea man...." I wasn't going to be persuaded easily.

But in the end, Alban successfully convinced me.

Looking back a year later, I have to say Alban was right. It was a great trip. Alex joined in, and even Kate for a while. Wyoming tried to kill us, and we saw Cody and Phil. I didn't believe it at first, but Alban your vision was right in there, right in the place that makes dreams come true.

I guess there's even a moral to this story: adventure is lurking, sometimes behind dark foggy corners in port towns, like a zombie waiting to bite, and every bite is worth it, every time.