35 HR Bus Trip to Killeen, TX (via Greyhound)

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Origin of idea

I was talking to my friend Lily; she lives in Killeen, TX. We haven’t seen each other in a few months at this point. The last time I visited was in Aug 2020. I wanted to go see her again because we were both pretty much alone and isolated in our homes with our dogs for the greater majority of 2020. Turns out you do need human interaction. Otherwise, you get caught up in a dark cloud, and it’s really hard to get out of that.

When I first visited her, it was for the same reason: I flew, and I left my dog with my mom. This time I decided, let’s try the bus. I told Lily I would be taking a 35-hour bus trip to come see her, and guess what, Ian was coming! 

The reason I took Ian this time was that I had this crazy idea that Ian could be a traveling puppy. I thought it would be cute and a great big adventure. Plus, Ian ran away looking for me the last time I left, so I was trying to avoid that. Gave me a huge scare. He came back the next day, and he was just fine, just minor scratches from breaking the screen door of my mom’s porch.

Trust me, if I had known how crazy it would be, I would have gotten Ian a sitter again and flown, but then there wouldn’t be a story, so everything for a reason!

Executing the plan by chance

I am not working right now, so where was I going to get the funds to travel? I never got my $600 Stimulus check, and then boom, it hits my account. I saw it as a sign. I later questioned every decision with money, but I was already in too deep at that point. 

I now had the money to figure out the move. I bought the round-trip tickets and let Lily know. It was a celebration. 

Getting ready for the trip

This was going to be my first time traveling by bus, so safety first, right?

I went on Amazon and got a taser, pepper spray, and a pocketknife. I also went ahead and got Ian his official ESA harness and a new leash so he can look his best. Blew this money before I even left, but it was legitimately used for prepping for the trip. It wasn’t wasted. 

So, what was I going to do for money in Texas? Well, let me explain, I had my last check coming in from my job and all my bills were paid for the month. I said, “fuck it” and used my last check as spending money in Texas. Again, this was used for responsible purchases such as food and souvenirs among other things. This was not wasted money either.

The reason I repeat this is that this is not how I felt as it was all happening. 

But let’s get into it, shall we?

Day of the trip

Monday, Feb 8, 2021

I woke up this morning excited for my trip. My bus was scheduled to leave at night. I planned it this way because I was waiting for my last check to arrive by mail. They told me I should have it by Monday. When it finally came in, I quickly snapped a photo to deposit into my bank. 

Guess what… I won’t have access to funds till the next day! I needed access to my money to get a Lyft to the bus station. Luckily, Lily came through, and CashApp’d me the money. 

This made me anxious about the trip, but I had Ian with me, so what could go wrong?

That Night

I got to the station that night with two bags and Ian. I checked in with the person at the station and sat and waited for the bus. There were a lot of people there. Much more than I anticipated or expected. I immediately grew weary because I don’t like being around people or in large crowds… plus COVID!

It’s time to get on the bus, and we get our bags in the bottom of the bus except for personal items and Ian, of course, and sit down. Ian was getting all of the attention. Suddenly, everyone goes quiet to listen for instructions from the conductor.

Let me tell you, this man was so sassy; he was like a knock-off version of Pray Tell in Pose lol. I sat through his performance of establishing dominance, and from the context of the speech, I felt uncomfortable because of why is such a need for this energy. Everyone seemed calm. We were all mostly adults who knew how to follow instructions. Oh well.

Orlando, FL – Atlanta, GA

10 pm Monday – 5:15 am Tuesday

The ride was smooth, but as I mentioned, the conductor before told me Ian couldn’t sit on a seat because he is a dog. So, Ian sat on the floor. The floor was not leveled, and it had a bump raised in the middle, where Ian wasn’t able to get comfortable. This gave him anxiety, which gave me anxiety. 

Oh, the drama accumulating in my head, I was on the verge of tears when these two kind souls reached out and told me, “fuck him, we won’t tell, let your babysit.” They could see I was uneasy because Ian was starting to act up, and he kept trying to visit people in their seats; we couldn’t have that. I let Ian sit on the chair and watched the front like a hawk. No, I didn’t sleep that night.

We had a break in between reaching Atlanta, and this was where the action started. Some lady got assaulted by the same homeless man I had just walked by seconds ago, that could’ve been me, I thought. The police were the police called, and everything, so there was a minor delay in us leaving to get back on the road. We still got to Atlanta on time. Then it was time to switch buses.

Atlanta, GA – Montgomery, AL

5:40 am Tuesday – 8:55 am Tuesday

We had like 30 min before we could board the next bus and get back on the road. I took this time to rush to the bathroom and feed Ian. Walking into the station, I’m harassed by this security guard who looked like a whole regular person in a costume. Who gave him this job? Anyways, he questioned my dog’s authenticity because my dog was alerted, and he barked. Service dogs don’t bark or walk about aimlessly. Well, guess what, Ian does, and he is my ESA. Period. I pretty much told him I have paperwork if he wants to see it, and he said oh no, that is illegal. So, I wasn’t in the mood, and I continued past him. I get it, his concern was that my dog doesn’t bite anyone, but my dog barks, he doesn’t bite. 

This was all new to Ian and me. I was trying to act natural for Ian’s sake, but Ian sensed the underlying anxiety building up inside me. 

As we walked towards the bathroom, so many people gawked at Ian in fear and moved out of our way. Meanwhile, Ian was just trying to sniff out the area and make sure everything was good, but he, too, was anxious among the crowds of people.

Finally, it was time to get back on the bus. Things were very unorganized; they call out random numbers and cities, and it gets confusing because I look at my ticket and I don’t know if I’m in the right line or anything. I met up with another great soul from Honduras! She spoke Spanish mostly, so we communicated that way, and we helped each other since we were going in the same direction. 

Now we set off to Alabama!

Montgomery, AL – Houston, TX

9:10 am Tuesday – 1:25 am Wednesday

This time, there was no bus change; we would ride this one to Houston with our bags at the bottom. This would make things a little smoother because my bags were heavy, lol. 

We made several stops in the following cities:

• Mobile, AL
• New Orleans, LA
• Baton Rouge, LA
• Lafayette, LA
• Lake Charles, LA
• Beaumont, TX
• Winnie, Tx 

Then we FINALLY reached Houston, TX! 

During the stops, we have a couple of Driver changes. In New Orleans, LA, I got some souvenirs for Mardi Gras. My mom likes to collect magnets for the fridge, so I got her one. Got a postcard too and gave that to Lily. 

This was the first time on the trip I felt ok.

Spoke too soon, on the way to Lafayette, LA, we got stopped by a state trooper because they wanted to check for drugs. This guy was a stereotypical racist. We were in hostile territory. This officer harassed me about my dog and then used his authority to intimidate a black man who was sitting across from me. It made me uncomfortable again. Soon that was done, and we were back on the road.

Continuing with this trip was very heavy. I was in and out of consciousness and bored beyond my mind. Sitting for long periods was not fun. The bus was super uncomfortable, and I was getting restless. I watched a movie and listened to music to kill the time. Ian was a trooper through all of this! So proud of him!

I kept asking God to give me the patience and strength to make it through, and then I was switching buses for the last time. 

At this stop, we had almost two hours of downtime. By this point, I have had it. No sleep for over 24 hours, and I have about 4 more hours to go.

Houston, TX – Killeen, TX

2:40 am Wednesday – 7:20 am Wednesday

This was the last bus. This bus was super comfortable and super empty. Finally, some calmness after all that I experienced hours before. 

I tried to take a little nap here and there, but at this point, I was still ready to be done with this part of the trip.

I made it!

I arrived at the station in Killeen, and Lily was there to pick me up, and we went to her house so I could settle in. 

As soon as I made it, I felt the stress and burden of the trip wash away. God is so good. However, I could not imagine going through that again, so this commenced the mission to get back home through another method. 

Conclusion

Greyhound buses are better for short trips and leave the dog at home. Unfortunately, traveling with larger pets is still taboo for the hospitality industry. 

I also started the process of getting my return ticket refunded. Yet they said they didn’t do refunds, so I lost $100. SMH

Below is a gallery of random pictures and screenshots taken throughout the trip!

Stay tuned for next weeks Blog # 2 Snowstorm in Texas