In Wyoming I started driving toward places with good names. The 450 went through Thunder Basin National Grassland.

I ate lunch in Newcastle (about 10 miles to the South Dakota border) and lingered, still not knowing why I'd driven through Wyoming, which went against the rules of my driveaway car's company. It was keeping quiet, though, so I paid and went back into the grassland.

I saw real life wild antelope for the first time then, leaping around and running. I masturbated while driving for the first time, and came without stopping driving. Those are the main two things I remember from that part. For some reason they seem related.

A "Help Wanted" sign appeared on the side of the road pretty soon after South Dakota started. A lot of parked cars leading up to it. It was 4ish. September 3, I think. I was still curious about Wyoming so I stopped and asked if they still needed help.

I remember bandanas, long black braids and mirrored sunglasses. It was an archaeology dig that worked for the state, and they were pretty excited. They'd found something old in the springtime in a test before the road was going to be widened and had been working on the rest that summer. Some arrowheads or, as they called them, "points". Teeth. Maybe from a camel. They weren't sure yet. They said it's the end of the day but to "ask Ned, you might be able to get a room for the night."

(Later I learned they'd found other stuff from between the oldness and 1993 that summer, too, some coins, charcoal spots from younger fires, glass from a bottle from 1856 and beercans from the 1970s.)

He walked toward me tall and shouldery in a light blue button down shirt with scourpad hair under a red painter cap. I could have a room for the night at the Sundowner if I helped bag dirt the next hour. He grumbled about my having to leave early the next morning to deliver the car to Minneapolis. Underneath it all I was going wordless. I should've taken a vow of silence then; everything I've said since's felt askew.

I wanted to show him I wasn't a pushover so after a few minutes went back and said I thought I'd just head out tonight. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, just looked at me as I looked at the road.


Then he said


as you wish