I was glad that I had the all-wheel drive today. I'm making my way through Nebraska and I came up on some kind of traffic checkpoint. All the cars were empty and the blocked the road for miles. I had to make my way along the shoulder and ditches.
What I saw was surreal. It looked like people had packed their lives into their cars and then just walked away. I thought about going through some of the cars, but it just didn't seem right and I wouldn't have known where to start. I settled for filling up my tank and reserve cans with some siphoned gas.
At the end of the traffic jam was the checkpoint which was built with sandbags and orange plastic barrels. I stopped to look around, but there was nobody there. I did find a shotgun and some shells in a black army-style humvee. There was also a radio, but it looked like it had been dropped and smashed. I took it, but I don't know if I can fix it.
It's strange, taking that stuff made me nervous; like I might get caught at any minute. But, in a way, I was hoping I would get caught, if only to see another human being. I think the loneliness is starting to get to me. I've caught myself several times reaching for my phone to make a call, even though I haven't had a signal in days.
My only connection to the outside world has been the radio, which is playing country music on a station out of Lincoln. There is no DJ, no station tags, and no commercials. It just plays country music and announcements from the CDC. They seem like pretty general disaster announcements, but there are also directions not to take in strangers. Considering the chick I saw yesterday, I'd say that's a pretty good idea.
The CDC messages also tell people in need of assistance to make their way to Disaster Management Authority shelters. I'm not sure what that is, but it's not any agency I've heard of before. I wonder if they are the ones that burned down my cabin.
Tonight I'm sleeping on the banks of the Niobrara River. It's peaceful here and I've got a few lines in the water. Some fresh fish would be great to along with my canned food. If the fishing's good, I must just stay here for a couple days.
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