#Road Trip 2k24

[8one6]

Road Trip 2k24: Part 5 - Petrified Forest National Park

If you draw a line on a map (and by that I mean plot a trip on Google) from Roswell, NM to the southern rim of the Grand Canyon it will basically go right through another amazing national park: Petrified Forest.

I honestly gasped as the above vista came into view. This is the first national park I've ever visited and I honestly hate myself for waiting so long in life to take a trip like this.

I wish I was more articulate. I wish I could craft poetry. I wish I could just share my memories directly to your brain because there's no way I can do the park justice with just a few words and only 10 photos.

It's nature, it's history, it's geology, it's fantastic.

Make this trip! Seriously!

I stopped at every single viewing point and each one offers something unique and awe inspiring.

[metanoianmayhem]

>be me

>have nightmares while on road trip, did not get to bed until 4am

>wake up to boyfriend being v snuggly

>*incredibly loud fart* followed by boyfriend vigorously nodding

>boyfriend: *grabs closely* "oh look! it's my favorite"

...there are worse ways to wake up from bad dreams

......altho i could have done without the second v loud fart XD

[laurenairay]

felt like magic - N. Hischier

Summary: Nico has been pining for years – maybe this summer is a chance to finally do something about his feelings for you.

I’m jumping in as a pinch-hitter as part of @wyattjohnston's summer fic exchange 2k24, with a Nico Hischier story for @selfindulgentpoorlywritten! I really hope you enjoy this – I had a lot of fun creating something from the prompts you gave me. And who doesn’t love Summer Nico?

Words: 2.6k

Warnings: pining, childhood friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, some bad language

Title (and song lyrics) from Caffeine, by Jack Kays

~

Stay with me, If it’s not our time then will you wait for me? I know that we’re young, but this is destiny I couldn’t be me without you, without you

~

Travelling from Bern to Zurich wasn’t something you’d do for just anyone. An hour and a half driving across the country, surrounded by drivers who were just as impatient to get through their journeys as you were? Not your idea of fun. At least the destination was more than worth it.

“Happy birthday Jonas!”

The man in question turned around at the sound of your voice, a big grin sliding onto his face.

“You made it, liebling! Thanks for coming!” Jonas said happily.

It wasn’t every year that you got to celebrate the birthday of one of your favourite people – early May wasn’t exactly the most consistent time of year for hockey players after all. And the last thing you wanted to do was remind him of the early end to his season. So when Jonas had called you to say that he was hosting a birthday party at his house in Zurich and invited you to spend the weekend, there was no way you were saying no.

“As if I’d miss the event of the summer,” you teased.

Jonas just beamed at you.

“Schatzi! You survived the A1!”

You peered around Jonas’s broad shoulders to see another one of your favourite people – Nico. It was through Nico, one of your childhood best friends – that you’d met Jonas in the first place so you should’ve guessed that he wouldn’t be too far away. Usually you would’ve made the journey with Nico, both of you coming from Bern after all, but he’d already been visiting in Zurich so you’d been stuck with a solo trip this time.

And damn did he look good. It wasn’t something that you let yourself think about often, being just his friend, but Nico was genuinely one of the most handsome people you’d ever seen, let alone become good friends with. It wouldn’t do you any good to travel down that road of thoughts though, so you were always careful to nip those feelings in the bud. You were friends. Great friends. Incredible friends, and that’s how it was always going to be.

“I’m here,” you mused, “had to greet the birthday boy before anyone else.”

“Yeah don’t be jealous,” Jonas teased.

Interestingly, Nico blushed slightly and glared at the taller man, before clearing his throat. “Can I get you a drink?”

“I’ll grab something myself in a minute, but thank you,” you said, smiling sweetly, “Let me just give Jonas his birthday present first.”

You handed over the thick envelope, Jonas eagerly ripping into it, making you laugh softly.

“Oh shit, you’re the best,” Jonas gasped.

“And don’t you forget it,” you teased.

“What did you get?” Nico asked, curious.

“A tattoo voucher. Far more than enough to cover the gap fillers I’ve been looking at getting. This is amazing, thank you, this is way too generous,” Jonas explained, looking gratefully at you.

“You’re welcome. I know you’ve been talking about filling the spaces for a while,” you shrugged.

While you didn’t have any tattoos of your own, you knew how Nico and Jonas felt about their own tattoos, and how much they meant to them – it was an easy decision.

“Are we ever going to get you into a tattoo chair, hm?” Nico teased.

“Maybe if I have someone holding my hand,” you teased back, trying to fight the giddy heat rising to your cheeks.

His lips parted slightly in shock, speechless for once, Jonas just cackling at his response.

“And on that note, I’m going to go say hi to Andreas and Julia. See you both later?” you grinned.

“Yeah, see you liebling,” Jonas nodded.

Nico just nodded, cheeks aflame. His silence was a bit concerning – he wasn’t exactly one to be shy or awkward, especially not around you – but you knew Jonas would figure out whatever was going on with him. Hopefully.

~

“So that was smooth,” Jonas mused.

“Shut up,” Nico groaned.

“No really, that was one of your best efforts,” Jonas snickered.

“You’re the worst,” Nico shot back.

He ran a hand through his hair, watching you walk across the backyard with a confidence he wished he had. There was just something about you that had always reduced him to feeling like a hapless fool, ever since he’d first moved to Bern as a teenager and met you within the first few weeks of living there. You’d been a constant feature in his life for 10 years now, always there with a wide smile and open arms whether it was in Bern, Zurich, or New Jersey, and he didn’t know what he would do with his life if you weren’t in it.

Nico was head over heels in love with you, and you had no idea.

Everyone else in his life knew how he felt for you, obviously, not just Jonas. His parents, his siblings, even Jack had figured it out within an hour of your first visit to New Jersey all those years ago. If Jack Hughes of all people could read it off his face then he didn’t know how much more obvious he could be – other than actually telling you with words, of course.

But how could he say anything to you, when he knew for certain that you didn’t feel the same way?

~

“Are you sure your billet family don’t mind us being down here?”

Nico smiled down at you, shaking his head. The two of you were down in the basement where his billet family’s entertainment room was, the rest of the house having gone out for the night, and Nico had invited you round for a movie night. He’d only been in Bern for a few weeks, and you were the only non-hockey friend he’d made so far, so he hadn’t hesitated to invite you over to get to know you better.

There was just something about you that made him want to put in the effort

“They really don’t mind. They even left us money for takeout,” he insisted.

“Oh, well alright then. What are we watching first?”

The evening flew by, pizza ravenously consumed between movies, the two of you shifting closer and closer on the sofa until you were fully leaning up against each other, Nico’s hockey bulk giving you a solid pillow to rest on. He didn’t mind it at all, if he was being honest with himself, although he wasn’t quite sure what that meant.

“That was so terrible though! They had no chemistry at all!” you giggled as the credits rolled.

“I guess not all actors are going to like kissing everyone they work with,” Nico snickered.

Even in the dim light of the room, he noticed the heat that rushed to your cheeks.

“What?” Nico frowned.

“It’s nothing,” you said, shaking your head quickly.

He might not know you that well yet, but he knew that was a lie.

“Come on, tell me what’s wrong?” he prompted.

“You’re going to think I’m stupid.”

“We’re 15 years old – everything we do is stupid,” Nico pointed out.

You huffed out a laugh, breath a little shaky. “I was just thinking about the fact that I wouldn’t know what it was like.”

“What what was like?” Nico asked, confused.

“To kiss someone,” you all but whispered.

His lips parted in surprise, not expecting those words to fall from your lips, and you immediately grimaced.

“See I told you it was stupid,” you groaned.

As you shifted to move away from him, Nico instinctively gripped your shoulder, not letting you go. You startled but looked up at him, staying silent in confusion.

“It’s not stupid. Not everyone has had their first kiss. You’re only 15,” he murmured.

“You’ve kissed someone though?”

Nico bit his bottom lip but nodded. He’d had multiple kisses, all harmless, all essentially meaningless, he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. Kissing was fun – he always liked the way it made his heart race with adrenaline.

And it was the memory of that feeling that fuelled his bravery.

“I could kiss you, if you want?”

“What?”

He took a steadying breath, before nodding. “I could kiss you. So you have a good first kiss, with a friend.”

There was nothing worse than doing something scary for the first time only to have someone make you feel like an idiot. If Nico could stop that feeling for you, then he absolutely would.

“Are you sure?” you said hesitantly, “You really don’t have to.”

“Of course I am,” he said, smiling to reassure you.

He could feel how fast your heart was beating as he rested a hand on the side of your neck, echoing the beating of his own heart. You closed your eyes as he leaned down towards you, making him smile slightly before he pressed his lips to yours. As he slowly kissed you, he could feel how hesitant and nervous you were, but as you continued to kiss him back he didn’t regret his offer for a moment. Nico kissed you over and over and over again, almost feeling dizzy with how the embrace was consuming him, his thumb stroking over your jaw as you melted into his arms. This was heaven. This was bliss. This was everything he didn’t realise he’d wanted.

After what felt like hours, but could only have been a few moments, you pulled away from the kiss. Nico made a soft noise of protest, opening his eyes to see you looking stunned, lips as swollen as his felt.

“Schatzi,” he managed to murmur.

You just bit your bottom lip, smiling softly, before leaning backwards out of his hands. He tried not to frown, not understanding why his heart was pounding, even though you didn’t look mad.

“I should probably get home. My parents will be wondering where I am by now,” you said, voice quiet, almost as if you were still a little in shock.

Nico glanced at the clock on the wall, grimacing at the late hour. Where had the time gone? Did you really have to leave, after a kiss like that?

“O-Okay, if you’re sure. Text me when you get back safe?”

“I will. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, tomorrow.”

~

After that kiss 10 years ago, the two of you had never spoken about it again. The morning after you’d acted like nothing had ever happened, and Nico had been too nervous to say anything to risk losing the blossoming friendship. He knew now that it was his first experience of heartbreak, as youthful and innocent as that had been – and he also knew that’s when he’d first started having feelings for you. What was meant to have been a friend helping out another friend had started a decade of unrequited feelings, and it was far too late for him to say anything now.

He could only hold on to the incredible friendship that had grown between the two of you with both hands. If this was all he could ever have then he was going to cherish it, no matter how what Jonas said.

“Come on bud, let’s get you a drink,” Jonas said, smiling sadly.

Nico huffed out a laugh but nodded. “Yeah, I think I’m going to need one.”

~

Hours passed by, drinking, eating, catching up with friends and making new ones, until the evening was late and only the last few straggling partygoers were making their way out of the house. You’d volunteered to start cleaning up while Jonas said goodbye to his guests, needing something to do after a long day of socialising. You were making good progress on cleaning up the empty food containers and empty drink bottles when Nico wandered into the living room, holding out a bottle of water for you.

“Looks like thirsty work,” he grinned, leaning against the arm of the sofa.

“Thanks, you should try it some time,” you teased, taking the bottle from him.

You unscrewed the cap and took a couple of long gulps with your head tilted back, needing the refreshment more than you thought, but when you put the cap back on the bottle, you noticed Nico staring at you transfixed.

“What?” you frowned, “Did I spill some water?”

“No, no, it isn’t that,” he said quickly, cheeks heating.

Why was he blushing? What was going through his mind?

“Then what is it?” you prompted, putting the bottle down on the table.

“It’s just…I was thinking about…well…”

“Yes?” you prompted again, a soft smile on your face at his awkwardness.

“It wouldn’t take a tattoo for me to hold your hand,” he blurted out.

“What?”

What was he talking about…oh. Oh. What?

“Wait, shit, no, that came out wrong…”

Nico trailed off with a groan, punctuated only by the sound of a snort. You whirled around to see Jonas standing in the doorway, and he cackled at the look on both your faces.

“Yeah I’m going upstairs. Have fun dealing with your years of feelings,” Jonas grinned, shaking his head.

Oh damn. Jonas knew?

Wait, years of feelings?

With that he left you and Nico alone, a murmur suspiciously sounding like ‘lovestruck idiots’ lingering behind him. Hesitantly you looked back at Nico to see his face full of embarrassment, cheeks tinged with red.

“What was Jonas talking about?” you asked, voice a little shaky.

Because you were damn sure that Jonas didn’t know a thing about how you felt for Nico. So he had to be talking about Nico…which only succeeded in sending your heart into a flutter.

“This was not how I wanted it all to come out,” he murmured.

“Nico, please. No more talking in circles,” you all but begged.

He inhaled shakily but nodded, finally looking you in the eyes once more. “I’ve loved you ever since the movie night where we kissed.”

Your breath hitched in your throat. “That was 10 years ago, Nico. We were 15! You’ve loved me since then?”

Ten long years.

“I know,” he winced, “But yes, since then.”

“You never said anything?” you said hesitantly.

Not about the kiss, and not about his feelings.

“You didn’t either? I mean, like, we never talked about the kiss. At all. I just assumed you didn’t say anything because you regretted it, and there was no way I wanted to lose you as a friend,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Of all the things he could’ve said.

“I thought you regretted it,” you admitted, “You were this up-and-coming hockey star, and I was just the neighbour down the street.”

Nico burst out laughing, hands rising to cover his face briefly.

“We’re both idiots,” he managed to choke out between laughs, “maybe me more than you.”

Maybe.

Maybe you both were idiots, but that didn’t mean you had to waste any more time. If Nico really wanted to try being more than friends, you weren’t about to stop him.

“Hey Nico?” you said, reaching forward to place a hand on his chest.

You could feel the heat of his skin through his shirt, the rapid beat of his heart, but it was the hope in his eyes that gave you courage.

“Yes, schatzi?”

“It’s been a long ten years…kiss me again?”

Nico’s only response was to do as you’d asked.

~

I’m sitting patiently, Hoping for the day to come where you can see, All the stars, they fall in line for you and me, I can’t wait for you to see too, yes, you’ll do.

[8one6]

Road Trip 2k24: Part 12 - Arches National Park

The fourth and final national park on the trip.

I think I burned myself out on the natural beauty of the American Southwest because I didn't even spend a full three hours at this one.

Don't get me wrong, it is a gorgeous area, the day was perfect, etc, I just... Didn't feel like doing anything here. I didn't go on any hikes. I stopped at a few of the outlook points, took some pictures, and then headed back to Moab for lunch (shout out to Pasta Jay's! Great pizza.)

Moab is a tourist trap and it needs to add left turn signals to the traffic lights.

[8one6]

Road Trip 2k24: Part 11 - The Liminal Space between States

So I'm driving towards my next destination and I need to make a pit stop. The last services were about 80 miles behind me, when appearing like magic out of the desert was the above sign.

The place had a weird vibe. Maybe it was because the intentionally built the Inn on the state line so that the Utah side could have cheaper gas and the Nevada side could have the last possible casino on the highway. Maybe it was because the lady behind the counter looked shocked that someone walked through the door and bought some powerade.

Maybe it was the glitched out prices for gas. Hell, maybe it was the actual fucking phone booth!

I bought my powerade, checked my phone (which, for a place that was 80 miles from anything else in either direction had full 5g coverage), and moved on to my next stop.

Hell of a view though.

[8one6]

Road Trip 2k24: Part 10 - Tonopah

So I needed a place to stay after visiting Rachel and my next stop would have been way more driving than I was comfortable with so I found a interesting place to stay in the middle of nowhere Nevada.

You can probably guess where I stayed since it's the only reason anyone outside of Tonopah even knows the name of the town. (Almost as weird as this motel is the fact that there are like three other hotels in the town.)

I'm sad to say that I can't recommend staying here. It's a 2-star motel that charges 4-star prices due to the novelty of the theme. There's also nothing else to do in the town other than go on the motel's own ghost hunt.

The guide, Chris, was a really nice guy but honestly the ghost hunt was really a lot of nothing. It seems the only things haunting the clown motel are the ghosts of deferred maintenance and the gaseous remains of something I ate near Zion.

This was the door to my room (supposedly the most haunted room in the motel) and the rest of what I saw was in similar condition. This place still uses physical keys for the locks.

Unless you are a huge fan of paranormal or the motel's theme I'd then it's not really worth the stay.

[8one6]

Road Trip 2k24: Part 9 - Little A'Le'Inn

So there's this motel/bar in the dead center of the middle of goddamn nowhere called The Little A'Le'Inn.

The only reason it's not an abandoned building in the middle of the desert is because it's physically the closest business to the conspiracy theory hot spot Area 51.

That it. It's not a good motel, it's not a good restaurant, it's not a good bar. Fuck, it doesn't even have a decent gift shop. Unless you are super into UFO stuff there is no reason to drive all the way here from Vegas.

On the trip here (a stop on the way to a different town in Nevada) I did learn that Tikaboo Valley is where the two different species of Joshua Tree meet.

Which is neat. I'd have taken more pictures of the valley but I was attacked by a horse fly almost as soon as I got out of the car.

[8one6]

Road Trip 2k24: Part 8 - Zion National Park

The third national park on my whirlwind tour of the southwest is truly awe inspiring! I think I already called the grand canyon that but I mean it for both parks.

I don't think I'd be able to tell you which park was my favorite. They're both physical manifestations of the beauty of time, nature, and geology.

I managed to hike about as much of the trail here as I did at the Grand Canyon, but this was a more pleasant hike because it was about 15 degrees cooler.

I loved it and I'm definitely coming back again someday.

[8one6]

Road Trip 2k24: Part 7 - Arizona highway 89A

Someone recommend that since I was traveling between the Grand Canyon and Zion to take 89A instead of 89 and goddamn is this a beautiful stretch of the Earth.

It's a breazy drive through an incredible valley.

And then you get to these glorious windy hills that overlook everything!

It only added five or so minutes to the drive so I'm recommending it as well.

[8one6]

Road Trip 2k24: Part 6 - The Grand Canyon

Go in April, go first thing in the morning to Hermit's Rest. You'll practically have the trail to yourself.

I have to admit both a success and a failure. A success in that I did hike multiple miles of the rim trail. A failure in that I didn't manage nearly as much of the trail as I hoped I could before I was sucking wind and my legs and feet started seriously hurting.

I have poor physical fitness. I had been walking a mile and a half trail at a local park multiple times a week for months and I thought I was ready. I was not.

The combination of poor fitness and high altitude (there's seriously not enough air in this air) kicked my ass.

But it's also motivated me. I'm going to come back to the Grand Canyon and I'm going to complete the rim trail. It might take me a year, it might take two, but I'm going to get myself into good enough condition to do walk the entire thing in one day.

That's the goal and the promise. I will be back here someday.

[8one6]

Road Trip 2k24: Part 4 - The Ghost Town of Lincoln NM

Since I found myself with a day to kill on the trip I decided to visit one of the ghost towns near Roswell. The first thing I'll note is the drive there is beautiful!

It's pretty much a half a mile long open air museum. There's the actual museum and visitors center which is very well put together. About half of the floor space is a chronological exploration of the region that does not shy away from the darker aspects that history. The other half is dedicated to the reason anyone even knows the name of Lincoln, NM - Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War.

(I don't like taking pictures of exhibits in small museums so I only have the two.)

There's a gallery of art depicting the era in the building across the courtyard as well as an example of era construction.

The rest of the town was a mix of preserved buildings and private residences (who's owners must either love or fucking hate living in a ghost town.)

Overall it was a fun little side quest that was worth the 2 hour round trip and the $7 entry fee.

On the way back I stopped at this little roadside rest area with a plaque dedicated to the Atlas missiles that aren't there anymore.

Which is kind of the story of this entire region in a way. All through New Mexico and Arizona there's a whole lot of "something used to be there." Closed business, abandoned buildings preserved in the dry desert climate, metaphorical ghosts of the past. And unlike Lincoln most of them aren't going to get their own museums.

[8one6]

Road Trip 2k24: Part 3: Roswell - part 3

Roswell, New Mexico, once you look past the UFO stuff, is a pretty charming little city.

It's easy to walk around the downtown area, it's pretty friendly, and overall I had a great time visiting.

One of the funniest things about the town is there are alien gray statues everywhere, and if you're a fan of the TV series Stargate (or the 1994 made for TV movie Roswell) you'll recognize the design.

I'm told the guy who designed the alien for the 1994 movie recycled the design for Stargate, but it's just funny to see Supreme Commander Thor taking a nap on a bench in front of a Mexican restaurant. Speaking of which

There are tons of them in Roswell and they are all fantastic! Shout out to Cerritos. It was next door to my motel and the food was delicious!

If you're in town I can also recommend Stellar Coffee. It's got a nice, relaxed atmosphere and great drinks.

Overall I'd say if you have a strong interest in UFOs or aliens it's worth the visit.

[8one6]

Road Trip 2k24: Part 2: Roswell - part 2

After some much needed sleep I started bright an early (well, early-ish) by visiting Spaceport Roswell and trying out one of the VR experience.

(I forgot to take pictures of the inside.) it's a well done area, with a big sliding scifi airlock door, only undercut a little by the "crew" wearing uniforms from Star Trek Discovery.

The VR movie is... Fine. It's fine. It's amateur writing, amateur voice acting, and amateur directing, using a lot of unity store assets, but there is a certain charm to it and it was only $15 so I can't hate it.

In through the front of the store is both Bricktown, a kids Lego experience and the waiting area for the Roswell UFO Tour.

The tour is... Look, I don't want to be mean and say it's bad, because it was somewhat enjoyable, but it's a tour of things that aren't there anymore. It's been almost 80 years since a military officer made a sarcastic joke about capturing a UFO and almost all of the buildings from that time are either gone or have been turned into Mexican restaurants. (Roswell has great food btw, more on that in a later post.)

The tour also goes pretty hard on the government conspiracy narrative, and as someone who isn't a moron can actually think critically doesn't believe the Earth has been visited by extraterrestrials I was fighting through most of the tour to not roll my eyes.

That's pretty much it as far as UFO stuff there in town,unless you count the dozen or so shops on main street selling generic alien merch.

The other tourist draw for the city are some shockingly nice museums for a city of this size. Roswell has both The Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art (forgot to get pictures) and the Roswell Museum, which features a ton of art from local artists as well as an exhibit on local rocket scientist Emmitt L. Brown Robert H. Goddard, including a recreation of his workshop!

That's about it as far as local tourism opportunities.

[8one6]

Road Trip 2k24 - Part 1: Roswell - part 1

My first stop on this year's road trip was Roswell, New Mexico (apparently the dairy capital of New Mexico). Ever since I was a little kid aliens and the paranormal have been a fascination of mine and visiting Roswell was on my bucket list.

I stayed for three nights but ran out of tourist shit to do after a day and a half. There's just not a lot going on in town.

The first stop (after 14 hours on the road) was to check in at the only vaguely alien themed motel in the city. (Brief review: nice rooms, relatively quiet, easy access to main street, just a short drive to downtown. A++ would stay again.) When I visit a place like the biggest UFO destination in the country I like to go Maximum Tourist. It was a little disappointing that this was the only alien themed lodging in the city (and really it's just the sign out front.)

After checking in I headed to the Roswell visitors center and got a picture with the welcoming committee.

The visitors center had a nice assortment of Roswell city merch (alas, there were no shirts in the Tons of Fun size I wear) and provided a nice map of the area with all of the attractions highlighted. The visitors center and, more importantly, the public parking behind it, is well within walking distance of everything else in downtown Roswell.

With a couple of hours to spare before the city closed for the night (everything that isn't a restaurant closes a 5pm. Everything.) I walked to the International UFO Museum and Research Center.

It's about one third dedicated to an almost hour by hour breakdown of the Roswell Incident (that is 1000% true believer "aliens are real and the government covered it up"), one third displays about worldwide UFO sightings with plenty of artist depictions of aliens (including this goofy looking thing)

And the final third is large dioramas of gray aliens including a mockup of the alleged autopsy.

There is also a very well stocked gift shop.