< a four-course meal of horse, of course
Jesus, sounds like an experience. I was forget how big the US actually is.
meeting random (good) folks along the way
This was the best part of my experience too, the sheer kindness of random strangers, especially at bus stations
Yes, bus stations, Amtrak, travel-centric areas - a lot of people who were talkative, and just generally (on the surface anyway) good people. One of the few silver linings of the whole ordeal.