Odysseus and the Trojan Horse

In both Greek and Roman myth, there was a great battle called the Trojan War that began with the taking of Helen and ended after ten years with the sacking of Troy. Odysseus, a Greek king, supposedly devised the plan of the Trojan horse, which entailed the construction of a giant wooden horse and the subsequent concealment of Greek troops within it. Feigning retreat, the Greeks waited out of sight for the Trojans to bring the horse into the city walls as an offering to the gods. That night, after the seemingly victorious Trojans were drunk and asleep, the Greek troops exited the horse and let the rest of their forces into the city. The Greeks then proceeded to destroy the city, killing nearly everyone - including the great King Priam. (One should note, however, that a survivor of the attack, Aeneas, went on to progenerate the Roman people, a much greater empire than Greece ever attained.) This Odysseus, in his triumph, cursed the sea-god Poseidon, believing that he was able to accomplish this victory all by himself. This hubris never goes unpunished in the classics, and Odysseus is accordingly forced to go on a great journey. The return to his home in Ithaca is impeded by the scorned Poseidon and takes an additional ten years. In total, Odysseus is gone from his home and his family for twenty years.

Image from my Aeneid textbook

If I were to go on a journey, it would not be fueled by a bitter sea-god and my fatal hubris - in fact, it wouldn't be a sea-bound journey at all. I would want to go across the country; I have a great desire to see it first hand. A simple road trip would be wonderful, but even more, I would like to experience it without the luxury of a window between us. I would like to set out with the money in my pocket and clothes on my back, trying all I can to make it anywhere, hitchhike my way through the heartland. I understand that this isn't a very likely event, and that modern times do not suit such reckless abandon, but I have this romantic idea of it all. I have these wholesome images of working hard, eating my fill, and feeling glad, satisfied, fulfilled. Maybe I won't hitchhike, but I do plan on seeing this great expanse in some capacity. I don't think I could count myself as "experienced" if I haven't left the comfortable routine of my life.