whims

I have taken the road to many places. The road has taken me too.

For the first time, I doing it myself.

Midge and I packed up all we own and drove back to Nebraska in a rolling 10' moving van. We visited Walla Walla. The leaves gave us their most regal welcome. I drank a "Chai Charger", visited friends, and reminisced about the good folks and silly times freshman year shared with me. A model UN or major debate tournament was going on. I couldn't tell if those sleek kids, for they were clearly kids, were in high school or in college. And then I felt old.

I drove through the beautiful Blue Mountains, thinking that eastern Washington or Oregon might not be such a bad place to finally settle down, just that I'd have to pick a town not dominated by LDS or 7th day Adventists. Landing in Logan, UT at Katie and Kishor's traveler's spa, we climbed down from our longest drive yet in the truck and rested our weary eyes, filled our hungry bellies and took (just me) a very needed bath. Katie and Kishor were amazing hosts. AMAZING. Something to aspire to. They talked about how they had a hard time finding an apartment before they were married because the town is so Mormon. The buses don't run on Sundays. People don't really drink coffee. That was a shocker coming from Seattle....don't drink coffee? How do you survive?!? I remember the guy on the street asking me, "Is there a STARBUCKS around here?" Not just looking for coffee...looking for Starbucks. It was 4 blocks away...he seemed to think that was just too far.

From Logan, I just kicked it home. I meant to stop at Denver, but I couldn't. Those 5 hour energy drinks really work. My brain felt like an electrical storm was passing through it. My body my have melted around me, but my hands stayed on the wheel, my eyes on the road, and my brains a buzzing away. I snoozed with the truckers at rest stops, only after I got out of WY. I was honestly scared to by driving at night in Wyoming. My phone was dead. I had no insurance. I was damn tired. And if a pronghorn had jumped in front of me, it would have been 50 miles to anywhere. I had to get through that state before I could relax enough to sleep. I did and the sleep was uncomfortably glorious. I made it home the next morning. YES!