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Part 1: The Pacific Coast and Idaho Part 2: Montana and Wyoming Part 3: The Great Plains Part 4: Colorado, Utah and the desert |
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(This page contains no photos, yet - see the other three parts, where you can find links to over a dozen photos) For two weeks this summer I explored this great country. This fulfulled a few lifelong dreams: a) to see Bryce Canyon, Utah and b) a general desire to explore the western U.S. by car. I planned this trip to include my 20th high school reunion and a visit to my good friend Larz in Milwaukee. I was on the road for about two weeks, and travelled about 6200 miles. What follows is my road journal and a few choice photos from this trip. 5:15 AM, Fri, 7/24/98: I leave Mountain View, CA. My plan is to arrive in my hometown, Mercer Island, a suburb of Seattle, on Friday night for the first, pub-party night of my 20th HS reunion. I've driven from the bay area to Seattle many times straight through, knowing the trick is to hit either the hot central valley (or the snowy Siskiyous) at the right time of day. I'm pleased to be mobile this early. 6:20 AM: After crossing the bay bridge, my alternator fails, evidenced by the sudden death of my radio. Luckily I make it to a garage on Univ. Ave. in Berkeley. I am delayed four frustrating hours after walking about 5 miles round-trip to buy the part, and waiting for the garage to open. 1:00 AM, 7/25/98: I arrive at the Roanoke Tavern, Mercer Island, WA. I hear loud cavorting as I open my car door! I am surprised that everyone has not gone home already, and stay for half an hour to meet a handful of classmates. Some I recognize, and others who recognize me are total mysteries. Already I'm glad I decided to attend my reunion. Over the next two days of the reunion, I attended a fancy party and a picnic / swim party. I am glad to see the guys from the swim team. I discover that there are at least five other very good frisbee players, and we have a raucous time throwing on a nice field. Being at the reunion was very different from what I expected, after feeling out of the clique loop when I was a teenager. Now I see myself in a different light. I look forward to investing in these renewed friendships, especially since many from my class are here in the bay area. I also spent a day with my mom and her boyfriend Denny, swimming and relaxing on the lake. Mom, age 64, jet-skies with the dog. I got a vicious sunburn on my legs. 7:30 PM, 7/26/98: I leave the Seattle area, heading east; odometer reads 900 miles. As the evening turns to dusk I drive I-90 to Snoqualmie Summit, where I have vivid memories of skiing with my dad and brothers. I drive on and detour to the quaint mountain town of Roslyn, WA (where Northern Exposure was filmed). I decide I'm tired and get a hotel in Ellensburg, WA, a farm town with a manure odor so strong that some walk around with hankys over their mouths. Luckily my motel is upwind. 2:15 PM, Monday, 8/27: Coeur d' Alene, ID. A beautiful town with a lake so large and clear that I am drawn to swimming in it. I enter a two-mile-long downtown park with a beach on one side and shade trees and picnic tables on the other. I swim for almost an hour, refreshing me from the heat. I wish I'd taken a picture of this city beach. |
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Part 1: The Pacific Coast and Idaho Part 2: Montana and Wyoming Part 3: The Great Plains Part 4: Colorado, Utah and the desert Home Page |