Interstate Mass Murder

Carnage

I completed the first leg of my two-part roadtrip yesterday.  As you can see by the photo of my grill, a multitude of innocent bystanders had to give their lives in order to make this trip possible.  I wonder if there's an add-on at the car wash for the extra scrubbing necessary to properly exhume mangled bug corpses and their associated juices.

The route took me through the beautiful and varied landscapes of California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington.  Lots of hot desert.  I apologize for not taking photos, but you really had to be there in person to appreciate the beauty.  I overnighted in Bishop, CA and La Grande, OR, which I realize is a deviation from my planned itinerary.  Moving out last Friday took me longer than I expected, which meant that I got on the road later and got stuck in leaving-town-for-the-weekend traffic...domino effect with the rest of my schedule.

Nic & John's New Abode in Normandy Park

Arriving in Seattle last night was a relief on many levels.  My blood pressure is dropping, my mind is clearing, and I am no longer anchored in that dark, desperate place where I have been harbored for so long.  However, my heart is heavy and will be for a significant period after saying goodbye to Cesa and Emma, my two faithful companions who have never been without me.

Now that I've put a few thousand miles between myself and Los Angeles, my reflection is that I don't enjoy competing every day with my fellow citizens for extremely limited space and resources.  So much commotion, very little peace.  The allure of the big city and the hollywood limelight is strong, but my tolerance for everything that goes along with it is limited and seems to be diminishing more and more as I get older.  With that thought, the introspective segment of this post is concluded.

Not that I want to think of getting in my car again, but I should preview what lies ahead in the next week for you and also as a gentle confirmation to myself.  After reminiscing with friends here in Seattle and trying to explain the underpinnings of my insane and irresponsible adventure, I'll be heading south to San Diego with stops in Portland (Tim & Cambria), San Francisco (Gil, Edgar, Mark & Maxine), Santa Cruz (Bridget & Sergey), and Seal Beach (Grandma).  Now that I'm officially on the road with laptop in tow, the blog posting frequency should be more reliable.

Here are some closing words that characterize my feelings at the moment:  anticipation, excitement, nervous, money-conscious.  Above all, and not trying to sound arrogant or too self-involved here, I am so proud of myself for putting this plan in motion considering how many obstacles I've faced.  I am going to pull this off after all.