april 4, 2008
butte, montana to albert lea, minnesota
[link]
[comment]
knowing that the heat in the van was out, x's mom suggested we cover the front grill with cardboard to reduce the incoming draft. while it didn't seem to help much with the cold, it did add to the already eccentric look of the vehicle. it was just another crazy thing for all the midwesterners to scratch their heads at, as if seeing a big black man and a small asian guy emerge from this post apocalyptic mad max vehicle weren't enough.
we left butte late in the evening, hoping to get through this huge hunk of state as quickly as we could. we climbed through the final pass and left the continental divide behind us. hours later, our gps device directed us onto an interstate backroad (i-212). with electricity no longer coming through the cigarette lighter of the van, we were forced to use the gps sparingly. no heat, no music, no gps, countless miles left to go, the darkness of the mountains surrounding us and here we were, barreling along some little known road. could it get any better? of course.
my energy levels were flagging, and i would occasionally drift into a sort of fitless sleep. i did my best to stay awake, to keep x company and reduce our chances of driving into a ditch. about an hour or so before sunrise, there it was again. we spied that tiny sliver of moon, hanging above the tree line. though it wasn't the vibrant orange that we saw the other night, it was still gorgeous. there was a stillness in the air, and i watched, entranced, as silhouettes of trees slipped pass, the moon hanging ever so gently in the sky. it was a perfect little moment.
an hour or two later, i came to and realized i had dozed off again. now the morning sun was blazing, showing off the single shade palette of montana's flatter countryside. everything seemed to be tan colored. who the hell lived in this part of montana and what did they do for fun? at least i now know where to go if i ever need to get away from everybody. and on and on we sped..
we finally hit south dakota, goodbye montana. thank god! it seemed like the drive through montana had taken three times as long as before. we had gotten back onto the major interstate freeway and were again a part of the regular flow of traffic. how long had we been driving for? 10, 12 hours? so many miles left to go.
at some point in the middle of south dakota, x pulled into a random rest stop and we both grabbed a few hours of shut eye. the sun heated up the cabin, but our exhaustion was too much. a few hours later, we woke up feeling nominally better. we headed into the rest area, plugged our various devices in and waited for a quick recharge. shortly afterwards, we got back in the van and drove off as the sun set behind us.
we left butte late in the evening, hoping to get through this huge hunk of state as quickly as we could. we climbed through the final pass and left the continental divide behind us. hours later, our gps device directed us onto an interstate backroad (i-212). with electricity no longer coming through the cigarette lighter of the van, we were forced to use the gps sparingly. no heat, no music, no gps, countless miles left to go, the darkness of the mountains surrounding us and here we were, barreling along some little known road. could it get any better? of course.
my energy levels were flagging, and i would occasionally drift into a sort of fitless sleep. i did my best to stay awake, to keep x company and reduce our chances of driving into a ditch. about an hour or so before sunrise, there it was again. we spied that tiny sliver of moon, hanging above the tree line. though it wasn't the vibrant orange that we saw the other night, it was still gorgeous. there was a stillness in the air, and i watched, entranced, as silhouettes of trees slipped pass, the moon hanging ever so gently in the sky. it was a perfect little moment.
an hour or two later, i came to and realized i had dozed off again. now the morning sun was blazing, showing off the single shade palette of montana's flatter countryside. everything seemed to be tan colored. who the hell lived in this part of montana and what did they do for fun? at least i now know where to go if i ever need to get away from everybody. and on and on we sped..
we finally hit south dakota, goodbye montana. thank god! it seemed like the drive through montana had taken three times as long as before. we had gotten back onto the major interstate freeway and were again a part of the regular flow of traffic. how long had we been driving for? 10, 12 hours? so many miles left to go.
at some point in the middle of south dakota, x pulled into a random rest stop and we both grabbed a few hours of shut eye. the sun heated up the cabin, but our exhaustion was too much. a few hours later, we woke up feeling nominally better. we headed into the rest area, plugged our various devices in and waited for a quick recharge. shortly afterwards, we got back in the van and drove off as the sun set behind us.
april 2, 2008
seattle, washington to butte, montana
[link]
[comment]
oh god, the heat in the truck had gone out somewhere in montana on the way to seattle. at the time, there was so much else to worry about (getting to seattle on time, the rockies, the blizzard, death by mack truck) that heat seemed to be the last of our worries. but this time around, with the work behind us and relatively calm weather, there was nothing to think about but the endless hours passing by and the ever dropping temperatures. we had stopped by wal-mart to pick up some heat pads, but they were next to useless. as we sped down the deserted thruway of i-90, the only consolation was the magnificently magical sliver of orange moon we spotted just before sunrise. we finally decided to stop in butte, montana, the last big city before the final pass through the rockies and the continental divide. jodie at the front desk of the super 8 greeted us with a warm smile and told us "it's only ten degrees out". apparently, thirty below is not uncommon during the winters. wow, i am never moving to montana.
march 31, 2008
done and doner
[link]
[comment]
i never would have thought that driving 2800 miles for work would be something i'd consider doing more than once. aside from the 23 straight hours of driving we did on the second day and the blizzard that hit us as we were trying to come out from the rockies (i could only grin and nod my head the next day when x told me he seriously thought those might have been our last minutes together), the convention itself is hella work. not to mention me trying to get my photography nut off. but sakura con was nice to us, and seattle itself is beautiful. rainy and cold right now, but beautiful nonetheless. the cherry blossoms are in full effect here.
march 26, 2008
mad driving
[link]
[comment]
wisconsin, minnesota, north dakota, montana. this is the total northern tour of america. most memorable from this recent leg of travel were the frozen lakes throughout north dakota. there was something almost glacial about their appearance, white and frosty with an underlayer of this slate sky blue. it was a slightly unnatural coloring. contrasted against the tans and sands of the surrounding grasses, it made for surprisingly stunning landscapes.
march 24, 2008
head west!
[link]
[comment]
new york to philly to.. elgin, illinois? it's a good nuther two days of driving before we reach seattle. i'm excited about the rockies. i'm hoping the truck can make it. which is probably not something x wants to hear. somewhere in ohio, we quickly chatted with some hispanic workers (construction?) who were headed to minneapolis from virginia. i thought, man that's a long way to go for work. but off we all drove in our respective directions.. west. far, far west.
march 24, 2008
[link]
[comment]
yea, it's a little like this, rolling and picturesque. stands of barren, vertical trees shooting like tufts of hair from the countryside. the sunrise is always pretty on the road, sneaking up on you and before long, colors change and fogs creep. before you know it, the hustle of day time traffic surrounds you and you wish you were back in the confines of the night. and we keep rolling, picturesque and picture happy.