The South

San Antonio is not as colorful during the day. Like Las Vegas, the city is prettier at night. In the daylight you can see the all of the buildings and land around you. The yards of houses are dry and sandy. Most place don't even have a patch of grass. Your mom makes breakfast as you hop on the freeway. You aren't able to see the Alamo this time, maybe next time.

When you get half way to Houston the everlasting yellow and brown desert holds back and gives way to thin green prairie grass and bushy trees. There may be a small cactus here and there, but they are green. As you get closer to Houston some of the trees in lower lying areas have water marks from the flooding earlier in the year. Also as you get closer the grass gets greener and thicker. You pass factories and cattle yards, train depots and ponds.

The sight of Houston brings you joy. When you get onto the loop around town, traffic starts to back up. You have hit rush hour, or should so it should be named 3 hour rush hour. You sit in traffic staring out at the concrete world of a city. You roll forward an inch or so every little bit. There is a giant grey concrete wall next to the freeway to keep the drivers' attention on the road. Sadly, it offers little to look at while sitting there. Waiting. You learn something while sitting in the backup. It takes a lot of paitience to drive through rush hour everyday. Unfortanately, that is what most people lack in cities now of days.

It seems like you have been in Texas for a century when you see the sign welcoming you to Louisiana. Louisiana is famous for many things. It is famous for the food, culture, hurricane disaster, nature, and festivals. You travel through swamps and over bayous. The trees are covered in amobea which hang down from the branched like a robe. The water is dark and you spot alligators the whole time. The sun starts setting by the time you reach New Orleans. New Orleans is the largest town in the state. It is very well know for Mardi Gras, a U.S. version of Carnival. Some people like to avoid the festival others love it. It depends on the person. During Mardi Gras, the whole town is colorful. But right now all you see are the white light of the city. You get through town passing through once flooded communities that are still struggling. You cross over Lake Pontchartrain on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The Causeway is the longest bridge over a body of water. It is 23.83 miles long. It is so long that it disappears over the horizon. It is beautiful to cross and is even more beautiful during sunset.

It is dark by the time you enter Mississippi. You drive next to the ocean. The moon above the water looks beautiful. The deep blue ocean is calm. The waves break against the shore washing away some sand and replacing it with new sand. The foam bubbles wash up and sit there like foam from a freshly poured glass of root beer. It is a short drive to Biloxi. This town has been a target for many hurricanes.

It's a Long Way Across Texas

Deming is very dry and warm when you step outside. The orange land around you looks even more orange and yellow in the morning light. The green cactuses turning brown are the only things aside from the city that break the pattern. You grab a quick breakfast and hit the road. Hopefully with an early start you can get most of the way through Texas

You make it to Las Cruces. It is the second largest city in New Mexico, but it passes by fast. The town is home to a New Mexico State and many historical sites. The town itself hides in the desert with most of the buildings being tan, Native American theme, or Spanish themed.

Not even an hour later you reach El Paso, TX. To your right is a tall fence. Over the fence, you can see dilapidated houses of Mexico. El Paso is by no means like Tuscon, AZ. It is a big town, but it is a border town. It is not the type of place you would want to hang out in overnight in most parts of town. You follow the tall brown fence through town. When you compare the houses of Mexico to the houses on this side of the fence there are definite differences. Over here most houses are stucco or concrete. Over there the houses are plywood or cheap stucco.

The border fence dives to the south as you continue east. The further east you get, the more boring the land gets. The land repeats itself every few feet: cactus, rocks, dirt, more dirt, even more dirt, cactus, rocks, dirt, etcetera. It is like a single scene from a silent moving picture on everlasting repeat with no way to turn it off. This scene drags on and on until darkness finally overtakes the land around you. The only things that break the dark theme around you are the colors of cars passing, marker lights, and the lines of the road.

Finally, you spot a faint glow on the horizon. The yellow lights in the distance grow closer. They cover a huge spread of land ahead of you. This town is where you will be staying the night. When you climb out the wind softly cries. Maybe it is the cries of ghosts. Whose ghosts? The ghosts of the men and women who lost their lives in the Alamo. San Antonio is still hot this late in the evening. The wind does little to help. The desert is flat. The dry land crackles underneath your feet. The cactuses standing in the dark look like the bodies of giants.  They all reach towards the sky asking for rain. A few clouds gathered in the distance offers a little hope.

Runnin' The Border

You wake from your slumber and step outside to the morning city air. A couple clouds block the sun in its morning rise. Aside from the couple clouds the sky is blue and pink. Some people with their dogs jog by on the sidewalk. They all probably do this every morning. It is a routine for some. It is like a rut in the road. It is hard to break free of it. The dogs stay obediently at the sides of their masters. Most don't pay attention to the things they pass whether it be a red fire hydrant or another human. They seem content and are gone as they follow their masters around a corner.

 A lion roars in the distance. And then a peacock yells in response. Something moves in the corner of your eye. Your attention is attracted to two squirrels running up a tree. They wind around the big trunk, one in pursuit of the other. They make it up to the branches and disappear from sight amidst the green leaves. They may have disappeared, but you can still hear them. Some leaves fall to the ground as they race around they maze of branches. They come straight down the trunk of the tree and take off like little speeding bullets, across the groomed park lawn.

As you leave you watch the park and zoo move past your windows. Volunteers and staff members go in through their gates following the beaten path they have worn. As you drive down the city streets you see more people headed to their morning destinations. It is like a bunch of ants going to work.

You get out of town and take the freeway east. The freeway is just north of the international border. On the other side of the fence is Mexico. You pass through barren land where even a wild burro would starve and/or thirst to death. There aren't many cactuses. You climb into some canyons. Both sides of the canyons are covered in giant rocks and boulders.

You slowly make your way across the state to Arizona. When you cross the border the scenery doesn't change but the temperature keeps rising. You pass an ostrich farm on your right. You have been there before when you were young. They sell big ostrich eggs. You can feed the ostriches, but you have to be careful or it will hurt. You can also feed deer and mini donkeys.

You near Tuscon and stare out the window as the city flies by. Tuscon is similar to Phoenix and other desert cities. But Tuscon's buildings are much better quality and the area is obviously richer than the average joe. After you leave Tuscon, out in the middle of the desert you spot something very unexpected. Off to your right is an airplane boneyard. It isn't actually filled with planes that will never be used again. It is filled with planes that are new and old that will be used again. They are kept in this desert because they can't rust out here and will be preserved.

It is dark when you cross over the border into New Mexico. The land is swallowed in the dry, hot darkness of the night. The moon floats by in the sky. Its yellow light dimly illuminates the land around you. About an hour or so later, you can see the lights of Deming. You are tired and feel like you could fall asleep standing up. As soon as you get in bed, you are asleep.

San Diego Zoo Part 2

The peacocks wake you up to another beautiful day. You get everything together to go into the zoo again. You pack some sandwiches in a small lunch box and put the box in a backpack with some waters. You give the backpack to your dad and head inside.

The lines aren't as long as yesterday, but they are still long. You slip ahead and swipe your card. After you get through the gates you pull out your map and you and your family choose where to go first. You all decide to go to see the tiger.

You walk down the concrete trail. Leafy bushes, tall balboa trees, and other green foliage line the trail. It shields you from the sun's rays and leads you past and exhibit with some small black monkeys. The monkeys swing on ropes and cling onto poles. They are funny to watch. One reaches its long hairy arm around another and swings to a branch knocking the one it swung around off balance. The trail leads you around a bend and past a tapir exhibit. Tapirs look like a white and black banded pig with a long nose. One is laying down in the shade and the other is eating. After you leave the exhibit, the trail winds uphill to the tiger cage. You peer through the 3 or 4 pane glass. There lays the tiger. The tiger's orange and black body moves up and down with each breath. The tiger is about 6 feet long and lays completely flat. It is very beautiful and vivid. You can't see its face because it is lying with its tail to you.

This trail leads you up a hill to the hippo enclosure and okapi enclosure. It turns into the hippo lower viewing area. The giant body of a hippo sits in the water like a giant boulder. If you only to a glance it could be mistaken as one. The giant gray mass moves a little in the water and you notice a smaller gray mass. It is a baby hippo from this year. Its nose has a pinkish tint and it is adorable. It stays with its mother and the mother moves blocks it again to protect it from the viewers. You go to the top viewing area, but can't see either hippo. The okapi pen shares the same viewing area. The tall animal looks like a hybrid between a giraffe and zebra. It is the size of a newborn giraffe, but it is brown and it has black and white stripes on its legs.

You go to the gorillas next. You have to travel back down the trail with the tiger enclosure and take another trail spur off of that. A squirrel crosses your path after you turn onto the trail that leads to the gorillas. It stops on the side under a bush. The puffy tail twitches and then it scurries off. You go around a corner and reach the gorilla enclosures. Whenever you go to a zoo you notice they always look sad. Even though they have a beautiful enclosure they are the only animal in the zoo that look sad. All of the gorillas have their backs to you. They are so much like humans, it is hard to watch them. After all, staring is impolite.

Baby Pygmy Hippo. No claim to rights.

One of the trails that takes you to the pygmy hippos goes through an aviary. The viewing area for the pygmy hippos are under a pavilion. You watch the two pygmy hippos through the glass pane that separates the public from them. They are about the size of a large pig. They sit in the water not moving. A monkey that shares the enclosure hops onto one of the hippos backs that is partially out of the water. Talk about a monkey on its back. They are lighter in color than the larger hippos.

Next to the pygmy hippos are dwarf crocodiles. They are just like a giant crocodile, just smaller and cuter. You see two of them. One is resting against the glass. They are only about 4 feet long and dark green with some almost black spots. Even though it is awesome to see them you most certainly wouldn't want them to get loose.

After the pygmy hippos, you decide to see the orangutans. On your way to the orangutan enclosure, you stop at the mandrills. The all remind you of the Disney movie The Lion King. The biggest male in the cage is a real life Rafiki, aside from not living in Africa and not using a cane. You continue walking under the tree canopy to the orangutans. The orangutans are different from the gorillas. These guys like people. One of the males is always doing something funny. And he is always carrying around a sack. He rolls past the viewing window. There is a female orangutan laying down in a net suspended in air. With her is her little baby. The baby is hilarious. It climbs around but doesn't get too far before its mother grabs it and lays it next to her. It has long crazy orange hair. The arms look longer than the legs. It swings around again and then the mother grabs it and holds it. She doesn't let go.

You leave the orangutans and head back towards the front of the zoo. You stop and look at a toucan and go through another aviary. This aviary is filled with an abundance of beautiful birds. One of the birds you see is a green and gray dove. The dove is about the size of a chicken. It can barely balance itself on the railing on the walkway. When you finish going through the aviary, you have to go through two sets of double doors to make sure the birds stay in.

You get back to the front of the zoo and head over to another section of the zoo, with the reptiles and amphibians. When you get there, you enter a brick building. It has a walkway around the outside with a wall around the walkway. You walk around and see all sorts of vipers, an anaconda, and lizards. There is even the nationally known white cobra that escaped her owner. Luckily, she was recaptured and placed in the zoo.

You exit out the back. You walk down some steps and on each side of you there is a playpen of sorts with some turtles and tortoises. The turtles and tortoises are of various species. Some are the size of a woman's hand and others are bigger than a plate.

San Diego Zoo Part 1

Your mom is making breakfast, when you get up. You step outside, The morning sky is clear and the blue has a pink tint in the east. The sun rising above the buildings to the east of you. You hear peacocks yelling in the nearby zoo. They are so cool to hear. You take a walk around Balboa Park with your sister and dog. The park is so green and alive. It is beautiful. The trunks of the trees twist and turn around themselves. Nearby a group of honey bees buzz around some bushes with little tiny flowers. You pass two giant hedges the shape of elephants. These two hedges used to be at the entrance of the zoo. They are awesome. One has tusks made of a plastic that make them look realistic. You walk back to your parents. After all, you should start getting things ready for the day. At least it isn't going to be over 75 degrees today.

Cars start to pull in and the parking lot fills up. There is still a half hour until the zoo opens. You pack a backpack with waters and some snacks. You and your sister put some sunscreen on and then put it in the backpack. You mom grabs your membership cards and you head to the entrance. The lines are packed. They each have about 40 people in each line and there are 8 lines. You are lucky though, you don't have to wait. You head in and the guards swipe your cards. You walk through the gate and enter the zoo.

A map of the zoo. I claim no rights.

The zoo was founded in 1916. You are going to try and see as many things as you can. But the zoo is so big, people say it takes 3 days to see everything. You grab three maps and give your mom and sister one. Your sister wants to see the elephants and you want to see the polar bears. You take the gondola across the zoo to the polar bears. The gondola is about 200 feet above the zoo and was built in the 1950s. You and your sister climb in one car and your parents in another.

As you travel over the treetops and enclosures you watch for animals. Most of the enclosures are covered in trees. But you see a gorilla and a panda. People in other cars pass you going the other direction. You look out to both sides of you. You see a beautiful church spire to the left. The architecture of the spire is like a mix of 16th century and 18th century architecture. To your right you can see hills and part of the city far away. You start your decent down to the building. You hop off and wait for your parents outside.

You all decide to go see the polar bears first. You walk up the road towards the polar bears and along the way there are some exhibits. There are some African gazelles in one and they have some babies from this year. They are all tan with white stripes down their backs. The big males have horns that are straight and black. They stand straight in the air like two model towers.  Next to the gazelle enclosure is an exhibit with a couple different kinds of African deer. One of the species is  twist and swirl more than a foot above their heads.

You cross the road and enter the polar bear exhibit. You look through some thick glass and see clear, bright blue water. You don't see any polar bears so you go to the upper viewing area. When there you can see two polar bears. One of the polar bears is in a den and the second is out laying in the sun sleeping. They look big and there pearl white coats look soft and warm. They look like enlarged versions of white stuffed bears. There are supposed to be three, but the third one is somewhere you can't see it.

You walk out of the exhibit. There is a life sized statue of a polar bear you can compare yourself to. There is also an old helicopter you can sit in and a couple other exhibits. One of the exhibits is an arctic fox. You look around the enclosure and do not see it. You sit there a couple more minutes seeing which of your family members can spot it. Finally, your dad spots it. You have go to the far end of the cage to see it. You can see its black nose and white head peeking out over the edge of a fake rock. It just lays there, soundly sleeping.

Next to the arctic fox enclosure is a reindeer enclosure. The enclosure is a rock face and there are a couple reindeer at the top, one on the middle portion of the rocks, and a couple at the bottom. The ones at the bottom, you can only see the antlers. They look just like Santa's reindeer. All of their antlers are covered in velvet (in other words, they are still growing).

You leave the exhibit and walk towards the elephants which are the past the gondola. You pass the building for the gondola and see the new mountain lion exhibit on your left. When you look into the cage you see the tail of one mountain lion hiding below. There is another one in a den near your feet. It is dark in the den so it is hard to see, but the puma just lays in there. It has big eyes and paws. It has a long, lean orange-tan body. Its long tail helps it keep its balance just like a cheetah's.

Across the road is the exhibit for the maned wolf pen. The maned wolves have a scent gland just like foxes so you can definitely smell them. The maned wolf is hiding in the back corner sleeping in the shade. They are a bright orange with a touch of black and white on the feet and tails. They look like a wolf in fox skin. You get a couple pictures of it and keep going because your sister keeps nagging to see the elephants. You follow the signs to Elephant Odesey. You see the sign for the entrance to Elephant Odyssey. You enter the first area. It is a pavilion with brown wood like walls that are covered in informational posters about the La Brea Tar Pits. There is a pit in the middle that is a model of the Tar Pits. You read the posters and continue on.

When you exit the pavilion the lion exhibit is to your left and a sloth exhibit is to your right. The decision on what to see first is unanimously agreed upon. You go over to the sloth exhibit to look for it. You spot the sloth in his nest, sleeping. It's tan in color and has long hair and nails. Its hair reminds you of a shag carpet. It has three toes, so it is a Three-Toed Sloth. Next to its pen is a model of Giant Sloth, which roamed the Earth millions of years ago. You get pictures with it and then go over to the lion pen. The lions stink, because they spray just like domestic cats. When you look through the fence the male is asleep on a rock in the middle of the pen. His head is turned away from you so you can't see his face. Part of his brown mane stands on end as if styling gel was used on it. There is a female laying nearby. She has a large head and large, deep brown eyes. She looks at the people gathered around her cage. Her tan body is lean and the muscles are pronounced. She lays there not moving. She just stares back at everyone.

The neighbors to the lions are Jaguars. They look like small leopards. They have orange coats with thick black circles and loops.

Next exhibit is the Capybaras and Llamas. Capybaras are the world's largest rodent. They are actually pretty cute. They have some bigger babies which splash and play in their pool with some adults. Some sleep in a little den while the others play. Their pen is right next to the llamas. The llamas are cool, but you have seen them before. You hear the nearby church bell signaling the turn of the hour. It is lunch time. You grab out your snacks and sit down for a minute and watch the capybaras and jaguars.

Next up is the elephants. The elephant enclosure is huge. They have a large pool and they have a couple areas they can be in. They also have stalls they can go in. You can see three female elephants. There is one African and 2 Asian. The African female has larger ears than the two Asian The bull elephant is in a separate pen from the females because males are solitary beings. The bull is a large Asian elephant. He has very large tusks. His gray skin has wrinkles everywhere, but he is a majestic beauty. He is proof of the strength elephants have.

After the elephants you come to two pens. One has two camels and two antelope and the other has a donkey and a horse. The donkey and the horse stand near their building and ignore everything around them. The donkey is your typical gray color and rough, thick hair. The horse is a black mustang. Even when a little kid yells at them, neither moves a muscle. About 20 feet from the horse and the donkey pen there is another large glass cage and a giant bird enclosure. Rattlesnakes California condors

You leave Elephant Odyssey and head back toward the entrance of the zoo. You are surprised to see that many of the enclosures along the way are closed for renovation. You decide to go to see the koala bears and wallabies next. You take a right into the Outback. Here you see so many koalas. They are so cute. Most of them are asleep, which is to be expected considering they sleep 22 hours a day. But you do spot a couple moving around and one even is eating.

You go see the rhino next. He is huge and looks like he is covered in armor. He has feet as big as a saucer and a horn as big around as a grapefruit. And you can see his shear strength. To the left of the rhino there is the giraffes. There are a couple babies, which are already over 7 feet tall. One of the males is 18 feet tall. Their height makes it kind of hard to believe that they have the same amount of neck bones as humans do.

Next to the giraffe enclosure is the kangaroo exhibit. A giraffe peaks its head over the fence to look at its neighbors. The kangroos are laying in the shade sleeping. A couple prop themselves up on their elbows. They are just relaxing the day away ignoring everyone you passes.

You leave the area and move on taking another road. On this road you see a sun bear, otters, grizzly bears, a couple types of monkeys, and an Andean bear. The grizzly bears you see are brothers. They were rescued from Yellowstone National Park in Idaho. They are big and when they stand up they are massive. Next to them is a sun bear. The sun bear is from Asia. It has a yellow face but the rest of its body is black. Gray faux stone walls seperate the bears. And next to the sun bear is yet another bear, an Andean bear. This bear is hiding in its dark cave. You walk down the road and have to make a decision. You can either go see the pandas or skip them.

You skip the pandas to see the zebras and some eagles. The most amazing of the eagles is the harpy eagle. They live on cliffs by the oceans. They are so massive they could easily carry a small child away. There is another eagle you don't see the name for it but it is a golden brown color. It looks like a giant red hawk. Their are two in the enclosure and they sit on their branches pride radiating off of them. Each of the enclosures have giant trees growing in them. The trail winds past another bird enclosure but you can't see the bird. It winds down to the panda entrance.

You enter Panda Trek. The line is shorter this time of day. You're able to make it right to the Red Panda exhibit. There are two red pandas, but you only see one. The one you see is sacked out in a small hammock. The red pandas look like a mix between a cat and a bear. They are fluffy and have a very fluffy tail. Across from the red pandas are Takin. Takin are a type of bovine that looks similar to a yak. They are very hair and have very long hair. But they are also like goats because they like to climb. One of the Takin you see standing on the a ledge on another stands on a rock in the middle of their enclosure.

Finally, you make it to the pandas right before they start to take them inside. One panda is up and walking around while the other is asleep in a tree. They are actually pretty big compared to what you were thinking.

An announcement comes over the speakers. It is closing time. You hear a lion roar across the zoo as you go through the exit. You were only able to cover half of the zoo today. You will cover the other half tomorrow. It is a giant zoo and makes you get a lot of exercise. Most of the time it takes 3 days to go through. All of the walking wears you out. When you get back out to your vehicle you don't even want to take the todays clothes off. You pretty much drag yourself into your bed and are asleep before your head hit the pillow.

Arizona To California

Flagstaff is in the mountains. It is surrounded my forests of pines. The mountain morning is nice to wake up to. The mornings are cool and refreshing. Sometimes a person can spot an elk, deer, or a coyote. You take a walk in the brisk air. It clears your head and allows you to think better. Your dog trots along side you. A rabbit runs across the pine laden path ahead of you. Your dog sees it but stays next to you. On your walk back to the vehicle you notice the birds singing around you. Their beautiful songs follow you all the way back.

You leave Flagstaff and get back on the freeway. The road is lined with pine trees. As you descend out of the mountains the morning gets warmer and the trees open up to valleys of sagebrush and tall Saguaro cactuses. You get closer to Phoenix with every passing second. There are some houses here and there, but mostly the land is dry, cracked desert. There are also some hills with a couple dead trees. You see a sign for an exit for a road to Prescott. You think about how thirsty this land is. Not even 4 years ago a fire ripped through the forest near Prescott and killed some firefighters. The whole entire west is thirsty for water. The drought is killing off plants and in turn animals.

Finally, you make it to Phoenix. It is just about in the center of the state. The city has palm trees and palmettos, but it also has the plant common in the state. The cactus. In almost every single yard. you can spot one or more cactus. They are abundant like rats in a sewer. They are a pest in ways. You certainly don't want to trip and fall on one. The sharp spines jut out of the skin like giant needles. It is as though they are waiting for some to touch them. The buildings are stucco, concrete, and brick. And most of them are white, desert tan, or a red-brown. There are some taller building in downtown. They have to stand in the heat of the sun under the constant beating of its rays.

After you get out of Phoenix the land rises and falls. The hills are riddled with a variety of cactuses species. Some are the most popular, Saguaros, others you don't know the name to but they stand tall their arms and other types of appendages reach out to give the sky a hug. When you near the border of California the land starts to loose so many cactuses and plants. You start to see land that is riddled with giant boulders the size of cars and pickups. Some are even as big as a truck. Some boulders are balancing on top of other smaller ones. These hills, then fall away to reveal the Sultan Sea. It is a massive lake, like a sea. But because of the severe drought in California, the lake's water level is very low. The water levels have pulled back, allowing you to see whole docks, plants that used to be hidden in the cool depths, and even an old rowboat that had been sunk.

You reach the outskirts of San Diego. The freeway grows to 6 lanes wide. It is dark and you can see the lights of the city. The lights go on for hundreds of miles. It is late enough that you don't get stuck in rush hour. You park near the San Diego Zoo. You are so tired you can almost hear your bed calling you. You drag yourself into the blankets and crash.

The Desert

Your eyes flutter open to another beautiful morning. You feel refreshed and more alive than yesterday. You step outside to the warm morning. As expected it is already in the 80s. You take a walk with your dog and bring a tennis ball with you. You play fetch with your dog for a bit until your sister comes out. Some birds fly overhead heading for an unknown destination. One drops a feather and it lands a couple feet away from you. It is brownish gray in color and doesn't have any pattern. You leave it be and head back over to your sister. You throw the ball a couple more times and then get back in the vehicle. You get back onto the highway and head west.

You leave the windiest city in the United States behind. The early morning heat keeps most of the furry creatures in their dens. It is only a short distance until you cross the border into New Mexico. You don't see an animal one. The land is still as dry as the sun's surface and feels almost as hot. Finally, you see a roadrunner off to your right. You get your camera, but before you know it, it is gone. It is not often you see a roadrunner. It gets so hot out even the bugs seem to go into hiding. Cactuses stand dispersed across the land as far as the eye can see. Their spiny green structures embrace the torturous sun.

As the sun travels through the sky you continue to travel until you get to Albuquerque. Albuquerque is home to the nation's largest hot air balloon festival. Usally you can see some balloons but you don't see any today. The wind and heat are too much to fly the balloons. The heat reflects off of the pavement and the town outside looks like it has just baked in an oven for a couple years. All of the buildings are stucco or concrete, and there isn't a variety of colors. The blandness just blends together with the land.

After you get out of town the heat causes distant mirages. Some look like lakes and the foot of distant mountains. You start to gain elevation when you enter Arizona. You stop in at a little no name town. There are fields of cotton behind the gas station. It is a field of brown and white. It starts getting dark after you leave and with the dark comes cooler temperatures. You start to see trees as you near Flagstaff. The trees are mostly pines but are scattered. You make it to the Little America before

Tornado Alley

You wake up to a cloudy but blue morning. The town of Rolla is a large farming community southwest of St. Louis. The city is up with the birds and down with the sun. People are really friendly and the surrounding area is beautiful!!

As you drive down the freeway you see many lakes and ponds. The farms are lush and oh so green. The trees are mostly hardwoods and many are thick based oaks.

You see many turtle along your route. Some are lucky enough to make it across, but others aren't so lucky. You remember reading about turtles in Missouri. They are mostly box turtles but some are snapping turtles. They cross the roads to go to different bodies of water.

You go through Springfield which just seems to be an obstruction compared to the beauty around it. The fluffy, white clouds and the blue sky turns gray. 

It starts raining after you get out of Springfield. About and hour later you get to Joplin. The town was ravaged by a tornado in 2011. Now, 4 years later, there is little sign of the destruction. You watch out the window as the rain falls and hits the pavement around you. The buildings fly by at 60 mph. It gone too fast.

You enter Oklahoma And the rain let's up a little. The land is beautiful buto slowly turns more yellow as you travel. You go around Oklahoma City but you can still see the buildings in the distance.

The darkness has swallowed the land around you before you reach the border of Texas. The rain is coming down in sheets and it is still 80 degrees out. You know there is a zero percent chance of seeing any spiders unless it's not raining in Amarillo, TX. About an hour

Ohio River Valley

When you wake up, your parents are taking an early morning walk and your sister is still sound asleep. The sun is still below the horizon. It slowly peaks out over the land waking everyone up.You hear a rooster crowing at a farm across the road. Horses grazing on the grass covered in early morning dew. Some blackbirds fly over and disappear behind the house across the road. Your parents come around a corner and their faces are gently touched by the early morning light. The light illuminates their faces with a soft, warm glow. You get back in the vehicle and start westward down the road.

Your mom makes breakfast as you travel and your sister finally wakes up. She could just about fall asleep on a roller coaster. Outside your window, the sky is overcast. Clouds block the blue sky to the west and are 20 different shades of gray. As you near Columbus it starts to rain. The gray sky breaks open and the rain dulls the day. It is amazing how much the weather can effect your emotions. The rain makes the day seem sorrowful and gloomy. It even makes the city of Columbus look dreary and humdrum.

You cross the border into Indiana. A short while later it stops raining. You see a lot of beautiful Amish farms and modern family farms. Some have tall silos and big red barns, others have small, white gambrel roof barns. Some of the barns are new and some, like the Amish barns are centuries old. 

You know you are exiting Ilinois when to see the giant silver Gateway Arch. Rolla, MO

Farewell NYC

The rights belong to Wallpaper Up

New York City's lights still shine in the early morning glow. You can see the Statue of Liberty in the far distance. The tall, green figure is silhouetted by the brightening light of the sun. Your dad has just started driving and the first of the sun's rays shoot over the horizon. It lights the interior of your vehicle. Your mom makes breakfast as you go down the road. The Empire State Building is still lit up red. The Freedom Tower or One World Trade Center rises from the gloomy depths of Ground Zero. In all that America has done, we should have built two again. The symbol rises from the ground where more than 3000 men, women, children perished. The 1776 foot tall tower stands in that spot to commemorate them and America. You hit rush hour even though you are headed out of the city. By the time you go by the "Metlife Stadium", home to the NFL New York Giants, most of the buildings in the skyline have turned off the lights. You are now in NJ(New Jersey). The land around used to be an old dump. You grandfather has told you so many of his childhood stories about this area. The area has really grown up. The marshland near the stadium is home to factories and old warehouses. You passed over the border and into New Jersey shortly before the stadium.

You continue through all of the small towns in the state. The strrets are narrow compared to the west's. Houses don't even have any yards in front. They crowd shoulder to shoulder like people on a New York City subway at rush hour. Some of the houses are older and some are new. MOst are white and have an quaintness about them. You pass through a rich town and into Pennsylvania. The houses in the neighborhood are mostly red brick with beautiful green lawns that sprawl out like parks. The houses seem to be the kings watching over their kingdom.

Further into Pennsylvania you start to climb and descend hills and mountains. They are beautiful with hardwood forests lining the roads. You also pass century old Amish farms with draft horses in the pasture and buggys pulled up to the front of the house. The homes are almost always white. Some look like a modern house with your typical rectangular base and triangular roof, but other have a sort of victorian look. Either way they are beautiful in their archetecture. You see more and more farms as you get closer to Ohio.

When you near the Ohio border it starts to get dark. It slowly grows dark. It is raining when you reach your stop for the night. It is a small town called Morristown, OH. There are no stars from the rain clouds blocking the view. After you climb into bed the rain sends you into a deep slumber.

Uncharted Territory

You leave Houston, TX behind you in the dark of the morning.You can't see downtown. When you get further out of town, out of the concrete jungle, you take a back road. Sometimes it is nice to get off the freeway, away from everything. You have to have some time away from everything in order to appreciate it. The back road leads you north through Eastern Texas. This side of the state is not thought of as much by people not from Texas. Most of the time people think of the desert and cactus. But in contrast this side of Texas is beautiful. The dawn breaks more and more as you go north. It reveals fields of prairies, trees, and creeks. You can see a few cactuses every now and then, but they are small. You stare out the window and you spot some deer. They are spotted with big racks. They aren't babies. They are actually Sika deer native to Asia. They are beautiful deer. You don't see any babies in the herds you see. All of the herds except one ignore the traffic. The one herd leaps and bounds off into the brush. The tan and white of their butts are the last things to disappear.

You go through some small towns. Some of the towns are only a block long. Other towns are 5 miles long. Either way, when you go through them the busiest thing in town is the highway you are on. most of the streets don't have a vehicle one traveling down them. The day flys by with more small towns until you reach Texarkana, Arkansas. When you look at a map of Arkansas you notice something a little funny. They have Hope, New Hope, Delight, and Friendship.

The land is green and plentiful. It is rolling hills as far as you can see. You reach the largest city in the state, Little Rock. Little Rock is a little big city. You can't look at the city because a concrete wall is blocking your view. The wall has leaf designs on the top and is about 10 feet tall. The distraction barrier stops when you get to an exit past downtown. By now trees bloom up blocking every chance to see the city. 

Outside of town you see some land that is still damaged from flooding and winds. In one river you see a giant pile of debris. The debris includes limbs ripped off of trees and trees that have been torn out of the ground. There are also some tires and some trash caught up in the debris too. The river is still a murky brown. The trees next to the river are damaged and have watermarks from the flooding. Some watermarks are 4 feet up the tree. Along the road north you see more places where the flooding hit. You see buildings that have water marks up to there windows. Across the road there are a couple buildings being torn down. Flooding can be very devastating.

When you cross into Missouri you stop seeing the flood damage. The land is beautiful. Tall, green grass and beautiful, broad limbed trees surround you. The sun cuts through the limbs and leaves. It slowly sinks shooting its rays through the leaves at different angles. It is almost like Mother Nature's disco ball.

You stop in Cape Giraurdeau for the night. The sky is cloudy making it impossible to see the moon. A slight breeze is blowing but the night is still otherwise. A single cricket can be heard somewhere in a nearby field. The quiet warm evening helps you realize how tired you are. Your eyes are very heavy and feel like cinder blocks are tied to them. You climb into bed and don't even pull your blanket up.

Galveston

The rays of sunlight push through the crack between the curtains illuminating the hotel room with natural light. You open the curtains and look out. There is a grassy field behind the hotel which your window faces. The grass is green and bending in the ocean breeze. You take your dog out to walk her in the field. A little furry animal hops out of the grass and into a bush. You hurry over to see what it is. It scurries through the tall grass. You don't see it when it stops. It completely disappears. You figure there must be an undisclosed hole it went into. It was too big to be a rat or rabbit and looked like a ground squirrel. You give up on looking for it. The temperature is certainly already near 90 degrees. You take your dog and go back inside into the cool building. The stinging and burning as your clothes rub against your back remind you of the sunburn on your back.

You go to breakfast with your family and then go to the beach. The brown color from the ocean floor has spread further out. The water is really warm. The sun beats down on you as the temperature climbs into the triple digits. You stay out for a while. You are careful to not get sunburnt anymore than you already are. For lunch, you go to a Kroger and get some sorbet to share. On your way out, you stare out at the ocean. You count the ships that are waiting to go to the Houston ports. From what you can see there are 29 ships, big and small. You and your family sit and eat your sorbet while watching the ocean. When you're finished you go with your parents to the port. They have to go deal with work, so you tag along. You drive only a couple miles across the island, past houses on stilts. You reach the port you were at yesterday. It is fairly quiet and you don't see any freighters, but you do see the giant oil rigs. You see giant warehouses everywhere you looks. You also see some realy old factories. On the side of one, you are able to partially make out some writing of really old paint on the red brick of the building. It says "coffee factory". Above that on the same wall newer paint say "Peanut Butter Factory". It is cool to think about the old buildings getting reused instead of destroyed. Your parents are pretty quick and they finish in time for dinner and you leave the port. You drive by the old factory as you leave.

After your mom makes dinner, you go to one of the jetties at the beach. The jetty is made out of huge chunks of beautiful granite. You walk out on it looking at the ocean. Some seabirds fly around above you. Nearby, pelicans dive into the water after fish. Some come up with a beak full of water, others are lucky and get fish. The sun is starting to set and makes the ocean glow.

All fun must end, so you walk back to your parent's vehicle and climb in. It is almost dark as you drive along the coast. The sun is reflected on the water. The foam turns golden and the water turns black. You drive through the city lights. Downtown is like a midnight sun. The yellow lights are seen from miles away. Eventually, they fade away as you fall asleep.

Maximum Security

Huntsville is like any other East Texas city in the morning. There is the morning rush to work and the heat. But the one thing that sets Huntsville from the other towns is what it is home to. Huntsville is known for its maximum security prison. When you drive south on the freeway you see horses off to the left. They look, eat, and smell like any other horse. But their job is special. These horses and the ones you saw last night are owned by the prison and are law enforcement horses. They are very well trained horses. They are treated very well and have food available 24/7. They are all breeds, sizes, and colors. The morning light shines on their coats and reflects off of the dew around them. The prison looms behind them

You continue south and a massive city grows before you. There are 7 lanes for each side of the freeway. Of to your left and right small buildings that spread back to the steps of the taller buildings. In the distance, the skyscrapers of downtown start to come into view. This is Houston. It is a huge town and there is always a lot of traffic. You hit the morning rush hour. You get stuck in in the traffic for a few hours. 

Giant flags surround you. The city is straight off to your right. The sun shines off of the glossy windows. Reflections of buildings bounce off of their neighbors. Some buildings are brown, other are blue. As you head south and break out of the rush hour traffic the buildings become lost behind you, shrouded by the concrete of multiple interchanges. Below the interchanges and overpasses, homeless have tent and cardboard houses. Some of the tents are made out of blue tarps. Some of the homeless have clothes lines strung between to bush. Graffiti is on every overpass and concrete column.

You get through town and the traffic eases. A little further south you spot a large body of water, the Gulf of Mexico. The blue waves crash into the sparkling shore. You get down to Galveston and your parents drop you off while they go to the port. You and your sister walk down to the beach and mess around in the sand and water a while. The sand is gritty beneath you feet and the water is warm. The water is also brown and cloudy for 100 yards out. You parents pick you and your sister up and then you find a hotel. You spend the rest of the night at the hotel relaxing. The room is cool. You put some waters in the freezer of the small, black hotel fridge and sit back. Your mom makes a cheese burger dinner which is very satisfying. You watch the sun set outside your window. It sets behind some trees and houses. Even after the sun has set you sit there staring out at the quiet, black world. You turn back into the room and go to bed. 

IT'S ALIVE

The rest area doesn't look as creepy in the morning light. The beetles and other insects have dispersed to hide from the day. All of them that is except for the squashed. You get out and look at the bumper of your vehicle. It is covered in dried locust guts. You can only see the bumper in a couple spots. You take a walk to stretch your muscles and to start your day. As you are walking your mom spots something black. It is a fuzzy black. You get a little closer and notice it is another spider. Except this spider isn't a wolf spider, it is larger. It is a tarantula. As you get closer you notice it is actually brown with a tan. It is the Texas Brown Tarantula. They are harmless and very common. It doesn't run like the wolf spiders did last night. It simply just walks, slowly. You get closer and take pictures and a video. If only your uncle were here he would be picking it up. Then after he picked it up he would chase you with it, which you wouldn't want. You make one more loop and come back to see if the spider is still there. It is still calmly walking away as you return to the truck.

You climb back in the vehicle and leave for DFW(Dallas-Fort Worth). As you take off from the rest area you see a great deal of area destroyed by the flooding Texas has endured this year. The grass squashed like a bug with your boot. The paths in what used to be beautiful fields with lushish crops. As you look out you see what is normally a dry river bed flowing with an abundance of water. The water is several feet lower then it was, but it has ruined all of the vegitation in its wake. The more you look the more you see the damage from past tornadoes. The route you have partaken today is traveled every year by multiple tornadoes with little mercy. You start to see more structures as you flow in and out of traffic. Here the freeways dive and curve cross and plow forward with masses of motorists attempting to get to a place more important then you, so they think! As you top a large raise in the freeway you see it.  

You can see the Dallas's skyline. Skyscrapers in their glory reach towards the sun. The sun beats down on the windows. The light is reflected off of the glass windows. It is starting to get hot out already. You drive over a bridge that you drove over a couple weeks ago during the flooding. You look down at the construction equipment below. All of the flood waters have receded. It is dry and some of the equipment has water lines over 10ft high. 

You start back south again and now you're going to Houston, the largest city in Texas. It starts to get dark as you head south. You make it to Huntsville right when the sun drops completely behind the horizon but there is still light. You take you dog for a walk and see some horses. The horses are law enforcement horses. Two are close to the fence. One horse is a white Percheron, the other is a Belgian. They munch on the tall grass ignoring you and your dog. You walk back to the vehicle. It is still 100 degrees out when you climb in bed. And the cold a/c helps you fall asleep.

Another Day

Another beautiful morning starts off the day. The air is a crisp 50 degrees. You open a window and let some of the cool air in. It helps you to wake up. It feels so good compared to waking up in 80 degrees. Laramie is one of the largest towns in Wyoming, but it pales in comparison with Boise, ID. Every morning you can see deer and antelope. The animals go into hiding as the day warms up but they come back out as soon as it starts to cool again. You get in the warm vehicle. Your mom makes breakfast soon after you leave.

You travel south off of the main beaten path. It is nice to see new things and things that haven't been seen in a very long time. Shortly there is little trace of a sagebrush anywhere. The fields are mountain prairies. There are wildflowers of different colors. Some flowers are blue, others are yellow. You travel 30 miles 'til you get to Colorado. A sign welcomes you say "Welcome to Colorful Colorado". To the left and right, the land slopes down. peaks of mountains pierce into the air in the distance. It is amazing.

The landscape leads you to Fort Collins. Fort Collins is one of the largest towns in Colorado. It is home to 15 beer breweries for which it be known for. You pass an Anheuser-Busch brewery. The factory is huge. The white building is planted on what seems like 30 acres. Giant silver pipes shine in the sunlight. The reflection of the sun off one strikes you in the eyes. By the time you look to that side again the brewery is behind you. Fort Collins blends into Denver. Denver is very well renowned in the U.S. The capital is home to the Denver Broncos, National Western Stock Show, Good Luck Charlie, and more. It is a covers a huge expanse of area. The shiny skyscrapers show you where downtown is.

As you near the border of Oklahoma the grass thins out into more prairie land. In the distance, you can see the giant white blades of windmills. As you get closer they grow larger. The litter the land destroying its beauty. You don't see any animals around them. That is one pattern that hasn't changed over the years. The animals don't like the windmills. The tall white monsters kill tens of thousand of birds each year. Why we keep putting them up is a wonder. They don't help anything. They line the road and cast shadows over you as they pass. Looking up at them is like looking up at a tall building with no windows.

After the white behemoths dissapear out of sight, you continue to watch out your window. The land is pretty flat and the only trees you see are in the small towns. The grass is yellow and short. It is naturally short, not cut. You pass by Boise City, which pretty much doesn't have any trees. It is just a watering hole for travelers. A strong wind picks up and blows tumble weeds

It is dark when you cross the border into Texas. You go to the rest area in Amarillo. You climb out of your vehicle and you see something run past you. There is a giant wolf spider. It is larger than a quarter. You go over to the buildings and spot some more. One has babies on its back and another is in a corner. When you shine your phone's flashlight on it, it's eyes glow.

A Long Way To Go

The fresh morning air fills your lungs. You are out of the mountains. you are surrounded by meadows. You spot a herd of deer in a meadow. The green meadow grasses tickle their bellies. The tall pines reach their shadows across the ground toward the deer. The sun is starting to rise above the eastern hills and mountains. The rays gently warm the air. The deer stand in the light rays to get warm. Every deer has their head down, munching away on the grass that is covered in dew.

You drive past the lush meadows. There are horses that are basking in the sunlight. Their coats shimmer in the early morning light. It is a beautiful sight to behold. The trees fall away and sage brush start to take center stage. Their branches fan out from their stems. They look as though they are also reaching for the sun warm rays. You follow their directions and the path the road leads.

You stop by your grandparents place shortly and take off again. The winds help the yellow weeds to wave good-bye. A storm swells up and blocks the sun's rays. It chases you through Idaho. The sagebrushes wave as you pass by as if they are trying to escape the pending storm. You don't see animals because they are hiding from the storm. You can feel the pressure dropping slowly. A creek carves a path next to the road twisting and turning in the fields out of control. The water flows with you. It is crystal clear and you are able to see the rocks and sand at the bottom. Eventually the twisting and turning directs the creek to somewheres beyond what you can see.

The green grasses are again invaded by sagebrush and weeds. The dirt turns grey and the dust abrasive. The wind picks up again. The gusts blow the semis and RVs sideways. The headwind makes all of the vehicles on the road traveling this direction work harder. The dark grey clouds fill your mirrors. The pressure drops faster now. The first rain drop hits the windshield. Then another hits and another. The storm swallows your family's vehicle in its wrath. The land around you is covered in a grey veil of rain. The rain storms shields you from the setting sun, which you don't even notice.

The darkness of a stormy night swallows the mountains and their valleys, the animals and the plants. Everything is unseeable in a matter of minutes. You continue on until you get to Laramie. It is starting is cool when you step outside to stretch. You take a little walk before you hit the hay.

Life Without Internet

You lay in your bed a little longer. You realize you have done something that you haven't done in a long time: you slept in. You look outside and see a little restaurant. The building has obviously seen many years pass by. The old wood on the outside is stained from rains and other things life has thrown at it. You are just stopping for a short breakfast. After all, you want to get to your grandparent's today. You go inside and eat breakfast and leave.

You take a backroad to travel through the rest of Washington. You follow the Columbia River. It takes you through forests, by meadows, and farms. You pass by a nuclear facility. The fences that surround the facility are tall with razor blade wire at the top. And the fences are electric to deter anyone who would like to trespass. Signs on the fences warn people of radioactivity in the area. It is cool to see, but it also seems a little precarious. You're a little relieved to watch it disappear behind you. Before you exit the state you see sheep with their guard, a Great Pyrenees, sitting watch. The big white dog and the sheep remind you of Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog. One of the best cartoons. They don't make cartoons like that anymore. Life was simpler back then and families stuck together. It isn't like that now.

Your mind drifts back to the present moment. You are passing a field black cows and a couple roan horses. The sky is a brilliant light blue above them. The clouds are big and fluffy, like cotton candy. It's like a living jigsaw puzzle that has been completed. Your thoughts fly with the clouds now. They wander from topic to topic; people and animals, past and present. A large black Chevy pickup passes by. It's jack up and blocks your view of the road ahead of you until it is gone. As soon as they are gone that is the last you'll see of them, just like the clouds. You reach fields of crops. Most consist of corn. The stalks are almost 4 feet tall already.


You cross the border and pass through Lewiston. It is hard to believe this town used to be the capital of Idaho. The little town and its industrial buildings and factories whiz by. You head south on Hwy 95. The trees swallow the road and shade everything under them from the sun. The shadows are long as it is already late afternoon. You pass breaks in the forest which open up to lush green meadows. In one meadow, you see an elk standing in the tree line.

The are silhouetted at dusk. The stars are already visible. They are beautiful and as the sun falls from the sky they multiply exponentially. In the last gleam of light from the sun you spot a hawk on its nest. A protector in the night.

It is dark when you get to New Meadows, which doesn't leave many things for you to do. Looking out the window you can see the dark figures that stand still like tall forest knights. The trees hide the moon and its light. You haven't seen another vehicle in quite a while. The loneliness makes you sleepy. The motion of the vehicle makes you fall asleep right where your at,

The Days Go By

It is early when you open your eyes. You lay in your bed a little longer. It's already getting warm out. It is definitely going to be a hot day. The sun is still behind the distant mountains. The warm rays cover the yellow land around you with a beautiful orange. The orange envelopes everything. You take a couple shots with your camera then you go inside and eat breakfast.  It's much cooler in the house than out in that hot sunlight. The dogs are over playing in their pool. The temperature is already in the 80s and still rising.

You look at the land that sprawls out before you. The plants, even weeds, are all yellow. The land is parched from the ongoing drought. The reservoir up the road used to always run over the interstate nearby. But ever since the drought struck the waters have receded. It gets worse though. The reservoir has a leak so it holds very little water. Usually by August the reservoir is completely dried up. The drought has also run all wild animals out of the area, except for rabbits, birds, snakes, and some coyotes. The drought has also brought the land around you a major setback. Because the land is so dry, it is very susceptible to wildfires. Just a single spark from two pieces rock hitting each other could start a raging fire that destroys hundreds of acres.

The yellow fields of the plants look like a yellow slate table. There is no wind so nothing moves. The leaves on the nearby trees don't even shudder. You walk over to the water hydrant and let the hot water run out of the green rubber hose onto the dry powdered dirt. When the water becomes cool, you drink some and pour it over your head. Well water has always tasted better than county water. Plus, the coolness on your head feels so good and makes you feel refreshed. Your sister found some extra water balloons from last time and asks you to help her fill them. You fill a bucket with balloons and wait for your parents to find you. Your sister throws a balloon at your brother, but it doesn't burst on impact. Instead, the balloon bounces off and only bursts after it hits the ground. Your uncle throws one at your dad and again the balloon bounces off. Your dad grabs his side. He then grabs a balloon and aims for you. You don't notice until you feel a pain as if someone just slapped you hard on your lower back. It stings for a short time. The sting turns into a light ache, The balloons keep bouncing off everyone, so you change tactics. You run up behind your dad and pop a balloon over his head. The water soaks him. The fight continues until the artillery runs out.

The water keeps everyone cool while they work. You stay for a couple hours and visit. The temperature just keeps getting hotter. You go over to a hydrant soak your head in the cool water. You finish up your work and must get going. You say your goodbyes and get your dog in the vehicle. The hot air is stifling in the vehicle until the a/c cools. You wave goodbye as the vehicle starts rolling. The ocean of yellow swallows your vehicle. The dry weeds fly by and grasshoppers leap at the car. Your sister has her window open and one of the insects gets in. She rolls her window up a little and throws the thing back out and rolls her window up the rest of the way. The windows, block the heat from coming in. But nothing stops the drying and yellowing of the land.

The land is dry until you get past Boise and into the farmland. Staring at the farmland that keeps shrinking makes you think. A question pops into your head: why do they keep building on the farmland and not out where your grandparent's house is. You pass through the cities and towns. The sky is stormy and every now and then it sprinkles. The gray sky begets a dreary atmosphere all around you. The wind is blowing, which causes the trees you pass to reach towards the west. You push westward with the wind.

The wind dies down and the trees are still when you enter Oregon. The land is still dry. The whole west coast is being affected by the huge drought. You see people with piles of hay and prices per bale are high. It used to be $5 a bale, now it is $8 and up. Horses stand in barren fields in the hot sun. Some of the horses sleep other munch on the yellow weeds. The land starts to gain some green after you get past Baker City. There are fields of hay, alfalfa, grain, and other crops. You see a couple deer out in a field eating some crops. They don't seem to pay any attention to the world around them. But they actually take in every detail. You pass by fields of horses and see a baby running around. You see another horse standing under a sprinkler to get cool. You wouldn't mind joining it under the sprinkler. You get to La Grande where you meet your other grandfather at a restaurant. You sit and talk for an hour until you must leave again.

After you leave the sunsets over lush green fields of grapes, orchards, and grain. It's dark in no time and the moon is nowhere to be seen. You stop in Ellensburg, Washington. The air is still warm. And you're grateful for the cold a/c. It blows across your skin. The cool air relaxes you, and you don't notice when you fall asleep.

The Shriviling Land

A bump in the road shakes you to awareness. The sky is blue with a few scattered clouds. Your sister is still sound asleep. You quietly get dressed and sneak up front to watch out the windows. The sun is shining bright behind you. The fireball sits in the sky as if it was placed there to light your way. There are hills in the distance that are blanketed in clouds. Some of the clouds fall over the mountains like marshmallow fluff over ice cream.

You sit up front and watch the sagebrush and hills that surround you. Sometimes when the hills fall away, you can see far distant mountains. You sister wakes up and your mom makes breakfast. All the while you are still watching the land. It looks the same. The asymmetrical shapes of the hills, the sagebrush, the gaps between the brush filled with weeds. You see plenty of antelope. Some are big bucks with horns like forked spears jutting from their heads. Others are ladies with their young hiding nearby or running around.  Also along the way you see a giant hole next to the freeway. It is a giant coal mine. And it is home to one of the largest cranes. The hole is a couple hundred feet deep, but the boom of the crane can easily be seen. When a Tonka Toy is parked next to it, the tonka toy looks like an actual kids toy. It is amazing to see how massive the crane actually is. It makes you feel tiny.

You get off the freeway and start driving along Hwy 30. The highway allows you to avoid Salt Lake City and it's traffic. It also allows you to see more beauty. When you start on it, you know you are getting close to Idaho because grass is starting to pop up between all of the sagebrush. The grass gets greener and more abundant as you follow the winding road. You see a couple deer hiding in the brush next to a small creek. You pass over a large creek and it is beautiful. The water is clear and you can see the water-smoothed rocks in the bottom.  You follow the creek around bends and past farms with dilapidated barns. You follow it into Idaho. The hills rise up on either side of you and gently roll by. You stop and eat dinner at The Ranch Hand in Montpelier. This town was home to a bank that Butch Cassidy robbed. It is a small town but peaceful and very pretty.

You reach the main interstate head west. It is starting to get late and then the sun begins slowly falling. You pass through Pocatello and Twin Falls. You also pass over the Snake River twice. It winds through the country cutting deep gorges. Black rocks make the walls rugged and dangerous. The monster leaves you behind. The sun starts setting and the sky becomes a fiery orange and red. They mix and there is an array of reddish hues. The red lingers until the sun is fully behind the Earth.

Explosion of Colors

A radio warning wakes you up. You're in Oak Grove, Missouri, which just happens to be under a flood watch even though the sky is clear. You have had flood watches and warnings ever since you left Atlanta, GA. Your mom makes breakfast as you travel through Kansas City. The city is much smaller than St. Louis, so you get out pretty quick. You head north past more farms. The fields you pass by are carpeted by millions of corn stalks that are still dark green with life. The fields roll on and on. They stay like this even when you enter Iowa. But shortly after you change interstates you spot herds of horses with foals. All of the foals are from this year. They are different colors, like Jelly Bellys. Some are laying down, other prance around playing with the others. It is the cutest thing you have seen all day. You spot another field sith more horses and foals down the road a little ways. One of the foals drinks from its mother as you pass by. The cuteness holds you until you exit the state.

No matter where you go in Nebraska, outside the big cities, it is green, rolling pastures and fields of crops. Some of the fields have rows and rows of round hay bales. You see antelope and a couple deer feeding off the hay bales which are easy food. There are also some just eating the fresh grass near timber.
They look so pretty in the green fields eating the grass not caring about the vehicles on the freeway. They look surreal. There are so many fields of corn the flow by like green waves of a calm ocean. It is very soothing and relaxing. You open the window and let the fresh air of the outdoors in. Slowly the sky starts to get cloudy and gray. You close the window when you smell the rain coming. It rains modestly. It is not heavy but more than a sprinkle. It is cold and contrasts to the almost triple digit heat. It slows and ultimately stops before you get to Wyoming. Before you cross over the border you see a giant statue of Mary. She stands near the freeway accompanied by crosses. It's as though she is there to send a prayer over every traveler that passes. The statue becomes hidden behind a hill.

You cross into Wyoming and see on a small bluff overlooking the freeway is the head of Lincoln. The golden brass colored head reminds you of honesty and the things you learned about the president during history class. You pass the honest man and watch out the window as Wyoming passes by. Most of the southern part of the state is home to the invasive sagebrush. It smells goo when you rub it on your hands and makes homes for many creatures. They are like the tide to the ocean of green you just saw in Nebraska.

Part of the Grand Finale

Your dad stops in the capital of Wyoming, Cheyenne. Unlike other cities around the U.S., they are doing their fireworks tonight. You park on a hill at a truck stop, that looks down on the city. You and family watch a couple of tv shows until it gets dark. You pause the show when you start to see the cities fireworks. They explode one at a time and concurrently. There are some that are red, white, and, blue. Others are purple, pink, and silver. They sparkle and fade out as they fall back down to the Earth from their heights in the sky. The light the sky with their colors. Their explosions are like the multiple pops of a group of people firing different guns at the same time. The fireworks are miles away and you see the fireworks 4 seconds before you hear them. Everybody's eyes are hooked on them. Not one gaze strays away. The fireworks reach their peak when the grand finale starts. There are fountains and waterfalls of color. Every second there is a new color and everyone is beautiful. The show ends shortly. The colors fade into the darkness of the sky. Only a faint gray smoke is left behind. But the colors don't fade from your mind until you fall to sleep.

Beginning of the Colors

When you step outside the air is humid from yesterday's rain. The pavement is almost dry. The green foliage has dew on it. You yawn a couple times and wipe the sleep out of your eyes. The sky is partially cloudy. You can see wisps of blue between some of the clouds. You see some geese flying west. There V-shaped squadron flys away without any interruption. Your family goes into the truck stop and you grab breakfast to go.

Shortly after you leave you have you go over a hill. As you descend the hill you can see the soft white of fog slowly dissipating. It is like a ghost disappearing. As it disappears it reveals the green trees. The trees look fake, as though they are out of a fairytale. You go around a corner and into the fog. It isn't thick so you are able to see everything in front of you.

You pass beautiful forests and babbling creeks. You go through Music City, aka Nashville.

You enter Kentucky and pass, Land Between the Lakes and Kentucky Lake. Kentucky Lake is the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi River. It is world renowned for its fishing. Land Between the Lakes is a large recreation area between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. The land is beautiful and you can always see deer and other wildlife. Kentucky is also well known for its hunting. The beautiful land that you see around you produces trophy deer, some bigger than Idaho's.

You see mostly woods after you pass the lakes until you get to Illinois. When you enter Illinois you pass over the Ohio River and into Metropolis. Metropolis is home to a 4000lb Superman. When you see him he towers over you like a giant. You have seen him many times. You pass through without stopping. Illinois is mostly rolling hills. To your left and right, you see family farms. Most of the farm have multiple fields that are growing corn. The country looks very peaceful. You reach St. Louis and cross over the Big Muddy or what's commonly known as the Mississippi River. The river, as expected, is red with mud. The Gateway Arch is visible before you reach the river and welcomes you to Missouri.

St. Louis is a big city and when there is construction going on it takes a while longer to get out. The majority of the city is set on the waterfront. As you get away from the river you see smaller buildings and some areas that your are glad that you are traveling through during the day. Some areas around St. Louis are a little sketchy. They aren't too suitable for travelers that don't know better. You finally get out of town and are back in the peaceful countryside. Everything you see is picture perfect. The little houses with the red barns set to the side with a silo or two make you smile at yourself. You follow the farms and fields of crops and cows until you reach Columbia, MO. Your parents stop in and go into a hardware store. While outside you and your sister spot a hot air balloon. Then slowly another one rises above some trees. The balloons slowly move away after you snap a few pictures. The multiple colors mixed with green and gold engrained in your mind.

After you leave you see some flooding.  The sun is setting and makes for a beautiful scene. You go over another river and the sun's reflection leaves and orange glow everywhere. The water looks golden. The gold fades into black as the sun sinks below the horizon. You reach Kansas City a while later and you can see fireworks all around you. Multiple colors glow in your vehicle as the silent fireworks explode outside. They fade away as you fall into a deep sleep.