Mountains and Prairies

Miles City is quiet in the morning. The streets are quiet and most people seem to still be asleep. It is rather chilly out and you require a sweatshirt. You eat at a local restaurant and then leave. You leave the sleepy town and it's few residents behind. After you get outside of town you see horses and cattle but no wildlife. The land is yellow with the occasional sagebrush. You drive through many reservations with Crows, Sioux, Kiowa, and Cheyenne. The buildings on the reservations are new but aren't cared for. Horses graze in front yards with the goats and chickens. A dog runs down the side of the highway. The last reservation you go through is the Crow. It stops before you get to Billings. Billings is the largest city in Montana, but it has less than half the population of Boise. You go into town from the desert and sagebrush side and exit town through fields of green crops and yellow weeds. The mixed color of the landscape and its different terrains remind you of FruitLoops. The thought makes you hungry. You make a snack and go back to staring out the window. Green and yellow fields pass by.

Finally, you get to Idaho. You travel down the highway through the farming communities. Nearly every farm has a tractor in the yard. You wind south and the land turns to an ocean of sagebrush. You pass Atomic City and Arco known for the National Nuclear Laboratory. You also pass through Craters of the Moon. The sagebrush grows through ancient lava flows. It is a rough area and many people find it tough to navigate. Many people who try to conquer the land get lost in its maze.

The land starts to get hazy and you start to smell smoke. As you get closer to Mountain Home the smoke has thickened. You can barely see 3 miles. The thinks smell lays heavy on the earth around you. It is a yellowish-brown haze that blankets the land. It is a giant cloud of health hazardous, pollution.

As the sun sets the smoke in the air is given a beautiful red color. The air around you is filled with the final warm orange glow of the day. When the sun's last ray is behind the horizon the stars start to become more visible. You can even tell how smokey the air is when the sky grows dark. You get to your grandparents and decide to sleep outside for the night. A perfect ending for the perfect summer trip. The stars twinkle and sparkle in the sky. The smoke gives them even more colors tonight. A star falls from the sky with a long white tail trailing behind. It is gone in a flash. Nobody else outside with you saw it. It is your own shooting star. A beauty of power, science, and nature.


Final Memoir: I hope you enjoyed my blog. It is important for everyone to remember life goes by faster than a shooting star. Remember the good times, for the cold truth is you will never get them back. Cameras allow us the privilege to capture these moments. People may be frozen in time in pictures, but you are still alive and breathing as you look at them. Hold on to the precious things. And also remember sometimes you have to drop what you're doing and enjoy life because if you don't you are just wasting yours. Take your family and travel somewheres, whether it be 5 miles away to a diner or a fair. Make life fun and always, always remember to laugh.

The Prairies of North Dakota

You leave Duluth as the sun rises over the water below. It is an amazing sight, but you are not offered  a spare second for a picture. The sun makes the water turn into liquid gold. The boats turn into black silhouettes as they float on the calm water. You can smell the water on the crisp morning air. It is one of those mornings when you would like to drift like those boats.

Outside of the small, quiet towns, the fields are lush and green. Early morning dew sits in the strands of grass. In almost every field there's a pond. Also along the route you see many lakes. There are also cows or horses in every field. You see farmers working their fields. Some use horses, others use tractors. It is beautiful now, but the winters are harsh and severely cold. The cold seeps into your bones and your nostril hairs freeze together with every breath. Luckily, it is warm and sunny right now.You open your window to the fresh morning air. You're able to breathe easy. The air smells of fresh cut grass and there is even a hint of water.

You make it through MinLittle House on the Prairie.
nesota and into North Dakota. Before you get into the prairie land you must go through Fargo. Fargo is one of the largest towns in North Dakota. The town doesn't have any tall buildings. It is mostly made up of small businesses and homes. After you get out of town the buildings drop out of sight and the prairies begin. The fields are all beautiful. They have tall, wispy grass. The yellow-green fields roll across the state. Trees grow in the ravines and along creek beds. It is like a scene out of

Taken by @american_rugbier

You stop in Bismarck, the capital. You stop at the Space Aliens Grill and Bar. The restaurant is alien themed and has sci-fi collectibles inside. It is really cool and a fun place to eat. In the bathroom, they have posters with an alien photoshopped into a picture with Bill Clinton. Whoever did it made it look very realistic. You grab some food there and stare at all of the toys and figurines. Space ships, rockets, and UFOs of every size, shape, and color litter the shelves. Some are encased in glass boxes, others stand on the top of partitions in the open air. 

When you leave, the UFO is the last thing you see in town. The prairies outside town continue. There are sparse trees and an occasional small herd of Pronghorn. You watch cute, tan prairie dogs scurry about, popping in and out of their ground dwellings. The sights are amazing and look as though they were taken out of a picture book and placed there. As you get close to the state line the fields turn into fields of sagebrush and small trees. The prairie dogs vanish for the evening.

You enter Montana as it starts to get dark. This is about the time the deer come out so you have to be more cautious. You are just about to Miles City when it becomes completely dark. You park in a pull off just outside of town. You walk your dog and you can hear the coyotes howling. Their howls seem excited and gibberish. The moon more than half lit. It emits a soft glow that makes you even more tired than you already are. A soft breeze gently moves your hair. It is cool and smells of sagebrush and dust. 

As you lay in bed in a dreamlike state the smells swirl around you. The gray ceiling dims out and you are out like a light.

Land of Ten Thousand Lakes

You leave the city of Omaha in your rearview mirror. The lights of the city fade away into the dark morning. The eastern sky is an iridescent array of pink and orange. The peachy color floods the sky and fades into a dark, deep blue in the west. After an excellent nights sleep everything seems to be more vivid in color. The grass is greener, the barns are beaming red, and the sun is even brighter yellow. Puffy clouds sit in the sky like whipped marshmellows plumped in spots here and there.

You follow the freeway to Iowa. You enter through Council Bluffs, which is rather small compared to Des Moines and Omaha. It is quiet and you pass mostly semis. It looks like even the farms are still asleep, except for one where an old farmer rides on his red Farmall tractor.

After you get out of town everything except for the freeway is still. The green corn crops line the freeway like armies of soliders in different formations. A light fog sits overs the fields. Horses graze and cows chew their cud. A dog runs amok with a toddler chasing after him. 

You avoid the hassle of going through Des Moines and take some back roads around. The little towns are quaint and cheery. They are so small everyone knows everything about everyone else. Shopkeepers arrive early to get theiron businesses ready for the day. In one town you pass through you see a group of old men sitting in a diner.

The highway ends at the freeway north of

Des Moines.  A little while later you reach Minnesota. The "Land of Ten Thousand Lakes" is green everywhere. The grass is shorter and the trees are thinner. You stop in Minneapolis and go to the Mall of America for lunch and walk around  for an hour or so. The mall is 5 stories tall and has hundreds of stores. After you are finished you hit the road again. You pass many lakes and ponds as the nickname sugests.

The land goes dark and all of the dark farmland around you allows you to see the beautiful night sky. Beautiful stars fill the night sky. There is only a sliver of moon that floats in the sky. The stars are amazing and light up the land to some extent. You can make out the shadows of tall trees and fields of crops. You also make out small, black herd of cattle. You make out shadows of vehicles, farm equipment, buildings, and grain silos. Memories of your grandfather's old farm boil to the top of your conscience. It seems like only a week ago you were visiting him on the farm. Time flys so fast. After all he is gone and in just a couple days you will be starting your senior year of high school. It seems like so many of us waste our lives worrying over the smallest of details, but we miss the big ones. It comes back to haunt us. We all have ghosts, our pasts. You start to feel drowsy. You try to watch, but there is a hidden force shutting your eyes. You fall asleep while your parents are still driving.

Wide Open Prairie

You wake up to find yourself in Glenwood Springs. When you leave town you head toward Rockies. The forest is mostly filled with pines. You pass small towns that pop up to your left and right. The hills looks similar to western Washington or eastern Idaho. There are grazing fields for horses and cattle with grass that only reacges up to their ankles. Soon you start to climb one of the mountains.  Pine trees are accompanied by rocks and short sagebrush. A forest develops along side of the freeway as you drive deeper into the Rockies.

You descend the Rockies and down into Denver. Traffic is moving fast and you You get through town quick, because you aren't held up by traffic. The houses and arpartment buildings, warehouses and office buildings fly by. Their signifigance to you is minimal. From seeing it before, they don't seem to reach out to your curiosity. You get out of town and the land opens up to prairies. You see some blue and yellow wildflowers here and there. The only animals you see are antelope. You see a couple herds but most are laying do hiding.

You enter Nebraska. Nebraska is relatively flat. It is all prairie land and the trees are pretty sparse. The grass is a greenish-yellow. Most of the fields are occupied by corn crops. There are plenty of ponds and creeks. Some of the ponds are small and the size of a car while others are a little smaller than a lake. In some timber along a creek you spot 5 mule deer. 2 of the deer are this years fawns. They are fat and their coarse hair is thick. As you go by they look up and take of into the timber. They disappear into the thick timber in the blink of an eye.

Time flys by faster than the land outside your window. The grass of the prairie, farms, and fields of crops occupy the land. You go through Sidney which is home to the headquarters for Cabela's. The store they have in town has a stuffed real elephant among many other animals. Most of the taxidermied animals in the store have been donated and are legal kills or salvaged animals. The headquarters sit right next to the store. It is a giant building. As you go by on the freeway you can see the giant green bold name on the side of the building. The store has a giant panoramic window that faces the freeway. Inside you can see boats and cutomers. They are oblivious to the things going on outside the window. From your point it is like looking into some else's life.

You pass more Cabela's in other towns. They all compare in size, shape and color. They are almost exact mirror reflections except for their locations. They sky clouds up and the blue disappears as the clouds pass by.  You don't see any more deer but you do see plenty of ducks siting in ponds and geese destined for some unknown. They honk as they go overhead in their forward arrowhead pattern. When you pass through York you see a water tower or something similar of to the side. It is shaped and painted like a hot air balloon. It has stripes that are multiple colors. And in the center is the town name. It is like a mascot for the town greeting people to town.

You continue to travel and it seems as though the state is never going to end. The fields and fields of corn are amazing. It is no wonder why this state is nicknamed the "Cornhusker State". When you near Lincoln the sun starts to set. The sunset over the corn behind you is beautiful. The rays delicately reach out to everything around you and give their last bit of warmth before the darkness engulfs them. 

You watch cars and semis pass in the night. Their headlights and taillights pierce the darkeness and make it hard to see the stars. Eventually a glow illuminates the horizon. The glow turns into lights which grow larger and larger until you are swallowed by the city. Omaha is is the largest city in Nebraska and the one place your are the most excited to see today. Yes, seeing the land and its beauty was amazing and exciting but the city means you are closer to the border. You park at a truckstop for the night. Sleep overwhelms you and you are fast asleep.

What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas(Except for Your Memories)

You wake up early to watch the sunrise. The city is still up in its wide array of colors. The sun rises behind the city, silhouetting the buildings in town. You are able to see every part of the city. From here you can see the strip. The Rio is the most obvious as it is the closest. The sign that is lit up at night sits on the building is now off. You can tell the Mirage from the others with its golden windows and white concrete sides. Behind everything are the hills. Down in the parking lot, you can see your parents vehicle. Eventually, the bright rays are too much to bare and you turn back into the cool room. You pack your suitcase and help take everything down to the vehicle. When you get down to the car 

Rights belong to golftrips.com

You leave town and hit the open road. The black asphalt road winds through the vast desert until you reach Arizona. The land around you starts to turn red. You are in Arizona for less than an hour. The land around you is a beautiful shade of rusty red. Green sage brushes pop up here and there in the rocks or on plateaus. You cross into Utah and a short time later reach St. George. As you descend the hill you see a thin haze above the normally clear city. The haze is smoke that has been blown into the valley. The valley is surrounded by beautiful red hills. They look like giant piles of melting red ice cream.

You continue through the red land passing the famous Zion National Park. You travel through "The Beehive State" watching out the window the whole time. You pass through many small towns on your route. You drop into valleys and river basins and top out on plateaus looking out over the land. It is beautiful and breathtaking.

The red rocks even flow into Colorado until you reach the Rocky Mountains. When you get to Grand Junction the land is still red but the sun is starting to set. The sun setting over the land is picturesque. The land around you gets dark fast. First shadows fill canyons and ravines. Then a shadow cloaks everything in the darkness of night. The last thing you see, before you fall asleep, is the city of Glenwood Springs.

Las Vegas

When you open your eyes the sun is gently rising to caress the land around you with its golden rays. The rays paint the land a brilliant yellow. As you pass through town You see signs advertising tours of the courthouse, tours of silver mines and turquoise mines, and museums. As you leave town you inch closer to Vegas.

The land outside of town is complete desert. It is made of dry, brown dirt that is packed tighter together than a crowd at a Superbowl. Small bushes are scattered all over. They pop up through the dirt and through cracks in the dirt. 

When you are about 2 hours out a sign catches your eye. It is a sign pointing the way to the small town of Mercury. In other words you are close to the famed Area 51. One of the most controversial places on the planet. The whole place is underground except for a few warehouses here and there. And only people assigned to the individual warehouses know what is going on in those warehouses. Other than those warehouses and a tall fence you would never know it was out there. The rest is acres upon acres and miles upon miles of desert. 

The brown desert blurs together with the rest of the fast-moving world outside your window. The land lays flat out in front of you. And soon you see the city of Las Vegas. A sign welcomes you to the town of casinos. The city used to be family oriented at one time, but now it is mostly a gambling town. Tonight you are going to be staying at the Orleans. It is a giant hotel that is Mardi-Gras themed. Besides slot machines it has a bowling alley and a movie theater in it. On your way to the hotel you pass the Las Vegas Speedway.

You get off the freeway at Flamingo Blvd exit. You go to the hotel to check in. When you step into the building you are consumed by your curiosity. You look all around with and excited air about you. The main theme colors are purple, green, and gold. On the ceiling masks are painted on and enlarged models are hanging. Slot machines make a million sounds around you. People sit at them, so concentrated on them they don't notice the real world. Other people at the slots enjoy free liquor while they play. The slots are organized to some extent. They are grouped up by the name and price. All of the slots have their prices on top in big bold colorful font. Some say 1 cent, others say $1.
You go to the hotel desk with your mom to check in while your dad and sister stand in the hallway out of traffic.

Southward Leading

You leave Klamath Falls before the birds start to sing. The beautiful green coniferous forest looks quiet and inviting, but you just ignore it and keep traveling. Like every other human being on the planet, you have places to go and people to see. Hopefully, you will be able to come back soon. The memories from yesterday will forever be etched in your mind.

The sun rises slowly and reveals beautiful green pastures. It is true sometimes people do need to slow down and see the beauty of the country outside of the cities. And if they have to travel to do so, it might turn out to be an adventure of a lifetime. You pass over a

The road winds through national forests and unmarked forests. You pass by many babbling brooks and you even spot a couple does. The land is dry, but it is beautiful. How sad that so much land is being burnt. Over 90 fires are ablaze on the west coast burning up the beautiful land and amazing creatures. The animals are losing their homes and their lives. 

When you enter California, the road curves east and then continues to wind south. The beautiful forests are dry and the grass is starting to yellow. The further south you drive the more yellow and dry the land gets. The incredible toll the drought has taken on this land is unbelievable. You start to smell smoke and the air gets hazy from fires nearby. The smell of burning timber is immense. The yellow haze seems to float just above the ground and avoid the trees. You look out the window and see cigarette butts lying on the side of the road where people have thrown them. It is amazing people are so careless and don't seem to realize just one partially lit butt can cause a 300,000 acre fire.

As you descend out of the mountains and hills, the smoke becomes thinner and eventually you can't even smell it. The haze is completely gone when you reach Nevada. You reach Reno where you stop and get a snack of peach rings and a slushy. Most definitely a sugary snack, but sometimes it's a must. The city is another casino town. There are plenty of casinos to go around. One of the biggest is Boomtown. This casino has its own section for kids to play in while the parents are away gambling. It is complete with carnival rides and arcade games. The casino is joined to the kid area by a wide hallway. Inside the casino area, the slot machines make so much noise. They ding, sing, and ca-ching. 

You leave town and head south toward Las Vegas on Hwy 95. You don't spy any animals and the land becomes barren. There are some sagebrushes here and there, but mostly it is hard compacted dirt. The you feel the sun's warmth as it becomes parallel to you. It sinks behind the western hills. You feel exhausted. You watch the stars in the sky. Not many cars pass by so you view goes pretty well uninterrupted. You make it to Tonopah, which is know as the best star gazing city. Outside of town without any lights around you can see the milky way and over ten thousand suns. It is a beautiful sight and is like a dream. Tonight you will sleep well in the desert night.

Northward Bound

The morning ocean breeze is warm and blows through the streets of town. There are cars on every street, but traffic is moving fast. You get out of town and drive through San Francisco.  As is typical when you go over the Bay Bridge fog is resting on the water. It lays there on top of the bay like a fluffy pillow. The water is dark blue straight below you. A sailboat emerges from under the bridge. An early riser up for an early morning sail.

At the end of the bridge is a giant prison with more than three fences covered in barbed wire and razor wire. It is San Quentin State Prison. It is a maximum security prison known for many notorious criminals, including some serial killers. The prison is large enough that it has its own baseball field for the prisoners. When you pass by you wonder how people could be so cold, to be in there.

Outside of the buzz of city traffic you start to enter farming communities. you see many farm fields that are supposed to be filled with crops but aren't. They are barren from any plants. The drought is devastating to the area and most of the state of California. The toll it is taking on farmers and ranchers is even worse. As you travel further north you start to see an orange haze in front of you. No, it is not your eyes. It is smoke from the large fires. You drive through the forested areas and through the big pines. The trees are beautiful and they produce pine cones as big as an arm. But all of the plants below them are dry and yellow.

You pass over Shasta Lake. The water level is very low. From here you can see the peak of a volcano. As you get closer you see it is Mount Shasta. The mountain is not covered with snow right now. And as the sun gets lower it shines directly on the face of the mountain. It illuminates every crevasse, ravine, and valley. Nothing has a shadow over it on the face. You pass the giant mountain and stare at it as you go. It is made of Earth and all off its power could potentially blow its face right off. You go around a curve and the mountain is concealed by another hill.

You make it into Oregon and the haze disappears as if it was never around. You continue to drive straight north for Klamath Falls. It gets dark and in the woods when it is dark, it's dark. You round a corner and your headlights spotlight a deer on the shoulder. Luckily, instead of running into the road the deer runs into the shelter of the dark timber. You spot a couple more deer which all take off after you pass. You safely make it up to Klamath Falls and find a motel to stay in. It is a small motel but decent. You don't pay much attention to the outside of the building because you are so tired. you get into the room and crash on the bed. Half asleep you struggle to pull the blankets down and pull them over you.

Santa Cruz

You drive down to Santa Cruz early in the morning to skip out on rush hour traffic. California interstates and highways always have quite a few cars on the road even though the sky is still pink. They are the state that never sleeps. Ahead of you the city of Santa Cruz still has a dark sky above it. I grows lighter and lighter as you get closer and closer. You roll down your window and a fresh, cool breeze blows in. It feels good on your face.

You reach town and immediately go to the beach. The smell of sea water lingers in the air as you get closer to the beach. You park and get out. The views are amazing. You walk along the side walk for a little bit and take some picturea. 

You get back in your vehicle and find a hotel. You get a room and take your stuff up. It is a nice hotel with the typical accommodations. You slip your swimsuit on and slip somemail shorts on. 

You go back to the beach. The blue ocean water is cool to the touch. The sun beats down and keeps the air warm. The sand is grittier than Florida beaches. But it is fun to dig your toes in.

You find a spot to lay down. Eventually you fall asleep.

You head back to the hotel to relax. The warm shower is welcoming. You finish up and watch T.V.

As the night moves in you decide to take a walk to the beach. An evening breeze blows through the streets filling the night with the smell of the sea. You take your sweatshirt from around you waist and put it on.

Reno to San Fran

The sun follows you as you head for the foothills. Reno falls away behind you as you near the hills. You cross the border into California. Mountains loom up in front of you at the end of the desert floor. The land off to either side of you is brown sandy desert. It is the type of desert that can easily develop mirages. You start to climb in elevation as you leave the desert. As you climb the first bit of foliage you see is shrubbery which develops into a thick forest. You enter Tahoe National Forest. You have to ascend and descend a few mountains.

The most infamous hill is Donner Pass. Donner Pass takes the longest to go up and is very steep. It is named after a group of pioneers named the Donner Party. The pioneers met a tragic end on the pass. They were convinced by a wagon train leader that he knew a shortcut through the mountains. Sadly, winter was fast approaching. When the party reached the peak, a storm blew in and buried the mountain in more than 6 feet of snow. It killed everyone in the party which included children.

The mountains are covered in beautiful tall pine trees. The trees produce pine cones 2 feet tall. There is a rest stop at the top and you stop there to stretch your legs. The air is much thinner and cleaner up here than in Reno. It is hot but enjoyable. A short time later you get back on the road and start your descent.

You reach the bottom of the mountains and leave the Tahoe National Forest. The land is yellow and has some spots of green.The drought has starved the land of water and causing a high chance for fires.You travel through some small towns and a short while later reach Sacramento. The land becomes a lush green. You pass over a beautiful river that is lined with beautiful trees. You can see downtown a couple miles away. It reminds you a lot of Boise, just bigger.

You leave the green city behind and head for San Francisco. It only takes about an hour and a half to reach the home of the Golden Gate. You pass a Six Flags off to you right when you enter Vallejo. After that, to both sides of the freeway are acres and acres of houses. It is like a giant subdivision. You hop onto a bridge and are able to look out at San Fransisco Bay. The bay is is beautiful. The water isn't clear but it shines like dark blue crystal glass.

The Salt Flats

To the north and east, there are mountains and hills. To the south and west, the land is flat. The foothills and mountains look barren in the morning light. As you leave town the tall build shrink into small businesses which turn into shrink into houses. You pass row houses, retirement communities, and large subdivisions. Off to your right, you see the Great Salt Lake. The water shimmers and the sun's reflection off of the lake hits you directly in the eyes. The blinding light makes you turn away. You think about the stories that your father has told you about the lake. The thought of them make you smile to yourself. The memories made while traveling make some of the biggest impressions.

Bonneville Salt Flats by Drax Felton

You watch the lake disappear behind you. You come upon the Bonneville Salt Flats. The Bonneville Salt Flats are exactly what the name suggests. They are 46 square miles of salt crust. In some places, the crust is 5 feet thick. The Bonneville Salt Flats are not only known for the salt. They are also known for being used by racers to test the fastest cars in the world. The world's fastest land speed was actually set here. The land is white on every side of you. You stop at the rest area and get out to touch the salt. The grains aren't fine like table salt. The size of the grains vary. It is very gritty. There are tons of places where people have written their names or drew things in the salt. You walk around and look at the white landscape. Mountains form a backdrop to the northwest.

You climb back in your vehicle and start towards Nevada. The washed out scene pass by rather quickly and you soon find yourself crossing the border into Nevada. The "Silver State" is not so much silver as its nickname suggests. It is more sagebrush and dirt medley. Mountains grow and fall on the horizon. The land is as flat as a pancake and dryer than the Sahara Desert. The sagebrush here are short and stubby. The dirt is dry and the dust is abrasive. There is a slight wind blowing across the land but not enough to sway vehicles. The land bakes under the sun's unforgiving rays. Even when the darkness finally envelops the land, the heat remains. The land remains unchanged except for the fact you can't see it. You see a glow in the distance. The glow of city lights grow larger. They are the lights of Reno and Sparks. You come into town and a dozen casino signs stand in next to the freeway lit up in multiple colors. You stop at a truck stop to sleep tonight.

Alligator Alley

You wake up to palm trees swaying in a warm morning breeze outside your window. In the distance you can see some clouds gathered on the horizon. You look out at the city around you. The sun is still rising from visiting the other side of the planet. The city is waking from its slumber and lights start to go on in the houses across the street. Your sister wakes up and you go downstairs and get a bite to eat. You go back to your room and pack your stuff. Your sister brings one of the hotel's luggage carts up. You work together and set everything on the cart and take it down to the vehicle.

You get out of town and take the famed Alligator Alley through the Everglades. You start out only seeing swamp plants. But then you start to see the black water. The suddenly you see it! There is a gator head. Even though it whips by you still saw it! You stop at the rest stops along the way and see even more alligators. Some are rather small but other are big. You learn from a guy at one of the rest stops that you can tell the length of the gator by measuring the distance from its nose to its eyes. That makes most of the gators you saw about 5 feet long. At the last rest stop your dad sticks his fingers in the waters and decides to try and lure one. A 6 ft gator rises to the surface of the water about 6-7 feet from him. You, your mom, and your sister finallyrics convince him to stop. You leave with everyone's fingers intact.

You reach the other end. This end is Naples. A very good place to go to the beach. The sand is soft and the water is warmer than both the Atlantic and Pacific. You stop at the beach for a little bit. You mostly walk along the shore and collect beautiful shells, like conch and pink barnacles. Your sister catches up to you and lets you knw it is time to go. You continue on up the coast riding next the beautiful ocean at times. Pelicans and other seabirds fly around gracfully, looking for food.

The lights of Tampa are bright ahead of you. The air is still warm and the sky is dark. You are very tired after such an exciting day. You know you will get good sleep tonight. You fall asleep to the noise of the city outside your window.

Miami Beach

You make your way through Orlando. Being early in the morning, there aren't too many people on the roads.

You hop off the freeway and head south.

When you make it to Miami, you head straight to the beach. You drive along the coast searching for a parking spot. People crowd the beaches. Beach umbrellas stand everywhere. They are a range of colors from blue and white to orange and yellow.

You leave the beach as the sunsets. The scene is beautiful, like a picture from a magazine. The world around you has turned golden and the sun casts your shadow towards the ocean waves. You watch the seabirds heading for their nests. Gulls cry and pelicans fly in V patterns.

The sun has already set behind the curve of the Earth when you get to a hotel. The moon has risen and illuminates the palm trees. The night air is still but warm.are to your right when you enter. The bed spreads are crystal white like fresh snow. You climb into bed half exauhsted. The soft comforter sends you to sleep almost instantly.
You don't see many stars because of the interference of streetlights. Your mom comes out and you grab your suitcase and go to the room. The room is cool and feels great. The beds

The Coast

It is amazing to watch the sun rise above the ocean, no matter where you are. Biloxi is one of those places where you can sit back and relax. It makes all the stress leave you. You walk down to the beach and take an early morning stroll. The beach is golden under the sun's rays. The waves crash against the shore and shore birds cry in the early morning hunt for food. A warm ocean breeze blows your hair. The sand grinds beneath your feet. A tiny blue crab scurries after the retreating tide before a seagull spots it. Another wave reaches the shore and drags the little crab back into the sea. Looking out at the horizon you can see sailboats anchored to their own spots on the water. You drift back to your parent's vehicle with the wind.

After you leave Biloxi you only have to travel 35 miles to reach the Alabama state line. Before you cross over the border you pass over multiple bayous and rivers. The bayous stretch out to both sides of you. They are like giant lakes filled with floating islands or a field of grass with wide paths carved by the artistic hand of water. When you aren't traveling over the bayous the roadway is lined with swamp trees and grass.

After you cross into Alabama you travel down the tree lined road. There is lush green grass on both sides of the interstate. On your right you can see spots where wild pigs have rooted. About half an hour later you reach Mobile. As you travel through town most of the areas buildings you see are industrial. You pass the USS Alabama. It is a battleship that was in commission during WWII. The giant gray metal ship looks like a giant armored tank with giant guns forcing their way into the sky. The guns bores are more than 2 feet in diameter. The artillery shells stand almost 5 feet tall and could obviously do damage. The powerful ship is tied to the shore with ropes as round as a plate. As you cross a bridge you are able to see a 270-degree view of the ship.

You enter the sunshine state a short time later. You drive past one of the best beaches in the United States, Pensacola Beach. It has powder white sand beaches. And the water is unbelievably warm. Most of the year the beach is swamped with people. So many memories are made every year on that beach. A little further down the road you pass Navarre. Navarre is quieter than Pensacola, without the rowdy partying crowds. It is much more surrene and relaxing. Sadly, you must watch the beach pass by. If only you had the time. The waves retreat to the sea as they disappear behind you.

The number of waterways you pass over seem to be infinite. Some are small streams others are rivers. Whichever waterway it is it has turtles. And we aren't talking two here and one there. We are talking on every log and rock. They pile on top of each other like football players on the ball. Eventually, you pass through the capital, Tallahassee, and then head south. Tallahassee is not a very famous city compared to others in the state. It is similar to Sacramento in California. A big city, yes, but not talked about.

Before you get to Orlando it is dark. The moon beats down sending a soft glow to the tall palm trees around you. It is a soothing glow that sends you into a sleepy trance. Before you know it your parents have stopped in town for the night. Not caring where you're at you climb into bed and every care leaves you as you drift into a very deep sleep.

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.