August 20th: last day on the road

My last day: final mileage tally: 5813 miles (9,400 kilometers)

Sunrise on Mt. Hood, Oregon

Mt. Hood and wind mills

crossing the Columbia River into Washington

South central Washington

I continued to avoid the large freeways, opting for a small highway that winds around the Mount Rainier. Focusing on the drier regions of the country, I forgot how lush and beautiful Washington is once you get west of the Cascades mountain range. 

Mount Rainier in the background (14,411 feet or  4392 meters)

That is it from me until next April, when I take my students to Vietnam. Bye for now.

August 19th: California and Oregon

August 19th: 

I left Fresno early - 3am - heading north. It became clear to me that though the northern coast along California and Oregon was beautiful, I was drawn to the desert on this leg of the journey. So I decided to stay inland along the desert and dry lands of California and Oregon.

Three hours later, I stopped at a viewpoint over a lake to drink coffee and watch the sunrise. A sticker bush was bothering me at the spot I sat. And then I realized that the sticker bush has as much right to this spot as I did. And a truth became clear. My writing two days ago was a rationality - true and insensitive, and illusion. Our lives are both "little flickers of light" and the universe. The dream and truth, both. Laughing and crying, both.

August 17th: Road to Fresno

Tehachapi and Caliente, to the southeast of Bakersfield, California

Sunrise over Barstow, California

A little flicker of life

If we can't laugh at our frailty

Then what do we have left?

I sat in the dirt, leaning against my car, watching the sunrise over Barstow.

An image came to my mind, a memory really: kites resting on electrical wires. Hundreds and hundreds of kites. It was "Kite Day" in Ahmadabad, India. Everyone was flying kites. Every street. Every roof top. Even in the shantytown near the train station. Kites and more kites. It was a thing to see. Somehow the memory seemed appropriate.

August 15th & 16th

August 15th: 

The longest day yet - 840 miles (1,400 kilometers). 

Miles to date on this trip - 4,266 miles (7000 kilometers)

I left my sister's house in Colorado very early, so I did not see the sunrise until I got to the Utah border, and by that time I was so tired that I crawled into the back of my car and went to sleep.

Utah/Colorado border at sunrise

Though it was a very long day on the road, it was also a spectacular day, for Utah is so beautiful. It was one of the most beautiful driving days that I can remember. 

Southern Utah

cows

hay bales

August 16th: Red Rock Mountains (just west of Las Vegas)

I decided to do a little detour to the south this year and visit my family in Las Vegas. I still have a lot of family living there. Besides my parents, I have an uncle, two aunts, cousins and their kids living in Las Vegas. I woke up early and headed to Red Rock Mountains for the sunrise. 

Red Rock Mountains at sunrise

I always loved the desert, but I don't think I really appreciated how much I love the desert and how beautiful Red Rock Mountains are until I left Las Vegas and traveled the world. 

I was sitting at Red Rock, just looking out at the view, and then I realized that a calm had come over me. There is something about the desert that does this to me - it is almost genetic, it is in my blood, something whispering to me, "home."

At this time of morning it was very pleasant out. But even the heat of Las Vegas - it was 108 degrees (43 degrees c.) when I arrived yesterday in Las Vegas at 6 pm - feels like home. It is not that I would ever want to live here again, but I can not deny the comfort and beauty of the place where I was born. 

August 13th: Road to Colorado

August 13th was a long day - 500 miles (about 800 kilometers), but it seemed longer. Much of Nebraska was flat, wheat fields. I started driving at 5 am through an amazing electrical storm. Still dark, the lighting lit up the sky every few seconds, and then a very hard rain in the center of the storm. It was a little scary. Towards the western edge of Nebraska it got a little more scenic, and then much dryer. My route then took me south through the high desert of eastern Wyoming (over 5000 feet, about 1600 meters) to Colorado. I have now traveled 3375 miles (about 5500 kilometers).

Nebraska cows in the morning fog

More Nebraska cows

Wyoming

August 12th: Carleton college and Nebraska

 I am now heading to Denver to visit my family. But first, I had to stop at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, to drop off Natan's luggage for his upcoming Freshman year of University.

Sunrise outside Northfield

Sunrise fog

Northfield is a cute, little college town, full of cafes, bakeries, bookstores, and pubs.

On Carleton College campus

The route then took me to the southwest. I have been able to stay off all major roads still. Southwestern Minnesota, the northwest corner of Iowa, and eastern Nebraska were all boring - flat farm land. And then I came to central Nebraska; it is still farm land, but rolling hills full of sun flowers.

More sunflowers

And more sunflowers

August 9th through 11th: Minnesota and YCC National U-19 Ultimate tournament

August 9th: South Dakota and Minnesota

Another beautiful day of driving - the theme this day turned out to be water.

August 10th and 11th:
The point of this road trip was to watch my younger son Natan at his last YCC National Ultimate tournament. This is his final year of eligibility for this tournament. He made the Seattle All-Star team his Freshman, Sophomore and Senior seasons of high school (his junior year he made the US under-20 national team and competed in Dublin, where the United States won the world championship). There were 19 states represented at the tournament. Day one of the tournament was "pool play," where each team plays the other 4 teams in their bracket. Seattle ended up wining three of the four games, coming in second place in their pool play, which qualified them for the quarter finals on Day 2.

Seattle Kingpins, circling up before their first game

After the game both teams circle up and "play games" together. One of the best aspects of this sport is what they call "the spirit of the game," which is all about fair play and good sportsmanship. 

Seattle team after day One

 Day Two: 
Seattle played Boston Buda in their quarter final match. At 11-11, with time running out, the game went to universe point," which means the next team to score wins the game. Buda had the disc, but after a turnover, Seattle scored and won the game 12-11. Seattle played Triangle Area, North Carolina in the semi-finals. Loosing 7-6 at half, Seattle came back to win 13-10 and head to the finals. But in the finals, Seattle was over-matched on this day, loosing to Atlanta 13-7.

Seattle after losing in the finals (Natan is #95)

Seattle and Atlanta clapping hands after the game

Some members of the Seattle team at a happier moment, at the end of Day one (Natan is the second from the right on the bottom)

I am so proud of my son. He was one of the team captains. His graciousness and  leadership qualities, especially in defeat, are testaments to what an amazing young man he has become.