Road trip randomnimity (not a real word, but it should be)

Just pulled into town from Idaho where I said goodbye to my aunt and uncle, spent some time with family for a special family occasion, met up for lunch (specifically QUESO) with one of my Internet friends, and mostly just enjoyed getting out of Dodge. (Note: I don't actually live in Dodge. In fact I do actually love where I live. But just like I still live for the weekend even though I [mostly] love my job, I also live for a road trip even though I really love my town.)

Here are a few random observations and recollections of my trip, along with a couple more pics.

I am enamored with the sky. Once we made it over the border we literally drove off into the sunset and it nearly killed me that I couldn't drive and take a gazillion pictures. So I limited myself to taking two or three shots from the car singlehandedly with the other hand on the wheel. (But still much to the chagrin and discomfort of my mother, whom I was chauffeuring.)

What you missed here was the Snake River, just to the left. I love the wide and windy ways of the Snake River. Every time we came up on it I announced its presence to all the occupants of the car. "Snake!"

In my other life, I lived and raised my kids on one of those farms you see out in the middle of nowhere, with tall trees surrounding the house and a barn off to the back somewhere amidst pastures full of cows and horses. There is a pond on the premises. And both ducks and chickens. As well as a dog smart enough not to chase and/or eat either. And my children work from sunup to sundown and say "Yes ma'am." "No ma'am." "Thank you ma'am." And walk two miles every day to school and back in the snow uphill both ways. You know, so they can grow up and be responsible citizens.

There were two towns for which I saw signs that intrigued me. Bliss. And Hells Canyon.

I want to live in Bliss just so I can write my return address on everything and have my home address indicate over and over and over again that I live in Bliss.

Hells Canyon intrigued me because of the lack of apostrophe, which indicated that it is not possessive (the canyon belonging to Hell), but plural. The thought of plural hells which one could possible visit or in which one could possible live or even of several hells all rolled into one gives me pause. Like many places I saw, such a place might be interesting to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

(Note: You will notice I certainly have more to say about Hell than I do about Bliss.)

In all we traveled over 1000 miles. I am once again reminded that we (as in my family and friends) are all good people living imperfect lives and just trying to be good, do good and make the world a better place for our time here. I am sometimes sad for the next generation (sad for how our inadequacies and for the many ways what the world sucks out of us in turn affects them), but mostly hopeful that they are better and in many ways more prepared than we are and that somehow that will make them equal to the task of what lies ahead. Above all (and in spite of its state of chaos and imperfection) it is good to be home again.

Giant bull seen on the Utah side of the road home. Because why not? Nothing says welcome to Utah like a giant bull.