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Wednesday, December 25, 2002

 
10:51 PM: [#] [0]

some narration about the trip so far:

12.21.02
packed at the last minute and left late again, and the time zone change really throws me for a loop. fortunately, my grandmother stays up late.

12.22.02
julie & janis stopped by before i left and we ate what my grandmother calls brunch and would ordinarily be breakfast for everyone else but none of us are early risers.

the superstition highway is my favorite drive of all time. the scenery is tremendous, you pass the Very Large Array, and for very long stretches you are the only car on the road, in arizona, in the world. i found myself unable to follow the posted speed limit (60 mph) because i wanted to fly, and i can't imagine riding through this landscape in a carriage for days. earlier in the day, while i was still in arizona, i got snow, which was made even more charming by watching it dance with the amelie soundtrack.

i arrived in albuquerque almost 1.5 hours sooner than i expected. i drove around a bit and pick up something to eat. there were lots of things rob & i didn't discuss (not for his lack of trying) and this was one of them, so when i finally couldn't stand it anymore, i knocked on rob's door (and not long after, we left to eat). i was relieved to discover rob was absolutely right about donna being a sweetheart and someone who is easy to be with. she calls the prius "the jetson's car" and hums the theme song.

12.23.02
the drive to colorado was uneventful, though rob and i had a hard time getting through morning routines after we had been up till 4 a.m. we finally made it out of albuquerque at 2 p.m. or so. the mountains were shrouded in writhing mist and all the weather warnings had been dire, so i expected some pretty hairy situations similar to the ones rob bowman and i had faced when driving to portland. but it was really a piece of cake. we reached raton pass at dusk, where snow shone through the purple twilight and the air in the darkening mountains was crisp and sweet.

12.24.02
i can't believe how winded i am. how achingly thirsty. how thinking makes me dizzy. and then i suddenly remember these are signs of altitude sickness, which i have never had to think about before. it must mean i really have become a californian. constantly drinking water and napping helps, though i am depressed to realize that by the time i will feel normal again, it will be time for me to leave.

i had a brilliant idea for xmas cards.

and finally, today:
no matter how much water i drink, my lips are still seriously chapped and i am still easily out of breath. nobody seems to know i do calligraphy, and so my sdfc sweatshirt and the gift to my parents is a source of surprise. my dad took me to see the blackened remains of the fire that almost reached woodland park over the summer. it suddenly occurs to me how little time i have left before i leave again: is tomorrow the 26th already? geesh! i wonder how amelia's doing.