Above photo courtesy of Jon Pawson, (c)1998. Used with permission. 1
Before I actually get into describing the trip, I want to offer a few words in explanation. We did not, unfortunately, have the time we would have liked to wander off the beaten path and explore along the route to our destination. While our timetable was not what might be called punishing, we did have one--Steve needed to start work on November 15th and we left Huntsville on November 6th; for the route we chose, this meant we needed to travel an average of six hours per day. Factoring in a stopover in Santa Fe, this allowed for a fairly relaxing trip, but not much time to meander.
Instead of selecting a northwest route from Huntsville (strongly recommended by some, as it would have taken us through what is thought to be the more interesting landscape of the Plains states and the Rocky Mountains), we chose to travel almost due west to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and from there take a north-by-northwest route. Our main purpose in selecting this route was because it would allow us to visit my brother Tim without taking us too far out of our way. A lesser reason (and the one Steve gave on paper to justify this plan with his new employers, who were footing most of the bill for the trip) concerned our wish to avoid traveling through the Rocky Mountains in November. This last turned out to be moot: temperatures all over the country during our time on the road were unseasonably warm; however, it had been more important to us to see Tim and his wife, and we would have elected to travel via Santa Fe regardless.
Lastly, please bear with me if the writing seems disjointed in spots. Some of this is lifted directly from my journal, so the style might seem a bit inconsistent at times and I'm too lazy to change it.
It took us eight days to reach Portland from Huntsville in the end. In general, it was a very enjoyable trip, and a far different one from the first part of our journey (which began in the northeast). The events leading up to our departure from Virginia had robbed both Steve and myself of desperately needed sleep; it poured almost nonstop, and the car was packed to the gills. Our departure from Huntsville saw a far different scenario; the weather was fine and remained so throughout the remainder of our journey; we were now carrying only what we needed for the trip itself, having unloaded the bulk of our stuff onto the movers in Alabama; we were cheered by a pleasant get-together with old friends and had an opportunity to catch up on some rest. Thus, it was with good spirits that we left Huntsville on the morning of November 6th. All in all, not a bad way to start a cross-country trip, which, though exciting, is not something people generally go out of their way to do-don't look for us to do it again any time soon!
Parts of this page are still under construction. Patience is a virtue!
Back to the Sinister Swallows of Sherwood
Back to Tim & Jenn's Tale of Sir Robin
1 The above image is by Jon Pawson, and was a winning photograph in National Geographic Traveler's Photography Contest. Jon had to dodge some traffic to capture this unique perspective of Monument Valley, Utah. Thanks, Jon!
