views from the interstate

 

It didn’t quite hit me how long I’ve really been gone until I took a roadtrip with my family to the west side of Washington for my grandmother’s memorial service. My memories of the diverse Washington landscape had dimmed more than I realized—I had almost forgotten how the scenes progress from arid ranchland (currently enveloped in the smoke of a large and growing forest fire) to the lush irrigated valleys of the east side, followed by the craggy Cascade foothills and, finally, the quiet majesty of the highest point in the Pacific Northwest region—Mt. Rainier. All this just from the lanes of the freeway! What secrets must all these acres of farms and mountains and forests hold, once you really get to know them? I want to find out one day.