o0o Tuesday May 26, 1998, 3:06 p.m. o0o

I have become infatuated with the American southwest especially New Mexico, perhaps its Kingslover's fault. I read pigs in heaven half a year ago and now find my self yearning for the open desert, mountains, and plains. I live in a suburb of Seattle where everything is green hills and mountains and water and islands and wet and gray. Now this child who swore to need the closeness of the pacific ocean and ferry boats and drizzle is now finding a need for reds, oranges, and yellows open land, harsh mountains and arid weather and a wide openness not found in the pacific northwest. I think it has everything to do with the vastness of the southwest coupled with the heat which is not present where I live.

It has become an important part in my future I want not only to eventually live in New Mexico but to take a road trip this summer following:

I-5 down from Seattle through Olympia, Portland, Salem, and Yreka turning off after Redding to take 36 over the Sierra Nevada and on to 395 till 80 where ill take 95 to Death Valley and on to Las Vegas (the brightest place on earth). Where I'll then go on to 93 past lake mead national recreation area to I-40 through flagstaff to the Petrified Forest National Monument then to Albuquerque where I'll take a right to I-25 where at San Antonio I'll take 380 to 54 south then out to 70 to white sands new Mexico (I've always wanted to go here.) Then back up 70 to Roswell then to 380 till it meets 84 at post then on to I-80 to Crisco where I'll take 183 south to Austin then taking 71 to Columbus where I'll get on 10 till Houston where I'll go south on 75 to Galveston (and my first ever view of the gulf). I'll take 87 till it becomes I-10 following it till Baton Rouge to I-59 to New Orleans (spending quite a bit of time here.) Then back to the I-59 till Birmingham where taking the I-20 to the 29 to Athens Georgia (home of the b-52's and REM) them we turn south down 441 till it becomes 41 and passed Tampa and all the way down to Miami then on 1 passed key largo, Marathon, and to Key west where I'll stay for a few days. Having Successfully gone from one edge of the country to the other (and at the furthest northwest point to the furthest southeast point) I'll go back up 1 till Jacksonville where onto the I-10 leaving Florida and passed Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, and all the way to Casa Grande where we will go on to to take I-8 to southern California where I'll take my time getting back to Seattle.

Quite the road trip? well the only real problem with this one is financing it and getting a car that can do all that traveling and not die in the mountains or in the desert. This will however be overcome and hopefully in a month or two I'll be on my way ;+>

- 4:50 p.m.

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