Hours of Daylight – 10:30
I’m typing this from Mocha Madness in Pocatello, Idaho. Pocatello is in the Eastern part of the state. The drive is about 4 hours from Boise. Longer in the van, of course. Yesterday’s drive proved uneventful despite passing through some pelting rain and ominous skies. I’m here because Annette is presenting at a 3-day health somthing-or-other meeting at ISU (Idaho State University).
ISU is old, it’s been here a long time. The campus has quite the mish-mosh of old and new buildings. Pocatello is nestled in a much tighter valley than Boise so there’s a bit more drama to the views out the window. I’ll add some pictures as soon as i make it back to Boise later today.
The decision to get out of Boise, though drawn out, proved to be good. I originally intended to ride the motorcycle the 247 miles, but the weather simply convinced me to take the van instead. Most of the way i groused about not riding the bike, but then the rain started… and became heavier and heavier…. then so heavy the world disappeared into gray except for about ten feet in front of me. It didn’t last, but it would have been miserable on the bike.
Last night we went to dinner at a local Pocatello restaurant. Me, Annette, and two of her crew from the Center for the Study of Aging; Patty and Holly. They are both super smart and witty, dinner was a quiet pleasure.
So far today i’ve done some cursory exploring out in the surrounding hills of Pocatello. The weather is heavy overcast with large clouds, a rarety for Idaho, so i’ve tried to take advantage of the situation and take as many photographs as i could. Fall in Idaho is a complex affair. It’s not like back east where you go out and seek the turning of the leaves and then poof! it’s past. Here fall develops gradually and at vastly different speeds depending on the elevation. I’ve found my little point-and-shoot digital is not entirely up to the task, but provided i keep the scale of the image in line with the scale of the camera i think the results are acceptable. Supporting images will be forthcoming, really.
Driving a VW van, while not a cure, relieves depression. Riding a BMW 1200GS also relieve depression. Driving the van to some place outside of where i’ve been rattling around for the past few weeks relieves more depression. This window of chemical optimism gives me the chance to think with greater energy about the future. I’m pretty good with a camera. I was good with a camera in college, i’ve taken some images that i’ve come back to years later and said “hey! i like this.” Maybe when Annette hears about her 3rd year funding (yea or nea) i’ll sell my Apple stock and invest in a new workstation, new software, and a kick-ass digital SLR and lenses. Maybe it’s time. Maybe i’ll never work for somebody again. This could be the time.
Sidenote: the two chicks sitting across from me are discussing big issues. One is some kind of “clinician-in-training” who seems to be going through a rough patch… evidently she’s had to deal with some patients who were sick. I can’t help but feel they’re reading from a script. Let’s just say their dialog doesn’t smack of the dialogs in “Wings of Desire.”
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Day 210 – Back in Boise
So we made the drive back to Boise in pretty good time. In fact there were a few moments when the van actually touched the speed limit of 75. Of course this was downhill, with a modest tailwind. No, i’m not kidding. Here are a few Pocatello images:
