cross-country trip: WA to ND

Last June, the family and I took a cross-country road trip from Washington to North Dakota. It was a tiring trip - mostly due to the exasperation elicited by a car full of sleep-deprived individuals. But the views were humbling. Lone roads dotted with small establishments and old trucks, framed by a backdrop of rolling hills and green pastures grazed by cows and sheep. I remember driving across Montana at the break of dawn; the family were all fast asleep and the view was indescribably stunning. All I remember was the orange glow that overtook the sky as the sun rose and the rich green fields that stretched endlessly before us. This was a much welcomed change of scenery after enduring a few hours of barren fields in Idaho (hey, Idaho wasn't all bad!). We went to Minnesota as well.  

Still, I must mention that this trip was an eye-opening one for me. Let me just say, billboards featuring biblical verses is not a common sight here in liberal Seattle. And apparently, shrouded Muslim women are a rarity in North Dakota. The loathsome stares we received regularly by cadaan peeps in ND was truly abominable.

Also, I was taking a poetry class in the summer and actually wrote one poem on the way back to WA. Something about retrieving a beloved sister from a far away land, blah blah, majestic views, blah, the scope of vision, other blahs. I've added it to the very end of this post if you wish to venture into the ever boresome blahs of modern mundane poetry...(also please read those last few sentences as contradictory to my true intentions in writing and sharing this poem) 

 

Somewhere in Washington, Northbound to Seattle

Idaho/Montana

I was super tired (as were the other 4 family members I shared this room with), but the morning light was hard to resist. I had to take a shot.

Abdiqani who appears deep in thought here

Layla dozing off

Montana...I'm sure.

Home to the Grizzlies (not the team).

dirty mirror, amazing views.

lone crescent, clear skies