Thursday 13 (On Friday): Seven Years Ago

On July 8, 2002 I departed West Haven, CT at approximately 5 a.m. in my 1996 Mitsubishi Galant. On July 10, 2002 I arrived in Seattle, WA at approximately 6:30 p.m. Here are some of the things I remember in no particular order...

1. Saying goodbye to my grandfather after he hugged me and stuffed money into my hand.
2. Heading down to the beach to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic. Well, for those who know CT, it was actually Long Island Sound.
   
3. Drinking / eating Ensure (supplied by my grandmother) in the car so that I didn't have to worry about stopping to eat.
4. Worrying about driving cross country with 90% of my worldly possessions.
5. Driving the winding roads from Coeur d'Alene, ID into Washington.
   
6. Watching a literal cloud blanket proceed west to east in central North Dakota. Not to mention the unbelievable bolts of lightning that seemed so close but that were actually miles and miles away.
   
7. Calling the old man from a rest stop in Montana and describing what can only be described as a magnificent blue sky dotted with clouds.
8. Staying in Glendive, MT. One of the eastern-most towns in Montana, I remember seeing multiple pickup trucks with gun racks, a saloon where half the town happened to be, and a small diner where the other half was.
9. Calling Joseph from the now non-existent pay phone on the corner of 8th and Olive.
10. Driving through Chicago at dusk through construction, seeing the Sears tower in all its gothic beauty, and wondering if I was actually going to make it to the hotel in Rockford.
11. Wondering how I was going to explain all of this to family and friends who, I was convinced, would not understand.
12. Seeing Touchdown Jesus and praying at Notre Dame's empty Grotto.
13. Witnessing Seattle in all its majesty and beauty for the first time as I ended my trip on I-90.