--- Prologue ---

I GUESS the rightful starting point for this journey begins with the Majordomos. A little more than a month before our trip, Askar had received news of two kittens needing a home and conversations began orbiting around how Prints might benefit from having a friend as much as her sister. There wasn't need for much more convincing after we visited them the first time. The two were very small, very playful, and very beautiful. They are Bengal American shorthair mix with black rosettes dotted across a silver and white backdrop, small black noses, and flashing green eyes.

Thus, the pair came home with us. It took a surprising 24 hours for Printer to warm up to them - he's not super accepting of other cats, however the pair were far too small, too harmless, and too defenseless to do any real damage. During all waking hours they fought amongst themselves; arms wrapped around the other's neck with head outstretched, jaw wide and still for the right time to draw its foe near to strike the final blow that would force the other to concede. Sometimes these battles would take to the air and one would witness these acrobats flying across the room, slamming hard into each other midflight, spinning around in slow motion before falling and finishing the wrestling match on the ground like the rest of us. They were a handful. Printer agreed. Ways in which he would cope with their behavior included a low rumbling start to his proprietary mew - 'OooOooOooOoo-wwwoW'- a shorter version of which is the signature call of the Meowface house. This more clinical vocalization also involved grabbing one of the kittens by the neck and smothering them with his entire body.

As though arranging a self-move across the country wasn't difficult enough, our days were divided up among feeding times, breaking up fights, preventing suicidal attempts by the kitten’s persistent exploration, and preventing homicidal (felinicidal?) attempts by our resident cat, all of which might occur between the hours of 12:00am-11:59pm every day.

We had a few deadlines to meet. Askar was starting her new position with a biotech in SD on 06 July and we were able to square away a one-bed in Serra Mesa with a move-in of 02 July, a few days early to allow ourselves time to get our bearings. I had scheduled a hitch installation on our SUV a day before picking up the trailer, therefore, if everything went smoothly, we would be able to leave the following Sunday (26 June). Unfortunately, Askar noticed some alarming behavior by Prints and decided to seek medical treatment two days before our departure date. The diagnosis was bladder tissue inflammation and crystals in his urine due in large part to difficulties evacuating while terrorized by the two imps. We made a second trip to the ER to get bloods done to confirm absence of renal failure. He was prescribed some anti-anxiety meds and pain-relievers to help him evacuate more freely; also, some appetite stimulants and sedatives to regulate his habits during the road trip. Having Prints in and out of the hospital set us back a day, which might have been for the best anyway.

Oh, one other thing regarding the kitten's names. We spent some time considering how their names could be paired. One night, playing with the pun of Prints’ name, I suggested to Askar that the kittens might be named according to common attendees at royal court. Among the list of titles, the role of Majordomo carried the most humorous weight for these quarter-pound creatures with oversized ambitions. The term means 'best of the house', which we understood to have been the lordships handler and advocate in so many ways. Short of other inspiration for a time both were called Majordomo and if we needed to specify, we used this one small distinction between them of some slightly darker fur under the ear. They are otherwise identical in physical traits. Personality-wise however, the lighter majordomo demonstrated a more pensive disposition, usually observant to the darker majordomo, whose cuteness was wrapped up in a blustering bravado. Still pondering a more unique naming system, the uncertain wave function collapsed when the light majordomo was determined to be named 'Luci', which gave credit to naming the darker majordomo 'Darci'. They are both males.

Day One --- Monday, 27 June 2022 --- Erie PA

Finally, after two of the hottest sunny days loading our life of things up and down three stories into a 5x8 trailer, we woke up to some cloud coverage. Since our bed was the first thing loaded, I had been resting on a traditional Uyghur sleeping pad called a 'kue-pah'; pleasant enough, however the majordomos took exception to my occupation of their floor and would bite my legs and toes throughout the night. Feeling sore from head to toe, I was almost looking forward to spending 10 hours a day seated in the car for the next 6 days.

The 5x8 U-Haul trailer proved to be quite formidable and we had almost perfectly predicted all items it would hold. Inside we loaded a queen mattress, the bed frame and slotted platform (disassembled), tv stand (disassembled), tv (54"), standing desk (disassembled), kitchen table and 2 chairs (disassembled), 17 plastic bins containing our clothes, books, etc. (mostly 24"x16"x13", some 25"x18"x13", two 32"x19"x13"), 2 egg crates containing kitchenware and records, computer monitor (27"), two guitars, two surfboards, one bike, microscope, litter robot, and firepit. We slid in some artwork and paintings and crammed in what final articles we could. Our idea that the only place for 'things' was the trailer was due to our intention of dedicating the entire backspace of the Crosstrek to the cats. We put the back seats down flat and layered several blankets creating a soft floor the shape of a full-sized mattress upon which the cats would be able to sleep, walk around, or play. We placed the litter box furthest back under the cover of the retractable trunk canopy. We ended up being more strapped for space than we anticipated and were forced to line some of the backspace with items for our trip (clothes, pet supplies, etc.) that we couldn't have fit under the seats due to the presence of extra shoes, hats, and the Yamaha weighted keyboard. Alas, the moment ethereal ideas take the shape of reality is commonly accompanied with slight reckoning and among three items we were surely unable to fit was a chest of drawers that held a great deal of sentimental value for Askar. It was antique and ineligible for disassembly. The weight of the object somehow multiplied times the number of items I had managed to sneak aboard, and that mass felt transferred upon my shoulders. I could not supply any alternatives (other than separating a panel to eventually make a table from) and, as we left the furniture in the care of her sister, I can't say that my sense of regret has been quick to dissipate.

As we conducted our final checks a most precipitous moment fell upon us, a moment of decision we had been prolonging even before bringing them home: it was time to separate the Majordomos. We had been preparing, however. Observing their behavior over that previous month. Learning qualifiers like who would be the best partner for Prints, who would do well in isolation. Being the extrovert, it was feared Darci might be unable to handle being without a cat friend, whereas Luci might demonstrate minimal effect. On the other hand, Printer statistically preferred to rough house with Luci, Darci being less willing to submit, and Luci might have also weaponized his distance to make pet ownership unfulfilling for Dildar. The decision was a literal tossup. Prints was already loaded in the back, I watched him as we waited. After a time of deliberation, Askar came downstairs with one of the Majordomos wrapped up in a blanket. We would be taking Luci while Darci would stay in Boston. I'm not sure how the two said goodbyes, but I’m sure it was confusing and sad. I ran up to the apartment for a final check and gave a goodbye pet to Darci.

The morning cloud cover, adherent to our movements, began to swell and unleash drops of rain that washed away the tears of the sisters as they said their goodbyes. One final test was putting the car into drive and seeing it lurch forward with the added thousand pounds without the rear axle falling off. All systems were a go, and we made our way out of JP, out of Boston, onto route 90, where we would spend the next two days driving west.

The sense of the unknown really filled our sails, from that day and throughout the trip. Never having driven a trailer, every bump with quick report was earthshattering; however, the trailer held beautifully still, and we found comfortable speeds that allowed us to make decent time per our itinerary. We reached New York state around 1-2pm and traveled the length of the state for the remainder of the day. Traffic was light and the sun went down in a rose-colored mist that suggested we were making gains on the wide-open country ahead of us. About 100 miles out from Erie, Askar booked us a room at an Econo Lodge near there and thinking about dinner we thought it might be fun to swing through Buffalo NY to try authentic wings. We googled for the most beat down wing joint we could find, but our calls ahead to place orders always failed, either got disconnected or forgotten. We gave up and instead placed a call to a bar in Erie for twenty spicy wings and a garden salad. We rolled into Erie a little after dark, picked up the wings, and checked in to the motel. Parked the car and trailer in the back parking lot, grabbed the cats, their food and meds, the litter box, our clothes, and settled into the room. After feeding and watering the cats, administering Prints his medications, we sat at the edge of the bed, slid up a table with the wings, signed into Netflix and dug in. Interestingly enough however, the satisfaction one usually gets from pounding fried foods, or watching an exciting episode of a long awaiting show, were all muted to the day’s events. Uncertainties surrounding how the cats would react, whether Print's condition would worsen, whether they would destroy the room and drive us further into poverty were thoughts running through our minds. We ate until the indigestion was unbearable, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

Day Two --- Tuesday, 28 June 2022 --- Chicago IL

Thankfully, I’m no authority on religion. Therein lies some complicated mystery between what it tries to do from what is actually does. Nevertheless, having read many of the classics - Torah, Quran, Bhagavad-Gita, Tao - I always picked up on a slight obsessive compulsion towards cleanliness, being able to determine from its alternative, and sought to apply the overarching framework to my habits. For the most part, I align cleanliness with maintenance. I read a book once about native American values that gave a word 'sicha' to mean unclean and stagnant. Sicha may be the antithesis to washte and wakan, both meaning 'good' in either mundane or spiritual contexts. I suppose, over the years, a practice had evolved a solid understanding of cleanliness as a means to live a more balanced existence, freer from stress or blocked channels, and from additional struggle in the future. A beautiful unobstructed view is the gift of a job well-done.

Thus, we awoke early the next morning, around 6-7am, and began to get our footing for how the daily rituals would take place for the next few days. Seemed we would wake up, feed the cats, give Prints his meds, allow them to use the litterbox, take showers, get dressed in partially the same clothes we wore the day before, and tidy up such that it did not appear as though two cats had spent the previous evening kicking litter all over the floor and climbing on all the curtains and furniture. It was very serendipitous the Dyson vacuum did not end up in the trailer and we brought that in to erase any trace of spoilage. Askar had also used that morning to rearrange the back to allow for more space for the cats and our gear. The back was cleaned of litter, everything was neatly tucked in and packed, we checked out and headed out.

The road for the day was going to hug the great lakes Erie and Michigan and we thought it would be cool to touch the waters of each. While we stopped to get a sight of Erie from Erie, we were concerned our grocery run at Walmart might have set us back a bit, so we pressed on passed the beaches. By a little after noon, we were coming up on Cleveland OH and, seeing as a pit stop was in order, we pulled off to check out a park called Euclid Beach. It was a perfect spot for a break with large parking lot for trailer. We got out of the car, cracked the windows for the cats, headed down to use the restroom and poke around the beach area. The sand was an interesting blend, and the water was slightly chilly. The park had a nice view of the city a few miles west. All throughout this trip through the United States, it was interesting to imagine what seeds might these elaborate cities have grown from. What transit Lake Erie might have provided the original inhabitants of this area to communicate with the wide world beyond it. We spent a few minutes absorbing the aquatic scene of what was once an enormous glacial sheet and walked back to the car, gave the cats some water, and lunched over a box of spring lettuce mix drenched in ranch dressing washed down with overly sweetened lime-flavored club soda.

Back on the road, with a non-stop heading, I shouldn't fail to mention that, despite the pleasant arrangement of the back, Prints preferred to lay down at my feet. Luci, who prefers the company of cats over people soon learned to follow him down there as well. Askar was a little perturbed that I had both pets, while I was kind of stressed that I'd crush one of them under the brake pedal. So, such is the way of the universe. At least Askar was able to lay down in the back every now and then.

Again, about 100 miles out from our destination, cutting through Indianapolis, Askar booked another room at a Red Roof Inn in North Chicago. This time we are kind of failing to mention the cats, so when we arrive, we seem strange I suppose, but no stranger than common motel eudicot would allow. The room was small, but nice. We set up the pets’ things, fed them dinner, administered meds, and called out for a famous Chicago deep dish pizza with mushrooms. I had never been to Chicago, although this was technically the first city Askar had landed when she came to the states. On top of that, we were very close to her anniversary of arrival on 01 July. She had visited again a few years back and knew a little about the area. My first impressions were that it reminded me of Manhattan, except the streets were way wider and the area itself was about a thousand times bigger. It was nice to have more room for the trailer, but man did it take a long time to get from A to B and the GPS kept tripping up as it seemed each lane had its own destination.

That night, Askar spoke to her mother who informed her that her request for passport reinstatement would be denied. When asked for the reason, it seems the CCP had found some 'sensitive' social media posts from Askar that motivated their refusal. We tried to trace back to what posts they could be referring to because Askar is very careful. I don’t use social media much, but I admitted that my twitter has many Uyghur rights and free Tibet posts that they may be linked to her case. While very upset, Askar tried a last-ditch effort to educate their determination by posting a picture of the Chinese flag with caption of how she missed home.

Day Three --- Wednesday, 29 June 2022 --- Omaha NE

Rising early the next morning, we began our routine of feeding the cats, administering meds, allowing litterbox time while we showered, washed dishes, and packed. Somehow over the years, I lost a cooler that I once had (impulse bought on a trip to Maine), and so we had been keeping a few items cool in a poorly insulated lunch bag. Well, a bag of ice I had put in overnight had melted and split, soaking the bag and everything inside. We were determined to get a real cooler and after tidying up the room and loading the car, our first stop was REI. We picked up a super expensive soft YETI, which I was kind of stoked on having had yeti thermoses in the past and knowing how obnoxiously well it keeps hot thing hot. On to the gas station for some gas and a bag of ice to reassemble our makeshift refrigerator - meds saved.

Since we were in Chicago, we wanted to see if we could get a decent breakfast and a decent cup of coffee, motel coffee not being anything too inspired. I wasn't crazy about the idea of driving the trailer through a city, but it was not so bad and from that moment on, when concerned about where I could take the trailer, I asked myself whether cargo trucks and semis were allowed. The streets were super wide and the parking garage we found had super big spots. It was kind of funny when we went to pay for the spot as it required a 3-hour minimum. We thought the device was corrupted since in Boston or Cambridge you are usually limited to 2 hours maximum. Accepting the charge, we cracked some windows and told the kids we'd be back soon.

We walked up the street to a nice cafe and ordered coffee; Askar had crepes and I ordered a smoked salmon scramble. It was delicious, but way too much. We took two crepes to go, paid our bill, and, with about 2 hours on the meter, headed up to the park that borders lake Michigan. We entered the park at a farmers market closing down and walked up to a section leading to the zoo. The park was beautifully kept with well-arranged landscaping and skylines of surrounding tall buildings wrapped around the park like we were standing in the pit of a crater. We made our way towards the shore of the lake that was again, despite the number of people using the beach, very clean and well maintained. We dipped our toes in the water, stared out into the horizon, and wondered how life is for Chicagoans. Looping ourselves back to the carpark, we double-timed it back to start our long journey to Nebraska.

Looking forward to this leg, we pushed on through some sluggish Chicago outbound traffic, arguing with the GPS to get us to route 80 when it wanted to take us north for some damned reason, and making it to Illinois state by mid-afternoon. We crossed the Mississippi River around 4ish and I officially declared us to be in the west. Askar was skeptical, suggesting we were more so in the mid-west. I think the Louisiana Purchase has got my back. Anyway, pushing on I-80, we were beaming through Iowa and all its lush green farmland that stretched into the horizon. We caught the state at a unique time as all the crops seemed half a season away from harvest. The sky was deep blue, and I was surprised to see so many wind turbines. I told Askar about a mural I painted in college that imagined a strikingly similar scene. For some strange reason, the road had an uneven surface with undulations that really tested the cars suspension. It seemed the entire ride the front end was rocking up and down as though we installed hydraulics. I became worried, thinking that perhaps the rear suspension was giving out due to the extended period of being weighed down by the trailer, it had been three days. With little to do otherwise, we were resolved to press on and I suppose if the rear axle fell off, we'd get out and chase after it.

We crossed the Missouri River in the dark of night pretty dog tired. Askar had booked a room in a Motel 6 in Omaha, which was a little challenging to find, and we checked in, snuck in with the cats and gear and I parked in the back. I had wanted to use the car jack to lighten the load on the rear suspension overnight, but the parking lot was kind of hilly dirt, and the wind was kicking it up in my eyes where I decided it wasn't worth the effort. The way I backed up the trailer ended up being slightly higher than the back tires anyway, so I felt fine. I met Askar in the room, we fed the cats, administered meds, and turned in after midnight.

Day Four --- Thursday, 30 June 2022 --- Boulder CO

I kept waking up around 6 in the morning (road-lag?), like an hour after the cats settled down from their nightly romps. Lifting my head in those discount suites so early I never felt like we were getting our money’s worth if I didn't at least get 7-8 hours of sleep. I put my head down charting our morning activities in my head, estimating the time we'd be on the road, and what time we'd make it to our next stop. This leg of the trip was highly anticipated in my mind. I had been imagining our long-awaited confrontation with the famed Rockies rising up from the horizon and smashing into our field of vision. Like Chicago, I was also pretty concerned about how the Crosstrek would do lugging the trailer through the hills.

Seven a.m. rolled around, and we got to work. We became exceptionally efficient in tending to the cats while leaving the room pretty spotless. We were on the road by 8 and we stopped at a Cracker Barrel for coffee to go. Given we were getting deeper into America, I relished introducing Askar to these types of haunts and we perused the general store waiting for our order slightly stricken with ptsd from our recent packing experience by the amount of 'stuff' they sold. Nevertheless, the further on we went, I was gaining more and more appreciation for the towns we sped through, the people of those towns, the businesses they set up, and so on and so forth.

I80 in Nebraska was a little smoother and my anxieties involving the suspension were slightly relieved. We pushed on, Askar took a nap, the view was farmland stretched out to the horizon giving way to more grass and sandy colored ground the further we went. I got into an argument with the GPS again as it was suggesting we turn off the interstate to cut through the southwest of Nebraska for an eta improvement of about 30 minutes. Askar and I discussed our options. My stance is that the interstate is flat and has gas stations in case of emergency whereas state routes introduce an unnecessary risk. Not that she was defending the GPS, Askar's stance appeared to be that it would be shorter to turn off the highway, that there were probably gas stations, and the interstate was boring. Weighing the options, we turned off, filled up at a gas station, and headed where the GPS guided.

It turned out to be an interesting drive in fact. The scenery took the form of rolling hills, and we began to see sparks of Russian Thistle or sagebrush dot the landscape. I kept squinting in the distance looking for the tips of peaks as we crossed the border into Colorado on route 34. The farmland turned into cattle country, and we opened the windows to get a whiff of the musk - does it get any fresher? The towns we began to drive through were reminiscent of an outlaw western with wide dusty Main Street, of course paved with parked electric vehicles. About the time we hit route 76 to Denver we began to discuss our plans for the next day. Our initial heading had been Denver, however it appeared as though we could get a better motel price in Boulder. Although we would miss the mile high city, we were curious to check out Boulder as well, so Askar booked a great deal at a pretty sweet place. Unfortunately, the confirmation email sent back stated the reservation was for 03 July, not 30 June. Askar quickly called the company to rectify the issue. They weren't able to offer us a cash refund, nor were they able to give us a room at the price for that night, so with some level of despondency, we paid the difference and ended up 'ballin' out' as they say. We rolled into Boulder around 6-7p, the sun was just about to set, we checked-in, brought the cats and gear up, fed them and all, changed a bit, and head out for dinner before restaurants started to close. As an added precaution, I jacked up the hitch a bit to relieve the rear suspension during our stay.

Boulder resonated something within both of us. We could definitely see ourselves growing a family within this clean neighborhood, with really diverse offerings of shops, cafes, restaurants, etc., enclosed by the some of the tallest and kindest mountain peaks I've ever seen. Truly, some mountains give the immediate impression of death, usually around the point they start piercing the clouds with an icy blade, but the Rockies and Flatirons appear to enjoy their view and their bustling inhabitants, so we felt very relaxed. We stopped in a bar-slash-pizza joint that was open late, ordered local beers, and had some medium rare burgers. We walked back to the hotel, played with the kitties, turned off the PBS documentary on WWII battles in the pacific islands we left on for them, and knocked out.

Day Five --- Friday, 01 July 2022 --- Cedar City UT

Part of our discussion to stay the night in Boulder had also involved its locality to route 34/36 through the Rocky Mountains. Again, erring on the side of caution, I pleaded that we stay on the interstate, that, yes, a scenic route through the mountains and canyons would be awesome, I really had no intention of murdering our 4-cylinder engine lugging up the added thousand pounds on steep climbs or grinding our brakes to dust on the way back down. At the same time, there was no telling when we would be back to gorge on its beauty, and we set a course for the town of Estes Park. Another small thorn in the side was that a few days back, shortly after we began our journey, we received a text from the company managing the apartment in San Diego. A representative was greeting us, notifying us that we would meet him for the check-in on 02 July at noon, and to bring a certified check for the first month's rent with application fees deducted. According to our plans, we would not be reaching San Diego until at least 3-4 pm that Saturday and asked the latest we could meet. The answer was no later than 5:30p and so we set the appointment for 5p. Again, while the request was slightly inconvenient, it wasn't impossible, and we stopped at a Bank of America in Boulder to grab the check before we set out for the day. Checking in with the rep, Askar texted informing him we had the check but apparently, we misunderstood his request and needed to re-write the check out to a company we had never heard of. We were kind of pissed to say the least. This failure of communication might have just caused us to be late in two days as from Boulder on out we were crossing a bunch of mountains and desert with no BoA on the way (we preferred our bank to avoid fees). Tough start to the day.

Nevertheless, the drive to Estes Park was very scenic and, if it was any indication to what we would experience later that morning, it might be worth the engine popping out the hood. The car was actually performing quite well. We had already been climbing, watching the altimeter since we left Boulder go from 5,000 ft to 6, to 7, to 8, and we drove through very authentic western towns with buildings and shops made of adobe and Spanish tile that matched the colors of the surrounding cliffs such that it might have been carved into the hills themselves. Only about 100 feet away at all times were walls of giant red rock rising hundreds of feet above us. We felt so close to the clouds passing by, which offered some shelter from the sun as it was reaching its meridian. Following the road to 34, we were stopped at what appeared to be a toll booth. We soon learned that the Trail Ridge Road required an entry fee and that also from 9am-3pm cars needed to reserve a spot in queue. I explained to the park ranger that we were just trying to get back to 70, but the next availability was 1:30p and that would put us way further behind than we already were. So, bummer in tow, we swung around and started to retrace our steps to find another route to I70. With the morning events at the bank, this logistical error, and the fact that we were still combating hills with the trailer kind of fried my motherboard a bit. Askar was aware how stressed I was, but at least we had a nice view and there was a chance we would make it out in one piece. A final pass-through Central City before hitting the highway and the car labored up a hill, flooring the gas the speedometer would not break 15 mph. I thought we had done it. How the hell were we going to get to this apartment by 5p to give this guy a check we had to rewrite anyway.

We crawled onto I70, which drives at about 10,000 feet above sea level on average. Coming from the northeast, I think the highest peaks in the white and green mountains don't even exceed 5,000 feet. The car lurched man, so slow, too slow for the 6-8,000 rpm the engine was turning over. I still thought we had done it to the transmission as I had engine trouble like this in a previous car. Askar suggested we take it to a shop, and we called ahead. No one answered but we left a message and a call back number. We pulled off at a gas station for a break. Getting back on the road, we set a course for the nearest Subaru shop and the phone rang. The mechanic on the other end listened and said that it wouldn't be an issue, continuing that he gets a lot of calls like that, that Crosstreks behave that way in that area for some reason, and that if there was no check engine or abs light on then we should be fine straight on through to San Diego. Well, the confidence blended well into my stress-induced indifference at that point, I thanked him very much, and we continued on our journey. Given the day’s events, we had only had a gas station coffee and doughnut (excellent btw) and were pretty puckish. We decided to pull off around Glenwood Springs to find some food. Another super quaint town, we pulled into a parking lot and set out on foot. In need of other supplies, my stress addled brain targeted a grocery store half a mile away and we started walking. Askar took some pictures and we picked up a nice selection of fruits and veggies, rotisserie chicken and dinner rolls for sandwiches. On the way back we stopped at the library to use the restroom and I picked up some audiobooks on CD they had in a 'free' bin by the door. Although we were running later than I would have liked, the walk had done me well and I was looking forward to putting this day in the books.

Getting back to the car, we started to arrange our groceries in the back and get the water bowl out for the cats when all of a sudden Majordomo is nowhere in sight. We start calling. We see Prints, he looks unphased. A minute goes by, two, he's nowhere. I start tearing the car apart. Our gear is all over the parking lot. How could we lose him? Did he sneak out at our last stop? Did someone walk by and snag him? I start hyperventilating. He's such a small and helpless little dude, how could any harm befall him? What did that make of us? Careless, useless, terrible people. It was not the highlight of my life, however in removing more and more crap from under my seat I see a striped tail. He had found this crazy spot under my seat, among all the gears and mechanisms. I lift the seat up, reach under, and grab him under the arms feeling the blood rush back to my head and wanting more than ever for this day to end.

Despite the drama, it was hard to ignore the beauty that surrounded us the entire drive through the Rockies. The sky was thick with cumulus clouds departing from a far-off storm, each dark and stretching a tenth of the sky at a time, with bursts of sun rays beaming down to Earth in a spectacle that possibly triggered a thought in an ancient ancestor that maybe someone lived up there, as it must be nice. The rock strata of these mountains were so revealing that early geologist must have quickly thrown out all other hypotheses and gone with plate tectonics at first sight. Seriously, to spending time in the white mountains doesn't give you as much information, possibly because they are older and vastly more eroded. We drove through, layer after layer of the Earth's crust fortifying not so much a valley, as we were accustomed to driving through mountains in the east, but a chasm that followed the undeniable outline of the ridge.

As we exited the mountains, saying 'so long be back soons' to Colorado, entering Utah, I hypothesized as to why the car was struggling. In my limited knowledge of engines, I understand combustion must take place to move a piston and that combustion relies on fuel, heat, and oxygen. I pieced this bit of thinking together with the fact that we were driving on average around 10,000 feet above sea level, where oxygen levels are surely decreased. Looking it up later, oxygen can drop 5-6% at that altitude. Still, I wonder if that is enough to cause the engine to require more work to maintain velocity. Or it might be a combination involving the added thousand pounds. Either way, I started to fill the tank with premium in case a cleaner burn could help the engine.

Of course, it was already 4-5p when we started in Utah, but already we were enamored by the inexhaustive desert surrounding us with signs of canyons in the distance. The allure of the canyons was too great for Askar, and she suggested an alternate route through Moab and rest the night somewhere near Phoenix. Granted, I was of the mindset that we find a Walmart parking lot to spend the night just to get a few hours rest before finishing the trip and getting to our destination on time. Askar wasn't crazy about the cats not getting out to stretch their legs and if we were sleeping in the car that night they wouldn't get out until Saturday evening when we had the apartment. I concurred, but I couldn't see how taking a detour that would tack on an hour or so could be helpful to getting us there on time, especially given the trailer, increase requirement for gas, and neither of us were familiar with the area. Besides the sun would be going down soon, so we wouldn't see anything anyways. Although, the sun would still be up at least until we passed through Moab. While that may be true, we might just have to come back someday.

We stayed on I70, but it wasn't so bad. The interstate was aware of the surrounding canyons and rock formations that lifted out from beneath the sea of sand like breeching whales frozen in time. There were several turn offs drivers could stop and stare out at the seemingly infinite congress of washed away mountain and dried up sea. To stay on schedule, we couldn't make every stop. For much of the ride the cellular cut out, so we started to listen to Zoo by James Patterson. We were still driving at about 8,000 feet above sea level. Provided my oxygen theory, I was hoping we'd get down soon and stop this madness. Again, another pill to swallow when that service bill comes - new transmission, check, new brakes, check, ramen 7 nights a week, check.

Night fell pretty quickly, and the gold and red sunset sky split by columns of rainstorms in the distance soon became black as pitch. Askar booked a room at a Motel 6 in Cedar City. We stopped for gas along the desperate road, I was again feeling very grateful for the service stations open and stocked in this sparsely populated area. On our way a woman had blinked us and tried to flag us down. Askar was able to interpret her message. Apparently, the chain of our trailer was dragging producing sparks. We decided to stop and see if we could get zip ties and she followed us off the exit ramp. There we pulled down our windows and we talked, and we said to ourselves, 'people sure are nice in these parts'. We zipped up the chain and would have to do so many times before the end of the trip.

We checked in late, maybe after midnight. The manager was a strange guy that I’m not sure slept much and was kind of wigged about hosting a bunch of people for the 4th of July weekend. As always, we did all we could to stay out of view, got into the room, fed and watered the cats, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

Day Six --- Saturday, 02 July 2022 --- San Diego CA

Short of my plan to spend the night in a Walmart parking lot so we could hit the road as soon as we woke, we sort of conducted our morning activities per usual. Again, I think we were both, as well as the cats, brain fried and exhausted from this trip thus far, just road weary. But we had one last leg to push and a tight timeline to keep. So, up around 7a, showered and dressed, cats fed, watered, and medicated, things packed we started out on the road by 8:30ish, later than I would have liked, but we were hoping to catch a push from the time zone change.

As we rolled into Nevada via Arizona it was becoming more obvious, we were getting deeper into hotter and dryer desert country. As a preface, I cannot say we were at all impressed with the service stations in Nevada. Apparently, all gas stations are half casinos - or is it that some casinos offer gas? - anyway, we only spent a few hours driving through the state but could see that business model has its faults. On our pass through Las Vegas, we thought this might be an opportune moment to get our bank check fixed and pulled off to a Bank of America. Askar got out and immediately was waiting on line that stretched outside the door. That so many people would need to perform banking services at 9-10 in the morning on a Saturday seemed insane. I waited in the parking lot nervously flipping through the radio. I landed on a channel where a preacher was preaching on the ways of the devil. He said the devil was like a fisherman who made dead bait look alive to lure you in; that there is a confused dividing line between life and death that we are easily fooled by and is the means of our own demise. Clever, I thought, but I also felt like he took a shot at my dignity as a reasonable human being and this line of thinking, of characterizing an evil to fear, seemed a little antiquated and could only ever serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy. My forehead creased as I dialed down the volume and Askar jumped back in deciding not to waste another second waiting for these people to get their act together.

My god, we lost time in Nevada. We exited Las Vegas, the air was dry and hot, speeding to the Californian border. I suppose we technically crossed at an inspection check point administered by the USDA basically looking for anyone smuggling plants. I was so afraid they'd make us open the trailer. Once that thing opened, it would be hell to close it up again. However, the dude was really cool, surprised when we said we were coming from Boston, and let us in no problem. And that was that. No more state borders to cross. No more motel nights. It was maybe 1pm with the bump from the time zone change, we still had hours to go, and still had to fix this check before the banks closed at 4p.

All throughout this part of the ride, we were still driving at 6,000 feet above sea level and getting even worse gas milage. I pulled off to get what I hoped would be our last fill up when Askar got a text from the land manager saying that if we didn't get there by 5p we wouldn't be able to get the keys until after the holiday. Well, needless to say, the text was like salt in a wound. I was fuming, so Askar led the dialogue with them calmly. Our eta was something like 4:55p, with traffic, and we targeted a bank somewhere near San Bernadino, which was about 100 miles away. Suddenly, Askar located a branch two exits from the town we were passing, and we took it, she jumped in, did the thing, and we were back on the road. This maneuver was the one that kept us above water.

From there, I was white knuckling the wheel down 15 south. My eyes would go from the road signs, to the speedometer, to the GPS in circles. Our eta hovered around 4:55p, sometimes edging up to 4:59-5:00, even 5:01 at one point. We kept pressing on mindful that in California, with the trailer, our speed limit was 55 mph. This was also my first time driving anything in the state and I was soon becoming aware of the term 'freeway'; truly unlike the toll roads back east. I thanked my lucky stars I stayed in the right lane during switches, and we rolled up to the apartment at 4:59p. I found a place to park and Askar jumped out to look for the guy. We got the keys and breathed a sigh of relief.

--- Epilogue ---

Life is a tapestry of strange and beautiful designs and colors that are only visible when hung or draped over a sturdy frame. At least, this has been my estimation in proceeding with acts such as these. Crossing this great beautiful country with the person and creatures you love created an enchanting mural in my mind that I will reflect upon from time to time.

The last bit of this DIY move involved getting everything into the second-floor apartment. The moment of truth. We opened the trailer and, while some things jolted backward to make opening the door a challenge, not that much spilled out, and even better, nothing was broken. It took about three hours to unload everything. I found a place to park the trailer for the night, hoping I could return the trailer the next day, which was a Sunday. I picked up some miller highlifes and we spend the rest of the evening assembling furniture. It was so nice to get back into our own bed it was almost worth moving it. Almost.