So, yesterday involved moving in and setting up furniture in my new apartment and driving up to the nearest large city to get the lay of the land, so to speak. I really like the place I'm staying at right now. Compared to the last apartment I lived in, the rent is almost half as much, the whole place is practically new, and there are no ants (as far as I can see). The view is pretty terrific, too--just past the tenant parking lot are impressive rolling hills in different shades of green.
The drive up to Spokane and Coeur d'Alene was remarkably pleasant. There were no Fourth of July traffic jams--hardly any cars at all outside of the city centers. Of course, one reason why that could be is that most of the area is either vast farmland or evergreen studded Indian reservation.
I was also reminded of most of the country that I drove through to move here. Definitely a nightmare for anyone suffering from agoraphobia. In places like Iowa and Missouri, outside of the congested cities, there's nothing but flat fields with the occasional farmhouse and silo. South Dakota was mainly brownish-yellow grassland only interrupted with the Badlands--layered gray cliffs. I remember Wyoming as mostly stark red-brown steep inclines, declines, and curves. It would have been a very bad place to break down as well because there was nothing for miles around. But it was a rather stunning backdrop against an approaching thunderstorm. Montana was a surprisingly beautiful place, but that may be because the interstate I took was the one following the Yellowstone River. (Native Montanans I've known painted a rather stark and flat place for me, but that may have just been the particular area they've lived in.)
The only annoying thing is people's remarks about how "pretty" my name is when I first meet them. It's like I've just shown them a bit of amateurish artwork that needs to be tactfully praised. I had nothing to do with my name. Is this a euphemism for what a weird name my parents gave me? I don't think my name is weird or very unusual. Plenty of people have my name (although I've only personally met one other). If I were named David or Jennifer, people would get right down to business rather than making inane comments.
Glad to hear you made it safely to your destination (Washington State?). I know what it's like driving through flat farm land, although, Indiana can be kind of pretty in it's own way. What made you move 2000 miles west?
