The summer of 2015 has been a busy and productive summer. I started off by attending an AP Chemistry workshop right after the last day of the school year. I met a bunch of other chemistry teachers from across the country. We spent our days practicing experiments and calculations and after two weeks I walked away with a certificate of completion and eight free textbooks.
After that, I left for a motorcycle trip to California. This was my first cross-country motorcycle trip and I was very pleased with how it went. There were a few minor hiccups, as there always are, but I cannot complain in the slightest. I took a bunch of pictures, some of which will show up here periodically, over the next decade or so.
I'm committed to taking on more trips like this in the future. But here are two things that I will be changing:
- I would like to find a motorcycle that is more fuel efficient. Riding a sport bike for 7,000 miles is uncomfortable and expensive and I can only tolerate one of those at a time.
- My film camera takes up too much room in my pack, so unless I can find a motorcycle with greater storage, it won't be making the cut on the next trip.
On the way back to CT, I camped and hiked in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Famous national parks, the ones I could clearly see in my earliest memories of deserts and back seats. I also found several new spots, roads and state parks, that were winding and lonely and made me feel very small.
After fifteen days I came home, but I sometimes worry that I cut my trip too short. What did I miss? When will I be back?
Here's a picture I took just outside of Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.
