Moment the third... and fourth
A coiuple years ago, I drove from my home in Michigan, across good old America to California. By myself. To visit an internet friend. It was two weeks of great experience, but there are two moments from the drive out there that really stand out. After the first day of driving, I got a room in a motel.

The second day, I kept driving and driving. After a good 12 hours behind the wheel, I tell myself I'll stop at the next hotel I see. Being slightly tired, I fail to remember that I'm in the middle of Utah, which for those of you not in the know, is in the middle of the desert. Hotel indeed... I'd be lucky to find another human being. After a few hours, I cross into Nevada, and drive on. The desert at night and was utter darkness. I round a bend that passes around a hill, and out of nowhere... BAM! A lake of light. It's Las Vegas. So unexpected, and so out of place with the surrounding nothingness. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but it was a remarkable sight, nonetheless.

Anyhow, I'm not going to stop in Vegas to sleep, and pay the price. Again, my sleep deprivation and forgetfulness of geography betray me. There's not many places more to stop on into California. A few more hours on the road, and I can't take it anymore. I've been driving for roughly 19 hours and can't keep my eyes open. I pull into the parking lot of a strip mall in a town called Barstow in CA, and as the sky grows lighter, I recline the drivers seat and pass out.

I woke up a few hours later. I get on the road again, and realize exactly what the night has hidden. It's nothing like I've ever seen before. Blue-green sky, a highway, and nothing but brown desert, and a moleste mountain range to the west surrounding me. Again, the lack of sleep might be to blame, but it was a wonderful sight to behold.
(monkey explosion, Sun 13 Mar 2005, 7:22, Reply)