I’ll sit out the holiday weekend in the Yakima Valley, enjoying the bounty of peaches, pears, corn, tomatoes, melons, and an infinite supply of other good just-picked foods. Not to mention wines and beers. It’s a dramatic change of scenery, too, something I can use.
From there my destination is the Reno Air Races. Now, I know nothing about the races, but it’s been on my list of things to do for a long, long time. I do know that the culture of the event is very different from that of Burning Man. Technically, I could attend BM and then go to Reno for the races, but the differences in those cultures would be quite a jarring experience; from hippies to Gucci, from zero commercialism to intense marketing. If I knew what the races were, maybe I’d be able to handle it, but I didn’t want to take the chance this year. Maybe next year I’ll do both.
My route takes me to Sacramento before Reno. I’ll be watching carefully the fire situation and have built in some time for wise course changes.
As usual, it’s very tough leaving family, friends, and the scenery. It’s been an excellent summer in the best place I know. But, also as usual, my head will turn to what’s in front of me, the new places and experiences until I return.