One last day. Tying up the loose ends. Three more square meals. Planning our way out west.

Today is Gary’s fourth birthday.

The little man. How I miss him. He’s back in Portland being kept alive by a network of beautiful people like Leah, Mark and Dale. Thanks.

I updated the “Gary Gallery” this afternoon, and can’t help feeling a little sad I’m not back there with him.

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ANTSY TO GET GOING: Leigh and I push off tomorrow. Depending on the rollercoaster weather cycles back here, our hopes are to take a pretty conservative route back home. Around the horn, past Gary, underneath Chicago, across Illinois into Iowa, across Nebraska into the big Colorado. There, we might hang with “Denver Larry” or we might not. Then, we’re gonna hammer up over those Rockie and into one of favorite state, steeped in superstition and beautiful people: Utah. Then up into Idaho and up over towards Oregon.

A familiar route. Done it a million times. Other options are Wyoming, or, going south to avoid weather and hitting up the tops of New Mexico and Arizona, then up through Vegas and Reno back to Portland.

It’s all about the weather, and “weather” or not shit’s volatile out there. A roadtrip at this time of year is a real roll of the dice. Sure ain’t August out there, that’s for sure.

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STILL HIGH ON OBAMA: Mom, Dad and I watched a 60 Minutes “all about Obama” tonight. Can ‘t help but feel very, very excited about all of it. And, in contrast, sure am glad McCain/Palin didn’t take it. Yikes.