• The snow-capped stones in Naches River.
  • The primordial urge to climb a mountain that stands in front of you. Just to see what’s up there, what it’s like up there.
  • The little kids trudging home from the school bus through snow in Naches, Washington.
  • The knives and swords for sale at the truck stop in Mission, Oregon, large and plentiful even by truck stop standards.
  • The beautiful mountain pass we tried to take to Seattle in order to avoid bad conditions on I-90, which we discovered to be closed after 40 miles of following it (and, thankfully, 40 miles of enjoying the gorgeous trees that line it).
    • The friendly clerk at Whistlin’ Jack’s gas station who gave us advice to bypass the pass.