Driving across a good portion of the country for the first time was impressive. Though I have always been taught that the back roads are better than the freeway, my experience has shown that as land changes from flat prairie to forested mountains, the freeway can be equally beautiful. At one point, we turned a corner where the road to the left was dropping down a hill, hidden by trees. The trees broke and across a wide valley the hint of another mountain, a blue haze in the background, peaked into view.
I want to encourage every Skyrim player that has loved the beautiful C. G. graphics to come out to the Appalachian Mountains and see the view for themselves. While you may not get to fight dragons, shoot bows and arrows, or become thane in every kingdom, the view is all the more breathtaking for having happened in real life.
Tomorrow will bring the start of our climate conference, where we will bring the experience of our journey with us as we talk to our Senators and Representatives and listen to sustainability experts speak. While I doubt they have the time to spend playing Playstation, I think the lesson of slowing down to look at the actual world around us may continue to be important for all of us.
More thoughts and notes to come.
-Melinda