10hr Road-trip

Leah C.

May 5, 2010 - 11:30 AM

The Oregon Wushu Team, went down to UC Berkley last weekend to compete in an annual martial arts tournament. Every year the team jumps in vans and drives down south from Oregon to warm sunny California. Ten hours riding in a van filled with eleven others is not so bad. I have never been on a road trip for this long and I must say I wouldn't mind taking a road trip back down there again. The gradual change in scenery within the span of the van ride is beautiful. I love seeing the tall fir covered hills shape shift into smooth, rolling hills with sparse leafy trees. Not to mention the palm trees as we got further down south. Everything about the landscape was breathtaking and I found myself glued to the window. There were blue skies, rolling plains, with every shade of green.

Passing these natural landscapes brought memories of my geology class that I took fall term. I recognized the rocks hanging on the side of a wall, the distinct shapes of mountains, and how they formed. We passed by areas covered with snow, and ice and drove past Mt. Shasta. What a beautiful mountain it was! I think my appreciation for the road trip would've been different, if I had not taken that geology course. Besides the natural landscapes, we passed by cities and small towns. There were lots of farms as well with cows, bulls, llamas, horses and sheep. During the ride I exclaimed that I saw a cow with a large head; several seconds later I realized, to my own embarrassment, that it was a furry donkey.

I got a lot out of this road trip. It was also a great bonding moment for us all. Sitting shoulder to shoulder for 10 hours, we had a lot to chat about. Just getting to know each other even more was very pleasant and it made the trip past even faster. Of course we didn't have to sit in the car for 10 hours straight. On the way down to California we had several rest stops including a visit to In-N-Out Burger. I have heard of this legendary place from those who have previously competed last year. We stopped by Remington to experience this fast food joint. The place was very vintage looking, and the staffs all wore white uniforms with white paper hats. It was really cool and the food was not bad! The atmosphere was very classic and the menu was small. My goal is to tackle the entire menu next time, which consists of about 10 items. I can't wait till our next competition - it was so much fun!