There's nothing like a road trip to make you think about the sky, particularly when you spend most of said road trip on the highway. There's not much to see on the highway most of the time; highways here on the American east coast are pretty bland between cities. You've got the road, the grass on either side, the occasional noise barriers, and the great big expanse of the SKY.
Of course, not all places are known for their incredible cloudscapes. Boredom just has a way of making you appreciate the little things in life, like the fact that this part of America is blessed with simply stunning cloud formations.
I think it's important to take the time to notice these things. After all, it's so easy to go through life with our heads down, focused on every-day busyness. It can be very calming to just drive and enjoy the constantly changing sky.
I myself have just returned from a road trip during which the sky was particularly active. The clouds piled up in great cauliflower-like mounds, and then dissolved again into foggy streaks. It was a rainy day, but the sun fought its way through the clouds to bless us with rainbows more than once. I've always wanted to find the treasure at the end of the rainbow, and this road trip taught me that the treasure at the end of the rainbow may actually be a truck (see image below).
I'd like to thank my mother for putting up with my constant, "Look at that rainbow! No, look at it over there! Look, it's a double rainbow! Look, it's so bright!"
Believe it or not, even this last picture was taken on the same day. By evening, the clouds had descended, making the hills look like they went on forever, their tops buried in mist. In places, the fog was so dense that the street lamps looked like UFO's hovering in the dark. It felt like an appropriate end to the show, like curtains falling.
After the craziness of summer, working day in and day out to pay for the semester ahead, it was wonderful to just sit back and spend a day on the road, enjoying the view. I highly recommend it to anyone stressed with the mayhem of life. Sometimes the journey is more important than the end destination, and the little things can provide the most happiness. Next time you find yourself on the road, take the time to enjoy the sky.
