Flight to Norway

Flying over Mt. Saint Helens





At the crack of dawn on Wesdesday, July 9th, Matt's brother Dan drove us all the way to the Portland Airport, bless his heart. As we were taking off, the pilot announced a short scenic detour and circled the plane for a few minutes over Mount St. Helens, a volcano that erupted in 1980. Since I was in a window seat, I could see the inside of the exploded crater with snow dripping off the sides. The unexpected view was far more impressive than our trips to see volcanoes in Hawaii and Costa Rica and everyone in the plane oohed and aahed.



The End of Westward Expansion


Flying over the great expanses of the Midwest I couldn’t help thinking of my great-great-great grandfather Patrick Gass, one of the first explorers to cross the continent on the Lewis and Clark expedition between 1804 and 1806 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition). What once took a year now takes only a few hours by plane. For generations after his voyage, both sides of my family have been moving progressively in the westward direction seeking economic opportunities, advanced academic degrees, and better weather. So, it’s ironic that my siblings and I are moving north and east of California and the Bay Area, to Seattle, Minnesota, and now Norway. Meanwhile, half of Matt’s family is migrating up from the Bay Area to Oregon. As the population of the Bay Area swells, we're moving out, some in search of open space and cheaper housing, others in search of adventure and new opportunities.

To some extent, the history of America has been based on a romantic view of the Wild West, a land of infinite wealth and resources. And, after 200 hundred years, the West has been won. San Francisco, once the ruthless Barbary Coast, has been tamed. The great wild beasts like the grizzly have been vanquished. The Ohlone and Muwekmua tribes now live in suburbs and watch TV. The wide, open plains have been claimed. The gold and sliver in the Sierras have been mined. Burgeoning cities and suburbs strain freshwater supplies and infrastructure systems, like any other major metropolis area.


By moving to Europe, we're completing a circle that spanned 2-6 generations. Going back far enough, both of our families can be traced to Northern Europe. While I have no obvious links to Norwegian stock, Scottland and Ireland are relatively nearby. Until we open our mouths, we could probably pass as natives.


In a historical sense, the end of the Wild West represents a pivitol shift in perspective. Since land and resources on the planet are limited, this is an incredible opportunity for innovation. Instead of constantly exploiting untouched landscapes, we get to work creatively and cooperatively to cultivate a heathly and sustainable way of life that enhances biodiversity and decreases pollution. Europe is already ahead of America in this arena, because they have been dealing with limited land and resources for hundreds of years. So, I can't wait to see sustainable and ecological solutions at work in the Scandinavian cities.