Well, yesterday was the 1st day of another grueling road trip into the heart of the Tibetan Plateau. We left at 5 p.m. from our home town and drove until after midnight to our next destination. The trip took us across two high mountain passes (11,800 ft, 10,600 ft), the famous Yellow River, through heavy rain, blinding fog, and more potholes and rocks than you've ever seen.

But this time it is a family ordeal. My mother and father, as well as my wife and baby Gabriel, are all part of this trip. My mother, wife, and Gabriel are all staying in a city on the frontier of the Plateau, while my dad and I head off early tomorrow AM for a long 15+ hour day of driving across the Highlands.

Internet access during the coming week will be spotty at best, but I will keep blogging as much as possible.