I was actually fairly depressed about coming home at first. "Depressed" is an exaggeration but I felt sad. I got on the final flight which is a 9-passenger Cessna which flies from Boston into a small (tiny) airport in the Adirondacks (there was only one other passenger LOL). It was cloudy and we were above the clouds. Really pretty. I closed my eyes for a while, and when I opened them and looked out, the clouds were gone and we were flying over Lake Champlaign. I looked out and saw very little civilization. Lots of coniferous trees and patches of golden Tamaracks. Lake after lake after lake. Then - uncharacteristically - the plane flew within a stone's
throw of the summit of Whiteface Mountain. I could make out some of the alpine vegetation we were so close.
And I stopped feeling sad at that moment. This country is amazing. So many different types of beauty from coast to coast. Then seeing my family was the best feeling ever. There's something to be said about stepping away for a while. Really makes one appreciate what they have at home

I live on a beautiful lake, and it's not frozen yet, so who am I to complain.
But the desert southwest is so incredibly beautiful. I'm stoked to go back, hopefully in a year or two.