Ash and alfalfa

04 Wednesday Jul 2018

We got up early today as we weren’t sure what the situation with the wildfires would be, and the smoke was definitely having a negative impact on both our breathing. The car had a layer of ash on it when we loaded it.

Time to head for fresher air! Not a whole lot of scenery today along US 40 westbound. Much of the same desertlike landscape. We climbed a few peaks, and eventually hit I-80 westbound. When I saw the sign that Reno, NV was 540 miles away, I did think for a split second about heading to Sacramento. We would have had maybe 30 minutes to visit a lot of people before we had to head on to Seattle, so I nixed the thought before it really got started. It was a pleasant split second, though.

Our first destination was Salt Lake City Brewing Co and Squatters Craft Beer. Mom and I shared a salad (which, I am hesitant to admit may have been my first green veggies since we left Illinois).

We drove to Temple Square, but a large thunderstorm was brewing, so we pulled to the side of the road and plugged in the directions to tonight’s lodging. I did manage to get a photo of the capital while at a red light.

We hit a bit of rain which cleaned the bugs of the windshield and helped with visibility as we left Salt Lake City. We crosssed into Idaho about 2:40PM, and watched vast green farmland come into view. I took a break from driving so was able to get some photos along the way.

Alfalfa field

And we got to see more wheat fields. This is a bit bittersweet, though, as we were detoured off the freeway onto the frontage road due to a fatal accident with a car and tractor trailor. Watching the wheat undulate in the breeze was mesmerizing.

It was a long, slow end to the day, and I won”t lie and say it was all happiness in our car.

But we made it to the hotel, unloaded what we needed, and I made a trip to the grocery store. Tonic water, Rose’s Lime Juice, rainbow roll sushi, and a few other snack items. When returning from to the hotel, I pulled in, parked , gathered the groceries and went to the side door to go up the stairs. My key wouldn’t work, and I thought maybe I had put my cell phone near it. I headed to the main lobby entrance, walked in, looked around for a moment and realized this was not the hotel we’d checked into. I turned around on a dime, walked back to the car, and drove to the parking lot next door where we are staying. If that didn’t say it had been a long day, I don’t know what does! A beverage and nosh and we are both much better!

I think tonight calls for a good night’s sleep and waking up when we feel like it. Oh, and today’s public service announcement is a good reminder for everyone tomorrow. (I would add to this ‘unless you are a paid professional.’)

We’re off to southeastern Washington tomorrow, and hope to catch a fireworks display in town. And there are wineries within walking distance of the hotel! (Or at least it looks like they’re walking distance.) If you are traveling today or tomorrow, be safe and don’t drive faster than your guardian angels can fly.

Posted by andreapw | Filed under Alfalfa, Alfalfa fields, Idaho, Idaho Falls, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City Brewing Co, Squatters Brewing, Squatters Craft Beer, Utah, wheat, Wildfires

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Adventures Along the Road Less Traveled…

03 Tuesday Jul 2018

What an absolute treat to sleep with the window cracked open, fresh mountain air, and the sounds of birds chirping in the morning. We opted for breakfast 17 miles outside of Steamboat Springs at The Clark Store. A general store for locals, fresh breakfast, great coffee, and a fun mix of locals and travelers. The breakfast burrito was amazing. While lingering over breakfast and looking at routes for today’s drive, I spotted one that would take about an hour longer, but would bring us through Wyoming. If you’ve followed our past travels, you know which route we took!

We drove north on County Road 129, passing through Hahn’s Peak and Iron Mountain. We watched stands of white birch and aspen groves glistening in the warm summer breeze. The first highlight, though, was the sight of sheep on the side of the road, the rancher on horseback at the edge of the woods, and the little lamb who decided to nurse as momma crossed the road.

Suddenly we were looking at a dirt road, but GPS still indicated it was the correct route. I figured we could always turn around if it got too bad. The most glorious 39 miles of the trip so far! I think we saw maybe 10 other drivers along the way. Each one giving a friendly wave as we passed. As we passed into Wyoming, we found ourselves in the Little Snake River Valley. The Snake River Valley was one of my dad’s favorite places. Seemed appropriate we would stumble on the Little Snake River Valley.

When you take the less traveled road, you get to see all sorts of fun things…

My favorite sign of the day was “Drive Slow. Free Range Children.” We crossed in and out of Wyoming and Colorado several times, and eventually stayed on a more western route toward Dinosaur National Monument in Jensen, UT. We even spotted two St. Paul’s Episcopal churches…one in Dickson, a town with population of 97, and the other in Jensen.

The traffic was a a little hard to deal with!

The Dinosaur National Monument was more fun than either of us expected. Seeing an actual archeological dig site, touching dinosaur bones and realizing that dinosaurs really did roam the US millions of years ago brought a new perspective to the day.

We checked into our hotel, relaxed a bit and decided on a place to eat. The smoke from the wildfires burning in the area was a bit thicker than when we’d arrived, and we noticed ash on the car. We were happy to realize the red glow on the way back from dinner was the sun setting and not flames in the distance. Tomorrow we plan to be up and out a bit earlier than usual, and hopefully get into some clearer air and back to blue sky. Our prayers are with all those fighting the fires, those who are being evacuated, and those keeping a close eye on the situation in case they need to evacuate.