Red, White and Blue

05 Thursday Jul 2018

Northbound adventure began about 10AM today. For a holiday, traffic was fairly light. We opted not to stop along the way to our destination as we didn’t know what traffic ahead would be like. I also wanted to be in for the night before folks began heading home from their BBQs and picnics. The temperature in Idaho Falls this morning was a balmy 45 degrees. Not exactly what we’d call summer weather, but it did warm up rather quickly. (When I checked about 6AM it was 38 degrees with a 4 degree windchill.)

Through northern Idaho and the northeast corner of Oregon and on into Washington. Watching the topography change was a treat. The flat, vast farmland of Idaho into the rolling hills and Blue Mountains of Oregon. Two 6% grade descents today – the last overlooking gorgeous views of the farms and grain fields in the valley below. I enjoyed the view, at least. The passenger is not really keen on heights, especially when wending around mountain passes.

“Bessie,”as I have named her, hit 50,000 miles just over the Oregon border. Fun to think that I have helped put about 14,000 of those miles on her, and it will be closer to 16,500 by the time we complete this journey.

We crossed the 45th parallel today – halfway between the equator and north pole. Unfortunately no picture opportunity as we crossed it, just a sign on the side of the road as you drove by.

We checked into the hotel at 3PM, settled into the room, and then decided to see what fun we could find in the Columbia River Valley area of Washington. Hello, wineries! We managed to find one open, about 3 miles from the hotel.We had a very enjoyable tasting at J. Bookwalter Winery, and then stayed for happy hour at the restaurant. A perfect little meal at the end of the day. We are hoping to see fireworks from our room window when the sun sets.

We managed to get our red, white and blue in today (red wine, white wine and Blue Mountains!)

The BEST sliders!

Wishing everyone a very happy 4th of July!

Posted by andreapw | Filed under Blue Mountains, Columbia River Valey Wineries, Columbia River Valley, Idaho, Idaho Falls, J Bookwalter Winery, Oregon, Washington, wheat, wine, Wine Tasting

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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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Rocky Mountain High – the mountains, that is

02 Monday Jul 2018

We were up and ready in time for breakfast at the hotel and on the road about 10AM. Filled up the gas tank, washed the windshield, and hit the highway. We finally saw the golden wheat fields of Kansas. The green of the corn and soybean fields next to them really made them stand out. A little research taught us this appears to be Kansas winter wheat which is planted in the fall and harvested in late June to early July. What struck us most was that it was maybe knee high or so. We’d both envisioned it much taller and really blowing in the wind. I guess that’s a lesson for us not to think about the musicals we know and love for information…or perhaps it just grows taller in Oklahoma.

We were 60 miles or so outside Denver when we spotted what has now become known as “A Brown Sign.” These are our signal that there is some interesting historical site, something whimsical, or down right odd that we may want to check out. Today’s Brown Sign said “Scenic Route to Denver.” Well, it sounded better than more of I-70 to me, so off the freeway we went onto State Route 86 through Kiowa and Elizabeth. A beautiful drive through foothills, ranches and small towns. It was the first time I had seen cows lying flat on their side, legs outstretched, in the late morning sun. We connected with I-25 into Denver, past Mile High Stadium, and eventually back to I-70. (Sorry for my Broncos fans. I was driving, and the Rockies had a home game today so traffic was a bit heavy. No place or time to stop for a photo. And a good thing I didn’t check the Rockie’s schedule before writing this as the SF Giants were in town. I might have stopped for that game!)

As traffic was heavier than we expected, we opted not to stop at Red Rocks Park and Ampitheater. This has been added to the “Next time we drive through” list. The drive over the Rocky Mountains was breathtaking. Snow was still visible on many of the mountain tops, and it felt many times like we were on a roller coaster – just when you thought you had finished the climb to the top and were heading down, you’d climb some more. We stopped for lunch in Idaho Springs, and I reported to family members we were on the westside of the Rockies. If I’d looked at the atlas, I would have realized we’d just barely started our climb. We watched white water rafters getting started, others finishing their trip, passed ropes and zip-lining courses, drove through 8 tunnels (maybe more) and continued to climb higher. We were over 10,000 feet up, maybe even 13,000 feet before we started the first descent. 7% downhill grade for 7 miles. Kept the foot off the brake as much as possible as I was not planning to use the runaway truck lane if I didn’t have to! Unfortunately, the turn-offs we passed along the way came up suddenly, or were full, so I didn’t get a chance to get pictures. Photos on the internet, in movies or on TV do not do it justice. It is absolutely worth the drive.

We had a second 7% grade descent, but this only lasted 5 miles and led us eventually to Rabbits Ear Pass and the Continental Divide. Our third time crossing the divide in 5 years. Our next crossing will be eastbound in Canada. The landscape changed from dry, almost desert-like to more lush and green as we got closer to Steamboat Springs.

We pulled into our hotel about 4:30PM, unloaded what we needed for the night, and, despite the road buzz, opted to head into town for a nosh and beverage. We stumbled upon Table 79 which had a wonderful happy hour. We relaxed, ate, drank and soaked up some fresh air. The air is a bit thinner, and it’s a bit harder to take really deep breath. The view from our room patio makes it all worthwhile, though!