Day 9 is brought in with the rainy tapping on the top of the RV, which I simply love. We had, I believe, our first night of real relaxation as we got to our campground in late afternoon, which is very different from the rest of the trip when we are usually arriving to the campgrounds in the evening and setting up in the dark. Last night was so restful. I cooked teriyaki sesame chicken, potatoes, and created a Caeser salad. The boys played at the playground, and I fought off the tiniest, blackest mosquitoes I have ever seen. Fellow campers are always a highlight to our travels, and we meet an Idahoian names Pat who has rented an RV and just arrived from Glacier National Park in Wyoming. He offers Ben a beer, and I insist Ben takes it as he needs to relax. Pat breeds Golden Retrievers and he is traveling with two, one that was born in Russia and another that was born in Australia. He earns 2000.00 per pup. Ethan loves Golden Retrievers! Too bad for Ethan that we had to buy 1000.00 worth of tires on this trip! J
It is cold in Montana and the rainy damp weather increases the chill I feel. The high mountains are shrouded in fog, and in places Ben says they look like they are steaming as if they are not quite done yet. Yellowstone is situated in the upper Northwest corner of Wyoming, so one is able to visit Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho by only driving a few miles in each direction. After organizing, having our mandatory coffee, getting the kids up, fed, and dressed, we buy a Montana magnet and hop into the truck. In only a few miles, after climbing a mountain, we are in Idaho, so we stop to have our pictures taken by the sign which also designates the Continental Divide and high altitude. Again, like in South Dakota, the boys run from state to state, Montana, then Idaho, then Montana, then Idaho again. I call my Aunt Roberta in Florida to check in, and the rain starts to fall so we run to the truck. Our plan is to head toward Idaho Falls and make our way to Utah. I have been dreaming of seeing Utah for a very long time. Hands down, it was my father’s favorite state in the union, and after his death, my stepmother, Roseanne, got a place out there and stays there during part of the year. We plan on visiting Salt Lake City, Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. By the time we reach Zion, we will be in southern Utah, and we will be able to shoot right over to Lake Meade, Nevada via Hoover Dam and spend some time in Las Vegas. As I write in the truck, the phone rings and it is Michelle. She and her kids are leaving Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is on her way to Tucson, Arizona for the kids to visit their old neighborhood and familiar haunts. We talk about having a pedicure when I get to California and our estimated time of arrival. At this point, June 14, 2009, we figure we will be in California on Thursday or
Friday.
There is so much to be seen in this country of ours, and each decision to visit somewhere results in excluding other things that we would love to see. For instance, I would love to visit Yosemite National Park in California, but it is too far north for our trip because our destination is LA/Hollywood/ and San Diego. I would like to fly out to the California with the boys and do it right in the future, and now I have a great friend there to show us around. Bennie is a bit homesick, and this morning he asked if we could go home. He misses his house and his friends. I talk him out of it by enthusiastically discussing the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. I haven’t been to Vegas since 1995, so I am looking forward to the many changes that have occurred since then.
So our day begins in Montana, but we spend a great deal of it driving through Idaho, which begins ruggedly but then changes to farmland. I wonder how many cows there are in the world? I know that I have seen more cows than I ever wanted to or need to. The weather is rainy and foggy and we drive into a wicked storm in Rigby, Idaho.
I can tell Ben is a bit tense as the water pounds our car, makes the road conditions slick, and the wind is pushing our truck and rv around the road. Each truck that passes by begins to suck us under it until it decides to release us back to our side of the road. I ask if we shouldn’t.
Today we drive and drive and drive, and the scenery, as always, is wonderful, and as we fly down the road, the mountains, one after another, are more beautiful than the the ones we are currently looking at. Eventually, we reach Pocatello, Idaho, the home of the University of Idaho, which is a beautiful, little college town nestled down in a valley surrounded by rocky giants. These giants are beginning to change, and we are starting to see patches of red as we near Utah. I have to say that even though most of our day was spent in the car, the boys are very good. Overall, they have been quite tolerant and at time, I think we have bitten off more than we can chew. There are hundreds of miles between the things we want to see, and we are definitely getting roady weary and not spending enough time “camping.” I am hoping to spend at least two days near Lake Meade in Nevada so we can refresh ourselves.
As we near the Utah border, I decide I am going to call my stepmom, Roseann, who lives out here in Utah for part of the year. I leave a message and she calls me back twenty mintues later, unsure of when I called and afraid that she has missed us because she has been away for two days and just received our message. She tells us we are six hours from her yet, but we decide we will stop at her home in Parawon, Utah. She sounds excited and I will be happy to see her. Tonight, it is raining in Salt Lake City, so we have a poor view of the city and the lack. We drive as far as Filmore, find a KOA, and stop for the night. I am so sick of sitting in that truck that I am not looking forward to getting back in there in the morning, but at least I know that it is only an hour or so of driving before visit Roseann. The Filmore KOA is neat and clean, and after watching a movie with the kids we all crash land on our beds. The driving is getting to all of us.
All in all, day 9 is comprised of three different states: Montana, Idaho, and Utah, and as lovely and wonderful as they all are, nothing, in my opinion compares to Wyoming.
It is cold in Montana and the rainy damp weather increases the chill I feel. The high mountains are shrouded in fog, and in places Ben says they look like they are steaming as if they are not quite done yet. Yellowstone is situated in the upper Northwest corner of Wyoming, so one is able to visit Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho by only driving a few miles in each direction. After organizing, having our mandatory coffee, getting the kids up, fed, and dressed, we buy a Montana magnet and hop into the truck. In only a few miles, after climbing a mountain, we are in Idaho, so we stop to have our pictures taken by the sign which also designates the Continental Divide and high altitude. Again, like in South Dakota, the boys run from state to state, Montana, then Idaho, then Montana, then Idaho again. I call my Aunt Roberta in Florida to check in, and the rain starts to fall so we run to the truck. Our plan is to head toward Idaho Falls and make our way to Utah. I have been dreaming of seeing Utah for a very long time. Hands down, it was my father’s favorite state in the union, and after his death, my stepmother, Roseanne, got a place out there and stays there during part of the year. We plan on visiting Salt Lake City, Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. By the time we reach Zion, we will be in southern Utah, and we will be able to shoot right over to Lake Meade, Nevada via Hoover Dam and spend some time in Las Vegas. As I write in the truck, the phone rings and it is Michelle. She and her kids are leaving Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is on her way to Tucson, Arizona for the kids to visit their old neighborhood and familiar haunts. We talk about having a pedicure when I get to California and our estimated time of arrival. At this point, June 14, 2009, we figure we will be in California on Thursday or
Friday.
There is so much to be seen in this country of ours, and each decision to visit somewhere results in excluding other things that we would love to see. For instance, I would love to visit Yosemite National Park in California, but it is too far north for our trip because our destination is LA/Hollywood/ and San Diego. I would like to fly out to the California with the boys and do it right in the future, and now I have a great friend there to show us around. Bennie is a bit homesick, and this morning he asked if we could go home. He misses his house and his friends. I talk him out of it by enthusiastically discussing the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. I haven’t been to Vegas since 1995, so I am looking forward to the many changes that have occurred since then.
So our day begins in Montana, but we spend a great deal of it driving through Idaho, which begins ruggedly but then changes to farmland. I wonder how many cows there are in the world? I know that I have seen more cows than I ever wanted to or need to. The weather is rainy and foggy and we drive into a wicked storm in Rigby, Idaho.
I can tell Ben is a bit tense as the water pounds our car, makes the road conditions slick, and the wind is pushing our truck and rv around the road. Each truck that passes by begins to suck us under it until it decides to release us back to our side of the road. I ask if we shouldn’t.
Today we drive and drive and drive, and the scenery, as always, is wonderful, and as we fly down the road, the mountains, one after another, are more beautiful than the the ones we are currently looking at. Eventually, we reach Pocatello, Idaho, the home of the University of Idaho, which is a beautiful, little college town nestled down in a valley surrounded by rocky giants. These giants are beginning to change, and we are starting to see patches of red as we near Utah. I have to say that even though most of our day was spent in the car, the boys are very good. Overall, they have been quite tolerant and at time, I think we have bitten off more than we can chew. There are hundreds of miles between the things we want to see, and we are definitely getting roady weary and not spending enough time “camping.” I am hoping to spend at least two days near Lake Meade in Nevada so we can refresh ourselves.
As we near the Utah border, I decide I am going to call my stepmom, Roseann, who lives out here in Utah for part of the year. I leave a message and she calls me back twenty mintues later, unsure of when I called and afraid that she has missed us because she has been away for two days and just received our message. She tells us we are six hours from her yet, but we decide we will stop at her home in Parawon, Utah. She sounds excited and I will be happy to see her. Tonight, it is raining in Salt Lake City, so we have a poor view of the city and the lack. We drive as far as Filmore, find a KOA, and stop for the night. I am so sick of sitting in that truck that I am not looking forward to getting back in there in the morning, but at least I know that it is only an hour or so of driving before visit Roseann. The Filmore KOA is neat and clean, and after watching a movie with the kids we all crash land on our beds. The driving is getting to all of us.
All in all, day 9 is comprised of three different states: Montana, Idaho, and Utah, and as lovely and wonderful as they all are, nothing, in my opinion compares to Wyoming.
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