Race to the Sun

Colder weather was coming.  A storm was forecast for Washington, Oregon, Idaho and down into Utah for the weekend, which meant it was time to move on! Bob decided that we just had to go to Vegas, apparently because that was the first spot on the map that looked warm. I think the fact his parents are here this week added to that decision.

the acreage

After working on the remaining two hubs, we set off from Duvall about 2:30 Friday afternoon. From that point on we were on the move, racing away from the storm. East, across Washington on the I90 – a route we had taken the previous summer – and then away from the familiar, south on I84. We drove past sundown, spending our first night just inside the Oregon border at a truck stop in Umatilla. Sleeping at the noisy truck stop was not exactly restful, but everyone did manage some sleep (the kids always sleep, regardless of the noise; I wish I had that ability). We got up and drove all Saturday, through the northeast corner of Oregon, into Idaho. It rained for a good chunk of the morning, becoming lighter as the day passed. Every time we stopped for a break, though, the rain would catch up, pushing us onward. Late afternoon in Idaho we encountered our first dust storm, complete with tumbleweeds! 

S Oregon or N Idaho - not sure which!

It would have been entertaining playing avoid the tumbleweeds, except for the wind that made those move, also meant paying extra attention to driving (which sadly meant no pictures either, although I would have loved to get some!). We pulled into Country RV Village in Heyburn, ID at about 8:30pm (again pulling in in the dark) and quickly stuffed two loads of laundry into their nice, inexpensive washers. I would have done more, but we only had enough American quarters for two (are you noticing we really, really haven’t gotten ourselves organized yet!?). The kids discovered a small playground at the campground, which allowed them to burn off some of their built-up energy before bed. 

Sunday morning dawned quite chilly (near freezing), reminding us of why we were doing this monumental drive. We all took advantage of the nice hot showers at the campground the next morning, before getting back on the road for more driving (ugh, I hate feeling grubby!). Starting our longest driving day yet, we dropped down into Utah, joining the I15 and spent all day heading south, pretty much traveling the length of the entire state. Shortly before noon - alongside the road, hey! Is that? Snow! Yep. Stopping at a rest stop for lunch, the kids spent some time playing in the freshly fallen snow. Lily made miniature snowmen and Morgan tossed snowballs at the trees. Bob and I had to get out their mittens from the back of the trailer so they didn't freeze their little fingers (see, I knew having all our winter gear with us would come in handy!).

The rest stop had free Wifi, so we stayed a bit longer than originally intended, connecting to family & friends, getting weather reports and trying to figure out where to stay once we reached Vegas. That weather report showed that pretty much all of Utah was in the cold front we were racing away from, meaning there would be no leisurely sightseeing here. Traveling on, we passed Salt Lake City, which looked quite beautiful nestled against the mountains, with a fresh coat of snow.

My original plan was to stop at Beaver for the night, but below freezing temperatures pushed us onward, over the mountains. We did stop just outside of Beaver at one of the many truck stops, backed in and grabbed some supper (and WiFi), before making the decision to continue on to lower ground and above freezing temps. I’m not a fan of driving at night time, but the road was bare and dry and there was quite a bit of truck traffic. I got the impression we were missing some spectacular scenery though! 

Our new goal was St. George, just north of the Arizona border.  Since it was going to be after 9 by the time we pulled in we figured we’d grab a spot at Camping World or a truck stop, rather than a campground. This proved to be not possible as both were crammed full. So, parking a block away, we spent our night parked on the street beside a hotel. Neither Bob nor I felt 100% comfortable – although the presence of a transport truck right behind us made us feel a bit better about staying there- and we planned for an earlier rise than our usual 8ish wake up. 

somewhere on those last 100 miles

Monday morning we got up early, packed the kids in the truck and finished up our drive to Las Vegas (only 100 more miles!), actually getting to see some of that scenery I knew was out there!

Since Friday afternoon we have driven over 1200 miles (that’s nearly 2000 km), all to get to a city which I have never ever wanted to visit in my entire life. The extreme consumerism and excess to the extent that Las Vegas seems to portray just isn't my cup of tea. Okay, my prejudices and preconceived notions are showing, and really, I don’t know Vegas, so it’s unfair to judge it before experiencing it. Part of making this journey is to break away from those preconceptions and misconceptions about places and the people who live there. So I shall do my best to open my mind and heart to the area. I’ll let you know how it all works out…

Super traveler Lily

Super traveler Morgan