Great Trip to the West: The Return

Our great trip was quickly drawing to an end.  We had been on the road for over 2 weeks and we were beginning to get drained.  We were also debating on how we should go home.  We took I-40 out most of the way to California, and we had originally thought that we'd go back on I-80, but it was a bit longer and we were tired.  We decided to go back the way we came.

But then we thought that it might be nice to see a "different nothing" on the way home.  So we again changed our plans and decided to go the northern route.

This way was new to me.  I had never been up that way before.  I had no idea what it would be like so I was pretty excited.  I'm always up for new and different experiences.

We began our trek at around noon PDT.  We headed north to Lake Tahoe.  I had heard stories about Lake Tahoe and they did not disappoint.  It was gorgeous.  Tons of Ponderosa Pines and the lake was a vivid blue.  I could look back at the mountains that we went through just a week before.  It reminded me of the Lord of the Rings.  We took a few pictures and jumped back into the car to head back into Nevada.  We filled up in Reno and it was a good thing we did, for Reno is basically the last bit of civilization until you get to Salt Lake City.

We drove along the lonely highway past house that stood in the middle of the desert.  We stopped at a closed rest area, something that seemed normal in those parts.  We continued to Winnemucca, a town that wasn't much more than a few restaurants and hotels.  We thought about stopping, but I woefully felt energetic and thought we could go on to Battle Mountain.  Which is what we did.

Now you might think that a city named Battle Mountain couldn't be anything other than awesome, but you would be wrong.  There were about 2 or 3 exits to this town and when we pulled off at the second exit we swung in to the hotel there, eager for beds and rest only to find that it was booked.  Not only was that hotel booked, but every hotel from there to Salt Lake City was booked.  I was stunned.  There I was with my pregnant wife in the middle of the Nevada desert with no prospects of getting a hotel room.  I wasn't quite sure what to do.  The very nice lady at the front desk was sympathetic and offered to allow us to sleep in the parking lot.  She said we could use the toilet facilities and help ourselves to the coffee.  She also called around for us, trying to find a hotel room.  I wanted to mention her by name, but I can't find her business card.  She was an angel in that wasteland.  Eventually she did find a place in Elko, about an hour and a half away.  He held his last room for us and we shot off into the night.  I thanked her profusely before we left and vowed to never forget her.

We got to Elko and I called the hotel.  He told me to get off of the interstate and go left.  I did.  I eventually  wound up in the desert.  I called him back and he kept telling me to go left.  Finally I went right and sure enough found his hotel in just a few seconds.  We checked in and helped ourselves to a late dinner of cup noodles and orange juice (our stores were running thin).  After a few minutes of unwinding, we turned in for the night.  Early the next morning I attempted to take a shower before we headed back on the road.  I pulled the knob of the shower and nothing happened.  I tried wiggling it around.  Nothing.  I played with it for a few minutes and then gave up.  We quickly packed up the car and I went to the office to check out.  Before I left I told the guy that the shower wasn't working.  He immediately became defensive and basically implied that I was an idiot.  That was the last straw.  "Hey!  I was just letting you know that your shower was f***ing broken!  I don't give two s***s about it.  I was trying to be nice so that the next customer doesn't flip out on you and kick your ass!"  He apologized and we concluded our business.  I left pissed off and just wanting to get out of Nevada.

The trip was long.  The scenery didn't really change until we went through Salt Lake City.  Once through that city, the background went from desert brown to more of an alpine feel.  I could see some trees again and the mountains were very picturesque.  But that was short lived because we soon made the climb north to Wyoming.

We pushed through the great grassy vistas of Wyoming.  We stopped at a gas station just a few miles in the state and it was a good thing we did because after that stop there wasn't much else for a long long time.  We were no long interested in seeing the local sights, we just wanted to go home.  I was pretty burned out on driving and sleeping in hotels and in other beds that were not my own.  We had come a long way and now home was calling our names.  Also, we needed to be home in time for my wife's monthly OBGYN appointment.  The wife slept as I pushed on.  Mile after mile went by.  Cheyenne and Colorado crept ever closer.  Finally we made the turn south and soon were in Colorado, our tenth state on this adventure.  We were going for the east side of Denver, but I was tired and my wife was tired so just south of Fort Collins, we stopped and got a hotel.  We spent the evening watching TV and eating Taco Bell.  It was much more restful than the previous night had been, and it was desperately needed.

Monday was a cheery day.  We were well rested and our spirits were high.  I made a quick call to my wife's doctor, hoping that we could postpone a day or so so that we could explore Denver, but sadly, it was not to be, either we saw the doctor on Tuesday or it would be a two week wait.  We decided not to wait (we had tons of questions for the doctor that we wanted answers to sooner rather than later).  We climbed into the car and headed out.

Kansas passed by.  For some reason it felt like it took a very long time to get out of Kansas.  We stopped only a couple times and not for very long, but it seemed that Kansas took forever to get out of.  Not only did we have to go through most of the state on I-70, but we had to go south through another half of the state on I-35.  The clock was ticking and I was bound and determined to make it home in time for the doctor's appointment early the next day.  By 9 o'clock we were both tired and I knew that it would be better to sleep then and wake up early than to keep going and risk an accident or not being able to find some place to rest.  I was still unnerved by our experiences in Northern Nevada.

Just east of Oklahoma City was our last stop of our trip.  We got a room, took showers and went to sleep.  At around 3 am Tuesday my alarm went off and we made a mad dash around the room to get ready to head out.  We were done within 15 minutes and back on the road.  I nervously checked the time.  The minutes ticked by.  I would silently calculate our ETA in Memphis at every mile marker.  Finally we crossed the Mississippi bridge and into Memphis.  Twenty minutes later we were in our doctor's office (we were 10 minutes late, but I had called several hours earlier to alert them to the situation).

Our great trip was at an end.  We had a lot of fun and learned a lot.  I learned a little humility in trip planning (especially with a pregnant wife!) and to not underestimate the distances between places.  Overall we rode approximately 5,268 miles and were gone for 22 days and saw 11 states.  This trip really allowed my wife to see just how big the US is (she's from Japan and could quite grasp how huge the US is).  We will certainly do other trips, but nothing can compare to this first trip cross country.

Great Trip to the West Day 6: Zion

The two days of rest came to and end on Saturday.  We woke early again in order to get ready and prepare for our trip to Utah and Zion National Park.

We headed back into the desert and soon the glamorous surroundings of Las Vegas disappeared into the hazy sand.  The drive was mundane, a characteristic of traveling through the Southwest part of the United States.  The only interesting part was when we went through some steep craggy mountains.

This was the first time for me to be in Utah.  It was just like most other Southwestern states.  I was expecting more picturesque views.

Zion was pretty.  The radio was saying that there wasn't going to be any parking in the park.  It took me about 2 minutes to find a spot.  We did our standard walk about the visitor center and then boarded a bus to the actual scenic spots.  I'm not going to lie, I thought the park was a little anti-climatic.  It was pretty, but not what I was expecting.  People were telling me how gorgeous it was and how wonderful it was.  Yeah it was nice, but nothing too exciting.  It was probably because we didn't spend much time there that I thought it was just so-so.  I want to go back when my wife isn't pregnant so we can actually explore and get the whole experience.  Don't let this entry deter you from seeing the park.  It's definitely worth seeing, but dedicate a whole day or two to it.

After the park we began our trek to Bryce Canyon National park.  We were on small state highways so there was some winding around and slow speeds.  It took us about an hour or so to get to the park area.

 We bedded down for the night at Bryce Canyon resort.  It's a small place near the park and wasn't too bad.  My biggest complaint was that the people in the room above us seemed to pace about all evening.

We were up early to begin our day at Bryce.

Summer plans finalized

One of the nice things about being a teacher is the summer vacation.  I'll get roughly 2 months off and it is something that I will greatly enjoy and treasure.  I don't want to just sit around my apartment watching Netflix all summer, so the wife and I are going to do some traveling.

We toyed around with several possible destinations like Yellowstone National Park, Florida, Colorado and Mammoth Caves.  However, we settled on San Francisco, California.  We couldn't decide on a destination.  Until this past Sunday.

Talking to my cousins about my upcoming parenthood the discussion came to our trip (we were originally going to California, but money was becoming a problem).  My cousins offered us a gift of money in order to make the trip.  I was floored.  I hadn't expected this at all.  My excitement level jumped and I had a hard time staying focused.  I wanted to start planning.

Since we are driving I wanted to see as much as possible without doing too much.  We decided that our first stop for the evening will be Amarillo, Texas.  At first it was just a reasonable place to stop and get some sleep.  However, after looking around on the internet I discovered that Amarillo is home to The Big Texan.  We will definitely dine there on our first night out.  I always enjoy eating at famous places or places that have a novelty.  Besides, I hear that the steak is good.  I will, however, not be doing the 72 oz. steak challenge.  I know when to quit.

After The Big Texan we will have a bit of a drive to our next destination:  The Petrified Forest.  I've wanted to see this for about 15 years and finally it seems that I'll be able to see it.  Since the wife's condition we will not be doing any super hiking or anything too strenuous.  I figure we'll spend an hour, two at most at the Petrified Forest.  Our second bed spot will be Flagstaff.

Day three will see us at the Grand Canyon.  I've seen it once, but it's definitely worth another look.  It's also on my wife's list of places she wants to see in the US.  I wish we were able to hike down to the bottom, but that will be for another time.

Our last leg alone will be from the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas where we'll meet up with my cousins Mike and Ben.  From there it's up to the Sierra-Nevada Mountains, Yosemite and then finally San Francisco.  I'm sure it'll be a great trip and I'm very excited.

If you have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact me.