Tuesday, April 9, 2013

A Chronicle of Our Drive across the West


For those of you have been following the saga of my recent move from the suburbs of Minneapolis to the sunny shores of California, I thought I’d share some of what we saw along the way.

The afternoon of Good Friday, after the movers had finished loading the van, we packed our trusty Honda Pilot and set off on the first leg of our journey, driving to Sioux Falls, SD. Unfortunately, either OG had misread the mileage or Google maps lied, but the trip turned out to be an hour and a half longer than anticipated. The motel room was sweltering, and between the heat and our fatigue, neither of us slept more than a couple of hours. Not an auspicious start. Fortunately, we had a very well-protected breakfast the next morning next to three of Sioux Falls’ Finest at the Denny’s at the Flying J truck stop.

About an hour out of Sioux Falls, we drove into the thickest fog I have ever seen—the kind of fog that causes hundred-car pile-ups. Even OG was moved to caution, and his usual response to poor road visibility is to blast through it at the highest possible speed (in hopes of getting out faster?). I’ve always assumed it to be a guy thing—an INSANE guy thing. At any rate, several hours later, we reached Rapid City in time for a short trip to Mt. Rushmore. Since it was early spring and the day before Easter, we nearly had the place to ourselves except for a few groups of Indian tourists. The sun came out just long enough for OG to snap this picture before we were hit by a wild burst of heavy snow mixed with rain. Thankfully, it stopped by the time we reached our motel in town.

Bright and early the next day, Easter Sunday, we headed for Laramie, WY. The landscape was eerily boring, if that’s possible. However, we were passed on a back country highway by a convoy of six black Porsche Panameras with dark tinted windows and CB radio antennas, all with Georgia plates, traveling at a high rate of speed. I know there’s a story there, but I have no idea what it was. Wyoming rest stops were a real eye-opener for this city girl. The first one didn’t have flush toilets and smelled worse than the latrines at summer camp. Here I am, standing beside it. Don’t I look thrilled?

The second, in the thriving metropolis of Lusk, was buried under a mountain of enormous tumbleweeds. Chicago pales in comparison when it comes to wind velocity. We couldn’t reach Laramie soon enough but were surprised by its small size and lack of amenities considering it is home to the University of Wyoming.

The following day driving across southern Wyoming was dreadful. Enough said. Apparently I am not a high plains kind of girl. As soon as we crossed the Utah line, the scenery changed dramatically. The mountains were gorgeous, although the drive down into Salt Lake City raised every hair on my body. If you’ve never done it, imagine a Formula One car race downhill through the Alps. Yikes.

Sadly, I had the same impression of Nevada that I did of Wyoming. It’s not for me. Vast open spaces of nothingness make me tired and antsy. We spent the night in Reno in an airport motel about ten feet from a teeming interstate. Funny, that detail was not omitted from the hotel’s website. By this time, we were nearly dead on our feet and couldn’t wait to get to California.

The next day was our last. The first part of the drive took us through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which were spectacular, even swathed in fog. We stopped at the Donner Memorial, but were disappointed to find the museum closed. However, we did spy this miraculous
weather prophet rock. If you can read the sign, you’ll see why it caught OG’s fancy.
I won’t dwell on the rest of the drive. The freeway traffic from Sacramento to Carmel was typically brutal, and we were (physically and mentally) running on fumes—particularly OG, who had driven the entire trip. It was a blessing to reach Carmel, and by the next day we were able to appreciate it.

I had never made a trip like this before, and I’m not anxious to do it again, but it served an important purpose. Spending days on the road made the trip a journey in ways a three-hour plane flight never could have. Our discomforts didn’t compare to those of the pioneers, who spent months of hardship in pursuit of the same goal, but like them, each mile took us further from our old life and closer to our new one, and I appreciate where we are and how far we’ve come even more.

8 comments:

  1. It's funny how on my trip to Montana I didn't think of the pioneers. Then again, I was 18 years old. On my trip to DC and Virginia, the drive was a different story. I did think about the pioneers and all they endured to go forth in this great nation, and it moved me. I'm happy you made the drive to experience it all and that you made it safely. Now send some of the warm to us midwesterners.

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    1. Jody, it's so beautiful here today I'm afraid to mention it. I loved many things about Minnesota, but the weather wasn't one of them.

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  2. At least you got to see a couple of cool sights along the way... I agree all those long stretches of nothing can get on your nerves. But I remember kind of liking the open terrain in Wyoming, certainly more so than in Nevada. Glad you made it safely!

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    1. I've heard that northern Wyoming is much more scenic, but that drive from Laramie to Salt Lake City didn't have much to offer.

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  3. Thanks for sharing your trip. I loved hearing about it. And am glad to hear you're in your new home now. Settling in and making it feel familiar with all your beloved things.

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    1. Vonnie, even though most of my beloved things will be in boxes in the garage at our new house for the next several months, it still feels better to have them here just a few minutes away.

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  4. Hi Alison,
    I'm so glad you're safely home. It's funny, though, how different people like to travel. The trip you described sounds like heaven to me! DH and I love road trips so much we took the 7-day trek from Alaska to Minnesota with relish. My aunt-in-law lives in Sheridan, WY which is more northerly than Laramie. The Bighorn Mountains are fairly scenic although not the Rockies. I admit I haven't taken that Wyoming to Nevada route--but I do some of my best daydreaming/brainstorming on boring drives--like southern South Dakota or parts of Oklahoma. In your case, at least you had a gorgeous destination, which is probably what saved you! Thanks for the travelogue--it's so fun to follow your new adventure-even though we'll miss you here in the Spring-less north.

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    1. I know many people enjoy long driving vacations, but I don't understand it (the same way I don't understand why some people enjoy eating raw oysters). Thank heaven for different tastes!

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