Wednesday, September 13, 2017

CNC ADVENTURES

We wake up to the sounds of Ted and Alice making coffee, so we get dressed and join them. As we eat breakfast, Alice says that the weather is going to change and they are thinking about heading to the warmer climes of Moab to do some mountain biking. We tell them that we had talked about leaving today so that is fine with us, we will just pack up and hit the road. The decision is made and after breakfast we take quick showers, gather the few belongings we had brought in and load up the RAV. We have a full days drive, so we thank them for putting us up, or putting up with us, and we hit the road a little after 9 o’clock. We fill up with gas at the local Costco and then take Highway 84 out of town. It is easy driving as we head west, and then turn south onto Hwy 287 at the bustling (not really) junction of Norris Montana. There is little to no traffic as we are out of the main tourist season of the area and not on the most direct route to Yellowstone. The countryside is defined by huge rolling hills as we travel between the mountain ranges of the area. We reach Idaho, drive past the very large Henrys Lake and continue south past the turnoff that heads west to Yellowstone National Park. The traffic thins even more from this point on. We take a quick bathroom break in Island Park, Idaho located on the shores of Island Park Reservoir and then continue Southwest on Highway 20. Eventually we hit Idaho falls and Interstate 15 which will take us straight south to St. George. We stop in Pocatello for gas and a quick lunch, 4 hours down and 6 hours to go in our long day drive. About an hour south of Pocatello, we enter Utah and after another hour and a half we are past the Salt Lake City traffic. Another gas and bathroom stop and smooth sailing as we transition from Northern Utah to Southern Utah. We reach St George about 7:30, grab a pizza for dinner and our journey comes to an end. We started back in June, traveled to the east coast, entered Eastern Canada and traveled to Newfoundland. We then slowly traveled west through Canada and the upper peninsula of Michigan, touching Wisconsin and Minnesota before heading back into Canada. After having our plans changed by wildfires, we reentered the USA in North Dakota, traveled through Montana and returned home to Utah. It has been an incredible journey filled with many good memories of both the places we saw and the people we met. We traveled through 19 states, 6 Canadian Provinces, visited 9 National Parks (Canadian and American), numerous National Historic Sites, National Lakeshores, and other interesting places. We ate fresh seafood, local specialties, and sometimes a burger. We learned about history and various cultures, mastered French (at least 10 words) and enjoyed every day. We drove over 10,000 miles and hopefully did our mind, spirit, and body good.  Time to settle back into St George and then start dreaming of our next adventure. Thanks for reading.