We started out driving through Oregon to Idaho. We didn't stop in Idaho, but we did find where God's been hiding all this time. This guy's got him.
Mandy visited Utah for the first time. It was fun to be there and see Salt Lake City through the eyes of a tourist. We took for granted what we're so familiar with, but it really is a great town to visit!
Of course, we visited the Temple Square.
There was this cute little quail which stole the show on Temple Square.
We saw the city skyline from the top of the Salt Lake Library.
The library is very cool!
And, of course, the City County building, which I've always loved.
We then spent some time down in Southern Utah, at my sister Natalie's family cabin in Torey, just north of Capitol Reef.
A moment of relaxation, as we reached our destination.
An amazing sunset.
We played Twister!!!
We braved the desert heat.
Went for a hike.
Then our good old friend Nichole and Tricia came to join us for southern desert fun!
Hiking in the smoldering heat. Even the wind was hot.
Our tired crew... weary and broken from the heat.
We were STARVING after the hike. We snacked on watermelon, green olives, pickled asparagus, guacamole... um... other things... I swear, it was the best meal I ever had. I really was that hungry!
But then.... we went to Cafe Diablo, which is an AMAZING restaurant. The service was a bit off, but, hey, the food was beautiful! Tasty, too. And you JUST can't beat the scenery.
Mandy and her fancy meal.
Trish and Nic and their fancy meals.
We played Scrabble! We're obviously not afraid of board games.
Keith makes a good score keeper. He had more fun than this picture lets on. I mean - c'mon. One guy among four beautiful girls? He was in heaven!
We even played on the playset in the backyard. It was just fun to be crazy.
Ah, to be 8-years old again....
Peace out. We had to part ways...
Mandy, Keith and I hit the road once again. The plan was to follow back the way we came... but, hey... what about Nevada? None of us had driven through central Nevada, so, what the heck.
We drove through a tiny town called Austin (I think). I wished we could've stayed, but we had so many miles to cover. After we streched our legs, helped a biker find his gloves, and admired the local cemetery, we hit the road again.
Turns out, we were on the Loneliest Road in America. Really! There were signs announcing that all over, but I never got a picture of it. Just look at this photo and TRUST me. It was lonely.
It was on this road that we saw the most beautiful sunset ever. Mostly thanks to the California wildfires, but hey. We benefited, if no one else did.
The lighting was nice for a portrait. Okay, maybe we don't look entirely happy, but it was a loooong drive. We were tired. We look cool, though, right?
After a very looooong (but beautiful) drive, things got ugly.
I think the casinos made us all very cranky. Reno was the low-point of our roadtrip. Isn't Reno the low point of EVERYTHING? Lucky for us, our Reno experience only lasted about 8 hours. Enough to get a good (but expensive) sleep. ALSO, we think saw a dead guy in the parking lot. That wasn't so much FUN, per se, but it was worth noting.
Nary you mind. We found our joy as SOON as we got out of Nevada and into California. Hey - Who's driving???
Keith was a funny driver. We listened to a lot of wild music to keep us entertained.
This is as close as we got to the wildfires. We drove RIGHT next to them. Can you GET any closer? We watched a mercedes blow a tire on a hot rock that had flown off the side of a cliff just behind us. I'm thinking we were lucky.
I love this shot. We had our little Smokey the Bear with us to guide us through. There is a fire truck heading in the background.
I see chince! We MUST be in northern California!
The famous drive-through Redwood Tree. Keith and I had never done this before! It's not as amazing as it looks or sounds. It's a tree with a big huge hole in it. Big enough to fit a car into. Kinda sad, really.
We finally made it to the ocean!!!! Crescent Beach, California.
We found a lil' cabin for the night. The owners told us to beware of the bear that roams at night near the garbages. Duly noted. But, why didn't they warn us about the bats in the roof?
Our little cheap cabin with rickety beds and a freakishly huge family of bats in the roof. But, at this point, I don't think we knew what was in store for us in the roof.
Our cabin. Number 14.
We had dinner at the Pizza King. I love this place. Crave it constantly! They wouldn't serve us a "growler" (which is basically, a pitcher of beer to go), so we ordered a pitcher and filled our growler at our table and THEN took it back to the cabin.
What's that weird scratching noise in the ceiling??? Ah, yes. BATS!
Me, standing amidst the bats. Hoping for a photo.
The next morning, we drove through some really foggy forests. Smokey liked the fog better than the smoke. So did we.
A small trip to the burl gallery...
and then... back home..... Just in time for Mandy's birthday. What an adventure!!!
