595 miles driven, less than zero walked….

(Hwy 9 N to 40 W to 14 N to 125 N to 230 N (WY) to I-80 E to 412 N to 189 N to 30 N to I-15 N)

Breckenridge CO to Pocatello ID

We were awake and immediately up at 5:49a.  Last night the bar across the street, Liquid Lounge (no, we have not been there; I don’t think they even get going till we are asleep…) went til 2am and then there was 1/2 hour of “TIME TO LEAVE”. I know this because I woke up to pee at 1:45… and don’t think I fell asleep again til 4 or so; Bob was awake a good part of that time as well.  Thinking about Roberta and Michael and life and what it hands us.

We hustled to get everything together and the car packed, checked out etc.  We were in the Coffee Depot getting the last cuppa at 6:50 and were on the road at 7am.  Beautiful morning — 40* and a few clouds.  Bob chose our somewhat circuitous route for the scenery (little green triangles on the map) and also for where we could follow and/or cross the California – Oregon Trail.  Our original plan was to spend two and a half days getting to Breckenridge by following the Trail from Pocatello through WY to Scotts Bluff NB.  When that plan got scrapped, we decided to do Breckenridge to Pocatello so we could at least see part of it.  The whole damn day was gorgeous!  Except for 196 miles on I-80 and about 40 miles on I-15 which are both interstate highways, the whole day was on two lane roads.   We saw a huge herd of buffalo — the biggest we have seen except for at Yellowstone and just immense beautiful vistas.  It is so B I G in Colorado and Wyoming.

Bob started the day driving.  We stopped for some photos just past Silverthorne

and to put the top down.  With the windscreen and the windows up, even at 70 mph my hair doesn’t even blow!  We had on The Seventies on Seven on the radio so were able to sing along to every single song.  It was blissful.  There is no place I would rather be than with my husband on a road trip (ideally with Sierra in the backseat too).

We stopped for gas (really for the loo) and intended to get something to eat in Rawlins WY… why?  because when we were in Rawlins two years ago the wonderful waitress at the Aspen House told us to go the Discount Grocery which had a fabulous bakery run by Mennonites.  We did and had the most delicious croissants and pastries.  So we find it and.. it’s closed.  Like Closed Closed.  So sad.  It happens so often in these smaller towns.  We looked for something else that wasn’t fast food.  But. No.  So we pulled over to put the top up (sky turning black….) and I took over driving.

Before we even got back on the highway it was raining.  We drove 80mph to Rock Springs for lunch.  Bob spent the time looking at the Yelp app (his first time…quickly was addicted) and decided on the Outlaw Inn.  It turned out to be in the Best Western.  We were both starving (especially him — I at least had my cafe au lait).  Bob ordered the french dip with mashed potatoes and I had blackened chicken salad.  He ate about half — said it was too salty which must have been like drinking the ocean for him to think that.  My salad was good (crisp lettuce, mostly iceberg but with romaine too, diced decent tomatoes, a handful of walnuts, just enough bleu cheese) and even though chicken was a bit heavy-handed on the *blackened*, I ate almost all of it.

I was still driving and we hit some short, heavy cloudbursts and stopped at several historical markers — all of them about the California-Oregon Trail, some of them very poignant with all the deaths and just general hardships.   Such brave and foolhardy people!  And not to be redundant but GORGEOUS gorgeous scenery all day.

Bob took over the wheel again about 50 miles south of Pocatello.  We checked in to the Best Western at 5:40p — 5 miles short of a 600 mile day!  Brought in our stuff and surprise! a severe storm warning till 7:15p.  We caught up on news, sports and watched the heavens open.  Big thunder for about 15 minutes and then just rain. Lots of rain. We hung out waiting for the rain to lessen so we can walk a block or two to dinner…… long day tomorrow (about 800 miles) to get home.