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In the words of Jim Anchower, “hola, amigos. sorry I haven’t rapped at ya’ll in a while…” it has been a challenge balancing work and play, and finding wireless networks that will accommodate up and downloads needed for appropriate blogging. Despite the communication lapses, I have been taking diligent notes so will update as I move along, and periodically go back to previous posts and make corrections and improvements.
Hanging Back: So last night I took advantage of the break from the road to do some pb (personal business) including going down to the hotel’s spa to stretch out my back which is not too happy about some of the stretches of sitting. I had the spa to myself until a couple came in, and of course they were not two gorgeous women, rather it was an old married couple from Edmonton. We talked politics and general travel; they, like my Uncle George and his wife, have decided to be fifth wheel nomads, except the canucks can only spend 180 days. Makes it strange that they have a house in Palm Springs.
Monida Pass: After checking the Montana State website to confirm the roads were open, I was behind the wheel by 9am driving under mostly sunny skies. Then I drove up the mountain to the monida pass and conditions deteriorated rapidly – first the road went from pavement to packed snow and ice, then the wind picked up enough that it took two hands to keep the beast on the road, and then things got disconcerting – snow started falling from the sky and blowing from the sides dropping visibility to about a hundred feet. It was mark mosely style driving where I would identify the poles on the sides of the road (like the normal poles between mile markers, but these have been modified to have orange extension poles so they are over ten feet tall) and then try to stay in the middle between them. I even saw a snow-rainbow, running vertical – I tried to take a picture of it, but it all came out white.
About twenty miles into Idaho the visibility improved and it was just snow packed road conditions to deal with. I made it to Idaho Falls for lunch at Arctic Burger. Then I decided to get creative and took highway 20 due west, right into a tremendous blizzard. Visibility dropped to just a few feet beyond the hood. Blah blah blah…. Lots of snow. Craters of the Moon National Monument and Idaho National Laboratory were both covered with snow and closed. Then I got to Twin Falls, Idaho where the Snake River valley cuts deep and unexpectedly through the earth. Evil Keneival fans will remember his failed attempt to be launched in a rocket across the gorge. There is a monument to that as well.
Long day short – I banged out a twelve hour behind the wheel day, drove through at least three different blizzard scenes and ended up in the Nevada town of Winnemucca where at 9pm the only place to eat was a 24hr diner in a motel casino.
Pics: 1) ice on starboard-stern wheel getting gas in shoshone, ID 2) snake river gorge at twin falls, id; 3) me at the the gorge.GIF)
.GIF)
.GIF)
It Figures
Today Miles: 604; Trip Miles: 3,730
Cost of Gas in Arco, ID: $3.20
Cost of Gas in Wells, NV: $3.16
Lotteries Played: Montana, Idaho
Most disgusting product: Pre-mixed Budweiser and Clamato
Hanging Back: So last night I took advantage of the break from the road to do some pb (personal business) including going down to the hotel’s spa to stretch out my back which is not too happy about some of the stretches of sitting. I had the spa to myself until a couple came in, and of course they were not two gorgeous women, rather it was an old married couple from Edmonton. We talked politics and general travel; they, like my Uncle George and his wife, have decided to be fifth wheel nomads, except the canucks can only spend 180 days. Makes it strange that they have a house in Palm Springs.
Monida Pass: After checking the Montana State website to confirm the roads were open, I was behind the wheel by 9am driving under mostly sunny skies. Then I drove up the mountain to the monida pass and conditions deteriorated rapidly – first the road went from pavement to packed snow and ice, then the wind picked up enough that it took two hands to keep the beast on the road, and then things got disconcerting – snow started falling from the sky and blowing from the sides dropping visibility to about a hundred feet. It was mark mosely style driving where I would identify the poles on the sides of the road (like the normal poles between mile markers, but these have been modified to have orange extension poles so they are over ten feet tall) and then try to stay in the middle between them. I even saw a snow-rainbow, running vertical – I tried to take a picture of it, but it all came out white.
About twenty miles into Idaho the visibility improved and it was just snow packed road conditions to deal with. I made it to Idaho Falls for lunch at Arctic Burger. Then I decided to get creative and took highway 20 due west, right into a tremendous blizzard. Visibility dropped to just a few feet beyond the hood. Blah blah blah…. Lots of snow. Craters of the Moon National Monument and Idaho National Laboratory were both covered with snow and closed. Then I got to Twin Falls, Idaho where the Snake River valley cuts deep and unexpectedly through the earth. Evil Keneival fans will remember his failed attempt to be launched in a rocket across the gorge. There is a monument to that as well.
Long day short – I banged out a twelve hour behind the wheel day, drove through at least three different blizzard scenes and ended up in the Nevada town of Winnemucca where at 9pm the only place to eat was a 24hr diner in a motel casino.
Pics: 1) ice on starboard-stern wheel getting gas in shoshone, ID 2) snake river gorge at twin falls, id; 3) me at the the gorge
.GIF)
.GIF)
.GIF)
It Figures
Today Miles: 604; Trip Miles: 3,730
Cost of Gas in Arco, ID: $3.20
Cost of Gas in Wells, NV: $3.16
Lotteries Played: Montana, Idaho
Most disgusting product: Pre-mixed Budweiser and Clamato
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