Day 19 - Back out on the Open Road

Friday, June 6^th, 2008

Today was a travel day. I had finished with my exploration of the Utah National Parks and was looking to turn north. My destination for the day was Twin Falls, Idaho, over 400 miles away.

It was fun to get back on the highway and look to cover some American country side. Neil knows all about the comforts of a travel day from our European tour, where a day on the train meant passive sight seeing from within the gently rocking car. It was a chance to break from the hectic hustle of tourism by foot while catching up on some much needed rest and relaxation. Today the Dakota was my Euro train, and the state of Utah was the scene that presented itself to me. I left Green River and took highway 6 north through winding valleys of the central Utah mountains. I was leaving the desert and finding diversity in the state’s landscape.

Getting back on the road meant returning to the Road Trip Way of Life. There are certain qualities that become apparent when it’s just you, your four wheels, and the highway. To begin with, the trip needs to be considered as The Event. It may sound played out and cliché, but it truly is all about the journey, and not just the destination. It’s not a race… unless of course it is, in which case there is a totally different code to follow, but assuming that you have the time, you have to take it. Slow down and absorb what’s passing by the windshield. I can’t get over the different kinds of country side that I’ve drive through. From the cloud covered northern Pacific coast to the wide open seas of sand, there is too much that must be seen to just cruise by in an Interstate-Coma. I suggest taking random detours off the scenic byways, stopping at the view points, pulling into the small towns that only show up on the local maps. It is amazing what a road trip can be when you don’t let yourself get distracted by the road.

As I moved into the white-tipped mountain region, nearing Salt Lake City, I found myself remembering the comfort that comes from finding your travel team along the highway. Traffic seems to balance itself out, meaning that eventually you will find yourself moving through passing lanes and eating up the open road with vehicles of a similar driving philosophy. It’s funny how attached one can become to random vehicles that are cruising at the same speed as you. They turn into part of your convoy, teammates of the roadway, friends; the White Grand Cherokee from Washington, the little Colorado hatchback, the southwestern Black Chevy. You start to know each others moves and tendencies on the road, and before long you are progressing as a unit. Then comes the inevitable Goodbye that will happen at some random exit. Today I almost took the I-80 east just to stick with the Rust Orange Dodge Nitro that I’d been following for 200 miles. But that’s just me, I’ve always had trouble with Goodbyes. Lonely? Noooo… it’s the Dakota who misses the Webb parking lot in front of our house.

I left the state of Utah and am now in Idaho. The south part of the state that I crossed to get to Twin Falls is a wide open prairie farmland. It reminded me of the Canadian prairies, and has left me a little more homesick then normal. Then again it could be my ever growing fatigue that has me longing for my old Calgary routine. It’s not so much that I’m mal nourished, but being so consumed by the Adventure, I find I’m not quite ‘full of fuel’. This means that when I come to a stop, say in a motel or at a campground, I find it tough to not just get lost in a pillow for the night. I suppose it is a very efficient way to travel; give myself the energy to be one with the adventure, attacking hikes and conquering the sightseeing meanders, and then when the exploration is over, just shut the system down.

I’m in another Motel 6. They really do get the job done when it comes to Lodging; a simple room, with a large bed, a TV, a full fledged bathroom, some A/C, and that sense of security that is occasionally lacking from the walls of a tent (those Elk could have been Samsquanches for all I knew). Tonight’s room is identical to last night’s room, and I mean identical. It’s as though the city did the traveling and the Motel 6 and I stayed put. It’s nice that way. It really feels like I can get all caught up in the day and experience what My Road Trip Americana has in store for me with the comfort of having a bit of certainty and familiarity when it’s all said and done.

After settling in to the room I gave Neil a quick call. This trip really does have a similar atmosphere to the EuroWebb journey, and without Neil here to ride the crazy traveler’s roller coaster with me, it just doesn’t seem right. Plus the Dakota doesn’t laugh at any of my witty remarks, and the video camera only listens to stories and has none to share with me. It was fun to quickly catch up with the brosef. With that said, I am pretty good at this solo routine. I like to think it has a lot to do with how Awesome I am. I’ve had very few disagreements with myself, and I always seem to enjoy my company, so really I think I’m pretty easy to travel with.

Tomorrow I will check out the Craters of the Moon National Monument which is said to be one of the most extraordinary landscapes in the country. I am making my way north and I can feel the end of the journey approaching. It’s funny how quickly nineteen days goes by, and yet how even San Francisco feels like an eternity ago.

Day Nineteen: The essence of a good Road Trip… Driving the Road, and everything around it.