On the road

Irv and I took a road trip to Idaho Falls yesterday to spend a few days with my dad who is having a minor surgery today.

Irv took the wheel which allowed me to nap, read my book, but mostly watch the scenery and take pictures.

Now, if you've ever driven across I-80 you know there isn't much scenery.  It seems even worse this year because everything is so dry.

Our trip in Wyoming started with some tire pressure issues.  The front tire picked up a nail, but Irv was able to pump the tire up so we could continue our trip.  New cars all have a tire pressure light which can be very annoying at times especially when it comes on when the temperature takes a dramatic shift up or down.  This time though, it alerted us to something we wouldn't otherwise been aware of.

There are two things you see a lot of on I-80:  windmills and semi-trucks. 

We seemed to be the only car in the midst of hundreds of trucks.

When you get about half-way across Wyoming you come to Sinclair, WY, home of a Sinclair refinery.

You would think gas would be cheaper in this part of the country, but no--that's not the way it works.  Gas is expensive no matter where you are.

When we got to Rock Springs we turned north onto highway 191.  This area has wild horses and millions of antelope.  They've made the road safer by erecting really high fences and over/under passes for the critters to use when crossing the roads.  There were two of these overpasses that are new since we came up here last year.  There are no roads connected to these overpasses, they're just for the animals.  Antelope safety--I think I like that.

As we started getting closer to the Teton area, the scenery became magnificent.  This is my favorite area on earth.  I feel content and peaceful when I come up here.

I can see myself living on a ranch here some day (but only during the summer and only if I somehow win the lottery).

The aspens were past their prime color, but they were still pretty.

We even got to see some unusual critters.  I've never seen these down by the road before.

I'm pretty sure these guys wanted to come live at Ellen's zoo.








We had to make a stop at our favorite stop in Hoback Junction to get some Idaho Spuds, my favorite candy bar.

Before too long we made it to Idaho.

Irv's car made got an amazing 40+ miles per gallon on this stretch of the trip.

Another of my favorite places is Swan Valley, Idaho. 

There is a lot of farming near Idaho Falls.  In the summer these fields are full of wheat that reminds me of "amber waves of grain".  It's all been cut now, but it looked like they're still growing alfalfa.  At the current prices, I too would be trying to get as much alfalfa as possible.


We got to my dad's house around 6:15--almost 12 hours exactly.