You are currently browsing the daily archive for August 10, 2008.
Yesterday, we drove from Yellowstone all the way to Coure d’Alene, Idaho in one fell swoop. We traversed 3 states in the process – Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. One of the coolest small towns we drove through was the old gold and silver mining town of Wallace, Idaho. The town was tightly nestled in a steep valley covered in dense, tall evergreens – Jessica really loved the sight of it. Apparently, it is still an active mining town and you can hear the blast from the mines under the city on a daily basis.
Our destination in Idaho was Coure d’Alene where Jessica’s parents’ close friends have their lake house. We finally got to the house around 9:30 pm (after missing our exit and driving 10 miles out of the way to the next exit) – just in time to catch one of the most beautiful views we’ve seen thus far on our trip. The 16 mile byway that leads up to the Ellison’s home from I-90 took us right along the lake and down near water level, giving us some great views of the lake and a great reflection of the dusky sky. I wish we could have had a camera good enough to capture the beauty of it all.
It was really great to spent time with our close friends the Ellisons at their lake house and be greeted by familiar faces after 2,600 miles of driving thus far. This was also our first night back in a real bed after spending the last three nights either in the car or the hard ground of our tent. Judy and Dennis make great hosts. They were just winding down from a huge family week that filled their beautiful house to the brim. The last members of their family were leaving this morning and we were the last ones out the door after one last leeching of their WiFi.
[Written by our Car...while driving.]
Jessica spilled Diet Dr. Pepper on me today. I’m not sure if she likes me very much because she bitches everytime she has to adjust the seat. Adolfo says that it’s not my fault that her upper body is too long, and her legs are too short. He has suggested her sticking her head out the sun roof, but I think she’s comfortable in the passanger seat. Adolfo hasn’t let her drive since they started into Yellowstone.
I’ve seen some beautful and diverse scenery on my 2,200 miles so far. I have really enjoyed climbing all the steep and curvy terrain, something I haven’t done since I moved to Michigan. I also really appreciate the condition of the roads in these other states. The one thing I’ve really had a hard time with is all these bugs, that keep getting stuck between my two front teeth.
I’ve also enjoyed sampling a variety of different flavors of gasoline along the way. My favorite has to be the ethanol laced sauce in S. Dakota. That was a nice high.
Along our journey, I have been an excellent host. A quiet smooth ride, providing 12 volts of nutrition for Adolfo and Jessica’s electronics . I’ve been sipping gas at about 27-28 MPG, not as good as my hybrid brethren, but not bad considering the steep grades, the full trunk & back seats, and the two chunkers up front who insist on blasting the A/C.
I look forward to the views along the rest of our journey, and heading back home where I left behind all my Bavarian cousins.
In the meantime enjoy these great beauty shots of my journey.
