Utah to Idaho

This is what greeted me this morning:

Welcome to Salt Lake City. Quite possibly one of the largest and most spread out cities I have ever seen with a 360 degree view of mountains. I warn you now that no matter what I have tried, my camera is inconsistent to nearly capture the vastness and grandeur of the land. However, you will get to see my best attempts.

One thing I did not know was that Salt Lake City is based in what was once an ocean bed, the last remnants of that ancient past is now the famed Salt Lake, where the water is swimmable but far too salty for much of anything else. Everything is here; huge industrial areas, residential, shopping, anything you can do in the mountains, and farming. The land is as flat as any in the Midwest but with much more ranching than growing done.  I can’t stop gaping at the mountains and wonder how it is there are neighborhoods built at the bottom. Don’t they ever worry about avalanches? It’s strange and interesting to see the untamed wilderness next to modern civilization. The further north we travel, the more farmland opens up and I notice more and more RV’s than ever before.

As we drive, farmland even begins to get sparse with just the land and the road. No billboards, no grazing animals, no farms. The only thing I see in these mountains, other than how you can forever wax poetic about them is the ravens. They are floating by the wayside looking for a meal, larger than I have ever seen before with wings so black they have a blue tint to them when they glimmer in the sun. Staring at their movements makes me wonder what their view of the land is like.

Next thing I know, we are in Idaho, land of potato. We quickly realize that in the vast expanses there might not be many opportunities for a rest break, so we find the first stop that pops up. It was this tiny truck stop with nothing around it for at least ten miles. It has been the best stop we have made on this entire trip thus far. Why? Because they had two ALPACAS sitting in a small fenced in space in front.

I have to hand it to the guy who owns the place because every square inch of this was campy, slightly touristy and he had a stern policy that in order to use the bathroom, you had to buy something. Everything from the alpacas to the bathroom door painted like an outhouse was adorable. Here’s the pictures just so you can see for yourself.  

I did get to feed them and they were so gentle. The darker one was not shy at all, taking every opportunity to make eye contact with you and almost try to nuzzle you for food. My favorite was the lighter one. She was shy but her chin and fur was sooo soft when I got to feed and pet her. The owner took full advantage of having them by also selling products made of their wool.

The sign says "Authentic Idaho tumbleweed." My first and definitely not the last time I have seen one. 

The sign said, "Beware, baby rattlers." 

This was one of many signs in the bathroom. I always love a good place with  "reading material!"

The rest of the state was pure nature. So much land, so few people. I'm noticing more and more as I cross the country that most states have lots and lots of farmland with a few sprawling metropoli scattered about. When in search of more information on the state, what I found was a "beware of hitch hikers" sign talking about harmful plants and animals that are apparent. What I did find interesting was the fences covered in tumbleweed that had gotten caught up on the wires.

Idaho, you leave me scratching my head. I still wait to find out more about what you have to offer.
For now, we ride to Oregon!