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!

Nebraska to Wyoming

So on our way to prepare for the big Oregon trip, we got a message that another England driver needed a ride to Salt Lake City. Sometimes, depending on the situation a fellow trucker may need a lift so the message is passed through the proper channels to get it arranged (much better than Greyhound or a taxi!). In this case the guy turned out to be still in his phase two of training and needed to make a stop at home to take care of things before heading back on the road.

The driver in question turned out to be Kevin, a quiet man from Memphis who got into this business, because in his words “there was nothing else to get.” The benefits of having Kevin on the truck with us made it possible for us to stay on the road continuously instead of making stops. So with another pair of hands at the wheel, we set off. James took the first shift, getting us from Tennessee to the regularly traveled I-80. Soon Kevin was at the wheel and next thing I know, we are in Nebraska.

Freshly showered and with a hot breakfast in my belly (believe me, a hot meal is such a treasured thing on the road) we set off to cross the rest of Nebraska. The first thing I always think about when referring to the state was Lady Gaga’s song “You and I” where she mentions Nebraska. While I don’t know the reference, once again a pop tune has become an ear worm. What I discovered with the sunrise was quite possibly the flattest land I have ever laid eyes on, to the point that the horizon gets hazy only because it is miles away from you (a phenomenon that continues as you head west).

Sprawling fields where recently cut hay was grown now reside a herd of cattle to eat the rest. There are so many little calves around that you can’t help but make AWW noises. There are SOO many birds it’s mindboggling. Watching their snakelike patterns spiral in the air continues to keep my attentions.

We discovered that Nebraska is not only farmland, but the home of some of the larger cattle companies. The view was about as impressive as the smell.  

Seeing all these fields reminds me of the scenes of Clark Kent’s upbringing or of the unassuming personality leaving this land in pursuit of their dreams in the big city. For me these views give my mind so much room to roam over my past, my friends and family and wonder in all the blessings life has to offer. Soon the western side of the state becomes more hilly, preparing us for the great state of Wyoming.

From the moment we crossed the state line, it definitely made an impression. We stopped at the first welcome center and it turned out to be one of the nicest places. It was run by this cute little old lady who had lived in the state her whole life. When asked what her favorite thing about Wyoming was, her reply was: “I’ve always loved the wide open spaces of it all. So much room and I’ve noticed that people tend to hate that.” I had never really thought about it like that where some would prefer the closeness of a large city while with other people if they can see their neighbor’s house, even from miles away, it is still too close for their liking.

That was definitely the precedent in Wyoming.

Then I saw the Rockies, or the baby Rockies.

There is truly no way to tell you how far away those mountains really are. 

The temps today have been in the 70’s but there is solid snow scattered about, generous drifts of it lying about in the cracks and crevices of the hills, ditches, and creeks.

It was strange feeling the warm sun on my face while staring at mostly frozen lakes and streams. The state continues to surprise as I see my first oil refineries ever and yet, more cattle country. The farther west we go, the more we see this strange union of industry and nature. I still can't tell if it is a wholly working relationship or not. To me while the man made structures are impressive, it has no contest in the God made majesty of it all. 

Wyoming boasts three different types of mountains, from my eyes. There's the snow capped peaks in the distance, with strange piles of smooth boulders and then the rolling babies that have such wind blown grass it appears like velvet draped over a sleeping person. This place is truly a nature lover's playground between the hiking, camping, climbing, rafting and skiing available. 

I feel I have to mention that the further west you travel, the less occurring civilization is out here. By the time we get to the western end of the state, it had been almost 100 miles since we had seen any signs of a town, truck stop, or even a mom and pop type place. So needless to say the day ended on a high note when we got to Little America. 

http://wyoming.littleamerica.com/

This oasis of a stop started back in the 1800's when a man who was shepherding his flock got trapped in a storm. While taking shelter the man thought of how wonderful it would be to have a hot meal, a warm bed and some company to ease him from his situation. So ten years later that man came back and found the spot he was trapped in and said, "I will build it here!" And so he did. 

Today Little America is this HUGE complex of buildings, sporting a hotel, truck stop, repair services, and even a playground for little Susie and Johnnie. The billboards for this place begin popping up 200 MILES away and becoming a frequent occurrence on the landscape. Whoever did the advertising sure knew what they were up to, claiming to have 50 cent ice cream cones and enticing parents by saying that their kids could stay for free. Believe me, after sitting in a seat all day it was surely a welcome sight (and the ice cream cone was fabulous!) 

More to come shortly, next up, UTAH!  

Missouri to Ohio, again.

I apologize for the delay in getting the odds and ends blog out, but the past few days have been interesting. We ended up delivering to this:

Yes, that’s right, an UNDERGROUND warehouse! It’s out in the middle of nowhere nestled in a former limestone quarry so the base temperature was around 60. (Not to worry mom, I got you a rock from here.)

On the way dowwwnnnn....

The opening on the way in (actually built to protect trucks from falling rocks!)

The inside! All solid rock. 

Here's one of the columns of rock, next to a car so you can get the scale. 

Because of a combination of his work clock running out and our next customer (which was in the adjacent quarry) we ended up spending the night in the open quarry yard. It was oddly comforting, especially when the rain came. I have to tell you, sleeping in a rig when a storm hits is an interesting experience. The rain hits the roof, reminding you of a tin roof and then the thunder can be heard and felt through the whole cab. I was nervous for a moment then I realized we were IN A QUARRY, which is about the safest place to be.

This is what most of the land looks like riding through the state. 

As we continue to drive through Missouri, I can see how you begin to get flavors of the old west with its curvy roads, untamed land, old signs promising relief (there are large expanses where there is no exit and the state roads aren’t given numbers, but letters) and abandoned buildings. You can almost get the sense of ambitious Americans coming to tame the Wild West and instead finding a sort of beautiful symbiotic relationship with the land instead. The state has a couple of large cities, Kansas City and St. Louis but beyond them it’s rolling hills and farmland.

Our next load is taking us through Iowa back to Illinois which will take us on I-80 and to one of the best truck stops around, Iowa 80. James waxes poetic about the size of the place and having everything you could want under the sun. Boy was I surprised. It started out as a mom and pop type stop and has evolved from there. 

 Their sign from the highway. Real subtle, don't you think?

First thing you seen when you walk in the door.

Amongst the regular gas and beverage services, it boasts the largest gift shop I’ve ever seen (with a wing JUST for trucker items to deck out their rig), a barber, a dentist, theater, food court and restaurant. It was ridiculous. We ended up choosing the restaurant with a full buffet that served fish, beef and fried chicken. The thing I loved: the buffet came with a free drink and I ordered a hot chocolate and it came with a whole POT full of hot chocolate!!! It was delicious and the perfect end to a long day.

What I could not believe is when we were in the quarry, temps were in the 80’s, but less than 24 hours later we were down into the 20’s with snow on the ground. Thank God we’re in the north since they are fully prepared for this.

The next day we ended up delivering to the WalMart distribution center in Sterling, Illinois. It was relatively uneventful waiting to get unloaded and really, really cold! Though they had salted the lot there were still small mounds of ice hanging around, making walking a little fun. The only notable thing I’m beginning to notice at every stop we make is the birds. Flitting and weaving through discarded crates, huddling for warmth under the water(which seems counterintuitive since the lake was partially covered in ice), these birds make a cold, lonely, industrial scene a little more hospitable.

The next stop brought many images of the family farm back to me. It was a hog plant with a slaughterhouse next door. When I was a little girl, I remember my Grandaddy having a few hogs on the farm, even a small building for the absolutely adorable piglets. His neighbors also had a field of roaming pigs but in the years to come their numbers would dwindle and disappear from South Georgia. The small hog house on my family’s farm was soon abandoned as well. Well, I found where they all went, into major plants. If you’ve ever been in a chicken house then you have an idea of what the smell was like. Thank God for the cold; kept the smell to a minimum. So you can imagine what we’re hauling this time. Destination: Massilon, Oh.