Journey's End!

FRIDAY, APRIL 6

After waking several times in the night to start the car for warmth, we awoke for good at 8am, and drove off to check out several potential homes along the Lake Erie shoreline. Despite being only a scouting mission, we even managed to get a tour of one beautiful home along Talbot Trail, with a full view of Lake Erie......a little higher price than we were looking for....but still....

The View of Lake Erie

After lunching in our new favourite diner in Merlin, we made the trip to John and Julie's place in Ilderton, for some much-appreciated home cooking. After a nice visit, we headed on in early evening, growing eager now to be home. Stopping briefly in Fergus, we traversed the final few hours to Barrie, encountering nasty rain and snow from Fergus to Barrie, making the last two hours of our long trip easily the worst.

Pulling in the driveway to the most snow we had seen in two weeks, we entered the house and collapsed wearily on the couch. The cats were happy to see us again (we think), and we regaled Kevin with stories of our travels over a few tasty beers.....after all ,unpacking the car could wait!

21 States + 10,540km = 1 Great Trip!!

Yet Still More Road Trip!

THURSDAY, APRIL 5

So began the longest day of the trip...starting out in Nebraska with a bit of snow on the car and a nasty windchill, we headed across rolling plains of grain and cattle, angling towards Omaha. Our goal was to reach the far side of Iowa, or perhaps western Illinois, before stopping fopr the night. Just before reaching Omaha, we skirted the city to avoid mid-day traffic and crossed the Missouri River into Iowa, hooking up with the I-80.

Nebraska

Making good time across the plains, we traversed Iowa at high speeds on the interstate, until traffic chaos at Des Moines slowed us considerably. Before long, we had reached Davenport, and this time crossed the Mississippi River for the second time on the trip, stopping a short ways into Illinois for more food and gas. Given the cold temperatures, and our general state of mind, we decided just to keep driving....

Mike's Eye-View

Iowa

Enjoying a beautiful sunset in the rearview mirror, we plunged on into Illinois, skirting Chicago, and then found ourselves ensconced in the industrial complex that is lower Lake Michigan. In growing darkness we forged ahead, thinking perhaps to stop in rural Michigan once we had cleared the urban areas of Chicago and Gary, Indiana.

The Weary Travellers

Out of the traffic and into the wilderness again, now in utter darkness, we drove on. With only one headlight and flagging strength, we began to conceive of actually crossing the border this very night, so as to avoid the traffic of morning rush hour in Detroit, and longer wait times at the bridge to cross the border. Flying across 94E in the solitude of night, we made one last fuel stop in Ann Arbor, MI, to fill up on cheaper gasoline.

Utter annoyance set in as we searched in vain at several exits for a McDonalds, that signs kept declaring to be open 24 hours - it was late, and we needed a washroom stop! After about seventeen hours of straight driving, Mike muttered something under his breath about how he was going to "punch that &*#* clown in the mouth!"....and got back on the highway. Shortly thereafter, we found the Ambassador Bridge easily, with no hindrance of traffic or line ups....and stopped just long enough to visit the duty-free shop for $17 cases of Alexander Keith's!

Crossing the border without incident, we motored east on the 401, back in familiar territory, stopping finally at Chatham for the night. With plans to do some general house-hunting in the morning, we grudgingly ate Tim Horton's chili at nearly 4am (there was nothing else open in Chatham!). After 19 hours of driving, we fell asleep quickly in the car at a truck stop on the 401, in sub-zero temperatures......

More road trip!

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4

The morning saw us heading east across the barrens of Wyoming, towards the Black Hills area in the northeast corner of the state. Scenic rolling hills and ample antelope gave way to rugged red rock and the imposing Devil's Tower national monument, looming ominously in the distance. Luckily, it's base was surrounded by deer and really cute prairie dogs! After picking up some Devil's Tower Lager for the road, we moved on...

Devil's Tower National Monument

Crossing east into South Dakota, we followed I-90 as far as Rapid City, where we turned south to explore Mount Rushmore. We climbed through white evergreens as a hoar-frost fog clung to the mountain...and unfortunately obscured the very faces of Rushmore we had come to see! From the top, the only thing visible on the mountain was a wall of grey. However, our disappointed quickly abated as we descended a winding backroad down the mountain (Iron Mountain Road, route 16A!!), through single-lane tunnels in the rock, crossing pig-tail bridges, and observing bison, deer, wild turkeys, and the odd inquisitive burro.

Tunnel on the backside of Mt. Rushmore

Jane's cousin

Rejoining the I-90, we continued east through the rolling hills and badlands of South Dakota to Murdo, where we turned south. The landscape began to flatten as we approached the Nebraska border, and we passed by Little Big Horn, site of Custer's fabled last stand. As we entered Nebraska, the cold temperatures persisted, and we again found ourselves seeking shelter for the night. Luckily, in small-town Valentine, NE, we found the perfect solution at Dunes Lodge - great suites for a very reasonable price! Rounding out the evening with dinner from the ever-present Pizza Hut, we tried to get caught up on our reading....

Road trip continued....

TUESDAY, APRIL 3

After a VERY cold night in the tent, we packed up early and grabbed coffee and gas for the road in nearby Hyrum, UT. Shortly thereafter we crossed into Idaho, angling northwest along the mountains to hook back up with I-15.

Approaching Yellowstone Park

From Pocatello and Idaho Falls, we left the I-15 again and climbed into the mountains, through Targhee National Forest, and into the picturesque tourist village of West Yellowstone, the west gate into Yellowstone National Park. Unfortunately, despite good roads to that point, almost all entrances into the park were closed, and several mountain passes within the park were, well, unpassable. Even Old Faithful was not open for business! We're sure it was still erupting....we just couldn't get to it.....

In the end we were forced to skirt northwards around the park (it's a BIG park!), catching a bit of the scenery but vaguely disappointed. In doing so we meandered through parts of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. Catching the I-90 east at Bozeman, MT, we made up some lost time at 80mph until we hit a snowstorm at Billings, MT, just as we turned south again for Wyoming.

Northern Wyoming

Southeastern Idaho

Heading south through Montana, we passed out of the snowstorm, and passed by Little Big Horn, site of Custer's famous last stand. From there we crossed back into Wyoming, and in light of the weather, opted for a cheap motel rather than another night of sub-zero camping. Stopping for the night at the Parkway Motel in Sheridan, WY, we enjoyed a night of warmth and television while catching up on some postcards.

Montana

Road Trip continued....

MONDAY, APRIL 2

The trip had reached its mid-point, at least emotionally, as we departed Las Vegas and headed for home. All the same, we had an entirely new route with unseen scenery to enjoy, other than a brief duplication of the route from Vegas to mid-Utah.

Departing early from our hotel, we headed north on I-15 and marvelled at the heavy southbound traffic into the city, even this early in the morning, and the overhead F15's on maneuvers from nearby Nellis Air Force Base. We took an hour out of our getaway day to explore the Valley of Fire on the way out of Nevada, and were not disappointed - quite possibly the best $6 we ever spent!

Valley of Fire, Nevada

Valley of Fire, Nevada

We carried on up the I-15 north for most of the day, all the way to Salt Lake City, at which point we wandered off the interstate in search of camping. The mountains became a fixture on our right, even as Great Salt Lake and the Bonneville salt flats revelaed themselves to the left.

Along the way in northern Utah

In the end we made our way to Hyrum, UT, and camped at a state park there with everything we could hope for - a lake, mountains all around us,and best of all....it was open! With a cooked chicken from the nearby grocery store and beer from the gas station, we settled in for what we knew would be another chilly night. Jane prepared for a cool night in the tent with double socks, double pants, four layers of tops, woolen mitts, and the Russian flap hat reinforced with two hoodie hoods....

Our campsite at Hyrum State Park, Utah

Viva Las Vega$!!

THURSDAY, MARCH 29 thru SUNDAY, APRIL 1

More pics from our days in Las Vegas....

The Strip at night

Bally's

Our hotel!

Viva Las Vegas!

THURSDAY, MARCH 29 thru SUNDAY, APRIL 1

What can I say about Vegas? We spent several days touring fabulous casinos, wasting a total of about $8 on penny slots, and trying to find cheap food....but I was able to walk around anywhere I wanted with open liquor!

Gondola and canals in The Venetian casino

The courtyard at Terrible's Casino

Overlooking the airport from Bally's

We were very happy with our choice of Terrible's Casino as a cost-effective alternative to The Strip, and a mere two blocks (15 minute walk, 2 minute drive) away! It was certainly a stark contrast to sleeping in the car at a truck stop in the snow.....

The water show at Bellagio

Road Trip continued....

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

Much to our chagrin, we awoke in the night to snow....in southern Utah! We spent the rest of the night starting the car for warmth. Luckily we were the only people with a snow brush handy, as Mike cleaned off the car at dawn, while Jane stayed bundled in her sleeping bag. Early morning in southern Utah

Interstate 15 wound south out of Utah, briefly through Arizona, and then into Nevada. We gained another hour of time as we crossed into Pacific Time. Before long we were in the midst of Las Vegas...but still many hours before we could check into our hotel. We decided to pass through Vegas and beyond into California for a ways...

Utah - Arizona - Nevada

Dry lake beds in California

We journeyed through sandstorms about an hour into California, where we turned around and headed back to Nevada. Unfortunately, there was no warning that there would be no gas for the next while, and we were forced to stop at a "town" in the hills that consisted of one gas station in the middle of nowhere, that was charging $4.299/gallon (compared to an average of $2.60/gallon everywhere else!). Returning to Vegas, we toured around and shopped (new card for the camera and beer for the room) until we were permitted to check into our hotel, Terrible's Casino on Flamingo. After settling in with pleasant surprise, we headed off to the Old Strip in downtown for the Fremont Experience, a two-block canopy of overhead lights that displays a ten-minute show. After wandering the old strip, we returned to our hotel for much-needed rest in a real bed!

The Old Strip

The Fremont Street Experience

Road Trip continued....

TUESDAY, MARCH 27

After another cool night (Jane donned mitts and the "Russian hat" to survive), we headed into Mesa Verde National Park first thing. This UNESCO site was absolutely incredible - not only the scenic views of canyons, mesas, and mountains, but primarily the Puebloan cliff dwellings from 800-1500 years ago!

Spruce Tree House - Cliff Dwelling at Mesa Verde N.P.

We toured Spruce Tree House and several other dwelling sites, amid sunny skies and high winds. Given the proper time, one could spend days exploring this park alone....but alas, such was not our luxury. By late morning, we were heading off to what was left of Colorado, and into Utah....

Canyon, Mesa Verde N.P.

Rocky Mountains in the distance

After a brief stop in Cortez, in SW Colorado, we crossed into Utah and met a storm front rolling in. Never before had we seen such a clear division of clear blue skies, and cloudy grey skies. The Utah scenery was as spectacular as we had seen thus far, as we followed Route 491 (formerly Route 666!) to Monticello, and then turned north. Even the construction delays did not bother us, as they afforded even better views and photo opportunities of the rugged and sculpted landscape.

Rock formation eastern Utah

Travelling north, we stopped briefly at the visitor's centre in Moab, UT. The staff were warning tourists against braving several of the local sites due to high winds (60mph) and sandstorms. Moving onwards, we crossed the brown Colorado River and skirted the fringes of Arches National Park, up to Interstate 70, where we again headed west. This route continued to afford stunning scenery at every turn, including the scenic overlook at Ghost Rock.

Ghost Rock overlook along I-70 West

Meandering through canyons, passes and plains (mainly in third gear!), we encountered few people but lots of sun, snow and hail all at the same time as we approached Richfield, UT, and then the I-15 interchange. Turning south now, we stopped in Cedar City at dusk, for a well-deserved steak dinner at Sizzler. Thus far we had been keeping to our $15/day food budget, which consisted of sandwiches, hot dogs, and other grocery staples. As darkness fell, we settled in for the night at a truck stop on the way to St. George, UT.

Road Trip continued....

MONDAY, MARCH 26

We awoke in the tent to frost on the car, and numbness in Jane's toes. After a quick stop for coffee and travel info in Trinidad, we set off for a tour of nearby ghost towns in the surrounding hills and mountains. Scenic at first, touring gravel roads and abandoned villages (actually the miners were evicted by the company for refusing to work after several mine "incidents" claimed 121 lves), a series of forking roads in the wilderness led us to dirt roads....then mud roads....then two ruts in the grass....all drawing us deeper into the mountains.

Mining ghost town near Ludlow, CO

These roads were clearly not made for a Honda Civic. The few people we did encounter were either local ranchers or employees of a natural gas company that lived in these hills....all of whom seemed to have large 4x4 trucks. We spent about two hours lost in the bush, guessing at fork after fork with no map of THESE roads, finding mountain passes that were CLOSED due to snow, and a general feeling that we may never make it out again (short of backing UP a one-lane road that wound UP a mountain-side with a sheer drop off on one side!). Finally, we came across a gravel road in the middle of nowhere that led us to a helpful rancher who told us that we were merely needed to continue for 20 more miles on the gravel road and we would be back to the highway.

Regaining the highway, we carried on west across the Rocky Mountains, following the scenic byway from Weston to La Veta, CO. This crazy, winding highway up and down the mountains offered both beautiful vistas and certainly the odd rush of adrenaline. Stopping at the gas station in La Veta, we grabbed some buns and lunch meat, and dined at the roadside for a much-needed break.

Lunch outside La Veta, CO

The drive from La Veta across SW Colorado to Alamosa was equally scenic, crossing broad plains with towering snow-peaked mountains all around. Crossing the Rio Grande as we left Alamosa, we ascended again into the mountains via Wolf Creek Pass, some 10,000 feet in elevation. Even the smell of burning truck brakes could not ruin the incredible scenery, as we first climbed up and then screamed down the mountain, through avalanche tunnels and beside emergency truck runoffs. A phrase oft-heard hereafter was first coined, "third gear is where the magic happens" - the Honda could certainly not hold fifth or fourth gear climbing the mountains fully laden, but third gear seemed to hang in nicely in both directions.

Wolf Creek Pass in the Rocky Mountains

Down the mountain, we passed west through a variety of foothill villages, and carried on to Mesa Verde, CO, where we camped under the looming presence of Mesa Verde National Park. Camping was not yet open at the park itself (which we did not find out until we got there!), but luckily there was a wonderful private campsite just across the highway. We spent the night enjoying more scenery, eating hot dogs, and writing postcards.

Camping under Mesa Verde in SW Colorado

Road Trip continued.....

SUNDAY, MARCH 25

As we packed up camp, Jane noted with some alarm the "mystery tracks" around our tent, all evidence clearly pointing to some fearsome beast that had skulked through camp in the night. After pointing out the striking resemblance of the "tracks" to the feet of our camping chairs....we moved on. Much of our day followed state highway 160 west across southern Kansas, including the Gypsum Hills scenic byway. The rolling hills and plains were punctuated by actual tumbleweeds, deer, and armadillo roadkill.

Faded glory of Grenola, KS

Gypsum Hills area

Skirting south at the far side of Kansas, we followed highway 54 through Liberal, KS, and back into the "finger" of Oklahoma. The prominence of oil wells and cattle grew, and quickly we had passed into the northern reaches of Texas. Highway speeds increased to 70mph, not bad for normal roads. The open, flat landscape was home to many beef feedlots, as far south as Dalhart, TX, where we again turned west, this time for New Mexico.

NE New Mexico

Gaining an hour, we entered New Mexico, and the scenery improved dramatically. We carried on west through scrub desert and long hills, until we hit the I-25 at Raton, NM, where we turned north. This carried us through scenic, winding canyons (a bit of a struggle for a Honda Civic loaded down with stuff) and into Colorado, where we stopped for the night at the picturesque foothills town of Trinidad, CO. We found a beautiful campsite at Trinidad Lake State Park, where fortunately the camping was open for self-registration...but unfortunately nothing else (like the showers) was.

We cooked burgers over the single burner, and enjoyed some Killian's Irish Red Lager, as we spent a crisp night under starry skies while charging our video camera in the park washroom!

Campsite at Trinidad Lake, CO

Road Trip to Las Vegas!!!

So we're back from the road trip, with many great memories, photos, and video of our adventures....I will be updating the blog with highlites, but likely a few days at a time...patience, my friends, patience....

Last Timmy's before the border!


FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2007

After travelling to the London area the night before to impose upon the hospitality of Jane's brother and sister-in-law, we headed for the border in early morning. Crossing without incident, we braved the rutted highways of Michigan and northern Ohio, miraculously escaping without any serious damage to the car. Light rain and an abundance of Ohio state patrol hampered our efforts along the way, but was nothing compared to the chaos of navigating through Indianapolis, Indiana amid heavy rains, road construction, and afternoon rush hour. At least we got close enough to the airport to see the impressive Fedex Regional Hub from the interstate!


The rains abated and southern Indiana became more scenic, as we crossed into Illinois on Interstate 57. This tree-lined route was reminscent of much of Ontario, and carried us late in the day across the Mississippi River and into Missouri, where we began to look for a campsite or rest stop in the gathering dark. Without much luck, we carried on into Missouri, enjoying the beautiful earthy smells of the surrounding wetlands.


Our first day of travel ended in the medium-sized city of Poplar Bluff, MO, where we spent the night sleeping in the car in a Walmart parking lot. The temperatures were just right and the winds were light, and we had gained an hour of time in the Central Time zone. Other than the apparent Friday night ritual in Poplar Bluff, which involved every teenager with a car or truck circling the parking lot and main strip for hours, the evening passed uneventfully.

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

We awoke in the car at dawn, and after quick stops for coffee, gas and a washroom break, we headed west into the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri, including the beautiful Mark Twain National Forest area. Our spirits were buoyed by the perfect travelling weather, 75F and sunny, and we carried on to Branson, MO, a well known mecca for country music fans. From there we looped south through scenic rolling hills into northern Arkansas, and then turned again west across the "scenic 412" towards Oklahoma.


After a stop in Locust Grove, AR, where traffic and temperatures in the 80's made things a little uncomfortable (in hindsight....Walmart on a Saturday afternoon....what were we thinking?), we switched to t-shirts and sandals and carried onwards into NE Oklahoma. Angling over to Interstate 75, we made a grocery stop and then turned north for Kansas. It was then that we encountered the most bizarre speed trap ever.....as we ventured through a tiny town along the interstate, not one but two trailers sat in fields along the roadside, with huge banners affixed pronouncing "Warning - Speed Trap". Noting that the speed limit changed from 50mph to 40mph, then back to 50mph, then back to 40mph again in rapid succession, we crested a bridge overpass....and lo and behold there sat a state patrol car with radar set up. Thanks to the ample warning, we passed through unmolested!


Crossing into Kansas (two days ahead of the tornadoes as it would later turn out), we found with some difficulty the Elk Lake State Park, just outside Independence, KS. We enjoyed a sunset over the lake amid perfect camping weather, our day completed with hot dogs over the single burner and some cold cans of Busch.

Elk Lake State Park, KS