On The Road Again

Travel along with us to......wherever


Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Day 47 - Moab, UT to Burley, ID

It was another one of those “or maybe” days. With an alarm set for 6:30, we were sitting in bed at 6:00 drinking coffee and deciding what to do today. Both of us wanted to go home and it was a game day decision to do just that. Scratch West Wendover and Reno; add Burley and we’re home in two days instead of three. And I don’t lose my $2.57 to the penny slots. Quick continental breakfast and we’re loading the car under a mostly clear and sunny sky.

We’re not in too much of a hurry to get home to pass up a couple of hours at Arches National Park. The park, established in 1929, covers 76,359 acres and is home to over 2000 natural sandstone arches. After a few minutes of driving I added this to my ever expanding list of places you must see. Getting to Burley at a decent hour limited us to about two hours, but we will be back for a two day visit.

We stopped in Green River, Utah for a coffee and then turned off Interstate 70 for a shortcut to Interstate 15, south of Provo, Utah. This one cuts a lot of miles, turning an interstate only drive of 285 miles into an easy 127 mile drive. However, when it began to snow at a little over 7,700 feet there was reason to question our shortcut choice of the day. But, with home in our sights we continued on.

The rest of the day was a mix of rain, hail, snow, fog and wind. Through it all the little HHR chugged on, at times straining all of its four cylinders and sounding as though there was a rubber band unwinding somewhere deep within its less than sleek profile, which turned out to be an easy target for the high crosswinds of Idaho. To be fair, I couldn’t help but smile at the 29.3 MGP on the cleaver little digital readout.

Our first night on the road was spent in Burley, Idaho. We stayed in the Fairfield and ate at a Mexican restaurant. Tonight is the forty seventh night on the road and we are in Burley, Idaho. Same motel. Same Mexican restaurant. Must mean something. Tomorrow night we will sleep safe and sound at home. 452 miles today.

Arches National Park

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