Day Fourteen

Last night was very quiet out in the country.  This was the sight this morning when we were getting ready to leave.  Absolutely beautiful!  That white spot is the moon that was still out.

I took this picture right outside our door.  Today was another day of getting from one place to another.  The drive took us through some gorgeous country.  Fantastic rock formations, wide-open prairie, big sky, rivers and creeks running along the road.

This picture doesn't begin to show how pretty it is.  We crossed the Colorado border and stopped at a Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch.  Then we were on our way to Montrose, CO for the night.  On the way we got rained on.

Here is the "rain on the Plain"

We did not mind the rain at all.  It washed some of the bugs off the windshield that had already been cleaned a couple times today!

Tomorrow we are on to Colorado Springs.  We will be in a hotel for tomorrow night and then move out to lodging on Peterson AFB.  Tomorrow afternoon Kirk will be going in for a little service.  We've driven a LOT of miles already and he needs a little check-up and oil change.

Stay safe and God Bless America!

Day Thirteen

We were up early after a good night on base.  Loaded the car and headed to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then coffee at Starbucks for on the road.  Traffic was horrible and backed up for quite a while getting out of the Salt Lake area, but eventually we got moving again.

Drove through more beautiful wide open spaces.  We had a wonderful drive through Bryce Canyon National Park.  It is gorgeous!  We both think it is amazing that you drive along and are seeing fields and trees and all of a sudden there are the massive rock formations.

The spire shaped formations are called hoodoos.  We reached an altitude of over 9,000 feet.  The cool breeze felt good up there!

Then we left the park and started the hunt for our motel in Cannonville, Utah.  It is farther out of our way than Golfer expected and if you Google Cannonville, I don't think you are going to find anything.  We are at the Grand Staircase Inn and Country Store.  That is a big name for a small motel, but it is nice.  Very quiet, clean, and the people are very polite and friendly.  Our room has a king bed, desk and chair, recliner, fridge, and large bathroom.  And when we look outside we see mountains and rock formations.

We asked about suggestions for dinner.  We were told the "IDK" truck opens up in the back parking lot at 5:00.  Otherwise we should get back on the road and head to another town.  :)   So!  Another first for us!  We tried the food truck.  I had brisket and Golfer had pulled pork barbecue.  Both were delicious.  The guy running it was very nice.

The motel doesn't serve breakfast, but we have individual cereals, juice, and milk from yesterday's Commissary trip.  All is well.   Tomorrow morning we head on to Montrose, Colorado.

Stay safe and God Bless America!

Day Twelve

Today has been so much better!

We were on the road after stopping at Starbucks.  Beautiful countryside!  We didn't drive as long today and got to the Great Salt Lake about 10:30.  It has such an interesting history, things I did not know.  I will read more.  It is God's creation and beautiful, but I have to wonder what He was thinking when He made that smell!  It about knocks you over when you open your car door.  The only things that live in the lake are brine shrimp and some kind of larvae, both of which the birds like to eat.  The lake is in the migratory path for many birds and is a protected area.

Then we headed to downtown Salt Lake City (Sal Talay Ka Siti for you "Book of Mormon" fans). BTW, that soundtrack was our music choice for the drive here.  :)

The Mormon Tabernacle is huge and beautiful.  The whole site is open to the public except for the actual temple.  Wonderful architecture and stonework.  Beautiful statues and landscaping --  gorgeous flowers and trees.  We went in a few of the buildings and walked around a little. 

We are now in our lodging at Hill AFB.  The suite is old, but very well furnished and clean.  Golfer and I are relaxing now and both catching up on our tablet and computer.  We made a trip to the Commissary and picked up a few things to replace what we had to throw away last night with no fridge or ice.  We have a nice sofa and a couple chairs to sit on, and a desk.  The A/C works and we also have two fans and two TVs.  Life is good!  Lunch was late so I don't know what we're doing for dinner.

It is hot here.  I think my internal thermostat needs adjusting.  I can't seem to cool off.  I remember doing okay in the heat when we lived in Colorado with no A/C and thought I would be okay, but darn!  It is just hot even if it is dry.

I will close with a couple nice pictures of Idaho Falls after my complaining about the hotel earlier.
 The Falls are part of the Idaho Hydrodynamic system.  There is a lovely park with walkways and places to play or rest.  You can tell the water is coming from the mountains because as you get close it is cooler.

This is right across the street from where our room was.  That white building is the Idaho Falls Mormon Temple.  And this is the cute moose statue!

Tomorrow we will be heading to Bryce Canyon.  Stay safe and God Bless America!

An Honest Review

When Golfer was setting things up for this trip, he relied on info and reviews online for some things.  Last night's hotel was a huge fail and someone should be sued for false advertising.  But what they are getting is my comments and a full response card.  Golfer is not to blame.  It had been a longer day in the car and we were both tired and hot and just wanted to relax a little.

The Rodeway Inn in Idaho Falls, ID, is nothing like what is seen online.  Did you see "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"?  If so, think about how it started out.  What you see online for Rodeway is a modern looking clean hotel with spacious rooms and lovely furnishings.  What we got was old, dirty, and nasty, overflowing outside trash cans, crumbling concrete, flaking stucco.  We decided to tough it out and fortunately  I always travel with some disinfecting wipes.  The towels and sheets were clean, but everything else was not.  The only place to sit was a saggy broken sofa.  There was no desk or chair.  The fridge was dirty and did not cool.  The bathroom was a disaster.  I completely filled up the response card in the room.  Oh, and there was a bar right next door that played loud music.  And upstairs it sounded like someone jumping rope.  The tub didn't drain properly and the pillows were lumpy.  Like I said - - - filled up the card.

I don't want to be too "judgy" but think about the stereotype pimp you see in movies with the shiny clothes and fancy hat.  I think I saw him and a couple of his employees walking across the lot.

But, we locked the door, set the extra lock and survived the night.  And given the state of the room, we were not about to take a chance on their breakfast.  We stopped at Starbucks on the way out of town.

Stay safe, folks!  And God Bless America!  (even the not so nice parts)

Day Eleven

Today was a day of getting from "there" to "here".  Here is Idaho Falls in an absolutely awful Rodeway Inn.  Don't stay here.  I will more than likely write more on this at a later date when I can trust my editing.  Let's just leave it at "false advertising" for now.

Coeur d'Alene was absolutely beautiful and we had a great time.  Golfer enjoyed the golf experience and has lots to tell his golf buddies.

We drove down through Idaho and back into Montana. Then through Montana and back into Southern Idaho to get here.  It was a long day.  We had a tense time when gas got really low and Kirk was saying maybe another 50 miles worth.  We finally found a small, one-street town that had a combination bar/casino/gas station.  That would be a station with one pump and one choice of gas.  We were not picky at that point and filled up.  We got rained on and saw some pretty impressive lightening.  After we got through that it's been sunny and hot.   

Tomorrow will be a much shorter drive than today. We will be seeing Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, and whatever else we come across. 

We are back in Mountain Time now.

It's time to go find some dinner.  Stay safe and Gold Bless America!

Day Ten



Lots and lots of things to see and do here!  Most of the activities are better suited for someone not my age and capabilities, but that is okay.  I've watched the Para-sailors, canoeists, Ski-Doo riders, boaters, and even hikers in the woods across the water!  There are beautiful displays and wonderful restaurants and shops, and a gorgeous aquarium.

 

Here's a couple pictures of our room:

From our balcony: first is sunset last night; second is this afternoon.

We were up before the alarm again (time zone issues).  We had some of the best huckleberry pancakes ever and they were serving Starbucks coffee.  Wonderful!  Then we were back to the room and Golfer got ready to leave. He isn't back yet as I am writing this, and I hope he is having a good time.  This is him leaving for the course this morning.  The boat is named "Double Eagle".

Here is the beautiful aquarium in the lobby.

While he's playing golf, I've been exploring.  Walked around and checked out the sites.  Went over to "The Shops" and looked around.  Sat on the balcony a while and just relaxed and looked at the water.  It is hot and now I am inside cooling off.  Not sure what else will happen today, but we are happy.

Stay safe and God Bless America!

 

Update

I did some "Googling" :)

I think the little animals that wanted our lunch yesterday were "Round tailed ground squirrels".  They sure were busy little things.  If they weren't trying to get us to share our food, they were chasing each other all over the area.

Stay safe, people!