Tubleweeds and Duststorms Yakima, WA to Spanish Fork, Utah

 

TUMBLEWEEDS AND DUST STORMS

So, after I finished the blog, we walked across the street to have dinner at Texas Roadhouse.  My lord it was amazing.  We both had a sirloin steak with potato and veggies and shared a blooming onion.  We were so full, I’m surprised we could waddle home.  I stayed up a little longer and did some work for the bar before I passed out for the night.

I did do just that and slept for a good 7 hours before waking up just before 6.  I checked my phone for messages and then Lorie said she was awake, so I said lets get a move on so we can get as far as possible today.  We gathered up our stuff and the dog and loaded into the Jeep and were off by 7am.  Its nice to have company this trip, as my dog is not much of a conversationalist.

Today was basically just a comedy drive.  We drove through 4 states today, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and into Utah.  The whole day was basically endless miles of fields until we hit Salt Lake City.  There was a fair bit of wind coming out of Oregon and into Idaho.  We hit several major dust storms that were so bad you could barely see the lines on the road.  This was the first time I had encountered any and I have been through the area many times by car and bike so, it was a new experience for me.  With the wind there were also tons of tumbleweeds rolling across the highway.  Not just single ones but whole herds of them.  I tried desperately to avoid them but I’m sorry to say, I did end many of their poor little tumblelives.  They just wanted to live tumblely ever after.  Although I think I did catch one that rode along with us for a while.  Lorie is completely pissed off as we went all the way through Idaho and there was not one potato or plant seen anywhere!  There was a mountain on Deadman’s Pass that could only grow one little tree.  I made a mistake and called a small herd of cows, horses.

Then we ended up parked beside another Jeep pulling a trailer but the owner was a masculine guy and he had it decorated pink.  Hinges, lettering, door handles, etc.  Little feminine for his appearance but then who knows.  Both my Rubicon and trailer were bigger then his, so I was putting him to shame.  We pulled out of the gas stop first and next thing here he comes racing up the highway trying to race me all the way through Boise.  I won, completely lost him somewhere.  All of this transpired while we enjoyed our charcuterie cups that we built at the gas stop and ate as I was racing.  We had mini croissants, hard boiled eggs, pepperoni and cheese.  It was a perfect little lunch on the road.

We generally made good time getting through Salt Lake City until the south end.  Then we hit major back up.  How in the hell do you get 7 lanes of traffic at a dead stop with no accidents or otherwise.  Maybe there was a squirrel that needed CPR or something but it baffles my mind.  Also, the freeway through SLC was not in the best of shape.  We hit some major bumps that scared the heck out of the dog and I think may have shifted some of the load.  They have been working on parts of it for a year but it still needs a lot of love.

We got to Spanish Forks, just past Provo and went on the search for a hotel.  The first one we went to had no vacancy, so we had to back track 5 minutes to another and got the last room there.  I guess there is both a tournament and an air show in town this weekend.  As we were circling around to find a room, we entered a couple driveways that were on a slight angle and the foot of the jack dragged on the ground.  I went out after we checked in to see if I could adjust the hitch, but there is too much weight to get the tongue up high enough to take the hitch off.  I was going to take my drop hitch off and undo the ball and fix it upside down so it would be a raised hitch but alas after the days drive, I just didn’t have the strength to do it.  I think I will stop in Moab and get some help with it.

So, we will be up and at it again tomorrow as I want to get as many miles on as possible.  Today was 1200kms.  According to Google maps we still have 21 hours to drive to Laredo, but we want to arrive as early as possible, as we need to unload all the bins and just leave the bike in the trailer to take to the customs broker on Monday morning.

See you at the beach!

Hasta luego!