Off we were once again, this time to Salt Lake City. We said goodbye to Yellowstone, and of course our drive out of the park was no easy feat. There were several more bison that backed up traffic as people had to stop and snap photos as if this bison was much more photogenic than the previous 5. I think it is safe to say we have seen our fair share of bison. We left through the west entrance which brought us through Montana and Idaho. Idaho seemed to have a little bit of everything, farm land, some mountains (mostly old volcanic), industry, rodeos, and trailer parks. It was nothing spectacular, at least the part we drove through, but still beats out Illinois (our least favorite state by far). But I guess after driving through the Teton mountains of Wyoming, seeing Mt. Rushmore and the real corn fields of the mid-west you kind of develop high standards for a quality state.
Oh yes, Idaho does also have lots of potatoes, and Alyson started complaining and craving a loaded baked-potato. I told her if we came close enough to a farm I would pull over and let her pick her own potato to eat but she wasn’t satisfied with that offer. She never did get her baked potato…
Once in Utah, the mountains started to surround us. Also, we entered our first 3 lane highway in at least the last 1,000 miles. We have now racked up over 3,000 miles, and have a good 1,000 more to go. Salt Lake City is surrounded by mountains on all sides of it. We came right through the downtown, and are staying in a hostel. Alyson was excited about the idea because it would be her first time in one. When we showed up, she was unsure of what to think, and feared it would be full of dirty hippies that didn’t shower. Though we did run into a few odd ducks, for the most part the people were pleasant and friendly, and we had our own room with a good sized bed. I would have to say the highlight of my evening was when we went back out to the car to gather our belongings and the sprinklers had started. Alyson had to tiptoe against the car as close as possible, though the sprinklers still got her. Two girls were sitting out on the grass laughing, thoroughly amused.
It is getting a lot warmer here, and our night in Yellowstone was even a bit warmer than the first (if only by a few degrees). It was over 70 by the time we left Wyoming, and 90 as we entered Utah. There is an excessive heat warning up for Las Vegas (our destination for this weekend). Now Vegas is typically a sauna in the summer being in the desert and all, so when they call their heat excessive, you know it’s bad. The current forecast calls for 115 by day, and 90 by night.
We finally made it to Salt Lake City! The drive here was so boring. Idaho is such a copycat state (no offense to anyone who likes Idaho). It had fields (like Nebraska), but they were brown; it had windmills (like Iowa), but they were tiny; it had mountains (like Wyoming (but they were smaller). Coming into Utah was pretty neat though. We thought we saw smog in the distant mountains, but it was just a huge cloud of dust. The temperature keeps rising (which I like a lot).
The city was clean and nice. We saw the state building, and on the lawn, they had a blow up screen set up with people on blankets in front of it. I guess they have movies there every Thursday night throughout the summer. There were also some really cute neighborhoods in the city.
The hostel we stayed at was an interesting place. When we got there, there were two girls (from a different country) sitting on the front lawn. They looked like such hippies, and that’s when I realized this place was going to be full of them. I didn’t know what to expect when we got inside, but when I did see it, it took awhile to take in. It was so homey, in a weird way. There were people chilling on the couches in a living room area watching a huge tv, there were people hanging out in the kitchen, and there were people using the computers in a small area near the entrance. The people were so laid back (I don’t even think they noticed we were there). The room was cool too (kind of plain, but nice). I like the fact that everyone shares in a hostel. The stuff in the living room (videos, books, etc) and in the kitchen (food, utensils) were up for grabs to anyone.
There’s not too much else to post, but I am sure I will have a bunch tomorrow!
-Alyson xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment