August 06, 2008
Back In The Saddle
Howdy, Kids! Yep...I'm back! And, I am beat. A bit "rode hard and put away wet"...if you will. In a matter of three days my sister and I went through 6 states; Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado. This was all business and no vacation as my sister was movin' on down to "The Springs" (aka Colorado Springs) for work and had to be on the job first thing Tuesday morning (what the?!!). There are no exciting photos...I can assure you. 99.673% were taken from the car window. But some aspects of the trip included...
- It rained while we were traveling through Washington....duh.
- Breakfast in Yakima, WA was both tasty and cheap (a great combo in my book).
- Oregon was just a blip on the map for us but was good to us while we were there. Nice trees, by the way.
- Idaho. Hmm. Well...let's see. In Glenns Ferry we had the delightful opportunity to have our olfactory senses upended when considering a room at a local lodging establishment. The place should be subsidized by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. And the decor? Well, I think that 25¢ peep booths at an adult bookstore hold greater appeal. Eew.
- Twin Falls just opened a new Mormon Temple so we almost didn't find a room. We went from place to place searching...but turned away over and over. We laughed that it was like we were Mary and Joseph. But honestly...the irony was a bit creepy.
- They have terrible hostesses but lovely servers at the local large-chain "Italian" restaurants.
- Breakfast was included at the new Wingate where we stayed that night (a joyous discovery at the end of a long day!), so we partook of the carb-fest. I overheard a woman looking for the napkins. I handed her a couple. Shortly after that she approached me. She told me, holding back the tears, that she had lost her husband just three days earlier and that my simple act of kindness meant the absolute world to her. It showed me that we never really know how we can have an impact on others. That lesson meant the world to me. It was the highlight of the trip.
- Southern Idaho has an enormously depressing summertime landscape.
- Idaho won for the best Rest Areas...EVER! Congrats!
- My sister didn't think me saying "Poke-my-tello, Im-a-ho!" was funny.
- Utah. The area around Ogden looked nice.
- Wyoming. (My Dad's home state.) Evanston seemed cute. The "quickie" lunch at Sonic was anything but. The kids at Starbucks recommended we stay in Rock Springs. We're not sure why? Apparently, we have a distant cousin that lives there. I'm glad we didn't look them up...and I bet they'd feel the same way.
- Wyoming had a haunting forlorn beauty to it. Sad, but not depressing like Idaho. More like heartache turned into landscape.
- The adult bookstore at the side of the highway, in the middle of absolutely nowhere didn't become any more charming with the attached 5-room motel. My eyes needed a shower after that sight.
- Laramie...couldn't not think of Matthew Shepard when driving through. R.I.P.
- Colorado. Well, Kids...we all know that, based on my past personal experiences, I had some trepidation here. Damn if it wasn't pretty (I figured that much) but the people were so darn nice...from the get-go! Fort Collins...nice. Denver...three high-fives in less than an hour? This place was gooooood for my ego. Colorado Springs...delightful! My sister's new roommate couldn't have been more hospitable and gracious. The sweeping view of Pike's Peak from the back deck didn't hurt. A wonderful dinner at The Blue Star with said roommate and two of her friends. The five of us...good meal, good times.
- I'd really like to come back. Yes...to Colorado. As requested, it was good to me.
- Nicest security at Colorado Springs Airport. (Even though you could tell they still meant business.)
- The plane was so small that I thought "it feels like you're walking into a coffin". Thanks, Internal Dialogue! Like I needed THAT at 28,000 feet?!! Thank god I'm reading the "India" section of Eat, Pray, Love. The writings on meditation came in very handy.
- Salt Lake City International Airport...where the hell are all these people coming from?!! Did they shut down O'Hare? I wasn't sure Starbucks would get in here...? Who knew?
- Seattle...welcome home.
So that's really about it, Kids. Down and back again. And, yes, I did like Colorado...a lot.
But I do have one more thing. Road-tripping requires one to partake in lots of public restrooms. Rest areas, restaurants, airports, etc. 1) What is the point of having automatic, hands-free faucets, soap machines, and towel dispensers when, in order to leave the restroom, I have to grab the same handle that Chirpy just used after leaving the stall without washing his hands?!!!!!! And...2) For any of you who either don't think you need to wash your hands after having them around your junk, or that passing the whites of your nails under cold water sans soap after doin' yer business is clean enough...I have a proposition for you. There are a few key places on my body that I'd like to rub a sandwich and then watch you take a bite of it! Appetizing? No...didn't think so. Wash your flippin' hands!!!
Okay...I'm done now. Time to get back in the saddle.
ps - I'm guessing that since I have now referred to "adult bookstore" twice in this post you're probably going to see some rather interesting ads pop up through Google adsense. I'm just sayin'.
14 comments:
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I always appreciate your thoughts. Your comment will appear as soon as I can publish it.
p.s. - Contrary opinions or constructive criticism are also fine but "The Bedlam" doesn't serve as a platform for random (or anonymous) acts of offensiveness. Rude? Deleted.
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Gosh, I feel like I was along for the ride without any of the germs (thankfully), quickie food (also thankful), and aching everything from sitting so long.
ReplyDeleteAlways entertaining Beefy, but I was particularly moved by your statement on Wyoming's haunting forlorn beauty. You must be inspired by your reading of Eat, Pray, Love - a favorite of mine, by the way.
Take good care and welcome home,
Stash
Thanks for checkin my blog Beefy. Your blog is wonderful, it is in my GoogleReader.
ReplyDeleteTrips are the best, glad you made it out to our neck of the woods. Colorado is certainly a mixed bag....I would rather be coastal....boo.
Peace out.
Lovely to have you back...
ReplyDeleteThough I can't say you're exactly selling your trip to me.
hahaha...Paola, you crack me up!
ReplyDeleteBeefy, thank you for the entertaining recap. Particularly for the fact that it was in list form. Love lists.
Welcome back!
wow.
ReplyDeleteA very realistic view of road trips (which I hate BTW)!
Love yer blog!
XOXO
cheryl...yeah? It was a long ride but fortunately I don't get achy from sitting so long. Which probably explains a lot! ;) Thanks for the compliment. Loving Eat, Pray, Love so far!
ReplyDeletehautenature...Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the blog! Likewise! At least the part of the "mixed bag" was good. And, really, isn't anyplace a mixed bag? I think it's the percentages of the mix that make the difference...know what I'm sayin'?
paola...I wasn't necessarily trying to make a sale. ;)
mary...thanks for the welcome home! Glad you liked the list. You impress me as someone who'd probably like lists. I should probably like and use them more myself! ;)
Gosh, just reading about your road trip made me exhausted!! Glad you're back without any nasty germs ;-)
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked Colorado! That's my home turf. :) But you missed Boulder?!?! That's where I'm from and it's the best town ever!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I just had to let my 11 year old read your last paragraph about washing your hands. I was laughing out loud so much that he couldn't figure out what was so funny. That was hysterical! So true, I always hold a towel when reaching for the door handle. Of course, there is never a trash can near the door to throw it in after opening the door??? Thanks for the great laugh. Also, loved eat,pray,love...should probably reread it since it has been awhile.
ReplyDeletemandco...it was a bit exhausting but got to see some lovely parts of this country as well. But, definitely NOT a vacation!
ReplyDeleteJess...I hear SUCH great things about Boulder! Unfortunately, there was no time to play tourist :( But there's always the chance to go back now that I've broken through my Colorado-phobia.
jae...well, I hope that the people that REALLY need to take that commentary to heart are reading that part! It BOGGLES my mind! Glad you got a good laugh out of it :) I'm guessing your 11 y.o. was like, "whatever, Mom."...???
Wow, I'm exhausted just reading about it. What a trip!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the entertaining recap, glad you are back safe.
ReplyDeleteLoved this post, I'd like to trade a weekend in whitstable for a mini road trip to anywhere with you!
ReplyDeleteI'll bring the cake you bring the commentary : )
Glad to have you back.
OMG I can't believe I'm just catching up on all of this now! I turn around for two days and you're all five posts a day on me! Sheesh!
ReplyDeleteYou're bringing me back to my own x-country trip a few years back. The ups, the downs, the laughs. Wyoming is so beautiful, isn't it? I never went through Idaho so I can't compare, but I adored Wyoming like you have no idea.
Glad you're back Uncle B:)