Zona

Travails of Travel

We have been here a week now so let's reflect back a bit.

We left Vancouver in the predawn hours. Slipped out of town with the same amount of fanfare with which we arrived 5 and one half years ago. We crossed the border after a short delay because the grandkids only have Canadian birth certificates. They are dual citizens. Being that it was a Sunday, the traffic in Seattle was thankfully light.

Across the mighty Columbia River and into Oregon on the 205 we stopped for gas in Troutdale. In Oregon you are not allowed to pump your own gas so I asked one of the attendants how much farther it was to Hood River where we had our hotel rooms reserved. He told me it was a 2 and a half hour drive. I was kinda bummed because I was hoping to catch part of the Superbowl. Back onto Highway 84 and I soon saw a sign that announced Hood River, 28 miles. I think the guy has been sniffing gasoline fumes too long. What a relief that was after a long drive. We got to our hotel and our adjoining rooms and were soon enjoying the best Superbowl ever. The next morning, after what I thought was a terrible breakfast, we were off. At least the breakfast was free.

We drove along the river before getting to the high desert and then after Pendleton we climbed into forrest and snow. Then the hills and into Idaho. The Idaho border was a trip because shortly after crossing, all the snow vanished until we reached Boise. The traffic in Boise was a mess but we soon found our hotel and my son and I feasted at Jack In The Box while the girls and the babies ate at Perkins. After another crappy breakfast we were on the road. White rolling hills and we stopped for gas in Snowville.

We crossed into Utah and I popped out the iPod adapter and looked for radio stations. We found a rock station and as the Angel Moroni as my witness, ACDC's Highway To Hell was the first song we heard. When we reached the massive metropolitan area that stretches from Ogden to Provo my son and I started calling out Mormon chapels like they were VW's and we were playing slug bug. They are everywhere. My son got extra points for spotting the first temple. We found our leased house in Lehi and unpacked the truck and rejoiced that we had arrived safe.