Life is a Highway

I’m a little behind in our posts. We have been making our way to Reno to visit my cousin and her family and then on to Klamath Falls, OR where we are now.

Finished our trip across the Loneliest Road and spent an evening with my cousin, her husband, and her daughter and husband in Reno, NV. When I was 16 or so I spent part of a summer with them in Poughkeepsie, NY. Had fun recalling some of those adventures. It was so great seeing them and so hard to leave.

When we left Reno we were headed for a town in California on the Cali/Oregon border but Miss GPS decided to alter those plans. We had her set on avoid highways and she took us this round about trip around Lake Tahoe and 2 1/2 hours later, we come to a sign that said “Reno, 30 miles”. The distance we could have done in 20-30 minutes of driving took us 150 minutes. So, we ended up staying in Mt. Shasta, California. Mt. Shasta is the tallest peak in CA (14,179 Ft) and she was shining in all of her glory while we were there.

On Mother’s Day, headed for Klamath Falls, OR via a couple of vineyards in Oregon. Another gorgeous day with gorgeous scenery. Klamath Falls is our half-way point. We are staying here until Thursday and then starting our trek back east.

Yesterday as our scenery changed yet again we were reflecting on what an epic journey this has been. Every place has had a beauty all of it’s own. Check out the pics below.

We are traveling across Route 50 which is known as the Loneliest Road in America. We say Maine is rural but you haven’t seen anything until you’ve traveled here. As a result of the ruralness we had a hard time finding a place to stay. Last night stayed “off the grid” in a place called Hidden Canyon Retreat. It had electricity and satellite TV (Randy got to watch the Bruins game) but no cell service and internet was spotty at best. It was pretty though. On our way there we decided to take a side trip to Price, UT to a Paleontology Museum. There are a lot of dinosaur quarries in Northwestern Colorado and Utah. It really was quite interesting and impressive for a very small community.

Today, we are in a little town of Eureka, NV, population 315. It is know as the Friendliest Town on the Loneliest Road. On our way here we went to Great Basin NP only to realize we had needed reservations to tour the caves there and the road to the highest summit was closed. :(. Went part way up the mountain and did have some beautiful views of the Great Basin. The Great Basin is what we have been traveling through and stretches from Utah to California. It has a beauty all of it’s own but very few people live here – hence, the loneliest road.

In the town of Ely we stopped at a train museum. It had been a very active town up until the 1980’s when the trains discontinued. The trains were known not only for opening the west but were a critical part of copper mining in this area. It was a fun museum and we were able to go into the train maintenance and repair shop where they refurbished the old train engines. Not something we would have planned to do but turned out to be very educational and fun.

We are running into challenges with road closures – especially in NP – due to snow. We were going to go to Lassen NP in California and Crater Lake NP in Oregon but they are both closed. Similar to today when the road to the summit of Wheeler Mountain was closed. Not sure if I mentioned this before but we feel like we are a couple of weeks too early. If we had waited though, we would have run into more crowds and that creates it’s own challenges.

On to Reno tomorrow. Scroll down for updated pictures.

The past couple of days have been interesting for sure. Yesterday was a day full of travel challenges. We left Durango and took what is called the Million Dollar Highway to Montrose, CO. This highway reaches an elevation of nearly 11,000 ft, has hairpin turns and drop offs and no guard rails. And we got to do it in the snow. At one point the temperature outside was 17 degrees and we were going 19 MPH. Plows had been out but it was still wet and snow covered at times which made you question how slippery it might be. Once we were out of the snow, it was beautiful.

Then we went to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP (still in Colorado). The wind was blowing so hard and it was brutally cold. Really couldn’t enjoy this park to it’s fullest and didn’t even go all the way through it because we were behind schedule and it was so cold.

So we headed to Moab, UT over a secondary road. Part way there, there was an accident which closed the road for 3 hours so had to turn around and take an “alternative route” over yet another mountain on a dirt road. So what was supposed to be an 8 hour day turned into an 11 hour one. I was sooooo ready to be out of that Jeep.

Today was the reward for all the trials of yesterday. We are in Moab and did Arches NP, which we have been to before. But today we did a 3.2 mile hike to Delicate Arch. It was challenging but so worth it in the end. I am so proud of Randy for hanging in there during the narrow part of the trail and making it to the end. (He struggles with heights). And, it was a gorgeous day. Love that there is still snow on the mountains (when we aren’t driving through it.). Mom always said when she traveled that she loved the snow capped mountains and now I know why.

Have been so blessed with seeing beautiful country and learning so much.

Leaving Moab tomorrow with no specific destination. Just heading toward Reno, NV as we are seeing my cousin there on Friday. No destination is the best kind of day. Thanks for your comments. We love them. And we are still looking for songs to add to our Road Trip playlist.