Moab Utah October 1012

10/18-10/19

Driving -- two days worth.

I have not driven such a distance on my own before this trip. I wondered how it would be. It was fine actually. It was not a hard drive, the weather was beautiful, and I started my drive early enough to miss traffic and to get to a motel early enough to not be exhausted.

My recurring understanding is how vast and how diverse our country is. It may not have all the castles and cathedrals that Europe has, but the countryside offers every possible landscape and natural wonder that one could conjure up.

As I drove into the windy parts of eastern Washington and into more windy parts of Oregon and Idaho, I am reminded that wind turbines have become one of the new crops. I have yet to get a good photo of any, but I held my camera by the open window while driving (rather fast) and got this one as a sample.

Wind turbines on windy land spaces

I was not able to get a photo of a magpie. I find these birds beautiful and am always glad for a visit when I get to the eastern side. I have not been able to look them up, but am assuming they are "prairie" birds since I see them in some of the other drier, prairie-type areas.

I passed a field filled with sheep -- more sheep than I have seen in one field since being in Scotland (many) years ago. Of course I could not get a photo of them either. As I was about ten miles from Pendleton (you know, as in Pendleton Woolen Factory) I thought there MUST be a relationship here!

I made a view point stop for a couple of shots of Oregon land.

Land, lots of land

Don't fence me in

The following morning I got out early again and was one of the few drivers on the road.

Morning is breaking

 

Sun is rising

It is a little scary how driving at 75 mph becomes so comfortable! At first I thought that was way faster than I wanted to go and decided that 70 would do (no cars behind me to hold up), and quite soon 72 seemed about right until I eventually set the cruise control at 77! Slowing down for the 65 areas seemed an imposition! Salt Lake City and Provo presented my least comfortable driving. It wasn't so bad that there was traffic, construction and narrow lanes, but I think the posted speed limit must be a "suggested" speed. At 2-3 miles over the limit (my usual) cars were either zooming by me at 75 (I know this because I got caught in it once) or climbing up my rear to run me over. Driving in the very slow lane was marginal and I "got by" at a normal speed, however with drivers passing me with a somewhat mean look.

I checked into my motel room in Moab in early afternoon and took a little walk around town to visit to the information center, see what shops were out there (gotta find something to bring home for Susan) and stretch my legs. Couldn't resist a photo of this coffee cup in front of (what else?) the Ekectica (their spelling) cafe. It was closed or I would have stopped in for an organic tea.

Ekectica coffee cup

 

I returned to the motel and found Linda and Brent, my friends from Edmonds, checking in. We chatted some and made a plan for some touring around together the next day. Will post about that tomorrow after our adventures in the red rocks.

 

Posted with Blogsy