Mid October and time for another road trip! We were not sure exactly where we were going except at this time of year we knew it should be south.
We had a reservation on the Coho Ferry out of downtown Victoria. We had to be there early as that is when all passengers go through the process of immigration/customs. As all travelers are aware, crossing the border can be a "not too pleasant" experience these days. Well the agent checking the cars in line was an exception to the usually stern and unsmiling border crossing people. She was friendly, smiling and cheerful. Because of her we had a very pleasant start to our trip. I did not give her a card at the time as (call me paranoid) I was apprehensive of passing on anything that someone else might not understand. We all know to never attract extra attention of border guards! So now that I am home I will be mailing one to her instead.
On the boat a mother and daughter sat near us. When I realized they were not from this area I gave them our window seats. They had been at a family reunion and were returning home to California and Oregon. The daughter owns a book store in Coos Bay and when she noticed the books we were reading she suggested other authors we might like. Next time we travel down her way we will definitely stop and visit her store.
A pretty drive (lots of fall colours) took us to The Dalles Oregon for the night. In the morning I was up early so took my book and went to the coffee room while my husband still slept. There I got talking to a most interesting man. He told me about his job. It was something I'd never heard of before. He follows and tracks by car, privately owned passenger cars that are included in freight trains. He makes sure they get to their destinations and in good condition. He was fun and educational to talk to.
After a bit of fog in the morning we traveled in sunshine to Mountain Home in Idaho. We explored the town then went for dinner at a restaurant beside the motel. It was noisy but funny as it was full of families with very young children. Our waitress was Kelly, a very nice 18year old girl. She handled all the child caused chaos with efficiency and smiles. We liked her so I gladly left a card with her.
The next day we continued south and tuned through Twin Falls, to Jackpot Nevada. From there we eventually went through Wendover, turned south and dove through a wonderful purple and pink sunset to arrive at a Motel 8 in Delta, Utah. We walked to a nearby Mexican restaurant. It was authentic enough that the waitress spoke very little English and I knew little more than "Gracias". However we all managed and I left a card along with the tip to express my appreciation for the effort she made to serve us well.
The next day, still in sunshine, we drove to Bryce Canyon. Before long we realized that we were meeting the same couple at every viewing stop. They were from the eastern U.S. and attending a conference in Salt Lake City. We enjoyed our conversations and took pictures of each other for each other at one of the viewpoints.
After driving the marvelous otherworldly road past Escalante we arrived in the small town of Torrey for the night. We found a most interesting building where we had our dinner. The floors and booths all sat at different angles, pan flute music played in the background, walls were covered in interesting hangings or were painted with colourful scenes and the pretty cloth napkins smelled very strongly of detergent. The place was charming! Although she was very busy our waitress served us well and kept us laughing. I happily gave her a card.
Early the next morning we explored the incredible canyons in Capitol Reef National Park then continued east. Eventually we came to the top of a road that I'd heard of but had never seen. The picture on this page was taken half way down the hill. At the beginning of the very steep downhill drive we stopped at a viewpoint. There we spoke with lovely family from Arkansas. We shared travel stories and discovered that many years ago they had visited and enjoyed our home town of Victoria. Hopefully someday I will visit their part of the country.
Through Monument Valley we went and on to Page Arizona for the night. We reached the town of Hurricane ,Utah late the next morning. It looked like it was trying to live up to its name with strong wind and snow or rain in the surrounding mountains. We stopped at a gas station/McDonalds for gas, coffee and to check some phone messages. While we were sitting at the table a nearby lady overheard some of our conversation and offered us some information on the weather conditions we were about to drive into and gave a more accurate time for how long it would take to drive to Salt lake City. She was very friendly and helpful.
Eventually we passed through the wind and rain and reached Twin Falls Idaho for the night. At sunset we found the very beautiful Shoshone Falls on the outskirts of the city. The only other people there were a couple from California. They too were on a road trip and like us, kept extending it "just one more day". We enjoyed talking with them so when we left I gave them all our brochures on where we had already been as that is where they were headed, as well as a nicer place card.
The next day we headed home via sunny Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley in B.C. However on the way back to Canada we stopped for gas in La Grande Oregon. The lady running the facility was great grandmother and one of her great grandsons was there "helping" as much a very young boy can! Because it was raining she showed me where the inside staff washroom was when I started to ask for the key to the outside restroom. I thought that was very kind of her. Then when I went to buy a cup of coffee the pot ran out before I filled my cup so she insisted that I not pay for it. She was a very nice lady.
The next day we were back home and full of lovely memories of spectacular scenery and wonderful people we met along the way.
