Day 6: Bend, OR to San Francisco, CA

In California

Miles traveled: 481 miles
Time spent driving: 7 1/2 hours
States passed:  Oregon, California
Tolls paid: None!
Tanks of gas: 1
Traffic violations: Zip zero zilch


Today in "take me home country roads:"

• We drive through mountain roads.
• We get gas in Weed, California.  
• Weed has shirts that say "I love Weed....California."  
• I drive my old friend the I-5 at speeds that make me once again a Californian.
• We arrive at Michael's place.
• Door to door, from sea to shining sea, we are done.

Oregon and me

Mt. Shasta, California

Day 5: Dance Party

We hit 3,000 miles somewhere near a small town in Oregon.  Shortly after, we pull off to the shoulder to switch drivers and I dance around the car to this as Michael shakes his head.

Day 5: Idaho Falls, ID to Bend, OR

Craters of the Moon, Idaho

Miles traveled: 598 miles
Time spent driving:  9 1/2 hours
States passed:  Idaho, Bend
Tolls paid: We were in the middle of nowhere
Tanks of gas: 1
Traffic violations: None  


Today in WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE:

• I-20 E is the most tedious flat middle of nowhere road we have encountered.
• We hiked over lava flows and entered lava caves at Craters of the Moon, what did you do on your Saturday?
• We failed to take decent photos in said caves. Instead we take creepy photos we can't explain.
• We kept driving on the most tedious flat middle of nowhere I-20.
• Michael hits a bird, or a bird hits us.  Either way, a bird is probably dead and Michael is now known as "Bird Killa."
• Still more driving on the most tedious road.
• We arrive in Bend, Oregon and our kitschiest motel room yet. 
• The moment we get out of the car for dinner we encounter a drum circle that includes a drum, someone dance shirtless, two people with dreads, and pot.
• When we exit our restaurant (which had amazing food) we find someone with dreads playing a wooden flute as his bike and cat on a leash stand nearby.  Way to go Oregon!

Middle of Nowhere, 1-20 Idaho

Spot the hiker on the lava field

Freaky cave photography #1

#2

And #3

And #4

Day 3: South Dakota's Most Wanted (by Michael)

In Deadwood, South Dakota
...how appropriate 

Let me just start by saying that I did not expect to spend my vacation in a South Dakota Highway Patrol car.  Let me further clarify that I never expected to be in a cop car, period.

While driving down I-90, I was driving only a couple of miles above the speed limit, probably 77 or 78 MPH, as I didn't want to repeat Angela's experience from the day before.  However, the speed limit lowered from 75 to 65 MPH and I neglected to observe the change, but continued to drive with the speed of surrounding vehicles.  Suddenly, flashing lights caught my eye in the rearview mirror and I pulled over to the side of the interstate where we were approached by Officer Badger (names may have been changed to protect he innocent).

The cop truly knew how to use his scare tactics. (Angela remembers him as being "nice," I respectively disagree.)  In his most stern voice, he requested that I step out of the vehicle.  The law-abider that I am, I quickly obliged with the officer's request, expecting that he would perform a sobriety test.  Upon exiting the vehicle, he directed me to get into the patrol car.  At this point, I was truly scared.  Shaking.  I fully expected to get arrested for speeding...and I wasn't even driving that fast.  I stepped into his vehicle where I was berated by a series of questions, such as "Where are you going?" and "Do you know what the posted speed limit is?" and "Are there any drugs in the vehicle or large amounts of cash?"

Our interaction concluded when I asked if I was going to be able to attend traffic school and he responded by handing me my Courtesy Warning.  Less then five minutes after entering his patrol car with canine unit in the backseat, South Dakota's biggest outlaw got off scott free, save for the stern reprimanding and excessive barking of said canine.

I can officially add "detained in a cop car" to my Bucket List, where it will promptly be marked off.

Day 4: Our Yellowstone song

It makes no sense, as it is not relevant to where we were.  But it is an amazing karaoke/car driving song and thus needs to get posted.

Day 4: Sheridan, WY to Idaho Falls, ID

Big Horn=awesomeness

Miles traveled: approx 500 miles
Time spent driving:  Hard to tell, we no longer driving on highways and spent the day on winding two lane roads
States passed:  Wyoming, Idaho
Tolls paid: What are tolls again? 
Tanks of gas: 2
Traffic violations: None  (where's the confetti?)


On today's epic National Park journey:

• We had our best breakfast yet in Cody, Wyoming.
• Pop music disappeared from the airwaves.  
• We drove through the amazing Big Horn National Park.
• We hiked in Yellowstone.  Yes, it was amazing. 
• As my father just mentioned on the phone, I get to scratch"see Old Faithful blow" off my life to do list.
• We drove through the Grand (amazing!) Tetons.
• Wyoming is basically amazing.  
• It has been decided that I want to live here and while Michael thinks it is the finest state we have visited, he is strictly a Bay Area guy.
• We have now traveled 2,600 miles in four days.  Michael has no verbal response to this fact, he just gives me a "look."  It is not a happy look but not a mean look either, I am not sure what it is.  Clearly he has an opinion but is not able to verbalize it...I think we are freakin' rockstars and totally deserved the beer I had at dinner.

From our hike around the geysers at Yellowstone

Cooler than Old Faithful blowing in the background

Smitten with a geyser

These Tetons are in fact Grand

Day 3: Scary song moment of the day

While leaving the bizarre eroding landscape of the Badlands, this started playing on the radio.  So jarring.