The Loneliest Road

No that's not a metaphor of my life or anything, there really is a stretch of highway called The Loneliest Road!

This was one of the first trips we took without Sharaya. She was married and pregnant so just 4 of us climbed into the van that morning. We left Seattle and headed East to Wyoming, then headed South to Colorado.

Chuck's mom and sister were having a few health issues and needed some help around the house. One of the big things we did was to clean out their garage so Rose could park her car inside for a change. Those Colorado winters can be brutal!

Chuck's sister Rose, his mom Mary Ann and... Chuck

After leaving Colorado, we headed East and that's when we found ourselves on the loneliest road! There's no sign of civilization for miles. I remember driving through one small town and as we came to the end of it kids were jumping off their toys and running to the street to yell goodbye to us, there was one man who was washing his car and he stopped and waved as we drove by. They knew they were the last people we would see for a while!

The Loneliest Road

This is another section but it didn't take long for it all to look exactly the same.

We came across Arches National Park and decided to stop for a while. We'd heard a lot about it but had never been there. Beth wasn't too happy about getting out because she just wanted to wait in the car and continue to eat her red licorice. (Can you tell?)

We only stayed a couple of hours and so saw just a small part of the park but the landscape was phenomenal!

 

Can you see Beth in this one?

 

I gave Beth the camera hoping it would improve her mood. It did a little, but these are some of the pictures she took. Sigh.

Arches was beautiful and I'd love to go back one day and see more of that spectacular park!

 

We ended up spending the night in Reno, Nevada and it sure was interesting. A miniature Las Vegas but not as nice. I mean, the streets seemed dirty, I didn't feel completely safe walking around, I don't know, it was just different. Now this was back in 2010 so maybe things have changed since we were there.

We had lunch at Big Ed's Alley Inn and I remember Diana and I were afraid to go inside. The area was run down and this little hole-in-the-wall was a bar / restaurant. No thank you. But Chuck insisted that these kind of places have the best food.

Well, he was right! The food was amazing! And we didn't get shot or mugged or anything!

We stopped at the hotel to drop off our stuff before heading out to The Strip. We came across Circus Circus and since none of us gamble, decided to go into the arcade. It was pretty big and the girls had a good time.

 

The next morning we headed for home. This was a different road trip for us because we took a lot of back roads and small highways that we normally don't travel. It really was a lot of fun!

Did you ever take a vacation that turned out different than you expected?

Flip Flops, Well, Because

On some of our trips we can drive up to 12-13 hours in a day depending on where we're traveling, what the destination is and how long it's gonna take us to get there.

One of our best friends on a road trip is the truck stop. Now, before you call me crazy, hear me out.

Truck stops today are a lot different than they were 30-40 years ago. My dad was a long-haul truck driver and I rode with him a couple times when I was in high school and believe me, truck stops are different today. They're not the small, dark, smoke filled places they used to be.

One of our favorites is the Flying J. This thing is like coming home.

(All pictures are compliments of Google.)

We've been driving a while, everyone's acclimated to the air conditioning in the car. We pull up to the pump (we've learned over the years to wear sandals or flip flops in the car, easy on and easy off) begin to move our muscles as we find our flip flops, unbuckle our seat belts and open our doors. 

Then usually a blast of heat hits you as you step out into the sunlight and s-t-r-e-t-c-h!!

Now the Flying J Truck Stops are huge inside. The bathrooms are always so clean, they have full showers for all the truck drivers, and there are usually a couple restaurants attached like Subway, KFC, etc.

They have everything you could want. From motor oil to movies, from flashlights to clothing. Anything a trucker might need out on the road, they carry it. Which means they probably have everything you'd need while out on the road too!

And the snacks! Oh my, we've spent a long time inside the Flying J trying to decide what to buy! The girls and I use the bathroom while Chuck fills the tank and washes the windows. Then we all meet inside to get a snack and something to drink. 

Then you get that blast of heat again as you walk out the door (just thinking about it has me smiling!) and head back to the car.

Everyone shuffles their stuff around trying to figure out what they're gonna want with them for the next part of the trip.  The flip flops come off and the head phones go on.

Then we buckle up and settle in for a relaxing, stress-free ride on the open road.

Fun Photo Friday!

This photo might not look fun to some, but to us it means: Road Triiip!!

We're almost completely packed.

Each of us looks over the list, crossing off the item in our column.

Dad, Mom, Beth, Diana.

Then tomorrow, while it's still dark out, we'll fill our travel mugs with our favorite hot drinks,

grab our blankets and settle in to the rhythm of the long, open road!