THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Once we left Brian in Rock Springs it seemed that the end of a perfect summer had come.  Rather than "take our time" as we did on the trip out we put it into high gear and DROVE without stopping at any roadside attractions.  We spent the night in a campground somewhere in Kansas and we know that we must be getting close to home because the BUGS were back.  All summer on the lake and not a bug in sight but the skeeters harangued us at the camp ground !  Then the next day we put 'er in drive and finished up the trip.  It was great to be home.  We had spent the MOST AWESOME summer ever on Lake Pend Oreille,with family and friends, and Norm's 70th birthday party was one to be remembered! But, it's true what they say....There really is no place like home and it was, indeed, really, really, really good too be here.

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." -- Lin Yutang

BRIAN FOR LUNCH

We drove 515 miles today of awesome scenery  on the long road home and stopped in Rock Springs, Wyoming to take Norm's nephew, Brian, out to lunch.  It was great to see him even though it was just a short visit,  and, he plans to come to Iowa in November !  Thanks, Brain for the fabulous Bar-b-que this afternoon and don't worry....I will make Norm behave !

And the beat goes on.

~Nancy

GOT SALT ?

Norm went out to the Salt Flats with a tour guide.  You’re allowed to drive on it alone, however, you may bury your car in the process if you don’t know what you’re doing....He opted for the guide.

In Norm’s words:  “It was a natural phenomena …with motorcycles.  Every make, size, color, age, of motorcycle trying to break some kind of land speed record for their bracket.  You need lots of water, long sleeves, a big hat and a good pair of sunglasses because there ain’t no shade.



It was an awesome sight, even more impressive than I expected it to be. I would truly like to be here during Speed Week when all the cars go for the record.  The current speed record is over 600 mph. Nancy was close to this with the SUV and her sailboat when we arrived at the flats. She also came close with the quads this morning in the mountains. Anybody who is interested in speed should come here in August, but go out on the salt EARLY in the morning. Hotter than the devils colon.”

Personally, I think the three "old dogs should take their next big motorcycle ride here and ride 'em full out on the flats.  I mean, you only live one !  And the beat goes on….

If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space. ~ Anonymous

A WILD RIDE ACROSS THE DESERT

  Today started with  a tour of the land surrounding Wendover – on Four-Wheelers.  Such fun !  Our guide, “Mr C. was a sweet young man who seemed knowledgeable about the area’s history and he definitely had a sharp eye for wild life. He spotted a herd of antelope clear up on a ridge far-far away  and he found another small herd on the plains in the lowland too.

Okay, so I’ll just come right out and say it: At first I was pretty nervous about taking the ride. I ride behind Norm all the time on his motorcycles, but it’s been YEARS since I’ve driven a scooter and I’d never been on a four-wheeler.  I wasn’t sure what to expect.

  It turned out great though. It was just Norm and I and the guide guy and he started out nice and slow and gave me time to get used to it. Once I got the hang of it I took off !   

Diverse, spectacular, and dynamic are three words that describe the geology of Utah. We got to see a bit of it all this morning as we bumped along the dusty trails across the desert and into the mountains. AWESOME RIDE !  And, while we didn’t actually get to drive on the Salt flats, we did get a spectacular panorama of them from a mountain above. 

 Norm then arranged to be taken out to the Salt Flats to see what was happening with the motorcycle trials. I opted to return to the motel for a shower. It was a DUSTY ride and I knew it was going to be hotter than a cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof out there.

It was another great morning on our adventure home on the long road home….And the beat goes on.

Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible. " ~ Cadet Maxim

TO THE END OF THE EARTH

We made it to the Bonneville Salt Flats yesterday and what a mind-boggle that was. What looked like miles and miles of snow-covered ground is actually SALT and the temperature was near 100 !  The Salt flats are a unique feature of Utah geography/geology.

Imagine a place so flat you seem to see the curvature of the earth, so barren not even the simplest life forms can exist- plant or animal. Imagine the passing thunder of strange vehicles hurtling by on a vast dazzling white plain. This is not an alien world far from earth; it is Utah's famous Bonneville Salt Flats and where folks come from all over the world (including Wever, Iowa) to see how fast they can go.

We stopped at a rest stop just before Wendover and Norm was thrilled to find the four Ford Formula 1's, that had whizzed by us earlier, in the parking lot. He chatted up the owners who told him they'd been racing and there had been 87 Formula 1 cars at the track. They said they were on their way to Wendover for lunch. Norm thinks they were really going for a "lap-dance" as – on that's what all the billboards advertise along Highway 80 heading toward the Flats.

We tromped around for just a bit on the salt, but found that the heat fairly unbearable as well as the blinding light, so it was back in the car and on to Wendover for us. We took a curious peek in one of the casinos and eat a late lunch/early dinner then checked in to our motel.  It was another great day on the long road home.....and the beat goes on.

DAY TWO ON THE LONG ROAD HOME

  We made it to Brigham, Utah today - 386 long, hot miles through ever changing scenery.  since the temperature soared up into the high 90's we decided not to camp tonight and are settled in a nice little motel where we will enjoy HOT SHOWERS!  YAY! 

Our only adventure for the day was a stop in Blackfoot, Idaho at the Potato Museum. Yes, that's right I said the Potato Museum !  You'd be amazed at the history actually - the lowly potato goes way back to the 1300's in South America and has made it's way as a crop all the way around the world!  :-) 

Tomorrow begins our Great Salt Flats adventure. We hope to watch some of the International Motorcycle trial that will be going on and plan to rent 4-wheelers and go on a guided tour of the area ! ...And the beat goes on...

THE ROAD HOME - DAY ONE

Proud Mary was pulling great and the weather couldn't have been nicer. We zipped along and got almost to Butte, Montana when it began to rain. BIG rain. LARGE drops splatting the windows in such a deluge that Norm pulled off the road for a bit to wait it out. 

The storm didn't last long and what a sight it left in it's wake: DOUBLE RAINBOWS!  

We drove on to just south of Butte and stayed in a secluded little campground off the beaten track (down six miles of rut-filled gravel road) . The camp site was lovely and I would have gone for a long hike but the BEAR WARNING SIGNS were a bit intimidating, and while I'm usually up for an adventure, making friends with Smokey-the-Bear was not on my agenda yesterday, so Norm and I just explored the area immediately surrounding our site and went to bed early.  

It was a good first day on the road.  We're heading towards the great Salt Flats of Utah as a little side trip on the journey home.  More tomorrow! .... and the beat goes on....

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain” ~ Fredrich Nietzsche