Love the Open Road!

On Tuesday we left the Sparks/Reno area for our trek across Nevada, Utah and into Wyoming.  For some people, the drive across northern Nevada with all the isolation, the unending wide open spaces and little change in topography might be boring.   This explorer was entranced through the whole drive.  The sky was amazing with a bright blue color and big puffy clouds every where I looked!   I am reminded on trips such as this that California just doesn’t have the beautiful sky and cloud formations like other parts of the west.  The sky in California was especially dismal this past few months since we haven’t had any rain and the air has been brown and filled with smoke from a number of Northern California fires.  There are few things that boost the spirits while traveling like a beautiful sky!

I love a road trip with wide open spaces and nothing to block the view.  It is refreshing to have an uncluttered landscape with the road stretching out for miles ahead.  The land and sky seem so much bigger here.  Although I have driven this highway (Interstate 80) multiple times the route still seems fresh and alluring, the open road beckoning to new destinations.

While we have been living in our trailer for several weeks it seems only now that we are truly nomads.  The first few weeks we were still in California staying in places that were familiar to us.  Putting a number of miles between us and Modesto has added to the feeling that we are on the road heading to destinations unknown.  There will be challenges ahead like finding the best places to spend the night, deciding how long to stay and how to spend our time while there.   We also have to keep our trailer stocked with food and provisions so we can have some sort of normalcy.   I have to remember, as Mark often points out to me that we are not on vacation.  This is now our life and every day we can’t go from morning to evening sightseeing.  Of course, I am always tempted to do that as there is so much every where to see!

After a brief night stay for one night in Wells, Nevada on Tuesday night, we continued with our beautiful skies and wide open spaces into Utah.  Our first stop was the Bonneville Salt Flats.   Of course I had to walk on the salt and stare at the expanse of white underneath the bright blue sky.  I have been on the salt flats before, but it is always great to see them.

We drove past Salt Lake City and over a mountain pass through more beautiful country.  Not as many wide open spaces now with the mountains and trees, but still that beautiful sky!   We missed taking a picture of the welcome to Utah sign but managed to get the Wyoming sign outside the car window.  Shortly after entering Wyoming we arrived at the small town of Evanston, for a two night stay.   A new town to explore with history and a scenic state park.  Even driving days can provide opportunities to enjoy and explore.