The Road to Boise

View Day 2: Cottonwood ID to Boise ID in a larger map



The Road to Boise

This morning we left Dog Bark Park truly invigorated and confident. We now had to focus on getting some mileage in and hopefully end up near Boise.

The farmland soon began to vanish and was replaced with more hills, then mountains. We have driven a lot of roads, but we had never driven the stretch of road between Lewiston Idaho and Boise. It was beautiful. We loved it. So much to stop and see here too.

Osprey
At one point we spotted a nest with a family of osprey.

While I admired the clever way they made an old pole into a home and seemed to nonchalantly hang out in it, I sort of felt bad that their entire life was so open and exposed to the public. Sort of like those people who choose to write blogs.......

The Heat
We were surprised how hot it was outside. The dashboard reading in our car was reporting 105 degrees!

I couldn't believe what I was seeing when the temperature climbed to 108! I started to wonder: Would all of our household items in the trunk survive a trip to Mexico with temperatures around 108? I have toothpaste back there, a computer monitor, and what about that souvenir ice sculpture of two swans with touching beaks? I hope that is holding up ok...

We decided to turn off the AC and roll down the windows to see how long we could last in 108 degree temperature.

I can't quite remember, did I turn the Air Conditioning back on before we turned the camera off for this picture or after...

River
Some people go to great lengths to get near a rushing river on a hot day. They'll make reservations, elbow their way through crowds, set up all sorts of equipment and chairs. The beauty of a road trip is sometimes you just find the perfect spot on the side of the road and just linger there until you are ready to move on.

45th Parallel
We made it to the 45th Parallel! This is the half-way point between the North Pole and the Equator. Our destination in Mexico is at the 19TH parallel. We gotta lot of driving to do.

There was one moment of panic when Nicki began walking into the 44th parallel without me. I was just trying to take a picture while standing in the 45th parallel and then off she goes into the 44th parallel without me!

I was really experiencing some separation anxiety. I've seen enough Twilight Zones to know that you don't want to mess around with this sort of thing.

Chairlift
We spotted this sign while driving.

That's sounds fun, a chairlift up the mountain for some scenic views. One of the two of us really wanted to do it, but the other one was pretty freaked out about taking a chairlift up the mountain.

We we did it anyway, the views were spectacular.

Ok, you are probably dying to know which one of us was freaked out of the chairlift and which one was not. Well, I don't really want to divulge that information. But if it helps, you might be able to draw your conclusion with the help of a couple more pictures.

Boise
It was a big day, lots of driving, lots of heat, and quite frankly - we are still extremely tired from all the work we did in Washington: selling things, throwing things away, and moving out of our house. We are BEAT.

Now we have reached Boise. This is a big city and I have high expectations. We are tired, hot, and need plenty of rest and relaxation.

Boise delivered.

Sleeping in the Dog

Waking Up
Today I woke up and slowly came to the realization that I am not sleeping in my bed at home in Washington. I then remembered I no longer own a bed in Washington, nor do I have a home in Washington.

Then I remembered that I am not even in the state of Washington but rather in the neighboring state of Idaho.

Then I remembered that I was lying in the belly of a 30 foot tall dog.

A Connection
Looking back, I didn't quite realize what was leading me here to the dog. I am certainly not a dog lover. I've known about this place for awhile, but as soon as I realized that I would drive to Mexico, I knew I had to first come to the dog.

Once I arrived, I realized how connected this place was with our current endeavor to sell nearly everything and bring a small trunk full of our stuff to Mexico.

The Dog
The dog sits out in the middle of nowhere. Absolutely no one would have predicted that out here among farms and fields would be two giant dogs, one of which is inhabitable. It defies logic and doesn't make sense. And yet there they both sit, silently making their contribution to the sleepy community of Cottonwood.

Behind the Dog
Of course, the dog is only the project. Behind every project are individuals. This project surely belongs to those who do not follow the crowd. No doubt they heard from the naysayers, the skeptics, and the fearful, but they pushed forward against the odds and negativity. We had the privilege of meeting these two fine individuals and were inspired by their story.

And now people come from all over to the visit the dog. Each have their own reasons for visiting. But last night it was our turn to spend some time inside the dog. We were the only ones on the entire property, except for the dogs, the fields, and the silence.

Conclusion
We are embarking on something unusual and very different. We have already done the difficult part: selling everything and leaving Washington. We now have to make it to our new home.

It was only fitting that we first drove straight east before starting our descent south to Mexico. Our experience with the dog exceeded our expectations - the perfect way to start our trip. We are glad we came to Dog Bark Park.

In the end, the dog wagged it's tail and nudged us toward Mexico. We left and pointed ourselves southward.

The Road to Idaho

(See the link Map of Trip above for an overall map)


View Day 1:Snohomish, WA to Cottonwood ID in a larger map

Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye

We have been used to saying goodbye to a few things for a short while. We have also been used to saying goodbye to a few things forever. But today we said goodbye to many things for either forever, or a for a long time. All of this coupled with exhaustion lent itself to a difficult time.

But by late morning we said goodbye and left our home of 13 years, and drove off with a trunk full of our stuff in a Toyota Corolla. In the picture below you can see all of our junk that is slated for the garbage. A good friend of mine offered to pick it up soon for us. We appreciate all the help our friends and family have given this week.

Here is a close-up of everything left that we threw away.

Car Check
Before we left we stopped by Les Schwab and asked for a check on our vehicle. The back-end is loaded down and noticeably lower than usual.

They got our tire pressure just right and gave us reassurance that we were in good shape. There was no mention that our new tires were from Costco and not from Les Schwab, but they knew the ugly truth and yet were kind enough to help anyway.

Behind those short hair cuts and good manners lies an unprejudiced heart eager to service any tire.

Eastern Washington
We soon left Western Washington by driving over the geographical hurdle that separates these two very different landscapes, the Cascade mountain range. As we drove we still carried the tension of the week on our shoulders.

The drive was not taking us up through Spokane, nor the common route to Pasco, but directly in-between. Interesting. Well, I put my trust in the GPS and continued to drive east.

No Man's Land
At first we were apprehensive about this route: going directly between Spokane and Pasco. I wasn't expecting it to be very scenic or interesting. And guess what, I was right. It was about as desolate a drive as you can get.

Then it struck me. This is exactly what we need right now. The consistent element between traffic, people, cities, and things is that they are all stuff... We have been looking at "stuff" all week, now our journey has welcomed us to the road by removing everything - people, cities, cars....stuff. We enjoyed being able to stare at nothing.

Excitement from our Eastern Washington Route
Staring at nothing for hours lowered our travel expectations. Soon we were getting excited about things we saw and observed. Here are some highlights:

• Saw a patch of green after hours of brown
• Went through a town named Royal City. I could not find anything royal about it, nor could I find a city.
• Watched a windmill turning clockwise
• Observed the temperature slowly climb to 101 degrees
• We saw a raccoon! Although Nicki and I are not in agreement on this. She thinks it was a porcupine. Whatever it was, it was lying dead on the road and it's legs were sticking straight up in the air. I think they looked like raccoon legs. Plus it had fur and raccoons have fur.
• After seeing lots of crossroads with names like "Maple" and "Anderson", we saw one named "Gunky". At the time I was excited and thought it was a noteworthy find. Now I'm not really sure what the significance is. Perhaps the delirium of the road is to blame.
• A cop passed me going the other direction and I was going 1 mile over the speed limit. I didn't slow down, I just stared into his eyes. I sat a little straighter and tightened my jaw. There is something about the open road that just brings out the rebel in me. 

Rip-proof Overalls
While driving through one small town, we also spotted a giant billboard for rip-proof overalls. It said, "Rip-proof Overalls - A new pair free if they rip"

I've never had the experience of crawling inside a pair of rip-proof overalls, but think about it - what would the first thing you would want to do once you bedeck yourself with this impervious exoskeleton? TRY TO RIP THEM.

My mind wandered....I would start by running through a field of blackberry bushes. Then maybe holding onto the bumper of a car and being dragged around in them. Then I'd probably enter us both into a gymnastics contest. And maybe enter a cage full of hungry lions.

I would then either ask for my new pair of replacement overalls or spend some time cherishing my trial-tested rip-proof overalls. Either way you can't lose!

These are the kinds of things a large sign about overalls gets you thinking about when driving through desolate eastern Washington.

Entering Idaho

We made it to Idaho! Hooray! Our first new state on the trip. The car is still running great and morale is high!

The landscape is changing to more of rolling hills. More green, less brown.

Lost?
Uh-oh. Something is horribly wrong. We must've taken a wrong turn or something. We are way off course.

I don't quite remember driving over the Aleutian Islands, but the signs don't lie. WAY OFF COURSE. Looks like I'm going to have to drive to the next restaurant and ask for directions. Maybe have a little borscht and vodka while I'm at it.

Cottonwood Idaho
The sun is setting, we are getting a bit road weary. It's time to settle in the for night. Our destination, Cottonwood Idaho, was a welcome sight.

Cottonwood Idaho seems like your average small town out in farmland Idaho. But there is something very special about this remote location. There is one bed, in one room, in one DOG....it was our room tonight.

More on this in the next article.

One Day Left: The Trunk

Today, Friday, was the day that we had to get it all in the trunk. It was a tough day. Right now I am beyond exhaustion.

In the morning our pile to take in the trunk had grown to this:

Help Arrives
It appeared to be a daunting task, but we were relieved when two of our friends showed up, Jaden and his mom Jennifer. They were eager to help. We really appreciated that.

Jaden and I assessed the looming project that confronted us. Could we get all that stuff in this trunk?

We knew we had to utilize every little space we could. We found some more space under the trunk where the spare tire is stored!

So we packed it full of stuff.

Huh?
Jaden was getting a little too excited about this project and got himself into a bit of trouble. I don't even know what happened.

Wait a second, what? That was weird. I'm gonna miss this guy.

Full Trunk
By the time night had fallen, we had a full trunk. We got all the stuff in it! Wow, crazy. But later I found a few more things we forgot! We will have to make it fit tomorrow. Too dark now.

Later that night we all ate pizza and collapsed from exhaustion. Wow, what a day.

Tomorrow we leave Washington.