How to cram a 4 day Roadtrip into 6 days
The plan was for a quick 4 day, there and back again, trip to Bonneville Salt Flats. It turned into a 6 day extravaganza of beautiful scenery, wide open spaces, digging ourselves out of the mud and the kindness of strangers to a level I could never have imagined. And a dead bird in a motel room, more on that later.
 |
| Those clouds would turn into a rain and lighting storm that chased us off the mountain and turned the road into a quagmire. |
 |
| Step to the left!??! My left or your left? |
We left Thursday night to get a few hours of driving in and found a great spot in the hills near Wenatchee. The weather turned and we were treated to an absolutely terrific thunder and lightning show. We kept expecting the weather to blow over but the storm settled in right on top of us. The lightning lit up the sky and the thunder rattled our bones. We didn't set up camp but we sat under the awning and enjoyed the show. However, as the rain came down the spot we had picked out for our tent turned into a lake. As the sun set we knew we couldn't camp here even as beautiful as it was. We got into the truck to head down the mountain and find alternate accommodation. The dirt road, although firm and flat on the way up , had turned into a soupy mess by the time we made our way down. Sheer cliffs on one side and a slippery road focused our attention. By the time we made it to the bottom we were both looking forward to a shower and a drink. After a little searching we found a seedy motel and checked into our room. Unfortunately the previous resident, a small grey and white bird, hadn't checked out and was still in the room, sleeping. On the floor. On his back. His little bird legs stiff in the air. We asked for another room.
Our next night, just outside of Boise, Idaho we found a great place on top of a mesa in the middle of nowhere. We enjoyed dinner as the sun set.
 |
| It felt like we had the world to ourselves |
 |
| Front row seats to the greatest show on earth |
 |
| ...and not a bad encore either. The Moon and Venus made an appearance. |
 |
| Lucy and her Mini-me |
We made the Bonneville Salt Flats on Saturday about noon. I hadn't seen the Salt Flats covered with water before. The mirror like qualities of the water made the horizon melt into the sky. Really quite beautiful. We walked out as far as we could, past the crowds so it felt like we were the only ones out there.
 |
| Bonneville Salt Flats |
 |
| Crystal clear warm water |
 |
| Not a fan of water that touches his tummy |
We decided to explore the area North of the Salt Flats. Mostly flat gravel roads but then onto what would be an absolutely massive dry lake. Driving on the lake was easy except for ooooooone little patch of mud which wouldn't release us from its grip until we offered up 8 hours of toil and sweat.
 |
| The absolute scale of Utah is incredible |
Getting stuck in a little water-softened mud really tested our preparation and our resources. We had lots of drinking water and food with us, lots of spare fuel, tools, Hi-Lift jack and even some firewood we could use as support for the jack. We had cell phone reception and even emergency satellite communications. We scrounged around a bit and found some wood and started digging and lifting. After 4 hours it was dark and obvious that we weren't get out yet. Pam set up camp right there on the lake bed. If we weren't so exhausted we could have enjoyed a really nice view. We fell asleep dreaming of a mud-free world.
 |
| After 3 hours we just barely got some wood under the tires. |
 |
| It's difficult to overstate how thick and sticky this mud is. |
We were up early the next morning and after a quick breakfast started work again. Water that had seeped into the holes overnight added to the fun. Mud got everywhere. By 10:00 am I had the traction mats under the rear wheels and had wood under the front wheels. Getting into the driver's seat I started the truck with anticipation. Traction control options set, differentials locked, hope and prayers set to high......I drove right out.
 |
| Nothing to winch onto in any direction. The only solution was digging and lifting |
 |
| Overnight water had seeped into the holes we had dug around the tires. It was a little dispiriting but in the end it didn't make much of a a difference. |
 |
| Huge lake bed |
 |
| The mud on our boots wouldn't come off until we were able to pressure wash them 3 days later. |
We continued on our route. We couldn't travel above about 60 km/h as the mud stuck in the wheels threw the balance off. At the first town we got into we commandeered a hose and washed off the underside of the truck.
To the strains of Johnny Cash's "I've Been Everywhere" we drove into Winnamuca, Nevada. Tacos from a food truck in a gas station parking lot never tasted better and we turned down yet another back road with incredible views.
We drove on looking for a camping spot but nothing came up. At one point we pulled into a gravel pit where I had camped last year while returning from Wyoming. The fields stretched before us in the gathering dusk as the sun sunk slowly in the west. I could read just one thing in the expression on Pam's face; it said "I need a freakin' hot shower". We got back in the truck, and left the gravel pit behind us.
 |
| Pam is in this photo in front of the truck taking pictures of the sunset I'm taking pictures of the truck in the sunset. Priorities! |
The next day, freshly showered and after enjoying an outstanding breakfast at the Juniper Cookhouse in Burns, Oregon and with a pound of barbecued tri-tip in the fridge we hit the road again.
 |
| Crossing into Washington at the Columbia River. It was really windy! They really should turn off these fans. |
Trouble brewing. A couple of miles from Yakima, Washington the truck overheated. I pulled into a parking lot and rigged up a fix but we only just got onto the freeway again when the temperature spiked. We pulled over and popped the hood and began to consider our options. In no time at all a guy pulled over in front of us and offered to tow us to his place where we could work on the vehicle. A total stranger offered us his help, insisted that we stay at his place and cooked us dinner. I couldn't believe our good fortune. Vince and his girlfriend turned out to be the kindest, most generous people we would ever meet.
It was early afternoon when we pulled into Vince's place, pushed the truck off the trailer and had a look under the hood. In no time we discovered the problem The plastic thermostat cover had worn through and sprung a leak. A quick call to Land Rover Seattle for parts was no help. Amazon to the rescue. We ordered the part the next morning online and it was delivered the following day. Genuine LR parts, cheaper and doorstep delivery. That can't be beat.
 |
| Vince's little piece of paradise outside Yakima. |
We took advantage of the downtime and emptied out the truck and started scraping mud off everything. Cooper chased birds and Lucy dozed in the shade. All in all we couldn't have asked to be at a better place.
 |
| Hammock time. |
When the part came in we wasted no time in getting it installed. Everything worked great and we began packing up. It really was thanks to Vince who picked us up, welcomed us into his home, helped with the parts and generally made us feel welcome that this part of the trip ended as well as it did. It is inspiring to meet such a generous and selfless person. We left for the short 4 1/2 hour drive home, vowing to make the trip again in August when the farmers' fields are fully grown. The destination for this trip was the Bonneville Salt Flats but was not the sole purpose. Getting off the main roads and not focusing so much on the final destination really allowed us to enjoy all the little in between areas.
