Sunday, July 14, 2013

Rockies Road Trip Day Eight: "Thanks for Getting us Through Nevada, 'Chuck'"

After getting breakfast and a little nourishment from Starbucks - we were off to Park City Mountain Resort on Friday morning.

When we arrived at the 10am opening time, it was EERILY quiet....with no one around.  Yup, we had arrived an hour before it even opened.  We deliberated sticking around, but the 11 hour drive to Redding was daunting enough as it was, without adding another hour (and then some) to the mix.  Sorry Brayden, I know you were looking at a repeat of that trampoline-harness-bungee fun, but it would just have to wait until our upcoming boys' camping trip where we plan on hitting Oregon's version of this kind of summer adventure park. 

So, we felt like the Griswolds, posing for pictures in front of an empty park as a family....and then leaving.






As we drove out of town, we saw the Olympic Park runs...that was actually the place that opened at 10am (vs. 11am) - should have gone there instead.

All too quickly we were out of the mountain heights and traveling through the salt flats beyond Salt Lake City.  It was rather other-worldly to look at.


John and Brayden both thought this place was pretty cool. 

And then the terrain changed to look a lot like this - for a very long time.  Throughout this never-ending stretch of freeway, our family was entertained by Season One of "Chuck".  It had been a long time since we'd seen the beginnings of the series that our whole family loved until the finish - so we were very entertained by the antics of our beloved nerd-turned-super-spy.




There was absolutely no mistaking when you crossed the border into Nevada from Utah.

See that bright colorful sign - well, there's only about a thousand of those in every town.  Casinos....sprouting out of gas stations, 24-hour eateries, etc.  CRAZY!


Those signs were rather off-putting to us, much in comparison to this sign - which only meant good things. 


YUMMY!!!!!

And, again, it seemed like within minutes from crossing the "Welcome to" sign, the landscape changed dramatically.  And, this time, it was a beautiful change.

The drive from the border through Susanville to Redding is so right up my alley in terms of what I consider ideal "scenery".  I just wanted us to keep the windows down so I could smell the fir and pine - and kept looking at all of the trailheads and campgrounds as future prospects for where to go next.

It eventually turned into more meadow-like terrain.



Finally, we pulled in to the same Fairfield Inn that we had stayed with the girls just a few weeks prior - and yes, we got to see "Jack the Hotel Cat" again.  The sun was setting, getting the temperature below the 100+ degrees it had been that day...



...so it was a natural conclusion to head out to the pool.  A whole different feel, temperature, and experience than when we were there last.

Our final night in a hotel room before we'd return again to our own beds - and ironically, perhaps our favorite in terms of accommodations out of all the places we'd been. 

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