Boring Idaho

 Hey all,

     If you’re reading this, it means you have been diligent in waiting for a new update. Thank you. I know this second post took a couple days, but hey; it’s a road trip.

     Since you and I last spoke, Natalie and I have finished off Oregon, conquered Idaho and began to make our way through Utah. That’s right, Utah. Bit of a route change for sure, but that’s one of the best things about a road trip! I would go on and tell you about the new trip plan, but we’re not exactly sure what that entails yet. All I can tell you is that it involves Denver next. So in the mean time, let’s do some recapping, shall we?

So,

     After Salem, we got off the I-5 and Oregon began to climb. Up and up we drove, into the beautiful Cascades. The Pajero was definitely faced with a challenge, but he came out victorious. Which I know is good news for all you feeling a little iffy about how Patches would make on this trip. The roads through the Cascades are lined with tall timbers that wind back and forth, and seem to get larger and denser, then suddenly disappear as the mountain’s peak. Whilst driving I couldn’t help but be reminded of the early adventures of Bilbo Baggins. That reference was strictly for you Lord of the Rings geeks fans. 

     Along the way, we stumbled across a seasonally abandoned ski lodge. It was sort of eerie in a Shining sort of way. We took a break and road the lifts for a bit, then headed out.

     Oregon has quit a diverse range of sceneries, but I was still taken aback when the road leveled out and we were unexpectedly in the desert at 4000ft. It was flat, straight and boring. Until we hit Bend, which I must say is certainly appealing. Nice parks, nice people, and clean streets. It’s kinda like Kits, but less yuppy. Unfortunately, we had to keep driving. 

     That night We slept in Burns, which had a certain small town charm to it, but not enough to stay any longer so we hit the MASSIVE skatepark, and left

     Once out of Burns, we hit the desert, again. Boring and flat, again. Just before we left Oregon, we stopped in Vale for lunch. Vale is the onion capital of the U.S. maybe even the world. Thousands of acres of onions. Riveting really. We decided we’d eat at the first place we passed, until we went into the first place. It was a “saloon” which we entered through the kitchen and were met by the 4 locals. They could have been anywhere from 50 to late 80’s in age, but there was no way to tell because of there weathered faces and the dark lighting. They were already deep in the whiskey around noon, and one of them said “I guess they missed the no minors sign.”  Which the bartender responded, “when has that ever stopped us before?” After we finished our lunch at the different diner, we were given a free monster slice of pie and a mild heart attack.

     Shortly after, we entered Idaho. Which remained exactly the same in scenery the entire time. Potatoes and desert. I really don’t have much to say about Idaho, except for that I was glad to leave. The only saving grace for that state was Boise. Boise state, for any of you who follow college football, is a buzzing college town. There was a well equipped, yet modest downtown, with plenty of café’s, and even, to Natalie’s great excitement, an Urban Outfitter.

Unfortunately, after Boise we ended up in Twin Falls. They have a bridge that goes over a canyon, but we drove into town in the dark, so it didn’t matter. We couldn’t find a camping site so we slept at a Flying J truck stop. Let’s just say, I didn’t think I could like Idaho any less, but that sleep definitely added to the loathing.

Anyways, that’s long enough for now. We’re in Utah now, but we’ll discuss that in our next post.

Lukas and Natalie