Road Trip

Yes, we drove to Phoenix.  Yes, it's far away.

The plan was to be adventurous and explore different areas we haven't seen before.  We were going to head down eastern Oregon to Lake Tahoe, visit my friend Lindsay in Tahoe for a day and then continue south through the Mammoth Lakes area, Death Valley, and then head East to Phoenix.  The plan didn't happen.

The week of our departure the Northwest was hit with snow - and kind of a lot per our standards.  That meant that our route through eastern Oregon (and more rural highways) was likely to be blanketed in snow.  The Prius... NOT a solid car in the snow.  We kept our eye on the DOT sites and readied ourselves with chains.

But alas, we woke up early Friday morning and made the last minute decision to stick to the I-5 corridor and the 'clearer' roads.  We left the house in the dark, slid on icy side streets and hopped on the freeway heading south.  Gabe took the first driving shift to get us through the Chuckanut/Blanchard hills and through the worst of the snow covered areas.  Surprisingly the roads were just fine.  Although it wasn't 'fast' going we made good time and there was little to no traffic heading through Seattle.

Somewhere south of Olympia the snow disappeared and the rain began.  We switched drivers around Salem and continued along our path.  The driving was not easy.  The rain made visibility poor, the road slick and the scenery drab.  I got us to Ashland and then switched it over to Gabe to get us through the Siskiyou mountains and into California.  The 'pass' was totally clear. Our worries about the pass being covered in snow were abated.  The day grew darker and then we hit Weed and snow.  

Speed now down to 30 mph and white knuckles on the steering wheel as we wove through the area around Mt. Shasta that we had forgotten about.  Popping out the other side wasn't much better - torrential downpour all the way to Sacramento.  Yes, we made it to Sacramento.  Yes, that's a long way to drive in one day.  Yes, we were exhausted not to mention starving since we hadn't eaten a real meal all day.  Not to worry, the car was at least stocked with a copious amount of Trader Joe's snack food.  But sustenance, it was not.  

We checked into a hotel right off the highway (thanks to my handy Hotels.com app that I downloaded before we left - iPhone FTW), hurried our bags inside between fat drops of rain and then proceeded to crash.  Oh, and we 'may' have grabbed food at Jack-in-the-Box because Subway wasn't open anymore.  I can't even recall the last time I ate at a Jack-in-the-Box.

After a day of driving this is how happy I am.

Day 2 we were supposed to head to Lake Tahoe but the weather Gods were against us once again and had dumped at least a foot of snow in that area.  So instead we detoured.  We drove West (away from final destination) and hit the coast, swerving along Highway 1.  

'Swerving' is really the best way to describe it.  I'm pretty sure by the time we headed East again, just before San Luis Obispo we were both a bit car sick.  But the scenery was gorgeous and the weather was bright and sunny - a welcome change from the constant rain the day before.

We made pit stops in Monterey and Carmel, snapping pics of the gorgeous scenery, but other than that it was just a lot of driving and once we started heading East again I think we were both a bit tired of being in a car.

That evening we made it to Barstow, California and to a total dive motel.  Again, we had driven to the point of exhaustion and ended up passing out - grumpy, tired, and slightly creeped out by our fellow travelers and the motel in general.  Note to future self - try really hard to never stay in a motel with doors that open out to the parking lot.  I've said this before but it really should be a life lesson that I follow.

 

Day 3 on the road - we made it to Surprise, AZ.  Phew!  Of course we made one small stop on the way at Lake Havasu so I could get my 12 mile run in (ended up being only 10 I think).  The temperatures were perfect, the location was dry, and the scenery was enjoyable.  After a quick stretch and a wet wipe shower we were back on the road.  Pulling into Surprise around 8 PM or so, grabbing a bite to eat at Red Robin and then calling it a night at the closest hotel I could find (doors opening onto a hallway this time).

Day 4 was my one and only day off for the week so we drove up to Sedona and explored a bit.  The red rocks were GORGEOUS!  We toured around, ate lunch, then drove back.  A nice little side trip.

The rest of the week went something like this.  Eat the free continental breakfast, work from the hotel room, work from the pool, work from Starbucks or Barnes and Nobel, run in the evening, relax and do it all over again.  Oh yeah, and there may have been some hotel hopping here and there (500 bonus miles for staying 2 nights... what's wrong with that?).

 

You may remember these fantastic things from a previous trip.  I thought I died and went to Mexico!

Leisure pool time.

Must... eat... froyo!  We don't have it in Bellingham (yet).

'Work' pool time while properly hydrating with a little GU Brew.

Out and about around the greater Phoenix area.

Sunset in Tempe.

More froyo.

Orange trees - love these things!  Too bad most were 'ornamental' and not edible (Gabe found out the hard way).

 

Scoping out the race course - looks exciting doesn't it?

Then of course the weekend hit and it was race time!  What race you ask?  Well this one.  I came, I saw, I conquered, and then I sat in the car and stiffened up over the next 40 some odd hours.  Immediately post race we packed up the car, grabbed a bite to eat at the Jack-in-the-Box next door and headed home.  9 hours later we arrived south of Fresno, California and crashed.  The next day, up and at 'em after a free breakfast, into the fog, then the wind, then the rain and made it back to the 'Ham around 2 AM Monday morning.  What a trip!

Must take a picture in front of a cactus!  Can't leave Arizona before doing so.  Yes, we're special.