2,617 miles

Wait, what? Summer is almost over? Kids are going back to school? We have started home schooling Faith? We are going to take delivery of our brand new 5th wheel in just a few days? Shoot. I better document and share the adventure of how I arrived in Indiana from Oregon with all our belongings in a 12 foot U-Haul trailer. It seems like quite a while since that journey, but I will try to capture some of the highlights, experiences and emotions experienced with Dad along the way. That’s right, my dad was able to join me for most of this trip!

When planning this adventure, I had only a few goals. In no significant order they included; get Dad to camp in a tent, make it home before Fisher’s third birthday, stay safe, drive no more than seven to eight hours in a given day, and find some natural hot springs to soak in with dad. The last one is what drove the route I landed on. I had not shaken the hot springs bug after seeing, but not attaining a soak in the Juntura Hot Springs when bringing Brutus home (see the blog “Finding Brutus”). Plus, I found out Dad had never had the pleasure of soaking in a natural hot spring – it had to be accomplished! So for this reason alone, I chose the “southern” route from Oregon to the Midwest.

The adventure started by leaving 480 Surrey Drive for the last time. Leah and I had done our best to greatly consolidate and organize our belonging so they would all fit in a 12 foot U-Haul trailer we rented and would return in Noblesville, Indiana. Stinking crazy – I honestly don’t know how it all happened, but it did with a little room to spare. So in the dark morning hours of Wednesday, June 19th 2019, we loaded the kids in Brutus and pulled the U-Haul away from our beautiful home in Grants Pass, Oregon. Leah and the kids were to catch a 6am flight out of Medford to Denver to Indianapolis.

Ten years of our life together in that little trailer!! Believe it. As you can see, I packed the camping stuff last to keep accessible for this trip.

Despite the hustle of that morning, I truly expected myself to significantly struggle through tears while pulling out of our drive. Any time I have said goodbye to a dearly loved address while plunging into a new chapter (leaving for college, leaving with Leah for Oregon), I was unable to suppress the tears in those moments. However they did not come this time. I can only explain my emotions as rather flat while pulling away. I am not sure if this is because of the years and miles I have under my belt currently. Or possibly it is because I knew I was with, and will continue to be with, what is ultimately most important to me on this planet, my wife and kids.

We also had the business of catching an early flight with two little ones that refuse to grasp the concept of timeliness and schedule (like all kids), so this may have allowed my mind to focus on a task rather than the pure emotion. Anyhow, I helped my precious cargo through the check-in process up to TSA. I then walked out to Brutus, and the quiet and bigness struck me. It was just us, and eventually Dad, for the next 5 days and 2600 miles.

I drove that day through the beautiful forested landscape of southern Oregon into the high desert of southwestern Oregon and eventually Nevada. I had planned on trying to find a campsite in northern Nevada, but was making good time, so I decided to treat myself to a hotel room along I-80. I figured I could find a good deal that included a meal at a Casino/Hotel along with some colorful characters. I was right.

Only one day in and I was already beginning to tire from seeing that U-Haul sign every time I checked my rear-view mirror.

I landed in Elko, NV at the “Stockmen’s Hotel and Casino”. It was a classic western desert town in which I couldn’t help pretend visualizing cowboys standing off along the main strip. I mean, I literally had tumbleweeds blowing past me as I got out of the truck to stretch (and had to clear from the under bed of the trailer the next morning). I enjoyed the independence of being there alone, played some blackjack with an expecting father there for his gender reveal party, and enjoyed an evening swim in the pool. It was clean and functional, and served my purposes well.

Cue the western music. And, no that is not a fruitcake behind me in the mirrored selfie.

The next morning, before heading towards Salt Lake, I did my due diligence and checked the tires, and much to my dismay found one of the trailer tiers moderately flat. I did pack an energy back that had a compressor and filled the tire. It made me nervous, and I must have stopped every 60 minutes to check it that day, but did not show a reason to continue my concern. I only had a couple hour drive to get to Salt Lake, and my dad would not be arriving until later, so when in Rome…. I had to stop and loose a few more bucks at a casino right before the Utah border.

I met dad at an airport Hampton to avoid the hassle of pulling the trailer through the airport traffic. We greeted each other with chuckles of excitement and warm embraces. We knew we had an adventure ahead of us! That night we were to stay in Nephi, UT with little more expected than to taste a few beers and have a quiet hotel. We did just that – although in Utah, the legal percent of alcohol in beer is 4.0% – laws are interesting, but the beer was pretty tasty. I slept well despite my excitement for what I had planned the next day.

I found Dad!!

We drove a good 7.5 hours into Colorado towards the Colorado River and Marble, CO. The landscape was again beautiful with rising mountains as we entered Glenwood Springs. This was a cool little town, famous for its hot springs around which a pool and touristy attraction had been built. However, these were not the hot springs I was seeking. Further south on Hwy 82 is Carbondale. A much less populated town, yet deeper into exciting terrain.

Carrying on, I could see that the river we were traveling was flowing at a good pace and higher level. It is along this river that a natural hot spring, not touched by development exists. I was really hoping to expose Dad to the “weirdness” of an accessible natural hot spring (if you know what I mean). Alas, I quickly came to terms that this was most likely washed out by the high flow of the river. But…..

My plan B was to find Avalanche Ranch Hot Springs Resort where I had reserved a couple hours to soak months prior to this trip. This place was awesome! It was tucked in its own little bowl carved out of the mountain ravine. It was a small ranch with a few cottages and even a covered wagon you could rent to spend the night. The owner demonstrated his great vision of making it comfortable, yet preserved the natural setting through cascading pools of natural hot water. The view from the tubs was somewhat Tahitian in nature with lush green steep cliffs and a touch of snow at the higher elevations. This place had it all; several varieties of soaking tubs (and an old bath tub with ice cold water to cool off in! not recommended), yard games and activities, paddle boating on a pond, you name it! From a romantic getaway to a cool family adventure to a fun spot for a father and son to have an epic experience while traveling across the country. Good job, Avalanche Ranch! I highly recommend if you are in the area.

Some more cool shots from Avalanche Ranch, including when I taught Dad what YOLO stands for by jumping in the ice tub and instantly regretting it…. Sorry about the coffee you just sprayed on your screen!

While on our way to the Ranch, we did pull up the forecast – severe thundershowers with possibility of snow. We decided to scrap the camping plans for that night, and were pleased with our decision as we ran from the restaurant where we had dinner to our hotel looking like Bevis and Butthead shielding ourselves from pea-sized hail.

The next day was a successful drive with bluebird skies through the Rocky mountains, taking us through Vail, and many other quaint mountain towns. When in new places, I really like to reflect on what the heck the first settlers were first thinking. Take Idaho Springs, CO as an example. Who in their right mind with a horse, rifle and pick ax decides that they are going to travel across the country and attempt to forge through the massive rockies? And then decide to start a town there? Our ancestors were tough mama jammers. After that long trip, I would have looked at the mountain range but and said, “Ok, I’m tired, this is good. I’ll just stay here.” I guess that is how Denver started! In the end I am glad those frontiersmen did because Dad and I got to enjoy walking the streets of a really cool town and tasted some delicious beer!

After the exciting twists and turns through the snow fields in the Rockies, we made our way through Denver into the endless stretch of FLAT. It is so flat after Denver, flat, flat flat. Since it was a straight shot, Dad offered to drive the rig for a while, and I gladly accepted the chill passenger spot. We made our way through the rest of Denver into Kansas.

When planning this trip, I was scared I would have a difficult time finding anything interesting after the hot springs to continue building memories. There had to be something unique along the way on the “boring” route between Kansas and Indiana. And I found it. Monument Rocks near Colby, KS. The rocks were formed when the North American Continenet had a giant inland sea – as the continent rose and the sea receded, it left a vast flatness, however the harder rock continued to jut into the sky. Wind, rain and erosion took over from here, and left these majestic rock sculptures in the middle of nowhere Kansas!

Pretty wild, right? I was lucky to have a professional model for the impromptu photo shoot!

It was a healthy 8 hour drive for us that day, yet we arrived at the rocks at just about the time I desired to capture some awesome vantage points with the sun preparing itself to set. We were the only souls around for miles for a portion of the time exploring the rocks. It was silent. Not necessarily calming or eerie, just silent. I enjoyed it.

The campsite I had reserved for that night was around a 30 minute drive from the rocks. We set up camp knowing that most likely the same front that had chased us out of camp in Colorado was set to pass over Colby, Kansas. Maybe unfortunately, we did have cell reception and were able to see the nastiness heading straight toward us. We still got a campfire going (in the elevated grill as there was no designated fire pit) because I needed incense cedar smoke in my face, and we had a camp dinner. However, I have learned it is never enjoyable to force a group into an outdoor experience if anyone is uncomfortable with current conditions. So, we packed everything up and found the “plan B” hotel up in Colby.

From there we traveled to Columbia, MO. We stopped to stretch our legs as I introduced Dad to a little disc golf, and he reintroduced me to humidity! Dang – I had forgotten what that was really like. We passed the Arches in Saint Louis, and found our lodging in the college town of Columbia.

Although that adventure flew by too quickly, as all fun ones do, I was ready to be back with Leah and the kids. We were welcomed home with signs the kids made and the awesome sound of their voices saying, “Daddy! PopPops!!”. I love these people.

So that is the down and dirty recap of the trip out here. We have now been in Indiana for two months, purchased and are preparing to move into our new 5th wheel, and have successfully begun homeschooling Faith. There is much more to write about as time or early mornings provide.