A Cross-Country Driving Trip in Our Morgan

Journal Pages
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Preparation

The Caboose Run

Boise and Park City

Bryce and Zion

Antelope Canyon

Grand Canyon

Cumbres & Toltek R'way

Getting to Nachez

Nachez Trace

Franklin & Athens

Blue Ridge Parkway

Concours

Autocross

Virginia

Annapolis

Finger Lakes

Niagara Falls

Iowa

The Home Stretch

Boise, ID and Park City, UT

Sunday, June 4 - The drive to Boise

The drive from Colville to Boise was going to be a long one.  Somehow, during planning, I had added incorrectly and dropped one hundred miles.  Ooopppss!  We got up early to overcast skies, but by the time we were ready to load the car it was raining.  I drove Moggie under Benny's awning and we put on her hood and side screens and loaded all our luggage.  By 7:30 we were on the road and for over half the drive had rain, heavy at times, and wind, strong at times.  It was some of the worst driving weather I can recall.  When we reached Pullman we were ready for a break, so we found a restaurant and had second breakfasts.  It was none too quick, but the food was good.

We got back on the road and eventually drove out from under the rain.  We still had some pretty good winds.  The last stretch of the drive into Boise was on I-84 and we were doing 80 - 85.  It was fairly warm outside, but Moggie was fine.  At one point, near Boise, we passed a BIG motor home that was off the road and on its top.  We were not at all sure which of the vehicles on the shoulder had been involved, but could only pray that nobody was seriously injured.  It didn't look good.

We got to the Red Lion in Boise a little before six and got checked in.  We located the Basque restaurant where we hoped to have dinner, and drove over to find that it was closed on Sunday.  We ate at a Mexican restaurant near the Basque center and returned to the hotel, buttoned up Moggie, and settled in for the evening.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day.  Shorts??!!!

    That is Moggie as seen from our sixth floor balcony

Monday, June 5 - Park City

Shorts indeed!  The day dawned cloudless and we stowed the hood and sidescreens.  We set off in shorts and light tops with our Wind Cheaters on.  They were just enough to keep the early chill off.  We cruised down through Idaho and stopped for a snack.  It was warm enough by that time that we stowed the Wind Cheaters.  The drive through Utah was easy, but we had no idea that Park City was so much higher than Salt Lake.  To get there you go up a long climb.  I'm not sure what the elevation is at the pass, but it is UP there.  We got down into Park City and found that Moggie was not interested in idling.  We made it to our digs and got checked in and saw the results of driving in an open car in higher elevations.  We survived a trip to New Zealand with only a bit of a suntan and a trip to Costa Rica with a nice suntan.  One afternoon in the Mog at elevation and we are a bit cooked.  Oh well, we'll just have to take it carefully until the pink turns to a nice tan.  We got a nice shot of snow on hills along the way, and another of a couple of deer seen out our back window in Park City.

        A view along the way and deer from our digs in Park City

We took a stroll into the old town and got a few shots of interesting buildings and an oddly placed bird's nest full of chicks.

            The Miner's Hospital and Claim Jumper Saloon, and a Starling nest in old Park City

Tomorrow we head to Cedar City.

The drive to Boise was intense - we plan to come back when we can make a more leisurely trip - some of the scenery is spectacular, yet there isn't a focal point, so you really don't have anything to photograph.  It takes a carefully planned day just wandering around the farmlands, spotting interesting barns and other items of interest related to the farming community,

While we stopped for a break between Boise and Park City, we had the opportunity to chat with a man and woman who farmed near Twin Falls, Idaho.  They were almost quintessential farming folk - raised their child on the farm, son is going to be a farmer, they have several hundred acres and raise a variety of crops, as well as keep a 'finishing lot' for cattle.  Pleasant, down-to-earth people, college educated (yes, even farmers today need to understand biology, chemistry, zoology, economics and business).  I wish we had more time (all of us), because they have a lot to tell us about being farmers in the 21st century.

Boise is a nice town, but to judge from the road construction, it is in the midst of a boom, so there are a lot of roads torn up.  We'd like to come back later, when we can go to the great Basque restaurant!  A few years ago we went on a Morgan run called 'SpudMog' and it was fabulous.

The drive to Park City was fine, except going through Salt Lake City - I had thought that we would either stop there or go back once we had checked in at Park City.  No thanks!  The traffic is terrible as is the litter.  There is a lot of construction, so the roads are narrowed here and there to accommodate the construction equipment.  It was not a pleasant drive.  We were glad to park the Mog for a couple of days.

Park City is schizophrenic.  There is the old, silver rush, bars, brothel area (which is very interesting!) and the new, Starbucks, Quizno's, massage therapy area (which is cookie cutter).  While in old Park City, we went into a gallery of a photographer, Thomas D. Mangelsen and saw some of the most amazing wild life photographs we've ever seen.  His website is www.mangelsen.com .  This fellow has a gift!