What? Seriously? Is that all you people think about?
We had a plan: be home by Friday. With the 4th falling next Friday, there will be a lot of people on the road, starting their (Griswald) family vacation on Saturday, the 28th. This figured into our planning from the start of this trip.
With no reservations, we originally figured we'd take a few days getting back home from our stay at Mountain Valley Resort. Mother Nature laughed at our plans (even though they were loose).
When we first got to the Tetons, I developed a toothache that continued to worsen. Doing a bit of research on it, I found that elevation can cause a toothache: if there is any air under a crown or filling, it can expand at elevation, causing... pain.
Heber City is around 5,600', down from our time in northwestern Wyoming. The toothache pain was less. I made an appointment with my dentist for Friday, we planned to be home on Thursday.
On Wednesday morning, while getting ready to leave Mountain Valley Resort, Joan said, "How would you feel about driving straight through to home today?"
"That's over 650 miles. It's been years since we've driven that far in one day." I referred back to our 2/2/2 Rule (really, more of a suggestion, since we generally do 300 to 350 miles a day when RVing - if we're trying to make miles to or from a destination).
There were a lot of factors she presented, that made sense (a well thought-out plan): there are fires near either route heading south in Utah (really, only two routes: east {by Lake Powell} or west {through Las Vegas} of the Grand Canyon. We looked at the fires and the weather - with the generally west wind, the routing would be best to to by Lake Powell. If we stop part way, we could be around Flagstaff again... and at the 7,000 elevation (toothache potential); then the next day we'd be coming into Phoenix at the hot part of the day If we drive on, we can be home around 7:00 pm, past the hot part. She obviously thought this out.
The van it comfortable; it drives easy. We could swap off driving. OK, we have a new plan.
The drive is pretty through all of Utah. Interesting around the Lake Powell area. Bleak from Page, AZ, until you get close to Flagstaff. Then, Interstate 17 all the way back into Phoenix.
It played out according to her plan: we rolled into our driveway at 6:57pm. Took a half hour to get the food, electronics, and personal items out of the van, the rest could wait until Thursday.
The photo essay:
Balloons taking off as we left Heber City...
It is a beautiful drive between Heber City and Provo; then out onto I-15, heading south...
The van can handle whatever the legal speed limit is. The ride is comfortable, and you have all your amenities right there. It is different from a bigger RV, but it is a nice way to travel.
That said, off the Interstate is still my favorite driving; the hills in southern Utah...
Getting close to the fires that are west of Bryce Canyon National Park...
Hard to tell from the photos, but you can see large areas of the hills that have burned. When we checked before leaving in the morning, these fires were 0% contained. Having checked wind and weather, we rightfully figured the smoke would be blowing away from our direction of travel.
The area around Kanab is pretty, and from there to the Lake Powell area...
Murphy spent time on the bed, on Joan's lap, but seemed most content in the door-well once again...
We planned for a gas stop in Cordes Junction, between Flagstaff and Phoenix; the gas prices are good (about 50¢ per gallon less than in Phoenix) and there is an RV waste tank dump at Love's, so we can head for home with empty tanks. That didn't work out for us - as we pulled into the Love's, there was yellow caution tape around all the pumps. A woman was at the door waving people away from coming in. We moved on to the Pilot station: same thing - all the pumps were taped off. We went to an independent gas station, where we saw vehicles at the pumps... nope, their pumps weren't working, either.
This is a concern: the range on our fuel was saying we'd be close to empty by the time we got to Phoenix. We drove on, stopping at a station north of Phoenix -we'll deal with emptying holding tanks tomorrow. And then, rolling home just before 7:00.
Plenty to do today to get unpacked and the van put away. A dentist appointment for me on Friday (it is better now at lower elevation, but I still want to make sure there isn't an issue - I never get toothaches).
Time in the hot tub last night before going to bed - we were tired. 650 miles in 12 hours. Nice to know that the van can handle it... and so can we. We all slept well last night, including Murphy who didn't move from his pad at the foot of our bed. And he was happy to have outdoor time in his own yard this morning. We're glad to be home, too.
I still have a sense of wonder about the beauty of the Tetons and all we saw this trip. Joan agrees. Murph is happy to be in a house that isn't moving. It was a good test of the RoadTrek, handling all kinds of driving and keeping us comfortable in temps that ranged from 110º to an overnight low of 28º. Day-tripping or traveling, we feel the RoadTrek was a good choice.
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Joan sent me these photos from her phone: playing the Traveler Guitars Speedster Deluxe...
If I leave the arm-rest off, it is easy to hold on my lap while riding as a passenger. The guitar is plugged into the compact Spark Mini amp. While I was driving yesterday, Joan said, "I didn't get much guitar playing this trip."
"Let's swap: you drive and I'll provide the entertainment."
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