Boulder City, Nevada, United States
Finally, the day we have been waiting for - our departure. We are looking forward to our road trip. It has been awhile since we did one so hopefully no one looses an eye! We have our route planned however, you know what they say about best laid plans.......
Departure day (October 18), dawned bright and sunny. Sue's Mom made us a hearty breakfast, then we met with our accountant to square everything away. We were then ready to depart. One small glitch, wild fires all over Alberta, the route we planned to travel was closed. Not a big deal for us, just very unfortunate for the communities and people affected. The drive was beautiful into Creston. We have never been through this way in the fall. We do truly live in a spectacular part of the world with lots of beauty to appreciate.
Unfortunately the weather and the RBC conspired against us to change our plans. We had a delay in Creston, after a great visit with Sue's Uncle Bill and Auntie Brenda. Due to snow and winter driving conditions through the passes, we decided to skip Vancouver and the west coast rain and head south. We made an executive decision, crossed the border and headed into Idaho Friday, October 20. Not what we were planning, but being flexible saves the day. Besides, any one who knows Sue, she has back up plans for her back up plans! Maps were switched out and away we went.
Our first stay was in Lewiston. The drop from the Mesa was like driving into Lethbridge, but on steroids. Interesting small city at the meeting of the Snake and Clearwater rivers. It is the only inland port in the United States. The next morning we visited the Lewis and Clark Discovery Center at Hell's Canyon State Park. We then travelled into the Nez Perce Reservation, stopping at the National Historical Park. Beautiful beadwork and interesting history in the area. We also got to see salmon spawning in the creek through the park.
The next day saw us moving steadily south. We travelled through a lot of rain and wind, so not much stopping happening. After a brief stop in Caldwell (Boise), Idaho, we powered it to Reno, Nevada. The weather steadily improved and we finally got to see blue sky! The temperature was a balmy 22C! We found a great deal at a local golf course and enjoyed 18 holes on Monday.
Tuesday, October 24, saw us back in the truck, making our way through the vast nothingness of Nevada. We have to say that they are a hardy group that lives out here. There isn't much around but tumble weeds and the small towns are withering away. Sad really, with interstate highways, vehicles that travel farther on a tank of gas, there isn't much left of most of the places you drive through.
We did drive through the community of Hawthorne. It is a huge munitions depot for the army. We mean huge. Very interesting. A few bunkers and cement buildings above ground. Then hundreds of underground bunkers. Makes you wonder what is there. Not sure we would want to live there, one wrong spark..........
We spent the night at Beatty, Nevada in the Atomic Inn. For all you conspiracy theorists out there, we were right by Area 51. It covers a large part of Nevada. Technically it is the Nevada National Security Site and Creech Airforce Base. This is the area that the US tested their atomic bombs and such.
Currently we are in Boulder City, Nevada. Just south of Las Vegas. We decided to skip Vegas as we have been there many, many times. Boulder City is a quirky town devoted to the Hoover Dam. It has an extensive historical district and a plethora of antique stores. Ate dinner at a local micro-brewery and enjoyed their sampler. Tomorrow we golf! We are sitting outside, enjoying the lovely evening weather! Cheers!
Janis
2017-10-28
Interesting reading! Stay safe and well!
Marilyn and Garth
2017-10-28
Enjoyed reading your post and look forward to many more. Travel safe and be well.
Darla Young
2017-10-28
Interesting travels already keep the pictures coming makes me want
Nola Simieritsch
2017-10-28
Glad to see you are enjoying your retirement.I look forward to seeing more. Safe travels.
Jim Binns
2017-10-28
I wonder if you went near Pyramid Lake. It's about 45 miles northeast of Reno. Besides being very pretty it hold the biggest cutthroat trout on the world.
Norma Z
2017-10-28
Hi you two! Nice to see that your're back on the road again. Makes me jealous but happy for you two. Interesting reading and nice photos. Safe travel!
Bill and Brenda
2017-10-29
Hey guys, glad to see you're already having an adventurous trip and are back into some heat! The blog and pictures are great. Travel safe and enjoy your travels.
Sarina
2017-10-30
Wow such a great trip. Your pics are amazing! Can't wait to see more.
Jim F
2017-10-30
Great pics and an excellent read. Trip must be a lot less complicated than making your way through Ecuador! Warmest regards.
Mavis
2017-11-07
WOW! Awesome adventure! Thanks for posting. Love to see the great photos and comments. Keep it coming!