"FIVE SLEEP"

I can barely remember my last week in Oregon. It was such a blur. Halloween was interesting. Went to Ashland and experienced Halloween like I never have before. There were people every where and you looked odd if you did not have on a costume. Don't worry, I sported a Richard Simmons outfit and we dressed up my new friend "Erica" (aka Eric) as one of my fat, supportive fans. We had a great time, but I really didn't enjoy it to the fullest because I had packing and finishing my last week of work on my mind. It seems as if seven months just flew by. I had a blast in Oregon and wonder if I will ever have another assignment like it. While I was excited about seeing my family, I was so sad to leave such great new friends and a west coast lifestyle I had grown accustomed to. The thought of making that 3,000 mile drive back home was not as exciting as it seemed back in April when I drove to Oregon. However, that soon changed. With little convincing, I had my dad on a flight to Oregon and travel buddy to explore the northern route. We were going see areas that I had never seen before and I was going to get to spend some quality time with my dad. It took us six days and "five sleep" to drive from Oregon to Mississippi. The following is a day by day journal of our travels. I will warn you...it is long and probably won't be half as interesting to you as it was to the both of us. If you choose to continue, enjoy! Otherwise, just enjoy the pictures.


Saturday Novemeber 3, 2007
DAY ONE:
Drove out of Medford, Oregon at 7am. It was still dark. Glancing down at my mileage gage reminded me we were only 10 miles into our 3,000 mile journey. Dad and I had mapped out our first leg of the trip...our destination Boise, Idaho (pronounced Boy-see not Boy-zee). I was a little apprehensive about traveling through the mountains due to the fact that everyone at work kept asking me, "Do you have chains for your tires?" It did not ease my mind that we kept passing signs stating, "Snow area-Chains or Snow Tires Required." I watched the temperature slowly drop as we climbed up higher in elevation. Luckily the sun was shining and the roads were pretty much clear. As we drove along the Rogue River I recalled all of the great times I had on that river and in Southern Oregon. It truly was a beautiful place. Imagine my surprise when we made it to Bend, Oregon and started heading eastward...desert. Ugly, boring desert. Lots of vegetation for miles and miles resembled yellow heads of cauliflower to me. Finally, as we got closer to Idaho the scenery changed. Oregon was once beautiful again but not with rolling hills covered with trees. We saw beautiful colors layered in the rocks and plateaus and the small canyons. Beautiful. The land eventually flattened again and farmland emerged. Idaho at last. I could check another state off my list. Riding with my very agriculture minded father I learned that some sugar is made from sugar beets as we passed a large truck loaded with sugar beets. Also learned that Idaho/Oregon produce a large number of onions. Day one is complete. 497 miles traveled.

Sunday, November 4, 2007
DAY TWO:
Goal today-reach Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Back on the road early again. Saw the sun rise in the hills. I was beginning to think that Idaho was going to be nothing but plowed fields with irrigation systems and hay bales. But then we took the "Thousand Springs Scenic Route" and there was the Snake River. It does just as its name states...snakes around. There were lava rocks everywhere. We also found out why it is called the Thousand Springs Route. Along the cliffs that formed the canyon which the river ran through were random water falls. Some in the middle, some at the top, some at the bottom. The most spectacular of them all required a little off-roading. Shoshone Falls. Wow. What a beautiful sight. The sun was shining and formed a perfect rainbow across the falls. Back on the interstate the scenery began to change once again and snow-capped mountains came into view. We were nearing Wyoming. Those had to be the Tetons. No, not quite but getting closer. I noticed my my car having to work harder and realized we were climbing. We first drove over Pine Creek Pass. "Entering Wyoming." Another state checked off. Now these were mountains. We then took the Teton Scenic Route. Wow. "That's beautiful" is all I could say. A few more mountains to pass and then there we were. Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Not the bustling resort town that it probably is during the ski season but still a good amount of people out wandering around. Dad and I decided to do the same after a long ride. We walked through the town square and visited a few shops. Checked on the real estate. I think it is safe to say that I will not be purchasing a 5 million dollar home anytime soon. We also checked out the visitor center and the Elk Preserve. There were probably a couple hundred elk out in the field. According to the statistics at the center, approximately 7,000 elk will come to the valley by January. I bet that is a site to see. Dinner and to bed. Stayed at a little place called The Painted Buffalo. Made me want to see some bison. 418 miles traveled.

Monday, November 5, 2007
DAY THREE:
My car says 20 degrees. It is Cold! Goal today-Rapid City, South Dakota. Left Jackson Hole heading toward Yellowstone. Around the corner and vavoom. Now those are the Tetons. The sun was rising and providing a spotlight for the snow-covered, jagged peaks. It seemed that no matter how far we drove from the Tetons, they were always there. (Side note-not able to go to Yellowstone. Closed all entrances except the northeast route yesterday. Just a day or two short.) The Tetons eventually did disappear as we climbed higher and higher and more and more snow appeared. We entered the Teton National Forest. Mountains, trees, snow. White fields with animal tracks everywhere. Small tracks and large tracks. What could they be? We got our answer. Found two moose beside the road (the large tracks). Dad wouldn't let me get to close to them. Drove a little farther and saw a red fox out in the middle of a snow covered field (the small tracks). He never noticed us and trotted along. Made dad get out of the car and play in the snow. He was very excited to see the Extension project and the boardwalk near us. This was great. I loved every minute of it. With views like this, I could drive all day. We eventually came down out of the mountains and found red rock hills and plateaus. What a transition. A friendly man at the service station in Dubois, Wyoming, highlighted my map with suggestions for a scenic route. We drove through Wind Canyon and I think my mouth was open wide the whole time. We went through tunnels and watched the train tracks on the other side of the canyon disappear in the mountain and reappear again. This drive keeps getting better and better. We drove through Thermopolis, Wyoming and saw the "world's largest hot springs." We stopped in Ten Sleep, Wyoming for a break and saw a sign answering our question, "how did it get its name?" The Indians had no method for calculating miles. So instead, they measured their journey by how many times they stopped to sleep. Thus, Ten Sleep was named. One more mountain pass to cover. The Big Horns. Unfortunately, we did not get to view the highest point of the Big Horns. Once we reached the top, we were in the clouds. The temp dropped quickly and the trees were frozen. Uh-oh. Did we need those chains now? We inched along, the clouds broke, and the sun started shining. Alpines that looked like flocked Christmas trees lined the road. Ice covered lakes with the clouds above glistened in the sun. Time again for a change of scenery. Mountains turned into prairies. We say deer and antelope everywhere. We frequently passed large flashing signs stating "Stay alert and watch for deer." Even saw a few buffalo. Crossed into South Dakota. Yet another state to check off. 571 miles traveled.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007
DAY FOUR:
Chilly! 10 degrees. Goal today-Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Before reaching our destination we had some things to see. Mt. Rushmore being one of those. I had only seen the four famous guys in pictures. Walking up to the monument through the avenue of flags, I began to realize magnitude of these sculptures and the skill it took to create them. With not a cloud in the sky, the sun was shining on Mt. Rushmore with a brilliant blue sky as a backdrop. This was of course how the sculpture intended it to be. Dad and I just sat there and stared in amazement. Well enough looking at four dead presidents. We drove through the Black Hills National Forest across the pig tail bridges and through one-way tunnels that required honking to alert oncoming traffic. I am so glad we chose to make this drive. Again, just beautiful. We eventually made it to Custer State Park which has a buffalo preserve. I was going to get to see buffalo. What I didn't realize was how up close and personal we were going to be. They ruled the road and you yielded to them. Signs stated, "buffalo are dangerous, do not approach" and I began to wonder if I was going to leave with some dents in my car. Luckily, they minded their own business. We also saw a few mountain goats. I was very content with what we had seen already but there was more to come. On our way to the Badlands, we passed about 25 miles of entertaining signs for Wall Drug. They guaranteed 6 ft tall rabbits, dinosaurs, 5 cent coffee, western wear, etc. We were both intrigued so we stopped. The signs ended up being more entertaining but I guess they worked. We stopped. The Badlands were impressive but not overly exciting. I enjoyed the many prairie dogs and their mounds along the way. One more thing to see before we reached Sioux Falls...the Corn Palace! Mitchell, South Dakota has a "palace" which is just a building but very interesting. The building is covered with murals made out of corn cobs, grains, seeds, etc. Worth the stop. 454 miles traveled.

Wednesday, November 7. 2007
DAY FIVE:
Not as cold today. Goal-St. Louis Missouri. Our hotel was off of 29 south. We figured since we were already headed south, why not continue. No sight-seeing to see today. Just driving. Iowa has to be one of the most boring states that I have ever driven through. Corn, tractors, fields, silos....the scenery never changed. We just drove and drove and drove. Finally, Missouri and then St. Louis! Whew, I need some sleep. 612 miles traveled.

Thursday, November 8, 2007
DAY SIX:
It's getting warmer. Goal-Prentiss Mississippi. Reserved a cheap room, with a hot meal and turn down service for the night. Mom even agreed to leave chocolates on my pillow. We started off the day with a walk on the river front to view the Gateway Arch. The sun was glistening off the silver arches. The trees lining the walk way still displayed the fall colors and the mighty Mississippi flowed to the left of us. We were not far from home. Crossed into Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee. Considered stopping by Graceland. Quickly forgot about that as we crossed into Mississippi. The last leg of the trip. Six days, five nights, and nine states later, we arrived. Dad turned out to be a great travel buddy and I learned things about him that I never knew before. I can now identify rice and alfalfa and know more about hay than I ever thought I would. I am grateful for the experience that we had, safe travels, and most of all, home!