Day 9 Golden to Victor Wyoming. -sniff- Hmmm. Uhh, well I know it’s home to the Union Pacific’s primary hub in Cheyenne (of COURSE I would know that) and um, it’s big and open and most of all empty as far as I could tell. Our drive north from the Denver area to Victor would take us through much of the south western portion of Wyoming, including such notable settlements as Laramie, Rawlins, and Pinedale. I found it lightens the mood if you announce the upcoming town loudly in the same gravelly voice as the Rich Texan from The Simpsons. Like “LAIRRRR-AH-MEE, TWO MILES AHEAD, YEEEHAW!” Today there were no scenic stops planned whatsoever, just pure straight up driving. As such, our standards for what we found entertaining dropped significantly. For example, how funny is the ... read more

Day 7 Durango to Colorado Springs Since I no longer felt like a kid on Christmas eve (unlike the night before) I actually slept pretty well. Ken and I hit up the Durango Diner again for the exact same breakfast and I’ll now admit the shredded potatoes were much more than acceptable. I decided to parallel park in front on the diner and I of course completely botched my first approach, much to the amusement of some stoners sitting on the street. My second attempt was successful and they cheered. I had to give them credit as they knew where Alberta was, but they couldn’t believe I’d never smoked any Canadian weed. The first leg of our journey followed the San Juan Skyway also known as the Million Dollar Freeway. The road follows the rail line ... read more

Day 5 Flagstaff to Durango Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Tonight I write to you from the starlit outdoor courtyard of the Siesta Motel in Durango Colorado. It’s a lovely summer evening in the mountains and I’m somewhat glad to be out of the desert. Before I begin though there’s something that I’ve been meaning to say since we left Coeur d’Alene… Good lord why is all the road kill SKUNKS?! All the way through Montana, southern Idaho, Utah and Arizona it has been almost all skunks lying dead on the freeway. They’ve got to be an endangered species by now and the Forestry Service will be forced to start putting in special skunk crossings over every major road, of course sponsored by Old Spice or Febreeze. I think we’ve seen (smelled?) more dead skunks than ... read more

Day 3 Provo to Flagstaff Ever notice how on TV and in movies cars stay magically spotless on road trips, much like the lead actresses’ hair and make-up? It’s all a terrible, terrible lie. My car is a mess of dead bugs, water spots, and dust and I generally feel pretty gross after the 6th or 7th hour on the road in the heat of the afternoon sun. Leather seats may look cool but I think cloth is secretly the way to go for these long trips. I’ve also decided that I take after my father in that my vacations aren’t generally very relaxing. I was deeply concerned for our schedule when I woke up at 7 this morning. Ken was notably less so and elected to continue sleeping... which I probably should have done too. ... read more

Day 1 Calgary to Coeur d’Alene We left Calgary a little on the later side on a smoky, overcast morning, making getting out of province to find fresher air all the more appealing. We took what I’d call “the usual route” to Idaho which I had taken on many summers past: down 22, through Crowsnest Pass to Cranbrook, then across the Kingsgate border crossing to follow the 95 freeway all the way into Coeur d’Alene. The first thing I forgot was an iPod charger and of course with it being an apple product none of the 3 to 4 other chargers Ken and I had between us would fit. We’ll see if I break down and buy one to complement the 2 others I have at home. I also nearly flung the car around in Nanton ... read more