From Colorado to Home

Left Teresa and Dave's at about 9:30 and decided to take the I-70 west through the Rockies, even though it is about an hour longer. It was worth it though, as the drive was absolutely beautiful. The centerpiece of the drive was the Eisenhower tunnel, a two mile long tunnel under a mountain pass. The pass is more than two miles above sea level.

Also got to experience some red rock desert in eastern Utah. It looked similar to the terrain near the Grand Canyon.

Got to my campsite in Brigham City, Utah just after sunset and set up my tent. I met a group of three other travellers who were from Texas. They were very friendly and we shared our experiences on our respective road trips. There was a couple who were my age - the guy worked at a college and the girl worked for a photographer. The third guy was a thirty year old who was married, although his wife was not with him. He was also a photographer. At one point, I asked them if they were college students, which provoked a laugh. The girl, Tracy I think her name was, complimented me by saying I looked like I was fifteen.

When they found out I was Canadian, they asked me about the healthcare system in Canada. I did my best to present an accurate account of it being careful to explain both the strengths and weaknesses of it. I sometimes get the impression that Americans, particular those in academic circles, are overly critical of their country. Like Canada is this utopian paradise where everyone says "please" and "thank you", and America is this international bully that everyone is completely justified in hating.

Not that I got the impression that my Texan friends were anti-American. But at one point one of them compaired capitalism unfavorably to socialism. Another mentioned that at one point in its history American had adopted a form of individualism that involved learning a disproportonately large amount of American history compared to world history. Okay, that one I buy

Anyways, we talked for about an hour. I even showed them my CD collection. One of them quipped, regarding my collection, that it would be amazing if Yanni opened for Def Leppard.

The next morning, I said goodbye to my new friends. They were going to a Mormon church service (because this is Utah and has a large Mormon population). I guess Mormons have their services on Saturday.

This is my last full day on the road and so I planned to make it a shorter drive. The idea was so I could get to my KOA earlier and swim in the pool. Among the highlights of Saturday's drive was the canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho.

These pictures are of a huge canyon with two little waterfalls flowing into it (Get it? They're TWIN FALLS). The town is located right beside the canyon.

Unfortunately, the KOA in Pasco, Washington left a lot to be desired, as the pool closed early and the tent sites were located right next to a very noisy highway.

Met a group of guys there from Seattle who were in the Tri-Cities area for a fishing tournament. They were nice, although one of the guys was drinking to the point of inebriation.

Then on Sunday I drove home. Do I really need to say anything about the drive through Washington State. At this point, I am just looking forward to arriving back home.

No trouble crossing the border back into Canada, of course. It helps that the border guard who waved me through goes to my church.

Tomorrow (maybe) I'm going to give a complete retrospective on my trip, including states covered and total distance covered.

Until next time...