Things I learned on the Road and other info

Space Bags aren't for traveling.  Great idea but cheaply made, they lose air and rip very easily.

Highest gas price paid: $4.29 at the Grand Canyon
Lowest gas price paid: $3.33 at Safeway in Kingman

Prostitutal - is a word

Google turn by turn directions are a giant piece of crap.  They are vague, wrong and extremely frustrating.  Also, they predict the time it takes to get somewhere without taking into consideration different speed limits.

When traveling, have maps for any city you plan on driving in AND state maps - you never know when you will change your mind and add an adventure.

You really do get jet lag traveling in a car.

Even a big hole in the ground is beautiful.

My thoughts on the trip - Jane

 First, I would like to say the road kill sighting and things were documented by Darlene as I was driving.  Many of the things she wrote I didn't know about until I was typing them for the blog.  I typed them word for word as she wrote them down.

Eight days with my sister and I still love her!  Loved seeing my parents!

I had a blast!  

Oregon: Very nice people.

I have absolutely no use for Las Vegas or the entire state of Nevada for that matter.  If I never return, that works for me.

The new bridge that has been added to bypass Hoover Dam is great!

Grand Canyon: wow!  it truly takes your breath away!

Zion National park: again, gorgeous!  So glad Darlene wanted to go there!

Salt Lake City: uh, well, nothing impressive there, looked like a run down hell hole to me, no need to return.

Antelope Island: Loved it!  I put one toe in the wet sand to say I touched the great Salt Lake.  It smelled so bad I didn't want to smell like that.  

Great Salt Lake: Bog of Eternal Stench

The State of Idaho, Southern portion: "    "

"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"

I am extremely happy to be home! I missed my Sweet Baaboo!  Can't wait to see my grand-babies!

Road sightings and stuff - days 5-8

Circled Safeway parking lot trying to get out

a red skirt

twisted shiny metal 

hub cap

bloody skid marks

guts

cows the color of sheep

pillow

mangled elk or deer

travelers and their spilled load

rodent on hind legs looking at the road

Donald, a Navajo whom we bought stuff from

on a Navajo Indian Reservation 4200 Elevation

possible rodent fatality - oops

very large porcupine - "he's a big 'un!"

The unidentified rodents are Kangaroo Rats

in Page, all the Churches are at the South end of town, in a row

8:55 am on Sunday, June 24, entered Utah - "will we become mormonized?"

something squished - grey fur with guts

blood splatter - no carcass

Armadillo or a purse

We got dirt and rocks in Zion!

deer 

uncoiled coil - "pooh, I'm unraveling!"

crunched animal, species unknown

raccoon (5) "raccoons are not safe in Utah"

fender?

tire indented animal

red and white cooler - 6 pack size

maroon bathroom rug

pigeon

poor kitty cat :(

pieces of something black

tiny baby fawn

someones clothes

kitty cat

skinny old man on tall skinny tractor

sofa pillows

porcupine

a dog or deer or something

a cat - I think

3 dead items or 3 pieces of one

some sort of K9 remains - coyote? wolf?

Space Bags - NO!

another poor kitty

I smell cow - around Jerome, ID

SKUNK

a sheep or dog

looked like a baby bear

window washing squeegees don't go in the trash can - Shell Station, Boise

was that a platypus?

????

furry balls (8)

a teddy bear and 2 pillows

deer wrapped around a pole

deer or dog

tail-less monkey?

a broken chair

a pink child's play tent

Zion National Park to Salt Lake

 the rolled up paper is a team picture of the Spokane Chiefs Hockey team

Left in parking lot in Page, Arizona

 Me at Zion National Park

 Doin' the speed limit in Utah

Darlene reading something

A teacup we found in the field in Kingman

 A small bird egg frying in the sun

 in the field

 

baseball

Mom and Dad's flag at night

my bed at Mom's

 A dying bug

Darlene's bed

 bush

Tarantula holes

Darlene, Me, Dad, Mom

 Mourning Dove

This is posted in the restroom at Grand Canyon

Me at the Grand Canyon

 I got this clock from the CFO at Rockwood Clinic when I worked there.  I didn't want it anymore so I left it leaning up against this tire in the Grand Canyon parking lot

Me with Donald, his girlfriend made the necklace I am wearing - authentic Navajo.

Day 3

Roadside sightings

• crow with feathers flapping in the wind
• part of a pink milk crate
• burned road side
• dead tires
• green fuzzy gopher, dead
• skinny legged something, squished
• whole dead, black bird
• underwear

Day 2

Road kill and whatnot

A white square plastic lid of some kind

• brown and white fur
• skid-marks
• brown and white furry guts - gopher?
• "Jack Ass F##! face" - Jane's reaction to a guy at a bar being mean about being asked for directions
• lead pipe
• red cloth
• hopping rodent - mouse/rabbit type (3)
• varmint trying to pick up a smashed friend
• dead fawn :(
• squished brown things (7)
• dead, sheared sheep
• brown or grey squished thing
• sand bag
• "The flashing lights were real"
• pieces of wood
• some matted fur
• base ball cap
• smashed wild cat spread eagle, like in a cartoon
• piece of a rug
• shoe
• red canopy with no windows
• blue garbage can

Day 1

Roadside sightings   (road-kill and whatnot)

• something brown
• something unidentified
• squirrel, left side of the road
• raccoon, bridge
• possible  bird, very flat
• another possible bird
• potatoes (4)
• rumble strip incident
• a red bucket
• raccoon, middle of the road and something unidentified on the left
• tire parts bird, hawk type, osprey maybe
• something brown
• Jane is lost
• My Little Pony
• 1/2 a dead deer
• deer outside Pendleton
• deer
• broken green garbage can
• something small
• plastic bag
• guts of some kind
• a live rodent that ran away
• hairy guts
• blue rope
• more guts
• rabbit
• shoes
• something with a tail, Jane thinks the tail was a leg
• an item of some kind
• bags of garbage
• large tupperware
• killed a tumble week, no real life lost
• big dead bird
• big dead tire in the middle of the road
• wheel cover
• dear - neck and chest gone
• brown skunk
• possible fender, to what I don't know
• big bird - not the Seasame Street character
• another brown dead thing
• something fuzzy
• Marty the marmot
• green tarp or bag
• red oil rag
• 2 dead fur balls
• distributor cap
• broken boy and his bike
• crow with one wing sticking up
• flat bird
• porcupine
• cow
• snake
• something the looked like the part off Tom's car
• snake that looked like it was alive
• rubbermaid box lid, grey
• twisted, shiny metal
• bird with wing pointing skyward, black
• crushed red bucket
• childs bright blue shoes, canvas, not suede

note the name of the street

A brown cow, the only living things we say for 8 - 10 hours

 A very old, squashed bird wing

 Driving by the Sugar Factory in Vegas

Pawn Stars home

I am too wiped out to blog. 

expect something tomorrow when I can sit down at my mums

Short Update from Nowhere

 

Here we are ready to leave

We decided to skip Twin Falls as Idaho drivers make me sad.

We went on to Elko, Nevada where the Shilo  Inn had broken internet access.

More later when we get back to civilization.

36 hours and counting

Why is she counting down until time to go you may ask?  Her answer is - why not?  Pretty much the same reason why I will be documenting road kill.

You should see the number of lists I have.....since I am usually in a fibro fog I have to write everything down but! I will feel sooooooo much better when I get to the heat.  I still sleep under an electric blanket and am considering taking one of them with me.  Sure, it's hot outside but people feel the need to crank up the A/C while inside

All I need to do is pack up some clothes and all of my portable electronic devices with their accompanying charging gear.  Lap top,  phone, camera.  

T-minus 58 Hours

I am gathering the items I need for the trip and the items requested to be delivered to Kingman:

Jiffy Cake Mixes

Pinwheels

U-NO bars

Lavender soap

MJB coffee

Bread Closures

and

I am taking my Mum a book 

on Container Gardening

The book didn't make it in the picture but is packed and ready to go.

 

Rhyme and Reason

In a couple of days my sister(Darlene) and I(Jane) will be headed out on our first road trip together since I was 12ish and we went with our younger sister and Grandmother to California and Mexico (Tijuana).

If you are a fan of road kill stats, odd things sighted and general silliness -stay tuned - we leave bright and early Tuesday June 19th from Spokane, Washington.

Our route will take us through Nevada (stop in Vegas), Arizona (stop at our parents in Kingman and the Grand Canyon) - on to Utah (Zion National Park, The Great Salt Lake and The Golden Spike), Idaho, geez, nothing much in that state, and back home in a mere 7 days.

So sit right back, enjoy our trip as we drive Thelma (my car) and update you with daily posts, pictures and road kill stats.

Leave comments and/or questions if you wish.

Jane (driver)

Darlene (navigator)