Where’s Brody?
Tuesday I am flying to California for a couple days and then driving a truck back to Nashville. Should be back sometime Saturday or Sunday. This will be the fifth time I have driven across the country, and I’m super excited about it. I’m excited to dive into that level of focus that only the monotony of long drives can bring. I’m excited to be mildly ‘unplugged’ for a the time that it will take to get back home. And I’m excited about the clarity that comes with staring at lines on a road for days at a time.
I’m not sure which route will be the best, but I’m hoping (weather permitting) to be able to take the ‘Northern’ route, simply because I’m not a fan of driving through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Sorry south, your just kinda boring. And as long as I can avoid Kansas, I’m good. No offense Todd.
I’ll do my best to keep you all updated from the road, and most likely I’ll be taking more pictures from my phone than normal. There’s also a potential of be driving you nuts on Twitter, simply because my brain goes weird places if it’s left to it’s own too long. I’m trying to come up with some fun ways for you all to join me on some level on the trip, but I’ll let you know.
Any suggestions on the ‘must see’s’ on the way across?
That’s quite a trip you’ll be making! I’ve never driven west, but I have the trip from Chicago to Philly down, and that’s about as much as I care to do. You don’t drive all night do you? I tried that last time I went to Philly, and by the time I got to Pittsburgh I was weeping because I was sooo tired. Then again, I had 3 kids with me and I was the lone adult. Have a safe trip! I hope you can think of some way for us to be part of the trip too.
There’s nothing like the open road: endless yellow lines, truck stop coffee, greasy spoon dives and lots of time to think. I love it! Have fun, be safe.
If you were going farther up into ID/WY I could tell you some nice places to go to. We used to live by Yellowstone. Looks like no matter which way you go it’s gonna be a long drive with some boring scenery. I’ve driven I-80 through WY & know it can be nasty in the winter. It’s some beautiful open country you’ll be driving through. I’ll be praying for the road conditions. Oh and while your in SLC you can always go visit Temple Square!
I love road trips, they furthest I have driven was from Bartlett (Memphis) to Kissimmee, Florida (Walt Disney World). It was just under 1000 miles because we made a stop in Georgia.
Maybe you can do some short video’s of your journey and some of the interesting things you see along your way. Be careful and don’t try to Twitter while driving, I don’t want you involved in any accidents. I’ll be praying for safe travels.
If you are going to take the northern route across I-80 you have to stop and walk in the Salt when you get to Wendover! When you cross the border into Utah from Nevada there is a rest stop a few miles in (about mile 10) where you can get out and walk into the salt. Seems boring–but you can say you did it, and the next nearly 100 miles there isn’t much to look at except the “tree”!
At exit 4 on the Utah side of Wendover there is a great place to get some amazing Mexican food–believe it or not in a cafe at a gas station. Family owned and operated–amazing Mexican food~BEST I have eaten since I left Southern California. It is called Salt Flats Cafe but is known as Metro by the locals. Mike (Mupi2k) and I eat there regularly.
Going across 80 is a chance, but there’s always a road headed south if you run into bad weather. Remember the way south route of I-40 comes right thru Amarillo! It’s winter; there’s not a whole bunch of touristy stuff to do along 80. I grew up on a farm in Iowa just SE of Omaha. You’ll see the exit on 29 S of Omaha-Tabor/Barlett exit. Be careful. You will be in our prayers.
Go North Bro… you know you want the only Starbucks for miles in Colby, KS. Take care and enjoy the drive.
Dale
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Love the new header! Who did it?
You coming to Socal on your trip? Steven & I would love to see you.
In bullet points, sort of. In honor of tommorrow, becuase its already tommorrow where you (Brody) are…
On the road into Wendover from the west, as I-80 starts to head down the hill, is the only place on land you can actually see the curvature of the earth, as you look east across the salt. (Further down, you can see more area, but you can’t see as far, so you lose some/most of the effect. Of course if the weather/haze/smog is bad, you won’t see it, either. (and no, the thriving metropolis of Wendover doesn’t generate enough smog of its own to count, what we get is spillover from Salt Lake…) )
In the town of Wendover, NV, there’s race_12_1, and myself (@mupi2k on twitter…). If you want, I can arrange a tour of the Concert Hall where I work (as if you haven’t seen enough of THOSE
).
In Wendover, UT, there’s not much. Although technically, the restaurant Race mentioned is in Wendover UT.
If you haven’t done so, and wish to, there’s better places to walk on the salt than the rest area at MM10. You can actually go to the Bonneville raceway from the aforementioned restaurant.
There’s the “tree.” If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, no amount of explanation will suffice.
Past that, there’s a whole lotta nuthin’. Seriously, there isn’t even a curve in the road until MM53 or so. The rest area at MM54 is on the Donner trail (but then again, so is most of I-80). There’s some sort of a plaque about it.
Just before you reach Salt Lake is the second-longest constant radius curve on the US Interstate Highway system (bet you didn’t know that, and bet there’s not many that could tell you where the first is…)
As you leave Salt Lake, you go through Parley’s Canyon, which is the longest, steepest hill in the Interstates (any steeper stretch is shorter, any longer hill is less steep) (again, another bit of trivia you probably didn’t know)
In Evanston, WY, you can buy fireworks year round which are illegal in 49 states, and which if they are not illegal, are only legal to buy on certain days, for example, right around the fourth of July.
In Nebraska, just outside Lincoln is the busiest set of Railroad tracks in the country, if you’re into that sort of thing.
My wife thinks this is getting too long, so I’ll stop now. Enjoy your trip!!
I wish your travel plans brought you through Boise. I’d take you to a great coffee shop or lunch.
All the spots I know, you know, as we are from the same neck of the woods. Enjoy your trip and say hello to your mother for me. Hi Barb!
You’ll be passing ME in Reno! Reno shmeno … nothin spectacular here (you having lived in Sac, you know)
On I-80 through Wyoming (my home stomping grounds) East of Laramie at the Summit, stop to see the Lincoln Memorial.
If it’s not crappy weather, and you have time for a picnic, stop at Vedauwoo (pronounced Vee-da-voo and often spelled wrong). It’s to the North side of the freeway. Amazing rock formations.
Another few miles East you’ll find Tree Rock (image in the link above) in the median between the E and W bound lanes.
Whoa, I just saw this.
No offense taken. If you had come through, I would totally have purchased a cool beverage and perhaps even a meal for you. So, you know, Kansas wouldn’t be all bad.