The Drive Home

When I set out for Bruneau Dunes I felt really happy for no reason and anyone driving by me on the freeway would have thought I was listening to a really good joke. On my way to Idaho Falls last Saturday morning I felt the same way and I wondered if maybe I should just buy an Airstream and drive around the US and enjoy the freedom of the open road. By Monday morning I was sick of the road and the hotel bed and getting in and out of the car. I drove straight home and did not take one picture. I did stop at Malad Gorge State Park near Hagerman to see if I might need to go back, and I will go back on a cooler day.

If I did that trip again I would take a week. I would stop and hike around the Grand Tetons for a day and I would continue up to Yellowstone and hike around there for a few days. I would also stay in single cabins, which I saw a whole lot of as I was driving around Wyoming, although I think you have to reserve them well in advance. And I would take a hiking partner.

I enjoyed listening to AM radio on the drive home, since I do not get the chance during the week anymore. I listened to Rush Limbaugh talk about the so called budget agreement as the stock market crashed and I listened to the press wait as Obama was almost an hour late for his own press conference. He might as well have walked to the window of the Oval Office and flipped the public the bird. Although I spent two days in beautiful country and I have the pictures to show for it, I came home with the same unease that I felt before I left.

I have now seen a great deal of southern Idaho and so far I think my favorite is Bruneau, that is the town not the dunes. It looks like high desert, but it is on the Snake River, so it has patches of desert and green with the blue river running through. I would like my farm there, maybe I will go back and take a closer look, but I need to get one trip north before winter. My neighbors went to Cascade lake and McCall this weekend, quickly letting me reciprocate for them taking care of my cats last weekend.

I am surprised how much of Idaho looks like the Midwest, although the sky is very different here, it is blue. The sky in the Midwest is never blue and I could not live there. Today the sky in Boise is not so much blue, it is hot and hazy with enough humidity to suck all the motivation out of you.

The Grand Teton Guide that I picked up while there includes tips on lightning safety. Avoid mountaintops, ridges, open areas and lone trees, do not stand on tree roots, if boating, get off of the water, and afternoon storms are common in summer, so get to a safe place before storms hit. Sounds like morning hikes are a better idea, but what's the problem with tree roots? It also sounds like driving up to high ground to get a good picture of a dramatic storm is probably a bad idea. There were warnings about feeding the bears in the Grand Tetons and food storage is required, which means your food is in your car or in a bear-resistant food locker unless you are eating it. Or you could just eat Frosted Flakes, bears won't eat Frosted Flakes, which makes me wonder what is in those things. Wyoming was also picky about people bringing in aquatic invasive species and I saw regular boat inspections on my drive. Idaho is picky about invasive species in general and is just as concerned about invasive plants as it is invasive mussels.

I am glad to be home, although I was not glad to be back at work, and my cats do not seem to be too pissed off at me.

There was a bit of fall in the air, which I thought was just me, but my neighbor felt the same way, and I felt myself worrying that winter is coming on way too soon and I need to hurry up and get out in the heat. Tonight there is some drama going on across the street and I am thinking winter is not so bad, it is super quiet in the winter and there may be drama going on inside, but no one is outside sharing their drama with me.