– Caldwell, Idaho to Cheyenne, Wyoming –

It’s been a very long day. Tomorrow looks even worse. We didn’t get any pictures either, at least not really. We only took 74, which is really low for us. Again, tomorrow looks even worse. All we can do is try.

We started out at 5 this morning, and we thought we weren’t going to get any breakfast at our hotel, but La Quinta came through and had breakfast ready at 6am, right as we were leaving. We grabbed a quick breakfast and were in the car by 6:15 and heading out of town.

We were in Idaho for several hours this morning, but we didn’t really take any photos there. I took a nap since we didn’t get much sleep, and Mark and I played with our phones while Mom read her textbook and Dad drove. We made one pitstop, where we got to see a truck wash for 18-wheelers, which you don’t see all of the time.

Our next stop was at a rest stop as we came into Utah, and we took several pictures there. Ripley even met another Brittany. He was a little smaller and long-haired. They acted quite a bit like one another, which is always funny.

The temperature was a little cooler on our drive today. It never really got over 88 F as we drove. I like that the Suburban gives an accurate temperature. Our Xterra only ever says ‘OC,’ which you might recognize as super unhelpful.

The scenery changed as we rolled into Utah, and we drove through impressive looks hills and cliffs and even some badlands. Mark pointed out some hoodoos, which I’d never actually heard the word for. I knew exactly what he meant when he pointed them out, but I’ve never heard the term.

Mark took a nap next, preparing for his turn to drive.  He is so long he can take up most of the seat, even with his legs curled up and his head in my lap. He’s adorable when he sleeps. He says I haven’t mentioned how much I love him in these blog posts, so here it is. Boy I love that fella. (Hi Mark!)

We tried to take a scenic pull off in Utah today, and we did take the exit, but it was literally just a short loop off of the highway. We’re talking like, 500 yards. We exited, drove over some pavement that looked like part of the highway, and then we were funneled back on. There was nowhere to stop or slow down, and we barely even saw the geological feature we were supposed to be looking at. It was utterly bizarre. I’m not sure why they built the exit in the first place.

We stopped for lunch at at Taco Time in a gas station in Evanston, Wyoming. Taco Time has a few vegetarian options, and it actually tasted a bit better than Taco Bell, which I will only eat in the direst of emergencies. At least they have a bean burrito. I’d stop at Taco Time first, for sure.

I went in to go the the ladies’ room while Mark went and ordered our lunch and Mom and Dad sat with the dogs. There were 26 girls coming from some camp that were using the restroom first. Their two chaperones were watching them use the two bathroom stalls.

The girls ran in and out of the bathroom, giggling loudly and taking forever for each group. Girls that had already left would go back in. It was the most inconsiderate thing I’ve ever seen. The woman waiting in line behind me was practically irate. Mark was able to order our food, get it, and then go outside and walk Ripley around while I waited. I just couldn’t believe it.

We stopped at another gas station for a rest stop a while later where we saw dozens of motorcycles. We’ve been seeing them all day. The biker rally in Sturgis starts on Monday, and everyone is making their pilgrimage across Wyoming over to South Dakota. All of the flashing highway signs are warning drivers to watch for motorcycles this weekend.

We bought ourselves ice creams from the little freezer at the gas station, which we promptly managed to spill all over ourselves and the car. Oh, well. Just more things to wash when we get home, I suppose. The car is going to need a thorough scrub, for sure. We’ve been living in it for more than 3 weeks now.

We made it to Cheyenne after 6pm, which was a little earlier than we expected. We checked into our hotel and went out to look at the local Sierra Trading Post Outlet, which Mark and I love. We didn’t find anything too great today, so we were a little disappointed.

It’s pretty hit or miss at outlets like that, and since Sierra Trading Post doesn’t have many stores, we always take the opportunity to check it out when we pass one. I have lots of funny pictures from past visits of Mark putting on ridiculous outfits. He didn’t find anything today to try on but a cowboy-type jacket that was too wide for him and had sleeves that were 4 inches too short. That didn’t turn out to be as exciting as the orange bodysuit he put on last time.

When we left Sierra Trading Post, we drove towards downtown Cheyenne to look around and find dinner. Since we had the dogs to worry about, we grabbed some Quiznos and took it back to our La Quinta. Dad ordered macaroni and cheese there, which I didn’t know they even had.

Ripley met another Brittany down on the grass outside the hotel. He was only 7 months old, and he was just as awkward and shy as little Ripley. For the record, that’s two Brittanys today and three total for the trip. The other was in Banff National Park, which I think I mentioned at the time. They are pretty uncommon, it seems like.

Tomorrow we’re scheduled to drive for 13 hours. We’re getting up at 4am, and Dad is starting off at the wheel. Mark and I will take our opportunity to nap while he does. I really think we will miss breakfast at our hotel in the morning, so we’ll have to stop somewhere on the drive. Tomorrow is the last day of our trip. Tomorrow we’ll be home.

– Trip Total : 9,658 miles –