Wind, wind go away...

When I left Boise this morning, I was not looking forward to the seven hour plus drive I had ahead of me. It was actually a pleasant drive until I came down the steep grade over Pendleton, OR and was literally hit by a wall of gusty crosswinds. Oh, no! Not again! Thankfully, I experienced the worst of it for about a half hour. As I headed north, the wind became less intense. I arrived at my pit stop for the night...my last of this road trip...in the Bavarian town of Leavenworth, WA.

It was still pretty windy, and I found out when I checked in that they had sporadic power outages in the morning. In fact, there was a warning sign on the hotel's elevator to use at your own risk. Not worried about getting stuck inside, I used it anyway. I was also informed that some businesses in the village...where most of the stores and restaurants are located...had closed due to the power outages.

Now, my plan for dinner was to get the iconic German dish, wiener schnitzel. I wanted to get takeout from one particular restaurant, but it was closed. I tried another one...also closed. But, I lucked out at the third restaurant. When I got back to my hotel room and looked at my food, I was a bit disappointed...hey, no gravy? And, it tasted just okay...that's spaetzle and red cabbage with the pork cutlet. I should have gotten the bratwurst!

And, so, my road trip...my LONG road trip...has come to an end. Tomorrow, I'll be driving back HOME! I've been away for nineteen days, and it's time to get back to my own bed and my beloved cat. I'll have driven over 5000 miles on this trip...the longest so far! I had a lot of fun and collected some wonderful memories, both literal and in photos. It won't be long before I start planning my next road trip...

The battle to Boise

After checking out of my hotel in Salt Lake City, I went to my car to load up my stuff and found it was covered with muddy spots. Apparently, an overnight rain coupled with a layer of dust resulted in an unsightly mess. Oh, well...I think it might rain again tomorrow! I had about a five hour drive to Boise ahead of me, but it wasn't all smooth sailing. I had to fight rather strong crosswinds the whole way, which played havoc on my gas mileage. My poor mileage reminded me of what I used to get with my Chevy Blazer. I usually fill up at a quarter tank, but that was every 300 miles! With my Outback, I'll average at least a hundred miles more than that...more if I'm not city driving or going too fast. Which reminds me...80 mph is too fast! I find myself driving 75 mph to get a little better MPG.

I had enough time this afternoon to visit the Idaho State Museum located in Boise. About five years ago, there was a smaller historical museum in town which I think turned into this much nicer museum.

This museum does an excellent job illustrating what makes Idaho such an interesting state. History, geography, industry and recreation are highlighted in visual and interactive exhibits. Here is a beautiful statue of Sacajawea, who accompanied Lewis & Clark on their Corps of Discovery Expedition.

There were also some unusual items on display, such as a 9000 year old sandal, a very old and large pencil sharpener, a vintage snowmobile and an outfit once worn by Paul Revere of the band The Raiders. And, yes...I did touch the otter tail.

In their Stories of Idaho gallery, which showcases the personal stories of Idahoans, there was actually someone I knew included. Horace Axtell was a member of the Nez Perce tribe, and I while I worked at Nez Perce National Historical Park in the mid-80s, his wife Andrea was a secretary there. I did have the pleasure of meeting Horace during get togethers, both official and informal.

Tomorrow is my last real road trip day before I make the final push toward home. I have another LONG drive ahead of me, but at least I'll gain an hour going from Mountain to Pacific Time. AND, I'll gain another hour because of Daylight Savings Time tonight!

Some things SHOULD stay in Vegas!

I had a long driving day today...SIX HOURS! I made sure to have a nice leisurely lunch midway, but because I entered the Mountain Time Zone, I lost an hour. And, by the time I arrived in Salt Lake City, it was time to check into my hotel and grab some takeout dinner. So, I will update what happened YESTERDAY.

I left Williams, AZ and drove straight to Las Vegas. I would be spending only a day and night in Sin City, but I decided to make the best of it. I had lunch at my very favorite road trip fast food hamburger place... Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers! Yes, even better than In N Out, Culver's, Shake Shack, Whataburger, etc, etc. I can get my burger without cheese and just mustard, onions and pickles...they have nice, big pickle slices! And, the crispy shoestring fries with fry sauce! And, the wonderful frozen custard...the single is a big, generous scoop of deliciousness!

After lunch, I headed over to what is currently considered the best museum in Vegas... Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum. If you aren't familiar with him, he's on the Travel Channel show, Ghost Adventures. He typically visits places known to have ghosts and spirits, and either finds evidence that they exist or debunks the rumors. I've watched the show, which made me extremely curious as to what I would find at this museum.

As I waited in line to get in, I was required to sign a waiver, basically releasing the museum of all liability should sometime bad happen to me while inside the building. I know, rather ominous.

Once inside the building, I paid my admission and waited briefly in the small lobby area. This was the only room we were allowed to take photos, video, etc. The rest of the building was off limits as such, which is explainable for various reasons. So, enjoy the creepy doll pic.

So, what was the museum like? I could only describe it as a combination sideshow, haunted house and museum of oddities and the macabre. The guides were informative and animated as they walked us from room to room. There were some genuinely creepy and horrific things, like the exhibits on real-life monsters such as Charles Manson and serial killer John Wayne Gacy...the latter's clown paintings were on display. I won't give away much because I don't want to ruin things for anyone who would like to check this place out. But, the scariest stuff were Peggy the possessed doll speaking via a spirit box, and the famous Dybbuk box containing an evil Jewish spirit. Yes, I saw them both and thankfully, I came away not experiencing anything unpleasant...or have any evil attach themselves to me! I would highly recommend visiting this unique museum next time you visit Las Vegas...if you dare!