The plan to wake up early on Sunday worked almost too good. At around 2:00am two guys rolled into the campsite (Squaw parking lot) and began setting up a pop-tent trailer, complete with random flashlight dances in the black, card table patio set up as a perch for their beers, and all the clanking of the metal support poles. All accompanied by the low intonations of two men shouting orders at each other.
We had planned to leave at 4:30am, but we were already up now, so the wee hour take-off looked like the path we'd be taking. Brant walked out of the camper and strode directly to the newcomers, stuck out his hand for a good firm shake and said, "Welcome to the neighborhood."
After getting over the initial fear that Brant had come over to physically complain, he apologized for the ruckus.
"Don't worry about it," Brant said. "We're just about to go to Utah anyway. I've just got to go ask these other folks if they'd like to go." At which point he walked to his parents' rig—the original destination—and knocked on the door...at 2:30am.
The new neighbor was dumbfounded, but not too much that he couldn't finish off his Amstel Light and place the empty bottle back down on the card/patio table. At 2:32am.
So we drove. And drove. And drove. The nature of a road trip, after all.
Hills & Heavens
We drove through some gorgeous high desert country in Nevada. Surrounded on all sides by incredible white mountain ranges emmersed in the fluffiest clouds imagineable. Many times it was difficult to tell where the earth left off and the heavens began.
We stopped once at a Flying J to fuel up, and once again at state line for a final visit to that instant money machine, the craps table. The Rainbow Casino would have won first prize in The Most Obnoxious Interior Decorating Contest. The thing was 99% mirrors. And, as expected, the Theory of Homogeneous Casino Odor still stands. Difference here is that we walked away with 150% profit (that's $30 to us high-rollers).
We sampled the showers and the laundry at the nicest Trucker's Lounge you ever did see, after confirming our possession of our CDLs...that's Commercial Driver's License...but at the time they asked we figured it meant California Driver's License, so the nod was in the affirmative. Clean, we drove the rest of the way into Salt Lake City, found a Wal Mart with a view, and called it a day at about 9:30pm Mountain Time.
Home, Sweet Home
Woke up and made the last few miles to Deer Valley, destination for the day. Deer Valley is one of Utah's premier ski resorts. So we geared up and got goin' and then discovered that there's no boarders allowed on the hill. No Skis, No Service. Major bummer. But Brant strapped on his telemark skis and I strapped on my typing keys and the day turned out just fine. Tomorrow we'll find a new adventure...boarders allowed.
Deer Valley, No Boards Allowed
