Vacation 2008

This trip was made from May 27th through June 12th.

States visited during this trip: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa

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I was born a travelin' man, that's all I'll ever be

Moving around from town to town is what makes me so free

My father was a trucker for the years of '23

On the day that I was born his truck was left to me

I'm a travelin' man

Travelin' Man -- that's what I am

Travelin' Man

Travelin' Man

That's what I am

Travelin' man -- that's what I am

No woman puts a hold on me

You'll see me once or maybe twice

That's all you'll see of me

All you pretty women Lord,

I hope you understand

Don't be a fool Lord no,

and put your heart in a travellin' man

I'm a travelin' man Travelin' Man

Travelin' Man -- that's what I am

Travelin' Man

Travelin' Man -- that's what I am

Guess I'll always be

Travelin' Man -- that's what I am

But at least I'm free

Travelin' man Oh - that's what I am

Travelin' man -- that's what I am,

Lord I move so fast

I have had so many women,

none of them have last

I am just a mover,

moving fast as sound

Always free, sometimes lonely.

Always movin' around

I'm a Travelin' Man

Travelin' Man -- that's what I am

Travelin' Man

Travelin' Man

Oh - that's what I am

June 11th and 12th

No more photos as I rapidly headed home in advance of the storm.

Nice weather in Nebraska and the rest of the way home, but Iowa was flooded - they called it a 500 year flood which means that there were no towns here the last time that it flooded this much. It is a good thing that I was ahead of schedule as one of the bridges I crossed was closed the next day. Floods all around me and killer tornadoes right behind me! No time to be a sightseer! Slept for 3 hours at the first rest stop in Illinois and then drove past Chicago in the dark early am hours before sleeping for another 3 hours at the first stop in Indiana. Loved seeing the Appalachian Mountains in northern Pennsylvania as they were very green and a sight for sore eyes that were tired on the plains. Drove about 900 miles on each of these 2 days.

Ate at a Taco John's in western Iowa.

So, during the trip, I ate at a McDonald's in Ohio, Taco John's twice (Wisconsin and Iowa), Culver's in North Dakota, a Mexican restaurant in Montana, a Zips, a Russian pastry shop and a Red Robin's in Washington, a seafood restaurant, a Burger King, a Taco Bell and a Taco Time in Oregon, Bad Boy Burgers in Idaho, and Artic Circle in Utah. I ate 7 motel breakfasts. Twice I microwaved food I had brought with me and munced as I drove on some food I brought with me. Lost 1 pound on the trip.

Came home broke!

Cheapest gas (less than 4.00 for regular): Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa

But at Crater Lake in Oregon, regular was 3.50 as there was no state tax in the national park!

8923 miles driven!

$1920.84 for gasoline - counting the pre-trip fillup and 1/2 tank left (approx. $50.00 worth) when I got home = $1870.84

21 cents per mile

Wyoming #6

Wyoming #5

Wyoming #4

Wyoming #3

Wyoming #2

Wyoming #1

Entering Wyoming

Utah #7

Time to be a rubber necker as a tractor trailor has overturned!

Utah #6

Utah #5

Utah #4

A fresh water lake in Utah

Utah #3

Utah #2

Utah #1

The Great Salt Lake

Idaho #10

Idaho #9

Snake River Canyon at Shoshone Falls

Idaho #8

Shoshone Falls (higher than Niagra Falls)

Idaho #7

Idaho #6

Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls

Idaho #5

Sunrise

Idaho #4

Idaho #3

Just before sunrise in southern Idaho.

June 10th

Left the Boise area on a very windy morning. headed to Salt Lake City and caught up to the rain storm that I encountered on the 9th. When I cut to the south (towards Salt Lake City), the rain pushed to the east and I was in the clear. I caught up to the storm in Wyoming, but the rain had pretty much played itself out (although it was raining to the south - Colorado) and I had cloudy skies until I reached Nebraska where I slept at the first rest area. It was a very windy night and there were tornado warnings to the north (South Dakota) and to the south (Kansas). The wind shook the truck until around 3:00 am. It was kinda scary being in tornado land. This was the storm that killed the boy scouts the next day in Iowa.

Ate a burger place called "Artic Circle" in the Salt Lake City area.

Idaho #2

This is the stadium for Boise State and the "smurf turf".

Idaho #1

As the Skynryd song says, "Well, it's 8:00 in Boise, Idaho"!

Nice burger joint and notice the outside seating (but it is raining so I ate in the truck).

Oregon/Idaho #5

Oregon/Idaho #4

Now I am below the dam and you can see some whitewater.

Oregon/Idaho #3

Oregon/Idaho #2

Oregon/Idaho #1

In these photos, Oregon is on the right and idaho on the left.

This section is actually a narrow portion of a resevoir as this is upstream from a dam.

June 9th

Today I drove to Hells Canyon on the Oregon/Idaho border and then drove to Boise and slept at a rest stop.

I labeled the Hells Canyon photos as Oregon/Idaho since you can see both states.

Purchased gasoline in a small town in Oregon which was a one gas station town with one pump for diesel and one for regular. Everyone in line to buy gas was driving a pick-up truck. Probably more horses in town than cars!

Idaho #3

Washington #82

Washington #81

Columbia River in Pasco, Washington

Oregon #57

This area is called "The High Desert". In the background are the Cascades. Mt. Hood is hard to see as it is snow covered and white and blends in witht the sky and clouds.

June 8th

Today I traveled north to the Columbia River. Did not take many photos and the ones I took were not that good. I saw lots of good scenery as I drove, but couldn't take photos.

I re-entered Washington for an hour and 1/2, going to the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers and then drove through Walla Walla before heading back to Oregon and motel in Pendleton.

Oregon #56

Cabin in park (there are 4 private rooms per cabin, each with private bathroom and shower - no TV - no phone or cell phone signal - no internet)

Oregon #55

View from valley - cows and mountains

Oregon #54

Oregon #53

Oregon #52

Oregon #51

Crater Lake

Oregon #50

Oregon #49

Oregon #48

Oregon #47

Oregon #46

snow on the mountain

Oregon #45

Sea Lions as I say good-bye to the beach.

June 7th

Today I drove from the campground to the interior of the state.

I enterd the Cascades and stayed in a "cabin" in Crater Lake National Park.

The loop around the lake (called the "Rim Road") was closed due to snow.

I also traveled down to the valley on the east side of the mountains.

Oregon #44

Large driftwood like this is everywhere.

Oregon #43

Oregon #42

Oregon #41

Oregon #40

Oregon #39