When I say Kansas, what comes to mind? I think immediately of open spaces & unpredictable weather. I've already written a few times about the Heartland of this wonderful country. It's not just a geographical center of the nation, but 'Heartland' is a description of the heart of most lovers of the good old USA: valuing traditions, family and a good work ethic, indeed working the land itself. Take a drive through Kansas and you'll see farms and crops that we all depend on.
We drove into Wichita in the early evening, ready to take our reset for a couple of nights. The room we reserved was just right for us. An open floor plan holding a kitchen, sitting area and the bed. It was cozy and felt homey. I mention that because being out on the road the majority of every month can tug at the heartstrings a bit. We do get homesick. We do sometimes miss the predictable schedules and caring for our home. So, when a hotel room can conjur up those familiar feelings, you know it's a special place.
Being organized and preparing in advance for meals and other necessities needed on the road is a huge part of how we keep moving forward. I love that Hubs is so helpful, and always shows off those adorable dimples. 🥰. He is my greatest blessing.
By the time Monday rolled around, we were able to start another shift of road tripping. Despite the rain, we got the truck repacked and hit the road. Most of the day was full of dark clouds and sudden spurts of rain. Good traveling weather, if it's not too stormy.
We did pull off the highway around lunch time, which also kept us safer when a thunderstorm rolled through.
Storms chased us on through Kansas, parts of Colorado and on to Laramie, WY, where we stopped for the night.
On and on we traveled the next day. At one point we passed through Green River, WY. Perhaps you recognize the name from the news. There was a deadly crash in a tunnel in February of 2025. The crash involved 26 vehicles, including passenger cars and commercial trucks, and triggered a fire that caused significant damage to the tunnel. A preliminary investigation indicated that a pickup truck losing control on slick road conditions may have initiated the chain of events.
Everything was back to normal when we drove through.
As we edged near the border with Utah, we encountered a slow down caused by an accident. Hubs is all about finding detours when those lanes slow down. Today was no different. He saw several vehicles getting off the highway and taking a dirt road. Did we know where it would go? No. Did we stand a chance of getting lost? Maybe. Would it just be the blind leading the blind? Perhaps. But away we went flying down the dirt road following the caravan ahead. We passed pastures full of sheep, when I reminded Hubs that we should not be like sheep mindlessly following the leader. He didn't appreciate my humor. 🤪. Instead he told me to stick with him. He knew what was going on.
We got back on track after a few miles and Utah put on a gorgeous pageant for us.
Before we knew it, we were already in Idaho. Time for another detour. This time for yummy treats.
If you say cheesecake, we say yes, please! And my love of huckleberry anything is Real!
That kept us energized for the next little while, getting close to Boise, where we stopped. I'm glad we stopped short of Oregon. We'd seen the sun coming up on Pendleton Pass before. I was glad to see the magnificent display again.
After clearing the Pass and getting into Washington, it was no time to get to Pasco. That's according to our new internal clock. Several hours of driving doesn't mean the same thing it used to. We're now adjusted to days of driving at a time to complete a haul.
We drove across the great Columbia River and found the rail yard where we were scheduled to be.
A couple of hours later we were back in one of my very favorite new spots: The Dalles. The views in that area and on into Cascade Locks, OR, to the mighty Columbia River Gorge, are simply breathtaking. Every time we see them we are awestruck yet again. On that day we journeyed on to Vancouver in Washington.
Turning right back to the highway towards Pasco, we were on our way from the pick up site to Chinook, Montana, just a hop away from the Canadian border.
We made the decision to take a short break in The Dalles for the night. The Celilo Inn is a special little place on its own little hill. The staff is incredibly friendly and the room we'd unpacked in was sweet, with the most comfortable bed ever! I feel like I say that frequently. It could be that I'm so tired any bed would be perfect. 😆
With a fresh mindset, and a great complimentary breakfast, we took off the next morning aiming for Coeur D'Alene in Idaho. Also a favorite destination location.
From that stunning town, we continued down the mountain with spectacular views all the way to St. Regis, the gateway to Big Sky country. There is a gigantic gift shop there, boasting the best shake ever. Its huckleberry, naturally. We knew we wanted that!
Having satisfied our sweet tooth cravings, we continued our drive to Missoula, and on to Great Falls. We stopped and spent the night there, with a couple of hours left to get to Chinook the next morning. To get there you must travel through the oasis that is Ft. Benton. It was the most upstream navigable port on the Mississippi River System, and is considered "the world’s innermost port".
Next stop: Chinook. We met some railroad workers and unloaded the pallets and rails we'd taken them.
We drove past a sign pointing to the right that merely said Canada. 🇨🇦. We weren't far from there. We were also very close to Havre, a little town that we were going to in order to pick up a rail meant for Spokane.
We are becoming natives in the Pacific Northwest. 😆. We knew one thing for certain. We'd be stopping in St. Regis for another delicious huck shake. We also wanted to try the huckleberry BBQ sauce, so we ended up sharing a huge hamburger drizzled with that fantastic sauce!
Stick with us! We're finding our own 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'.
Next load would be out of Spokane. We love getting turn around orders that keep us loaded and on the road. This load would be taking us through northern Cali to San Francisco.
~ 🛻 🗺️ 🐶
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