It was tough for BJ and I to wake up at 5:00 am and finish packing the car for the 750 mile drive to Idaho. There were a variety of reasons we had decided to drive to Sun Valley instead of fly, most notably what a miserable experience it is to fly these days. Happily we were getting a good jump on any traffic at 8:30 am on a Thursday, and there was a break between storms for our trek over the Sierra Nevada. Prospects were good for a smooth trip.
The car was packed pretty tight, with a snowboard and accessories (boots, snow pants, etc.), 10 days of clothing for two people (including a hat box and formal wear for New Year’s Eve), Christmas presents, a couple of emergency blankets, camera gear, and more. In time though, Dan-ta Claus, and Mrs. Claus were able to unhitch the sleigh and get on the way.
The drive to Reno was pleasant and relatively traffic-free, not like many of my stop-and-go wintertime Tahoe trips of years past. Before we knew it we were pulling up to the Great Basin Brewery in Sparks, just outside of Reno, for a pre-arranged lunch-date with Uncle Ken and his kids.
Uncle Ken looking serious
Klint and Sommer are my cousins from Mom’s side, and we are all part of a pretty large extended family from Las Vegas. Early on in childhood, they moved to the one-horse town of Tonapah, Nevada. That, combined with the fact that they’re quite a few years younger than me, made it so we didn’t get to hang out much as kids, and this was really the first time we would get to catch up in many years.
Cousins Klint and Sommer doing their thing
We lingered over an excellent lunch of sandwiches, soup, fish-and-chips, and of course beers, reminiscing and talking shop (Klint, BJ and I are all IT pros). At the end we wandered across the street to take some pictures in front of the historic old schoolhouse.
The whole gang
Before long BJ and I were back on the road. We still had miles to travel, and travel we did. Northern Nevada can be pretty desolate, but all-in-all, things were looking quite scenic, with a dusting of snow in some of the valleys, moderate snow on the mountains, crows perched on fenceposts to get a better view of the treeless high-desert, and the low angle of the mid-winter sun lighting it all like sunset in act two of a spaghetti western.
The word Nevada means “snow capped mountain range”
Our destination for the night was the small city of Elko, 500 miles from our starting point in the East Bay. Elko is known mostly for its annual cowboy poetry festival, but alas we would be resigned to a mediocre meal at our hotel restaurant, watching competing broadcasts of alarmist Fox News on one TV vs. Whoopi Goldberg as Santa’s replacement in Call Me Claus on the other. Oh well, at least they had a full bar.
We got back on the road the next morning, Christmas Eve-day, at about 9:00, and the rest of the drive was mostly uneventful. We passed through Wells and turned off the 80 and onto the 93, happily noting the wildlife bridges across the highway, which allow deer to migrate safely. Better still was the sight of two juvenile coyotes, playfully chasing each other other across the road. They had thick winter coats and looked healthy. Our only concern was their proximity to our 80 MPH Subaru. Get off the road pups!!!
Into Idaho, and north of Twin Falls the terrain changes, first with large swaths of lava rock, jutting rhythmically up through the snow, and later by ever larger mountain ranges, layered back to the horizon. There was more and more snow, and more and more luxury SUVs carrying skis and snowboards. We were certainly headed to a different place.
Finally at about 3:30 we arrived at our vacation rental in Ketchum and unpacked, mentally preparing for what lay ahead.
To be continued…