I just got back from dinner with the wonderful Brian and Ali Spittler. Brian interned in my office years ago and I instantly took a liking to him. Perhaps it’s my fondness for smart, well-dressed, genuine, and engaging people. I would come to find out that the same description applies to his wife Ali. They’re great. 

I purposely drove off course because I wanted to see them, not really anticipating just how much I would need to see familiar faces. We dined in a restaurant nestled well above Salt Lake City, in a ski area, with stunning mountain views around us. Oh, and the food was really good too. We talked politics, some more politics, a little sports, life, and the past and future of my trip. But most importantly to me, we talked. Yesterday was a low day. I don’t want to turn this into a maudlin, saccharine-based whine depository. But in a foreign state, after driving for 8 lonesome hours, I was anxious and exhausted and just needed to talk to someone. I told Amanda that I was going to get to Oregon, spend a few days with my aunt and uncle, and then take the quickest way back to DC. After tonight, I’m not so certain that I’m going to do that. I still have more to accomplish. 

All of this praise for the night portion of my day shouldn’t overshadow the day portion. Today’s drive was the best of the trip. Lots of mountains and rivers and some snow. And sunshine. It never warmed up past 55 degrees, but the crispness was welcomed. 

Tomorrow is up in the air. My original intention was to make the long (11 hour) drive from Salt Lake City to Bend, Oregon, but I don’t know that my body or mind wants to or needs to do that. I might make a stopover somewhere along the way to actually relax on my own, something I really haven’t allowed myself to do. Each night when I’ve checked-in to my hotel, I’ve dropped off my luggage, mapped out my route to dinner, gone to dinner, gotten back, blogged, showered, and went to bed. I haven’t really unwound. So, long story short, I may be coming to a roadside hotel near you Twin Falls, Idaho or somewhere else. 

Notes:

-You can now add Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Georgia, and Saskatchewan to the license plate list. And yes, we’re counting Canada because Canada is great. Kansas on the other hand….c’mon Kansas. You’re the only continental state west of Missouri that I haven’t seen. I’m embarrassed for the Sunflower State.

-Bison benedict at Main Street Overeasy in Bozeman this morning. Wow.

-Doughnuts from Granny’s Donuts in Bozeman this morning. Wow.

-I liked Bozeman much more in the daylight than I did at night. Because at night, I hated it. 

-I saw my second Fiat of the trip in Montana. I waved to the lady driver but she didn’t wave back because she’s from Montana and people from Montana don’t mesh well with me.

-In my video blog, I mentioned listening to Dylan (I meant Bob. I was not listening to The Wallflowers) and the Grateful Dead as I drove through Montana/Idaho this morning and it being really appropriate. The Dead thing is at the behest of a friend who thinks that I, like many people, have misjudged The Dead’s music. He’s probably right. There are a lot of folky elements and really nice vocal harmonies that are a pleasure to listen to. There are also 30 minute long songs that are just an absolute bore. 

-As for Dylan, I just wanted to state that “Blood on the Tracks” is his best album. I could literally listen to it on repeat for hours and still find a new lyric that I fall in love with. 

-Still lots of construction. Still haven’t started my orange cone business.

-There’s a mini-chain of cajun restaurants in Eastern Idaho called Gator Jacks. I did not pursue, on account of I enjoy being alive.

-The nicest people I met today were a road-tripping couple, probably in their late 60s, from Philadelphia. We met at the Continental Divide sign and chatted about our trips. They were engaging and socially adept. It was refreshing. 

-I have now driven in 46 of the 50 U.S. states. All that remains are Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, and Alaska. Oregon, barring my death, will get checked off in the next 36 hours. Washington, well, I can’t find a way to check that off the list as I’m intending to spend a few days in LA. That said, at the end of this trip, I’m going to create a power ranking of all 47 or 48 states that I’ve driven in based on how good they are. This will be an inarguable list. Your opinions will not be taken into account. 

Have a lovely long weekend. Be safe. And thanks, as always, for reading and disregarding my typos.