The Drive to Gold Canyon

We left on Thursday, March 27th as planned, after shoe-horning in all the stuff we had decided to bring along - three sets of golf clubs and our luggage etc. We were loaded down. The transit of the border went smoothly and we filled the tank in Blaine and bought some water. 750 kilometers and at about 5PM we were in the prairie around Pendleton, Oregon, where we spent the night at the Best Western on the hill. On arriving, we went for a drink at the Red Lion lounge and then enjoyed a good meal at the local restaurant. We hit the sack early and spent a comfortable night. Today we expect to be in Utah. It will be a shorter drive as we are stopping to see some sites...

Day 2 we stopped at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Centre a short drive from Baker City. It was very interesting as it described the hardships of those 100,000 who made the 6 month trip by covered wagon to western Oregon. The centre is located on a spectalular bluff overlooking the valley near Baker City. We shopped there and then had a good lunch at a home style cafe before continuing to Twin Falls. Approaching Twin Falls, we took the alternate scencic route 30 and enjoyed a pleasant end to the days drive. We tried a few inns before deciding again on the Best Western. Our dinner that night was wine, bread, cheese and other snacks. It was plenty after our hearty lunch. A walk and then an early night in bed.


We departed from Twin Falls a little later today. We took the 93 south through the north east corner of Navada and connected to the I80 going into Salt Lake city. Interesting drive with snow to begin with and then good roads all the way to Mormon Central. The distances are vast in Nevada and Utah and we found the salt flats fascinating. We saw the Bonneville Salt Flats and even drove on them. We toured the Mormon Square in Salt Lake City and were greeted by beaming delegates everywhere. A conference was underway when we were there, so lots of activities going on. We drove further south to Nephi before finding another Best Western for the night. Rays was nearby our motel.

Sorry about this layout. Still trying to figure out the controls...

This morning, our fourth day, we woke to snow. Had to clean the car off before loading and getting underway. It took us about an hour of driving to get away from it and finally find some sun. We headed for Bryce Canyon and there enjoyed some spectacular scenery after having a lunch at THE spot, Ruby's. I tried to take a picture of all of us on the timer, but the wind was so strong it blew the camera over - and on to the concrete. Will be shopping for a new camera in Phoenix. Leaving Bryce Canyon, we drove on to Page, AZ. and settled into the Best Western there. The drive there was wonderful with so many beautiful rock and mountainous formations along the way.

We had a wonderful drive down to Flagstaff where we stopped for lunch. Again, beautiful and dramatic landscapes. The trip went smoothly, and we arrived at our destination at abut 3 PM in the afternoon. Some running around with cleaners and the agent, but Sherry was kind enough to let us in a day early, on the 31st of March. We went shopping for groceries and enjoyed a relaxing dinner followed by a walk in the late sunset. It was good to have arrived.