Highway to Monterey

After a few days here in Monterey, we are now settled in and will let everyone know we made it here alive and well and start posting again. We have been sorting through the slew of digital pics from the stops along the way, and each will get its own post in due time, but we are here safely and without any major incidents after braving the Mormon wilds of Utah, lascivious Las Vegas, the blazing Mojave desert, and the winding, narrow roads through the Sierra Nevada. You can see our route here. We left Loveland at 10 pm on Friday night in order to take advantage of a sleeping toddler. Within the first two hours, descending I-70 just after the Eisenhower tunnel we noticed a few cars on the side of the road and thought, "That's strange, I should probably slow down." As many of you have driven this stretch between the Tunnel and Silverthorne, you know that the natural tendency is to get in the left lane and scream past the semis with minimal brake usage. Thus, slowing down on this steep grade meant riding the brakes for a few seconds before I saw the large elk carcass laying in the middle of the road and veering hard into the next lane while barely missing the bulk of the body and clipping the head with the left side of the car. Needless to say, this was still a good bump so we pulled over to make sure the tires were not damaged on "Blue Thunder". Only 100 miles in and I've got to inspect the car, not the best possible start. As I already have some experience with a moose and night driving, I knew that driving through the mountains at night was not necessarily ideal, but when compared against 10 hours of straight driving with an awake 2 year old, it was a chance we were willing to take.

Wide awake and watchful for animals the whole way, we got 10 hours under our belt before arriving at our first destination, Bryce Canyon National Park. From there, we crossed the Markagunt High Plateau on Hwy 14 back down to the interstate and through the desert to Las Vegas. We decided to save Zion for another day, given that it was already over 100 degrees as we drove past. The thermometer topped out at 114 as we descended into the Las Vegas valley at 2 pm in the afternoon. We took this picture in case no one believed us.

After a night at the Venetian, we left early the next morning to try and beat the heat across the Mojave. By 9 am it was already into the 90's. We passed the World's Largest Thermometer in Baker, CA reading 102. Despite my love for weather, I was content to enjoy this landmark from our air-conditioned vehicle. Considering the temps got even hotter over the few days after we went through there (they were pushing 125 on Thursday!) I am grateful that it was not worse. The Mojave is long, hot, and remote, and after turning onto Hwy 58 at Barstow it is lonely as well. But, we made it without overheating over the Tehachapi range to Sequoia National Park and back into cooler temps up at 6700 feet in the Sierras. From there, the last leg across the San Joaquin valley was over 100 most of the time as well, but ended in the cool, moist air of Monterey bay.

All in all, it was an excellent road trip of just over 1500 miles, ranging from sea level to 11,000 feet, and temperatures from the upper 30's at night in Sequoia to 114 in the Mojave. It is fascinating to see the diversity of geology, ecosystems, and climates that exist in the American West. And it is also staggering to imagine the early pioneers crossing that on foot or horseback. We managed to do it in just over 4 days in July with a toddler, which isn't such a bad feat either.