Boisen-Berry

My Dad rocks...

Here he is rocking...Waldo is wearing the cowboy hat

Here he is on a rock...

 

Spending two days in a car together reminded me how fun this man can be.  He entertained me with stories all the way from our Lubbock Taco Villa breakfast burritos, seriously Dallas one bean burrito from here and the In-and-Out craze would monumentally shatter, to the Mormon choir sing along through Utah.  When we finally split ways in Salt Lake City I was surprised by how hard it was to say goodbye.   He was the one making jokes the entire trip about this being our "last" meal together, our "last" time to vacation together, he even took it so far as to joke about it being the last time he would ever see me.  I know he was kidding, well slightly I have a tendency to get very busy and tighten any window that would open up for a visit.  My mother did not have to see me cry.  With her I was able to hold it in till I was alone in my car.  Dad was not so lucky.  Though I would assume that at some point after having two grown daughters he should expect women will cry, and that the crying can come on fast and often unprovoked.

As I drove on towards my new destination now alone I could think of only one thing...a greasy roadside diner.  Luckily there was a menacing storm forcing me off the road promising death by rain or high cholesterol in the name of fresh pie!  I can not sing the praises of the roadside diner people watching and pie tasting.  Utah might have had the upper hand originally with the boysenberry awesomeness until Oregon gave me fresh potato salad and pumped my gas.

Note the Christmas lights in June  

From Utah I traveled to Boise, Idaho.  This town was a bit of a shocker in a few ways.
1.  The city actually looked like a cute place
2.  It is a real town not just an idea
3.  I ran into a fellow yoga teacher from my training (In Boise? random)
4.  The Days Inn was by far the creepiest hotel I have ever stayed in
5.  In order to last the night in said hotel I decided to buy booze which can only be bought in state run liquor stores, all creativly named Liquor Store
6.  Waking up with Del Taco hot sauce packets stuck to your face after passing out watching bad made for TV movies is less depressing than it sounds, and not the first time that that has happened to me.

Yoga Tour of America

Seriously Days Inn what is with the creepy kids camp bedding? 

To add a bit more of an adult feel to the decor this bottle opener was placed next to the shower.  Thank you Days Inn for remembering that it is the little details that make cheap hotels feel more like home (not my home)

When encountering bears in the woods one must always be prepared.  Survival guide pictured here.

Now I know I promised a play by play of my trip across the country with camping out in hammocks and love on the West coast.  Well plans changed.  I ended up really only traveling for five days.  I took yoga classes in every city I went to, and other than getting food poisoning in Portland and going to bed there at 7:30 pm I did not explore the cities much.  I stopped at a few off the highway tourist traps and had a panic attack the entire drive through the Cascade Mountians, so not use to mountian driving.  Sorry to burst the romance bubble, well not entirely.  The trip for me was wonderful.  I saw what I wanted to see.  I drove places on my terms.  I was able to explore more than I thought I would after changing my route, and I honestly had alot of fun.  It might not be a story of Into the Wild magnatism, but I don't die at the end.  The poison I consumed was only a mild sedative, and drunk texting was my only consequence.  I made it to Washington.  It is not what I expected.  My trip was not what I expected.  So far life has not been what I expected, but non of this is bad news.  Leaving behind expectations is what brought me to the Pacific Northwest.  I hate to say I am starting over because I loved where I have already been.  I am mearly adding to what I have built so far, however unstable that foundation may be.    So as I get ready for my morning yoga I will leave you now with the only photo I took in Colorado.  Such a beautiful state...

A doll in a window, holding her head (look close)