Nevada to Arizona

Nevada was slightly more exciting to drive through than California. I slightly because there was a whooooole lot of nothing. I say nothing because, literally, the highway was: distant mountains, straight road, dirt, and shrubs. At least Oregon and California had some color! But, the desert isn't exactly know for it's vibrant foliage. 

My dad and I woke up early and went to a truck stop for breakfast. Side note: Have you noticed truck stops have the best breakfast food!? It must be all the grease and salt; which everyone knows is the magic ingredient for delicious. Anyway, we ate at a typical looking TA Center. The inside was anything but typical to me:

Yes, this is my dad gambling. Gambling at 7am. 
We walked in, and right in front of us was a row of slot machines. I realize this scene isn't all that strange; especially given the fact we're in Nevada, and just outside of Reno. But I've never been to Nevada, so this was just strange. I played a little, and won a whole $1.40. I stopped while I was ahead. 


After breakfast, we set out again for the day. Or next stop was VEGAS, BABY! Pretty much everyone I know has been to Vegas at least once. I've never been. I was excited to walk around the strip and see all the lights and people watch all while enjoying an adult beverage. 
This was the typical sight between Sparks and Las Vegas:

Clouds and mountains

See what I mean about a whole lot of nothing? 
You'd come up and over a pass, then drop down in to a stretch of flat road, then up and over another pass, then wash, rinse, repeat. Staring down that length of road was disconcerting. It was hard to keep up a good mood and be excited when you saw nothing for miles. Then when you got over the set of mountains in front of you was another patch of flat road, mountains in the distance, and more nothing. 

I believe this was taken just outside of Schurtz, NV.

This is looking at the town of Schurtz. 


This was the first sign of civilization we saw for about an hour and a half. Aside from the other cars on the road. And the road construction. But, you get the idea.


Schurtz also marked the first time that we went around a mountain, rather than over it. Once we got on the other side of town, the road banked left and opened up in to Walker Lake. Unfortunately, I was unable to get pictures. We came up on the Northwest side of the lake. It's settled in a basin surrounded by mountains. At first glance, I didn't even think it was a lake. All that we could see what a dry lake bed. As we traveled further along, water came in to view and beaches. Quite a few boat launches also. The only odd thing I noticed was the lake and beaches were completely empty. Not one boat could be seen on the water and not one soul to be found frolicking in the sand. It was the first day of August. Oregon beaches (ocean, lake, river, what have you) become standing room only in June. I suppose it's just too damn hot in the desert in August for water sports.


Once the lake ended, we saw an assemblage of barracks and (what appeared to be) missile silos. It also looked deserted. My dad hypothesized the base was probably used for training troops during WWII, and was decommissioned some time ago. Sounds logical, so that's what I'm going with. 

WWI memorabilia

We made a quick pit stop in Hawthorne. We stopped at a McDonald's to get a coffee and across the street was a park with the above piece of heavy artillery. This thing was massive in person! I definitely would not want to be caught on the wrong side of it....

After Hawthorne we got back on the road. After about an hour on the road, nature was calling so we pulled over in what was clearly an abandoned truck stop/roadside motel. The area it self was stationed at a highway crossroads. Highway 95 stopped and you were forced to continue on to highway 6 either east or west. There were several buildings not far from the highway. One building was clearly (at one time) the owners house, then two or three buildings made in to a L-shape which would be small motel rooms. Along with a gas pump. 
The glass in the windows were busted out many years ago. Some doorways still had a functioning doors, and some did not. There was broken glass beer bottles and mangled beer cans strewn about the property. A quick glance inside the windows of the "motel" showed some still had furniture; a couch in one unit, some times a chair, or lawn chairs, one even had a mattress. I also saw a tin drum that had obviously been used for a bonfire. At that point I realized this is where people come to party.
 I took a few pictures of the outside buildings. I so desperately wanted to go in to the motel and old house to take some pics, but I just got a weird vibe from the place. Not like someone was hiding and watching me, but just a feeling of going inside would be a bad idea. The wind was blowing pretty good and the sound of trucks and cars going by would make my screams go unheard. 

This side of the motel was facing the highway. I hope Steve + Jon are living happily ever after. 

You too, Ed and Melody.

I think the was the house. I was too creeped out to get closer

NOGZ?

The front of the motel that was facing the highway

A shack? Maybe guest house??

Upon doing some research, I found out this area is a ghost town and is called Coledale. I found a blog  that has some pictures and a light history on Coledale. The article was written in 2008, but he states the pictures were taken in 2002. Since then the restaurant has been torn down. Or burned down. Which ever the case may be, it's no longer there. 

The above two pictures show what happens when a rain storm hits the desert. The heavy rains cause a mud slide to come down from the mountains and wash over the road. The ruts show the path of the water. This part of the highway was down to one lane because a road crew was scraping mud off the highway. Fortunately, there didn't appear to be any indications of a car accident/pile up over night during the mudslide.

"Yeah, take First Street all the way up. I'm the first trailer on the left. Ya can't miss me."

This is Tonopah. Once we hit this town, it was all down hill. A little like the home stretch, if you will. It's a town really rich in history, as are most old mining towns.

These two pictures were taken in Goldfield. Another town with a very long history. Goldfield is listed as a ghost town, but it still has a small population and some business'.

The Goldfield Hotel

Soooo close!!

This picture was taken from inside a Chevron station. When I saw this, I knew we were close to Vegas.

I was right!!

We pulled in to Vegas around 5 pm. Prime rush hour. In all the confusion we got on I-10 instead of continuing on the 95. The exit Google maps advised me to take was closed to due a seven-car pile up. So we took the scenic route to our hotel. 

Unfortunately, we were unable to stay in Vegas do to the hotel misunderstanding our vehicle situation. I was upset I wouldn't get to stay in Vegas, but I figured if this is the worst that will happen on our trip, we're doing fine.

We ended up staying in Boulder City at the Railroad Pass Hotel Casino. The weekend we were there, the hotel was celebrating it's 80th anniversary. It was busy, but we were able to get a room, a shower, and a hot meal. We gambled a little bit, but we were both pretty tired so we called it an early night. 

You would think sitting in a car all day wouldn't be exhausting, but it is!!

Our view from the highway the next morning

FIRST sign to say Phoenix!!

Arizona was much like Nevada. Except more hills, rock formations, and a bit more greenery.

I didn't take many pictures through Arizona. Most of the highway seemed to be carved out of a mountain or rock, so there wasn't much to see. 

There were quite a few areas where it was clear a housing development was being built, but then fell victim to the economy. A few cities scattered about. Indian Reservations. Pretty much what I expected to see.

Finally, we made it in to Phoenix. 

I've been here for about three months now. 

I've adjusted well so far, my husband may say different, but no one asked him. 

I still think pumping my own gas is stupid. And sales tax throws me off. I always think the cashier is trying to rip me off until I remember about the tax.

It's hotter than Hell in the summer, but so far the fall has been fairly mild. 

I'm learning my way around, and God bless google maps.

I've learned telling people you're new to town is an excellent conversation starter. I've also learned that I don't think anyone in Phoenix is from Phoenix. It helps when people can identify with how you feel about moving to a new city. 

We've already found a few restaurants that we love. 

All in all, it's going well. 

That being said, I still miss Portland beyond words sometimes, though. It was my home for 27 years! But, I remind myself Portland isn't going any where and it'll be just as weird as it's always been.

Palm trees help the adjustment period. 

So does a glass of champagne.

Cheers!

Goodbye Portland, Hello Phoenix

My husband and I always talked about moving "some place sunny" eventually. In fact, we talked about this even before being engaged. He loves the sun and I get tired of the dreary rain. We talked about Phoenix because he spent time in that area while he was in the military and loved it. Both of us were born in and spent our early childhood in Portland, eventually moving to Gresham. 

As much as we talked and wished to move, I honestly never thought it would actually happen. So, when he applied for a job in Phoenix,  I was a bit surprised that a week later he was on a plane to The Valley of the Sun for an interview. I didn't think he'd get the job - not because I don't believe in him. I just did not think we would really ever pick up and move.  

I was proved wrong. 

He called me mid afternoon that same to tell me they offered him a position, he accept the offer, he was moving in two weeks. 

My mind was filled with thoughts. Yay, sun year round! New adventures! A new city to explore!! Then reality set in. I have to tell my parents I'm moving. How am I going to tell my best friend? Crap, I gotta look for a new job! Greaaaaat, I'm left behind to pack up the house and decide what to sell and what to keep.

It was the scariest and most exciting news I've ever received. I imagine it's a bit like finding out you're pregnant: You're excited, yet your life as you know it is about to change (and you pray it's for the better).

I stayed behind for two months for a several reasons. The first reason is we had one month left on our lease; I was not going to pay the enormous lease-break fees for one month. Two, I wanted to give my employer enough time to interview, hire, train, and get the new employee comfortable. Three, I could really use as much paycheck as I can get! And last, I wanted to spend as much time with loved ones as humanly possible - I wanted to spend so much time with them that they would be begging me to leave! 

The month's of June and July were quite a blur. I worked full time, so my evenings were spent filling boxes. One set of boxes for a garage sale, then next set of boxes for belongings to keep. That left my weekends open for, yup, more packing! I gotta say, of all the activities on earth, packing and moving are my least favorite. You get to the point where you just want to get rid of everything and start over. But, then you realize that's really not practical so you suck it up and pack more boxes. 

My dad, Christie, and Gavin were my saviors. All three of them have full time jobs as well, yet they still came over after work and some weekends to help. Without them, I really would not have been ready to move out by the end of June. 

July was only slightly less stressful than June. I moved in to the spare room in my mothers house. My evenings were now free, but my weekend were filled with organizing and pricing all the items of our life for a garage sale. By that point, I was ready to give all that crap away. But, I was very thankful for the help of my stepmother and some family who donated their precious weekend time. 

After the move and the garage sale, I had three whole weeks of left of July to spend with family and friends. I spent so much time at Christie and Gavin's house I was afraid they were going to ask for rent. I tried to do some touristy stuff around town, I ate at all my favorite restaurants that I knew Phoenix did not have, I tried to keep my social calendar fairly full. I knew if I had to much time to myself I would talk myself out of the move....

View from Marine Drive heading east

One of my last Saturdays in town I ventured out to Vancouver to visit my looooong time friend, Beth. We got some coffee and walked around the waterfront on the Vancouver side. It was so great catching up with her one last time before I left. On my way back to Gresham, I was feeling really sad. I've known Beth since freshman year of high school; aside from family, she's one of my oldest friends. As I was driving, I told myself to suck it up and be grateful for having an amazing friend for so long. That quick change of attitude had me realizing I probably wouldn't get to see the gorgeous view of the Columbia and Mt. Hood before I left. So I snapped a few pictures with my cell phone. 

Another view, further up river

The sunny sky, the water, and the alluring view of Mt Hood was all I needed to perk back up!

My jeep, Washed, waxed, and ready to go!

My dad and I got my Jeep washed and mounted the night before we left. Why, you ask? Because he wanted to hit the road at 5am (!!). 

After a tearful goodbye to my best friend of about 20 years - yes, twenty - and even more crying saying good by to my mom, my dad and I left. I was so emotionally exhausted after that last week in town. Saying all those goodbyes just about killed me. 

I had to tell myself that Phoenix is only a two hour plane ride, people love to visit that part of the US due to all the sun, and it's not like I was moving over seas - I would see them all again soon.

My dad was in charge of navigating because I have never taken on a road trip of this kind before. He wanted to drive over Mt Hood, through Klamath Falls to Susanville, CA, then down to Las Vegas, and finally Phoenix. He had recently made that same drive when he sold his truck. I figured we would take I-5 down to I-10 then head east. But he said his way was much more scenic, and I knew I could use the beautiful distraction for the journey.

My dad driving with the sun rising

My dad drove first over Mt Hood. We traded places in Bend. I tried to not wallow in my sadness and focus on all the trees and sights driving over the mountain had to offer. Again, I told myself that I was leaving, but not forever.

The summit peaking over the hills

I always loved the drive between SkiBowl and Mt Hood Meadows.  It's pretty cool to get closer and closer to the summit and watch it peak through the hills at different turns.

Would you believe I've never been to Kah Nee Ta? I've heard very good things about it though!

Beautiful view of Mt Jefferson!

Me trying to get creative with camera angles. Worked out fairly well.

Dropping down in to the Bend area. I was getting pretty antsy at this point. I wanted - scratch that, I needed to get out of the car and stretch my legs and walk around for a few. My dad didn't take it as a very good sign that I couldn't ride from Gresham to Bend without going stir crazy. 
I can't read or play on my phone while being a passenger in a car without getting car sick. I can read for a few minutes, but then I start to feel nauseous and have to look away. It gets annoying to read for five minutes, stare out the window for five minutes to feel stable again, then read, then stare...... It's pointless. Usually long car rides put me to sleep. The low hum of road noise, the smooth ride, and being in a chair that can recline usually makes me pass out cold. 
When Josh got out of the military he asked me to drive with him from Mountain Home, Idaho to Gresham "to keep him company". I was wide awake until we got to Baker City and didn't wake up until Cascade Locks. He wasn't impressed. 

Excellent picture of the Three Sisters mountain range. I did a little research about the mountains and I found the names of the "sisters": Faith, Hope, and Charity. Not sure who named them, and I'm even less sure as to why, but it's an interesting bit of trivia.

Last stop in Oregon was Klamath Falls. We fueled up at the Fred Meyer and I decided to have a look around Freddy's since Phoenix doesn't have any stores remotely like them. It's not like I'm an obsessed FM stalker, I think they tend to be a bit over priced, but there's no denying it's handy to do some grocery shopping, pick up a new DVD, then linger in the clothing and shoe area. 
I meant to stop at the Leaving Oregon sign, but I swear there wasn't one! I was driving, so one would assume I should easily see it coming up in the distance. I even told my dad to keep an eye out so we could pull over. But, alas, no sign. Oh there was a stupid Entering California sign. But none for Oregon.
So we continued on.......