And we are off!

Redmond, WA to Twin Falls, ID (630 miles)

Siri and David are ready to go (we hope!)

Saying good-bye to Yoda (see you in June, thank you Samara and Josiah for taking care of him!)

Look at that it – it all fits in the back (just don’t look in the backseat – the last minute Costco snack shopping filled some – OK a LOT – of the space)

After all this planning, getting great recommendations from friends (thank you – and keep them coming), and last minute House projects (replace the 18-year old hot water tank -Thank you Pat!(brother), and laying down 6 yards of mulch/bark – again thank you Pat for the Truck!) …

We fit everything in the car (no carrier needed), put the tandem on top and locked in place…

And then we are off!

We left a little later than expected, but exactly what Samara predicted.

And then an “oops!” forgot the travel credit cards, quick turn around home, run back into the house, while Samara chuckles a bit…

And then we really were off!

We retraced our previous trips across Washington, the eastern part of Oregon, and now staying in Southern Idaho in Twin Falls famous for the beautiful Shoshone Falls in Hells Canyon which we hope to stop by again tomorrow as we leave for Bryce canyon.

This time the scenery just seems even more majestic, more green, we are taking in lots of ‘awe’ moments as we cross the snow capped cascade mountains, into the fertile valleys, across the Columbia River, and then up the Oregon Blue Mountains (not those Blue Ridge Mountains, which we do hope to get to later, but pretty spectacular).

Today is a travel day, so we were on the move. We did our stop at the capitol in Boise and Siri moaned a bit when I brought out the jump ropes. This is a family tradition from previous road trips to encourage everyone to get out and move. After this reaction, I may need to start a new family tradition. 🙂

Not one to just enjoy the sights, we have brought our own entertainment with pickleball racquets, frisbee golf discs, yoga mats, and lots of two person card and board games. Check back to see if they actually make it out of the car.

We did use the yoga mats (check that one off) tonight to help stretch after driving all day – this might become a regular ritual.

Tomorrow, we arrive at our first planned destination – Bryce and then onto Zion national Park. We got smoked out due to wildfires the last time we tried to visit – visibility was zero – so we missed both. The current weather forecast is over 70 degrees and clear.

I think this is a good omen for the rest of our trip across the US.