We got a late start yesterday. As a result, we decided to drive all the way to Salt Lake City. According to Google Maps and my navigation system, that would be a 10.5 hour drive.
We headed out and tried to save time by eating a light breakfast. We realized that we needed to set up the boot bag for the trunk of the car. That took a little bit of time. At last, everything was ready for us to go and start our adventure.
We decided not to go on Monday due to the holiday. Also, when we went out to get some gas, there were unusually long lines. That clinched it for us. We don’t like dealing with traffic and we thought that this would not be the best way to start our adventure. It gave me more time to appreciate the Bay Area before leaving it.
We headed out and to our delight, there wasn’t any traffic going in our direction. It truly felt strange heading out when so many people were heading in or were going to work.
Sooner than I realized, we crossed California and entered Nevada. Nevada is a big dry land of dust devils and tumbleweeds. It’s best to have water with you and also good to plan out your field and gas stops. After we left Reno and Sparks, the route stops were much more spread out. My car gets good gas mileage, thankfully. I started learning the value of pitstops and breaks.
Eventually, we left Nevada and crossed right into Utah. I couldn’t resist visiting the Bonneville Salt Flats Speedway. It’s a very long salty road and pretty much matched the taste in my mouth after the long drive.
We decided to camp in the outskirts of Salt Lake City. We arrived after the sun went down. Of course, we forgot about the time change. Utah is one hour ahead of California. We ended up setting the tent up at night--not recommended! Luckily, it wasn’t complicated and we had practiced doing that before leaving. So, after 11 hours of total driving, we rested.
That was a long, long drive for a first day out.
