I didn't think I'd start driving west by driving east, but I forgot my bike. I always do this.
Ahead of us laid roughly 3 days of post-summer pavement and I had to drive 30 minutes in the wrong direction first. But beyond that laid the ultimate adventure—a 30 day road trip through the American Southwest.
We didn't get lost in the details. What's an extra half hour compared to the next 70, whizzing through corn fields. We're looking for the straightest line to the rocky, wide-open west. Directions were easy: I-90 redirects to I-80, then becomes I-70 the entire way through Colorado. I had enlisted ultra-adventurist Uncle Dave, who happened to be stateside from his home in Spain. He was the ultimate co-pilot. A wild-minded adventurer with more curiosity than the Mars Rover. And also an experienced outdoorsman, cyclist, and world traveler.
Stopping for gas and snacks on a state line somewhere. We finally busted through the rain and fog and hit Pittsburgh. The matriarch and patriarch of our side of the family were born and raised here. Both went to the University of Pitt and my grandfather (Dave's dad) played football there, and eventually for the Steelers. Between our historic connection, and the fact it's almost exactly 8 hours from Boston made Pittsburgh the perfect landing spot for night one.
The modernized version of my grandfathers old office. Navigating the roller-coaster highway through the Appalachians feels like the true end of East "coast". It starts to become the Midwest somewhere in central Ohio.
Halloween Day. On the other side of Columbus, we require more caffeine.
The gateway arch was wildly impressive. Took a stroll through the park for about an hour, and ate some leftovers from the cooler. My engine needs a break as much as we do. But, St. Louis wasn't very exciting so after a quick look around, we hit the road again.
We blew through Kansas City and drove on into the night, finally snagging a few hours of sleep just south of Manhattan, KS.
We stopped in to see some friends in Denver. And powered through some snow squalls as we climbed over 8,000 feet. Over the pass we reached Summit County. Everything turned into liquid gold in the picturesque mountain town. We grabbed a beer, hit a grocery store for more snacks, and got back on the road. We'd be into Utah a day ahead of schedule.
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