While we wait on the Vegas IS for kids blog, let’s get back on the road of our cross-country adventure. From Las Vegas we headed north to Boise, Idaho. I mean, we were already out west, we had some extra time, so why not just pop up to Idaho to say hi to more family.

Baby Steps

Leaving Las Vegas is always hard. Leaving every city on this trip had been hard; but, our days are starting to dwindle and we need to make some progress towards home. Sort of home anyway.

Las Vegas to Boise is 628 miles. We decided to get there in two legs. Otherwise, we were going to arrive in the middle of the night. We decided to enjoy a sit down breakfast at the new Sadelle’s restaurant (previously Cafe Bellagio). I’m sure you can guess what Ben ordered. Eggs, bacon and toast of course.

One last lap around the conservatory on the way out and a quick tram over to the Aria to pick up coffee, macaroons and a special chocolate treat for Ben; and then, back on the road.

Our planned pit stop for the night was Elko, Nevada. It was an uneventful drive to Elko. We avoided the Extraterrestrial Highway to save some time. In hind sight we wish we would have taken it. We’ll just have to save it for next time. Benjamin was exhausted from the first half of the trip and the day at Disneyland. He took a nice long nap.

While our drive was uneventful to Elko, my sister’s trip home was not so lucky. They ran into weather issues in Chicago and their flight was eventually cancelled. I sent her a picture of the radar over Chicago at the time. It was the real deal.

Luckily the airlines were helpful and could get them a new flight home three days later. Say what?! They ended up driving home from Chicago. I like to think it’s because deep down they wanted to do more driving like we were doing.

Open Range

Now the drive we took from Elko to Boise was a beautiful drive. We avoided the highway in search of peace and quiet on the roads. One of my favorite things when I’m traveling out west is driving through open range. If you’re unfamiliar, this where cows are allowed to openly graze the farm land with no fencing to prevent them from crossing the roads in which you travel. Scary? Yes! Especially when the speed limit is 55 or even 65 miles per hour. But still really cool.

Family Time

Two nights in Boise and we were ready for the break from the road. We lived like normal people. We did laundry, we cooked meals. We even stayed in to enjoy the Fourth of July. My sister-in-law’s neighborhood was full of people setting off some decent fireworks for us to enjoy.

Ben even worked on his “cat whisperer” skills.

Unfortunately two nights goes by really fast. We’ve had more goodbyes on this trip than any other. This one was just as sad. The reality was that we really needed to start moving east or risk becoming jobless.

The drive home will prove to be a challenge. Big miles and fewer stops than Route 66. The days will feel long. We didn’t have a route home when we got to Boise. The goal was to try and find one or two stops or activities where Ben could have some fun. Did we achieve our goal? You’ll have to wait and see.

Carving routes