Well, we were down to the last five days. It was time to start heading east towards home. As you may recall from our “We Have Time” post, we arrived in Boise with no real plan on the Route we would take home. No hotel reservations made. We needed to get down to business.

The Route

We finally decided on our route home. We really debated making the Route go through Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore. These are a couple of our favorite places on earth. Realizing that we could not dedicate more than one night to any one place and the weather outlook in that part of the country eliminated those stops rather quickly.

In the end, our route would take us down I-84 into Utah and across part of I-80 through Wyoming where we would divert South to pick up I-70 into Kentucky. All planned around two rather big stops which will be revealed in due time. In other words, you’ll have to stay with us for at least two more blogs to find out what those two big stops were.

A Late Start

Since we were visiting with family, it made sense that we would be late starting our drive home. We took our time packing the car. We enjoyed coffee and conversation. Ben got in a few extra minutes of playtime with the cats.

It was knowing this that helped us plan a shorter drive for this first day out. We said our long goodbyes and headed down the road for home waving as we drove off.

History Lesson

It wasn’t too far from Boise when the car took a sudden diversion off the Highway and into the Three Island Crossing State Park in Glenns Ferry, Idaho, for a quick visit to the Oregon Trail History And Education Center.

This was a great visit for Ben to learn how pioneers came across the country on the Oregon Trail. There were interactive exhibits for kids like “fill your wagon with supplies”.

A small sized covered wagon lay on a table and alongside it a whole bunch of matching scale supplies. Ben had to decide what to bring and what to leave behind because it all wouldn’t fit in the wagon.

It was a great comparison for how we had to pack our car for this trip. He could choose between a lot of items. Furniture, clothes, books, food, tools, cookware, etc. You’ll be happy to know that Ben was able to fit the “Toys” box in the wagon in lieu of winter clothes. It is summer after all…what could go wrong?

There was even a Three Island Choo Choo for Ben to ride for two dollars. A small 10 minute ride around the park. It made him happy.

A small hike on a portion of the old Oregon Trail and down to the water where pioneers crossed the Snake River provided a good stretch of the legs before we headed out on the road again.

If you were wondering, there were no ruts on the trail. The museum staff said you had to go up into the back country to find the parts of the trail where the ruts have been preserved. I’ve taken the liberty of adding it to my future trip list.

Mountain Resort Living

In choosing our hotels on the return trip home, we opted to try for those places that might offer us a little extra. Our first night’s stop was Park City, Utah.

A ski resort in the winter and home to the Sundance Film Festival, Park City abounds in resorts and restaurants and activities. Not to mention the fire pits strewn about town and at every resort.

While we didn’t have any time to take in the fun activities, it was the resort living we were interested in along with enjoying the Mountain views. On the plus side, some resorts in these off seasons have great pricing. Where else can you get resort living for under 125$ a night?

We ordered room service and opted for a family game night.

A Little Homesick

It was our arrival to Park City that found Ben a little overcome by emotions of missing home. Missing his bear (who, on a normal day, carries no special value nor special place on the bed) and probably some other things too.

We think it all stemmed from a car that passed by us on the highway on our way to Park City. It was a car loaded with items that indicated maybe the people inside were moving. And on the exterior trunk a gigantic bear was strapped to the car. And I mean gigantic. If you’ve ever seen the super giant bear Costco sells at Christmas time, then this was a comparable bear.

The homesickness was one of the main reasons we stayed in and played family game night. It was just what the doctor ordered for Ben’s blues. We played Uno and Go Fish. Ben won most of the games with no help from mom and dad.

It was kind of a melancholy day for us. Although we knew the reasons for our sadness. Saying goodbye and then missing home. In reality these are all normal feelings for such a big trip. You just have to take them in stride and deal with each one as it comes. One day at a time and find the good that brings a smile to your face.

Carving routes