Get it together, Utah.
Nov. 21st, 2010 03:59 amWe hit snow, but not until Utah, which is a damn sight better than the Rockies, and certainly not in show-stopping amounts.
After trying--and failing--for 45 minutes to sleep in the passenger seat, I started eyeing the back of the car, where Tery had stacked our bags, coolers and coats into a more or less level heap (another benefit to driving is we've packed for three seasons).
I asked myself why the hell not and sprawled across the top like a giant cat, my ass and elbows settling into crevices with some contorting. It was no memory foam mattress topper, but I was at last able to let go of consciousness. It felt like road trips in my parents' car as a kid, except I was a lot more compact then.
We switched off on a deserted exit with nothing but scrub bushes and mesa formations for miles. I peed on the side of the road while Tery stretched her legs. The full moon created an eerie day-for-night look to the landscape.
I stopped for gas 50 miles into route 15. My eyes were burning too much to be fixed with caffeine, and Tery wasn't finding the luggage mattress to be the slice of bliss I had painted it as. We realized we were a little beyond our prime all-nighter years, plus at our current pace we would make Vegas by 6 a.m. and check-in wasn't until 3 p.m. We agreed it would be best to get a room for a few hours.
The Comfort Inn conveniently next to the gas station wanted $74 for the night. Oh, get over yourself. We drove another 30 miles to Cedar City and found a Travelodge for $42--same as the Luxor only a good deal dodgier (hopefully). Still, we slept like rocks in the rock hard bed.

Not the Luxor
Not sure whether to blame Utah or my Android phone, but it took so long to download a hotel-finder app we had to do it the old-fashioned way, by following a billboard with the price advertised, like neanderthals.
Today, far less driving and Sin City!
After trying--and failing--for 45 minutes to sleep in the passenger seat, I started eyeing the back of the car, where Tery had stacked our bags, coolers and coats into a more or less level heap (another benefit to driving is we've packed for three seasons).
I asked myself why the hell not and sprawled across the top like a giant cat, my ass and elbows settling into crevices with some contorting. It was no memory foam mattress topper, but I was at last able to let go of consciousness. It felt like road trips in my parents' car as a kid, except I was a lot more compact then.
We switched off on a deserted exit with nothing but scrub bushes and mesa formations for miles. I peed on the side of the road while Tery stretched her legs. The full moon created an eerie day-for-night look to the landscape.
I stopped for gas 50 miles into route 15. My eyes were burning too much to be fixed with caffeine, and Tery wasn't finding the luggage mattress to be the slice of bliss I had painted it as. We realized we were a little beyond our prime all-nighter years, plus at our current pace we would make Vegas by 6 a.m. and check-in wasn't until 3 p.m. We agreed it would be best to get a room for a few hours.
The Comfort Inn conveniently next to the gas station wanted $74 for the night. Oh, get over yourself. We drove another 30 miles to Cedar City and found a Travelodge for $42--same as the Luxor only a good deal dodgier (hopefully). Still, we slept like rocks in the rock hard bed.

Not the Luxor
Not sure whether to blame Utah or my Android phone, but it took so long to download a hotel-finder app we had to do it the old-fashioned way, by following a billboard with the price advertised, like neanderthals.
Today, far less driving and Sin City!