Something Old, Something New

  " A new experience can be extremely pleasurable, or extremely irritating, or somewhere in between, and you never know until you try it out."

 -Lemony Snicket

Idaho-Nevada border

 With the closing date on our house in Idaho approaching, John and I had some quick decisions to make.  Our truck had sprung about a hundred leaks and as they fixed one, they had to order a part or hose for another.  With the truck in limbo, we couldn't pull the utility trailer we purchased up to Idaho and clear out the last of our belongings we couldn't part with and couldn't fit in the RV.  Decision:  1) Hire someone to load up our garage, with items still needing a final sorting, and haul it to a storage unit for us; or 2) Rent a vehicle to tow it up at great expense; or 3) Finally get a new vehicle (which John has been wanting to do) as our current car is getting old and haul the trailer up and back with that.

After much procrastination and hoping for the truck to be magically fixed, we decided now or never.  We drove to car lots subjecting ourselves to the flood of pushy salesmen shoving less-than-desirable vehicles upon us.  We finally found a great vehicle to fit the bill and at 9pm Thursday night we signed on a Nissan Armada in blue, a car color I've always wanted.  The next morning John cleared time off with his boss,  I randomly threw clothes and toiletries into suitcases, and by noon we were on the road.

Limited to only a week for travel and time with family, we decided to drive straight through  to Idaho taking the route through Vegas so we would avoid late night bad weather in New Mexico.  At 10pm local time, we paused to say hi to Rob and Donna and then back on the road.  At 3am in Wickenberg, AZ, I took over the wheel for my first time pulling a trailer. I might have over-thought this one; especially being empty it was a piece of cake.  I managed to get us through Vegas where John once again took over. Yep I drove 4 of the 29 hours.  I honestly could have taken us further, but John always takes the lead, or the wheel (pun intended).

About 80 miles south of Ely, NV , as we expected, we encountered a storm system rolling in with ferocity.  The remainder of the trip was fraught with several bouts of extreme weather, but fortunately spaced by clear roads and great weather.  In the end we made it through slowly but safely despite bad drivers and arrived home in Idaho for the last time.

Immediately we were greeted by family as Chrissy and Brandon brought over dinner, a welcome treat after hours on the road.  Over the next several days we camped out in our house, not having any furniture, and spent many great hours catching up with family and friends.  Many of them treated us to wonderful meals and entertainment.  It was so great to spend time with everyone.

Zoey's little goat friends hadn't forgotten her, and she was excited to give them one last goodbye snack.

The Magic Valley still had patches of white snow, which Zoey found perfect for a little snowball fight with mom.

 We managed a swift trip with Chrissy and Brandon to Miracle Hot Springs, which was beautifully renovate, and a drive through the Snake River Canyon along the beautiful Kelly Orchard area. It was great to be visiting old friends and old haunts.

With the garage cleared, we spent one last night in the home where Zoey was born and reached so many childhood milestones.

We set off early Friday morning towards home; although not as early as expected since the newly hooked up trailer brake system had been improperly repaired by the previous owner, causing the brakes to activate when the lights were on. After an hour of trouble shooting John solved the problem and we were off. (Raw wires were crossed.)  I admit Zoey and I both shed a few tears leaving our beautiful home in Idaho.

Driving into Vegas, John found he had a day to spare, so we decided to enjoy the evening in Vegas.  We walked the strip and included a quick stop at the Coca-Cola Store for a Coca-Cola around the world tour.  Zoey really appreciated the street performers and their costumes, something she was oblivious to before.

Hungry for a unique dining experience, we wandered into Todai for our first non-deli sushi experience.  John and I were feeling adventurous, and since it was a large buffet, we decided to try everything: we had eel, squid, octopus, tuna and the like.  We found we loved everything except the roe because it was a bit too fishy for our liking.

This was round one!!

 Next, having missed the first performance, we wandered around waiting to see the Cirque de Soliel performance of Ká. Because cameras are strictly forbidden, they threaten to throw you and it in the fire, you'll just have to take my word that it is an amazing show worth every penny.  Even little Zoey had the time of her life, but had to stand for part of the performance to stay awake at the late hour.

The next morning we set off for Tucson, AZ, but not without a stop at the Dam Helicopter Company to treat ourselves to an aerial view of the Hoover Dam.  The ride was a first for all of us, and Zoey, with her monkey tucked in her life vest so he could come along, became suddenly concerned and asked, "How are we going to remember all these cool things we are doing?"  Good thing mom's got pictures.  We all loved the sudden lift off of the aircraft, the swinging from side-to-side movement as it circled the dam, and the beautiful views.  The ride was over all too quickly, and we were on the road once again.

We arrived in Tucson that evening and Joan, John's sister, joined us for a wonderful burrito dinner deliciously prepared by Donna.  John hasn't been able to spend as much time with his family as I have, due to the fact I've done most of the traveling while he does most of the working, so it was a treat for him to spend a few hours with them.

The next morning we were off bright and early, heading for home, which honestly I was missing.  Texas has become home despite my sadness leaving my beautifully hand-renovated home in Idaho.  (I honestly don't think there is a square inch of that home I haven't touched.) 

Our trip was full of wonderful-old and exciting-new experiences, all of which I am grateful to have shared with my husband and daughter.  I just can't wait to see what wonderful things await us in our future.