Coast-to-Coast in a Corolla

You guys!! I am SO EXCITED right now! I can't believe that I get to write to you about this current adventure I'm on, nor that I'm actually on this current adventure at all! It's such a blessing, I am SO grateful, and ohmygosh I just really am so happy to be able to share some of the excitement with you!

Currently, I'm writing from Salt Lake City, Utah, which is over 700 miles from where my parents now live, and where Katie and I left from on Thursday afternoon! We only went about 180 miles the first day, and spent the night in Reno, Nevada, with our grandparents. It wasn't the most impressive border-crossing for the two of us, since we've been going into Nevada since we were born, but that didn't stop us from pulling over on the side of the road before the State sign for a Sister Selfie...

This morning, we were determined to get an early start. We knew we'd be covering well-over 500 miles, and there was something really important we wanted to do in Reno before we hit the road. So we set our alarms early, and at 6:15 we all (grandparents and grandgirls) were hopping in the cars and heading off to our first stop of the day: Doughboys Donuts. ^_^ If you're ever in Reno, go there, eat a Buttermilk Maple Bar, and you will understand why it was so crucial we not miss a chance to eat there before leaving town. Then we bid our beloved grandparents adue, and were off to explore parts of the country we'd never seen before.

Neither of us have really ever spent time in Nevada that wasn't in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Reno, Sparks, or parts of the desert-ish places you pass by/through to get to said cities, so we didn't realize that in Nevada, there really is almost nothing. The land is pretty dry, though it's not a flat state. And the closer we got to Utah, the more grazing herds we saw amid the expansive, rolling fields. We even stopped in a couple random small towns, with names you wouldn't expect to survive so long. Things like Lovelock and Battle Mountain (where we accidentally walked through the drive-through to get some coffee), complete with old American buildings, style, and flair. That good down-home country we all tend to think of when we reminisce about what She must have been like in the past. Well folks, I'm here to tell you, that America still exists. (Please pardon my use of "America" as a name for the USA, that seems to always exclude the rest of the Americas.)

Nevada was also the home to one of our most interesting stops so far: the Thunder Mountain Monument. And rather than try to explain it, I will let this image full of delightful accuracies tell you the story of it all...

Ah yes, the Thunder Mountain Monument. A little bit creepy, fairly informative, really quite ingenious, and all-around a strange-but-cool place to stop along the way.

Anyone up for going down the slide?

Or maybe babies stapped into skulls is more your thing?

Hey, whatever it may be, the TMM has got something for you! Even trees marked "For the men" [to use the toilet], and a wooden box for the ladies powder room!

Our final "official stop" of the day was the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah just past the Nevada border, and I've got to say, they are pretty stinkin' cool! (Though the best view, I think, is from the 80-W side of the road, or if you're going 80-E, go further down from the Rest Area/viewpoint they've set up. It's not the greatest part of the flats to really see it and let your eyes follow them into the distance.)

And the best part? When Katie got her foot stuck in the salt after having just said how surprised she was she hadn't fallen through, because it "seems like you'd just go right through it." It got even better when she, after a struggle, got her foot out, just to find it caked with black mud and whatever else lies beneath the salty surface. Oh, it was just a gas (great, hard laugh/blast)!

So far, we've made it to pin #4, SLC where we're staying for the night, and went into downtown for dinner, a stroll and a drive. We saw some really amazing things, and I've gotta say... I really like SLC! It's like a San Fran/LA/Portland (never been, but based on what I know)-kind-of-place. Really, really hip, like, loaded with hipsters and therefore maybe a little too hip for me-hip, but has got some really cool vibes. Our waiter tonight told us he doesn't even have a car! Always a good sign (for me) of a city! And after our drive, we drove around this amazing Mormon temple in the city we wanted to look at but can't enter because we're not Mormon. Plus, between Reno and SLC, we threw in at least five or six unmarked adventures (stops).

It's been everything I expected and then some! We've seen lots of small towns, lots of nothing, landscapes change in the blink of an eye, rolling fields, salt flats, sky scrapers set against a backdrop of mountains, and so much more in between. And the amazing thing? It's only really the second day!

Yep, the adventure has only just begun, and we stil have another nine days ahead of us! Tomorrow we'll hit #5 (Olympic Park in Utah), #6 (Hobo Baths in Wyoming -- hot springs, oh yesss!), and end up in Cheyenne to stay the night at #7! GoPro videos will be worked on tomorrow and uploaded A SAP, so stick around so you can see some views of the good 'ol USofA! So much learning has already been done, and I can't wait to share my new insights with you all!

Have an incredibly amazing time being alive, spread the love and wonder, and embrace everything! Love you so much Earth Fam, you're magic!

Blessings, Love, Light and Wonder raining down from Above,

-Allie-Sun <3