I am loving how much there is to see and truth be told, I am also exhausted trying to log it all. The driving is so worth the amazing things we are seeing and doing and today that meant only 390 miles. The exhaustion isn't physical, as much as it is mental. I desperately need the time to capture the emotion of each day because they are all so different and yet, here I am with days three through five as brief notes to be fine tuned probably after the trip. The driving days are long. I am either driving, present in the moment of whatever it is we are seeing, or trying to either get ready for bed or get ready to leave the next hotel. It's a lot to manage, but worth it. My heart is however breaking that I have three days of emotions I can't quite go back and capture with the same raw realness.
This morning was also a test to see what I can handle as a female traveling with just my daughter and me: the check engine light has been coming on due to the dealer resetting the oil change for half the mileage than they told me for when the next oil change is due. I was ok ignoring that because I knew what that was for, but this morning, the ABS light came on. Of course, it was the only morning so far we had scheduled plans. I had to call my man back home and run through the basic questions of how to handle it, to ensure I didn't end up with a roadside major issue. This is also when I realized how much I rely on Sheetz's programmable air pressure machines. I stopped carrying a tire gauge, but legitimately thought I still had one. Getting this checked out then required a run to O'Reilly's to have them check which tire was low and do a visual check to see if there were any nails causing the issue. He sent me over to Jiffy Lube, who normally could've helped super quickly, but happened to have an RV they were working on blocking the tire hose. One of the other customers in there heard my story and recommended a tire place around the corner. They were happy to help refill the tires and give another visual on the tire to look for any nails, but he couldn't put it up on the lift for several hours to double check it, so he recommended that I keep an eye on it and if I had issues again in a few hours to bring it back or to another tire store. I'm exhausted typing this, but I share it because this is part of the journey and part of the things to be aware of.
Our morning meeting was with one of my former students for breakfast at a bakery outside of Salt Lake in Kaysville, Utah. This place came highly recommended. Sweet Cake Bake Shop did not disappoint. We came prepared with masks, but read the sign thinking we had to order from outside, completely missing the other sign that said up to two people could come in, as long as they were masked. Of course the minute we walked in, my daughter asked if she could get one of everything. It's always so special when we can walk into a restaurant or bakery and learn that we can eat anything from the menu and it will be safe. We didn't exactly get one of everything, but we did buy one of several items: cinnamon roll, raspberry cream cheese roll, orange roll, bag of dinner rolls, pumpkin cake, chocolate lava cake, red velvet cupcakes, cherry cupcake, lemon shortbread cookie, and awesome brownie.
I learned a long time ago to always try the day old, half off options if they appeal to me. And these definitely did.
My heart is thrilled every time I see these words: dedicated gluten free facility.
Yep, we definitely had fun shopping for sweets to last beyond our trip. Thank God for the cooler! Cinnamon roll, raspberry cream cheese roll, orange roll, bag of dinner rolls, pumpkin cake, chocolate lava cake, red velvet cupcakes, cherry cupcake, a couple of neopolitan cupcakes (from another bakery, shh), lemon shortbread cookie, and awesome brownie.
UPDATE: I would love to give a more unbiased review, but here's the God's honest truth: this bakery is freaking awesome. My daughter and I loved it all! It's probably safer on my waistline to be on the other side of the country from this bakery; however, if you get the chance to check out this bakery, whether you eat gluten free or not, definitely do it.
I was grateful to also get to show my daughter a glimpse into the person I was twenty-two years ago. She heard stories of how M (my former student) was impactful in my life and I was blessed to learn how impactful I was on hers. I also was able to show my daughter the condo where I lived in Midvale (the outside at least), Super Target, where I used to grocery shop, and of course the outside of the school where I first taught. It was such a sweet moment when I heard my daughter say how interesting (maybe she said weird) it was to see me so differently.
On my daughter's list of what she wanted to see and do was to visit Temple Square since that is what Salt Lake was founded around. Trying to briefly explain the Mormon religion to my daughter wasn't exactly something I had planned for. It was however nice to see the area again, despite the ongoing construction. Because of the construction, it was difficult to capture pictures of the temple itself or explore the inside as I have in the past. The missionaries who are stationed there are quite kind and interested to share more about the religion for anyone interested, but are also respectful of differences and I have always appreciated that it doesn't feel like they're trying to sell a used car.
We had to swing in one of the stores for some quick souvenirs and grab supper (late lunch/early dinner) to go so we could hit the road and get to our hotel near Yellowstone. We found a cute souvenir shop, Salt Lake Souvenir and Gift. One of the hardest parts of choosing souvenirs is finding so many cute options.
We went with the recommended Blue Iguana and this is absolutely one of the cutest uses of small spaces, maximized that I have ever seen. The decor brings so much positive energy I desperately wanted to stay and eat there, but I didn't want to be driving so late around Yellowstone. The menu was clearly labeled for gluten free and had so many choices. I have to say one of my favorite things about Salt Lake in 2020 was being able to easily find food options that were gluten free (bakery) or naturally gluten free (dinner) that allowed us to eat food that felt normal. My daughter went with her usual plain beef tacos and I opted for the Chori Queso and chips for us to share and since I couldn't choose between a good fish taco (hard to find gluten free) or a Chorizo, Shrimp, and Pineapple Taco, the server suggested I get one of each. Winning! Thank God there aren't pictures of my daughter feeding me while I drove after we left here. This probably wasn't one of the best to go meal ideas for neatness, but man, was it good. The queso had cilantro, which she and I normally both despise, but the combination of flavors had both of us gobbling this up.
This might have been one of the messiest choices for dinner for the road, but it was quite entertaining having my daughter feed me while I focused on driving.
As we were coming into Idaho, we reviewed my daughter's list of places she wanted to visit and were pleasantly surprised to learn that Idaho Falls was along the path and easily accessible, so we stopped in to check out this cute town. The scene was beautiful, especially since many of the falls we were interested in seeing on our trip required rather lengthy hikes to get to them and in the interest of everything else just had to wait.
We ended our day with only 390 miles, yay, not so bad day of driving and relaxing in my favorite hotel so far on the trip. Because of work travel, I committed a while back to sticking with one hotel chain whenever possible so that I could build up points and free stays and chose Marriott. When my daughter was logged in looking for hotel options near Yellowstone, she informed me there was only one option and it was new. She showed me some pictures of it when we were stopped and I thought this could be a budget breaker night. Maybe we bypass the Marriott options and see what else there is. My financial brain kicked in to high gear with this news. That's when I had her start checking my points. The hotel was more reasonably priced than I expected, but I happened to also have enough points for a free night, so we cashed in. Normally when I do this, I pray they won't down grade my room, etc. That wasn't an issue. Spring Hill Suites, Island Park Yellowstone was the nicest room we stayed in and I was so impressed, I took pictures to share.
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