Resting in Utah

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I think I've mentioned before that for me, the fun of travel is not the actual traveling time, but the stopping time. Driving down the road, getting from one place to another, is charming for a little while. I like seeing new stretches of highway, and unfamiliar terrain as much as the next guy, but I also like to stop and stretch my legs every so often, and see what the locals do for fun.

Last night we stayed at Willard Bay, a lake in Utah, right next to Salt Lake, and I'm sorry to say, a place I cannot recommend for an overnight stay. It's right on the highway, and very noisy. Noisy all night. And around 3AM there was the surprise of the train hurtling through, careful to remember to blow its very loud whistle as it passed the campground. Got the idea? Stay somewhere else. I wish I could tell you where. At least we were there for the beautiful full moon rise last night. Some things are just perfect, noise and all.


This morning we hopped back on the highway and took the loop around Salt Lake City, so as to avoid, uh, Salt Lake City. We hit traffic for miles and miles anyway, never did find an espresso stand -- duh... we're in Utah -- and then, low and behold, I spotted a beacon of happiness on the horizon. An Ikea store! Rick said, Want to? I said, Yes!!! And soon we were following the arrows through a wonderland of cheap home decor.

I love Ikea. I am inspired and encouraged by Ikea. I can afford Ikea. And being in the market for more permanent housing sometime in the future, we think, we were totally smitten with the tiny model interiors they had of complete living spaces. The largest, and the one we liked best, was 592 square feet. After living in a trailer for over a year, this looked not only enormous to us, but homey and wonderful.


Revived by an hour of Ikea Therapy, we got back in the truck and made our way to Moab. For those of you reading along here for some actual vicarious travel, here are some pictures of the beautiful part of Utah we traveled through today.


And now we're camped in the Elks Lodge parking lot in Moab. Pretty nice, and as always, nice folks to welcome us in for the night.


And... thanks to our stop at Ikea, the trailer is just a little bit cozier tonight, with the addition of this sweet little vase. Yes friends, homeyness can be purchased for a mere seventy-nine cents, if you know where the good rest stops are.


Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2010 at 7:53 PM

    Ahah! Glad you found an Elks stop again - away from trains. That Ikea "home" is darling. I think I'll check one out soon. Keep cool, Norine

    ReplyDelete
  2. RuthSeptember 29, 2010 at 4:16 PM

    You and my younger daughter must have been hit by the same stone...I simply become claustrophobic and can't walk fast enough to get the h... out of Ikea! Following that line makes me crazy. If I can't afford it at someplace like Pottery Barn or Target on the low end, I really don't need it!

    ReplyDelete

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