Sunday, November 11, 2012

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DAYS 28-33: Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado

Sunday, October 21st - Thursday, October 25th: Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado



10/21

We woke up early at Krista and Ryan's and started our drive east.  The drive out of Seattle and through Washington was absolutely gorgeous.  Unfortunately, there were no food trucks anywhere that we could find.

We made a stop at a place called 'Fred Myers' to get some groceries and some books for me for the long drive.  We continued through Washington and into Idaho.  We stopped at a campground in Boise, ID for the night.  It was super late when we got there, so we cranked the space heater and went to bed.  I'm sorry to report that we didn't eat a single noteworthy thing this entire day!  No food trucks to be found, no gourmet cooked dinner at the campground - only leftover food that we had in our cooler.

Boise, ID - very pretty, but no food trucks:(


10/22

The Boise campground was by far the weirdest campground we've stayed at.  It was clear that there were more permanent residents staying there than temporary overnight campers.  The lady in the office was so confused when I wanted to check out in the morning.  She even asked why we were moving and where we were going to.  I explained to her that we were just there overnight and we got in very late.

Homemade pumpkin bread from Krista for breakfast :)


We stopped for some coffee and to get an oil change, then we were off towards Utah.  We stopped at local diner in Twin Falls, ID to get a late lunch/early dinner.  Again, there were no food trucks anywhere, so we had to settle for a restaurant.

The restaurant was called 'Idaho Joe's' and it was surprisingly very good!  

I had the fish fry with baked potato, side of vegetables, a salad, and cornbread!  

Mitch had a mushroom and blue cheese burger with fries.

'Idaho Joe's' - Twin Falls, ID


We continued our drive into Utah, by-passing Salt Lake City, through some treacherous mountains in the pouring rain, and eventually made our way into Wyoming.  We decided to stay the night at a campground in Rock Springs, WY.  

The only picture we took in Utah!
Life elevated.


During our drive that day, we stopped at gas station called 'The Middle of Nowhere' that was literally in the middle of nowhere - nothing for miles and miles and miles!  The best part of this place were the ALPACA'S that were fenced in front of the convenience store of the gas station just hangin' out!

They were the cutest alpaca's!  Kingsley hated them.  Typical.

A cool tunnel we drove through in the mountains of Wyoming.





10/23

We were very excited for today!  Today we were driving into Colorado to visit Mitch's brother and cousin for two nights.  We woke up in Wyoming to light snow flurries and temperatures in the 30s, but it got nicer out as we drove down into Colorado.

This guy was parked next to us at the campground when we got up to leave in the morning.  Antler christmas tree AND they were from Wisconsin!  

Welcome to Colorful Colorado.

Approaching the Rockies.


Mitch's brother, Collin, and cousin, Matt, live together in Silverthorne, CO, near Dillon, Frisco, Breckenridge, and Keystone.  We stopped for lunch in Steamboat Springs, about 45mins from Silverthorne.  Once again, there weren't any food trucks, so we stopped and asked some cool looking dudes where we should get lunch.  They recommended a place called 'Black Country Provisions' for sandwiches.

'Black Country Provisions' - Steamboat Springs, CO


What we got:
Tuna on a Baguette with Chips and Izze Blackberry soda.
Turkey, Avocado and Bacon with Chips and Izze Blackberry soda.

Total: $29 (is it me, or is that a lot for some sandwiches?)

Tuna sammy.  Mitch didn't seem to think getting my smiling mug in the picture was important.

Turkey sammy.

We arrived at Collin and Matt's house around 5pm.  Mitch made dinner for everyone and we hung out at the house for the night.

I had 3 sweaters on in this picture - I'm not used to this cold weather!
T-bone steaks for the guys (clearly I was NOT thrilled with the choice of dinner)... with rosemary potatoes and sautéed mushrooms.



10/24

Today Collin and Matt both had off of work, so they drove us around to show us where they worked and to get lunch.  We stopped in Frisco, CO at a place called 'Pika Bagel Bakery & Cafe.'

'Pika Bagel Bakery & Cafe' - Frisco, CO


What we got:
Hummus and veggie bagel sandwich with chips and a hot tea.
BLT bagel sandwich with chips and coffee

Total: $24

Hummus bagel.

BLT bagel.



We are very happy to report that we found a roadside stand/food truck selling homemade venison jerky's, all kinds of produce, and jelly's, called 'Uncle John's Farm Stand.'  We stocked up on stuff to make for dinner that night.

What we got:
Spicy Buffalo Jerky 
Squash
Onions
Raspberry Jelly
Potatoes
Corn cobs

Total: $31

'Uncle John's Farm Stand' - Frisco, CO

This was the last week they were open for the season, so we were lucky to find them!

The goods.


We did a little more sightseeing, including going to the local 'Breckenridge Distillery' for some complimentary bourbon shots and a tour of the facility.

Collin and I and a lot of whiskey.

Scenery shot.

The guys - Kingsley, Mitch, Matt, and Collin.



It was starting to get very cold, so we headed back to the house.  Before we knew it, it was snowing!  And it didn't stop for the rest of the night.  We wondered if we were going to be able to leave in the morning!

The Belafonte's first snow!

23 degrees and snowing.


Mitch made dinner again for everyone....

Spaghetti squash, roasted potatoes, jasmine rice, and sweet corn succotash.



Tomorrow morning we are leaving to start our trek back to Wisconsin.  We're going to stop in Denver for the afternoon to eat at some food trucks (I guess there's a ton there), then drive as far as Des Moines, IA to camp overnight one last time before our trip is over!  


Total Food Truck Spending for 4 Days: $31 (under budget)

Total Spending:
Gas: $464
Idaho KOA Campground: $33
Idaho Joe's restaurant: $33
Starbucks: $11
Wyoming KOA Campground: $35
Food Stand: $31
Black Country Provisions: $29
Pika Cafe: $24
Fred Myers: $46

Total for 4 Days:  $706 (under budget)



Tomorrow, Denver.  Then through Nebraska and Iowa before returning to Wisconsin for a week.

xoxo
Mitch and Laurel