Day 3: To Pocatello, Idaho!
Gotta say, the night’s sleep in the military bunker was fine, except….I laid awake suddenly anxious about how far away we were from everything. Most of the time I think this is an awesome perk of a trip: no light pollution, stars everywhere, quiet, freedom. Last night, all I could think about was how far we were from help if we needed something? Like if a puppy got hurt or one of us got food poisoning? SO WEIRD. Needless to say, I woke up this morning and we were out the door by 7:18a.
This was one of those nothingness driving days. We didn’t stop anywhere fun, so it was a heavy radio and puppy pit stop day. We did continue to take in the beautiful Steens and Sheepshead Mountains. Something strange I’d never seen before though: bugs ON the road crawling. They were so big that they looked like rocks strewn across the road. GROSS.
The puppies needed a pit stop near Mountain Home, ID, so we found this great park that was named in memory of Carl Miller, a stretcher holder that lost his life in WWI while rescuing other fallen soldiers. That was the only town we really stopped in. We did skirt Boise, though, so we waved for you Lindsay Richardson!
On the puppy front, I think Henry and Sadie are both already road worn. Henry is a massive drool monster anyway, so he drinks SO much water on our breaks. He’s trying to learn to share with Little Sadie Dog. Also, Henry has found a way to perch himself up on some packs we have in the truck bed; they allow him to lay down, but also see out the window. Standing up that whole time got exhausting, I suppose. At the end of every night, he cuddles up with the little lamb I got him at Easter. CUTE.
Today, we started in on the podcasts. I would normally put this under my “On the Radio” section, but all three were SO good that I have to call them out individually.
- This was the trip’s good juju of the day. We listened to this morning’s episode of the New York Times’ The Daily (my fave daily listen). The subject today? The Legacy of Rachel Held Evans. If you don’t know her, she was an amazing woman of faith whose evolution of thought paralleled and validated my own. To say she changed my spiritual point-of-view is an understatement. She passed away suddenly in May. Hearing recordings of her voice on this episode brought me to tears. Of grief. And of gratefulness that she could be a voice who strongly called people to account with kindness and grace. It’s only 30 mins — you should listen to it here. Dave and Tino, I think you’ll love the reporting.
- The Hidden Brain- What’s Not on the Test. Cool thing about this podcast was that early intervention into our children’s lives, even if only for pre-K, have lifelong effects: on IQ, on fiscal responsibility, on probability to attend college, and even a focus on a healthy lifestyle. This research was fascinating. Shelli Strahl, you will specifically love this one.
- Cocaine & Rhinestones: Ernest Tubb: The Texas Defense. This podcast blew me away and it’s only Episode One. Chris Bloom turned me on to this one and I’m stoked he did. First, it’s hilarious. Second, there are so many things we don’t know about some of the OG’s of country music. I thought I knew a good bit — I know nothing. This dude Tubb led a wild life that is worth listening to. Do it.
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On the Radio today was Pop Heaven. Here’s a smattering of the tunes:
- Delicate by T Swizzle (otherwise known as Cory’s PR music)
- The Middle by Zedd
- Toxic by Brit
- Don’t Let Me Down by The Chainsmokers
- I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran and The Biebs (they did a song together???weird.)
- Ride by 21 Pilots
Tomorrow, we head to Yellowstone and Cody, WY. We’re kickin’ it into high gear now. Lots of road to cover!
Missed yesterday’s entry? Read about our time at the Alvord Hot Springs.
