X-Country Drive

October Vacationing

Last year we found enough time to take two short vacations. The second one was in October which turned out to be a nice time to still enjoy the pleasant weather while avoiding the crowds.

Our itinerary was to visit our son and family in Reno, NV and then hop north to Grand Teton National Park and enjoy the outdoors. Our route to Reno was pretty straight forward – taking Interstate 80 for the first half of our trip.

Our home in Grand Rapids is a solid midwestern city. We’re used to the familiar surroundings – cities, farms and small factories. As we drove westward we could see changes to the scenery.

Black – Grand Rapids to Reno
Red – Reno to Grand Tetons to Grand Rapids

A noticeable change in scenery as we travel west . Here’s a feed lot in Ogallala, Nebraska

Wyoming is known for its oil production. This is the huge Sinclair refinery.

Captivating rock formations line Interstate 80 near Green River, Wyoming

We took this selfie at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

This downtown sign shouts to us as we arrive in Reno.

Tall trees characterize the Sierras close to Reno

A long coastline at King’s Beach along Lake Tahoe

A paddle boarder enjoys the cool waters of Lake Tahoe.

Leaving Reno we head towards Grand Teton National Park. We backtrack on I-80 for a short distance and then cut through southeastern Idaho. It’s a 700 mile drive through some very unpopulated high desert terrain.