"the journey" - days 2&3

So I didn't post yesterday. I know. I should feel ashamed.
But here's a post to make up for it.

Day 2 - drive from Buffalo, WY to Salt Lake City. We started out with a GORGEOUS mountain view from Jenna's house. Situated right on the edge of town, the view of the Bighorn mountains was just what we needed to motivate us to wake up and get moving.

We were soon off to our drive through nowhereness, WY. The landscape was enough to enjoy, however, as we drove through several mountain passes. Driving into SLC was the most exciting however, as the mountains had grown (it seemed); We also passed a ski run from the 2002 Winter Olympics - a highlight from the road at least.

We finally pulled into SLC around 6:30, checked into the hotel, and microwaved our easy-mac. From there we decided to just head to the Mormon Tabernacle. It was fairly close by, and was free. Plus, if you know me, you would know that I love architecture.

Putting our slight fear of Mormon convertists aside, we entered the Tabernacle and received a guided tour. It. Was. HUGE!!!
From there the tour guide told us to head to the temple grounds across the street. After taking maybe just 6 photos, two girls came up to us and started talking to us. (Yes, I know what they were probably trying to do.) But they were so sweet and were not imposing and pushy at all. They very willingly took us all around the grounds into different buildings, giving us all the background of every one. They could have been official tour guides themselves.
After being graciously lead around, they suggested that before we leave we walk over to the other side of the temple to view the reflecting pool and a beautiful lit view of the front of the temple. Needless to say, it was a beautiful sight to behold.

After Chelsea and I took about 700 photos (collectively), we headed back to the hotel for a night of hot-tubbing and sleep!

This morning was an early start as we began our trek across the "desert." Since when does the desert mean 40 degrees, cold, and RAINY?! Just wondering. Because that's what we had virtually the entire way across. It was patchy rain and clouds, occasionally letting the sun poke through for a half our period or so.

The real excitement, however, came as we got to the California border.
(We got stopped at the agriculture "stopping point." (Which I thought was a toll booth at first). "Do you have any fruits in your car?" he asked. "I quickly answered 'apples & grapes'." "I'll need to see the apples." So I bent over the seat, opened the cooler, and pulled out the two Pink Lady apples purchased far away in Watertown, SD. The guard then checked our apples... Good news: Our apples were safe to enter California! Thank Goodness! (I just don't know how we could have made it the rest of the way today without them.)

But wait...there's more excitement. About 5 miles after that stop, it began to...not rain, not even in sunshine rays...it began to SNOW! It wasn't so terrible at first. Just a few streams that seemed like rain. But the farther we went, the bigger the flakes got and the whiter the ground got. Not after long Chelsea and I were ready to start singing Christmas songs. For about an hour we drove in what seemed like a really good snowstorm. Chelsea kept her calm and cool while driving, while i clung onto whatever I could, trying not to completely lose my sanity. (YOU try driving in a snowstorm with 5% grades down a mountain!)

We winded our way down the mountain, and finally the snowflakes turned into rain. And then we went farther and the rain turned to patchy fog. And then the patchy fog turned into....SUNSHINE, PALM TREES, AND GORGEOUS WEATHER??? Seriously, what is up with you California? Are you really that hot n' cold? (Nice pun, I know.)

We finally made our way to Sunnyvale, to the home of Chelsea's great aunt. It has been a BLAST here so far. As soon as we got here, they fed us. And do I ever mean FEED us!
Dinner turned to chatting in the living room - about San Francisco and their travels abroad (and boy, do they ever have stories!) Chelsea's great aunt is a firecracker - and a hilarious one at that. Some of the stories she told about her and her husband's travels and adventures together were side-splitting. Then we learned that she is an artist - in the true sense of the word. She paints (many BEAUTIFUL paintings), she makes lamp shades (also BEAUTIFUL) and just about anything else you can imagine. We kept saying "We're just trying to figure out what you're NOT talented at...and we've got nothing."

Chelsea and I will head to San Fran tomorrow for some sightseeing, then head down HWY 1! It's so surreal to think that we're in California. We're both having a great time and it's hard to keep from being too excited about whatever comes next!

For now, however, it is 1:30 am CENTRAL TIME! And even though 11:30 feels early to be going to bed, my eyes are growing harder and harder to keep open; not to mention that Chelsea has already zonked out beside me anyway.

PICTURES AND VIDEOS TO COME SOON! (turns out that it's a lot of work to edit the 500 I've taken so far! Not to mention putting together a video for each day of our travels..)