Of all the known "I can't wait to do this, or to see that" days, this was one that was not expected. Multiple people said this was going to be the hard travel day, just try to get through it without getting too bored! So, after getting some rest in Salt Lake City we hunkered down and prepared for a day of perpetual monotony. After 20 minutes we rolled up on the Salt Flats. I'll admit that it may have been because we had low expectations but they took our breath away. The sun was rising and reflecting the gradient sky against the icy water on the surface of the salt ground. We couldn't help but pull over, take our shoes of and glide along the silvery surface and take in the crisp fresh air.
Well that must have been our fun for the day, thats it. No more.
Nope. Some hours of driving through dessert landscape and land formations later we took a little detour trying to catch a couple hours in Lake Tahoe before the sunset and found ourselves driving up, up and suddenly on top of Mt. Rose at 10,700ft elevation playing in the snow.
We were specifically told to aim for Lake Tahoe at golden hour. Timing worked out just right and we kicked along the warm sand, filled our arms with perfectly shaped pinecones the size of my face, and climbed among the smooth, glowing rocks. It was time well spent.
Driving through so many drastically different terrains, temperatures, and stunning sights solidifies this as one of my favorite days to look back on. There's such magic in the unexpected.
