DAY 168
Week 24
FORT COLLINS (Colorado, USA) MIDDLETON (Idaho, USA)
Tuesday December 5th, 2006
TODAYS MILEAGE – 790 miles or 1271 kilometres
TRIP MILEAGE – 38725 miles or 62322 kilometres
It's gonna be a long day!!! 
I was up at sparrows fart and wanting to get on the rood as I knew this leg was going to be the longest. Plan A was to hook up with a mate of mine in Salt Lake City (Utah, USA) but Al had a previous engagement that may have had him on the go until the late evening. Plan B was to see another mate of mine, Mel, in Pocatello (Idaho, USA) but something urgent popped up in Boise (Idaho, USA) at the last minute, so it was on to Plan C – drive straight through to Boise.
I was expecting the worst leg of the journey would be the 208 miles (335 kilometres) from Laramie (Wyoming, USA) to Rock Springs (Wyoming, USA). I wasn't disappointed. There was snow all around, but at least the roads were clear. At one point I used 2/3rd's of a tank of fuel going only 70 miles (113 kilometres). I normally get 330 miles (530 kilometres) out of a tank on the open roads. The "real time" traffic warnings were stating that winds were gusting up to 55 miles (89 kilometres) an hour. At times it was like I was running into a brick wall. The Trailblazer was kicking down to 2nd gear at 5000 RPM just to get DOWN a hill at 50 miles (80 kilometres) an hour.
Fair dinkum, Jack & Jill (from the nursery rhyme) would have been dead-set stunned, fucked & amazed while wandering around with their wonky wooden buckets. The winds would have blown over more sailors than Bangkok Betty. Amongst all this chaos & madness was some of the most beautiful rugged country that was made all the more special by being surrounded by snow covered peaks.
After fueling up in Ogden (Utah), it was smooth sailing on into the "Atkinson Shady Acres" ponderosa in Middleton (Idaho, USA) where Jax & Picture Boy (Ian) had held a cot for me. Ian works in the medical imaging field — so I think Picture Boy maybe appropriate for him.
Anyways ... I'm in safe and sound, so another day above ground is a good one.