Anniversary weekend '09

We had a great weekend here. It was A~ and my anniversary this weekend, actually it's next Sunday but we always celebrate it on this weekend courtesy of the long MLK weekend. As usual, we made out annual trek through the desert to Wendover. We like to have a few drinks, gamble a little and just of be a couple for a couple of days rather than just Mom and Dad. We didn't win at all (we left a little money for seed for the next visit) but it wasn't a total loss. I guess since we've made it a tradition of heading out there for 7 years now, we've made it to the frequent donors list. Because of this, we were able to get a free room, free $10.00 cash and have accrued enough "comp" dollars that we could pay for our food while we were there. Of course any money that we got for "free" from them was actually harvested from previously planted "seed money". So what, we had a great time!

So, wanna see what a free room looks like?Not too shabby huh? Of course it's nothing spectacular either, but it's was in the budget if you know what I mean...

The weekend wasn't just about the free room or the fun we had there necessarily, It was about the trip and the time. A~ and I have always been able to pass time together. Since we first found each other nearly ten years ago, we've just enjoyed each others company. I always enjoy these times when we're just riding along together listening to the radio, singing along or talking about what we dream of doing. I'm really lucky to have found such a perfect companion.

So, besides all the gushing about how much I love my wife...I thought I'd give you all a little picture, a few actually, of the stark yet interesting landscape we were kept company by throughout our drive. It's different, I think, than almost anywhere else.
At any one time you can feel like you're completely alone. No one in front, no one behind, just you, the hum of the road under you and the desert.
Then, at other times, the Salt Lake reaches out to greet you and rides shotgun alongside the road for miles and miles.
We stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats visitor center this time, something that we've never done before. It's really a pretty unique feature to this part of the country. It was created by the same natural method that built the salt ponds where we harvested our local salt last year.
I love this picture... I thought it gave a good idea of the vastness of the salt flats. They just go on and on and on.... And then there's the "Tree of Utah". It's the beacon on our trip, and let's us know that we're almost there. It's not pretty per se, but it grows on you I guess...pun intended.

I Hope you liked joining us on our little trip through the desert. I've got a HUGE week coming up this week, so I'll do my best to keep up with you. A~ and I start our Master Gardener class on Wednesday so I'll let you know how that works out and what I can expect.
All the best to you all!
P~