Cold front and tumbleweed

We went to bed last night in Utah with all the hatches and windows open so that the breeze would blow through and cool us off. It must have been in the 80s at Brigham City even with the gusty wind. But early in the morning before it got light the cold front blew through and the temperature dropped about 40 degrees F. Then it began to rain. It's a major shift in the weather. We left this morning in the pouring rain and headed up the pass into Idaho. This was a beautiful drive once the rain stopped. There was a dusting of white on the peaks and wide empty grasslands on either side.

It was surprising how many abandoned farms we passed in this area. It looks like nobody wanted to continue this way of life here.


Once over the pass, the front came at us with a vengeance--cross winds gusting to 60 mph forced us to drop our speed to under 40 miles per hour. Tumbleweeds were rolling across the road like popcorn.

We didn't make it to Oregon today--it was tense enough just getting to Boise. We de-stressed in a sweet little cafe near the university with lattes and cookies and good music and wifi. It seems we're more at home here than in the rough and tumble coffee shops of the agricultural heartland. I admit it--we're coffee snobs or espresso addicts. In any case, it's nice to be back in Cascadia and out of the empty quarter. Tomorrow we'll be in Oregon and that much closer to home.