Jaci Dawn

I love Nevada.

Just a little over two weeks ago I was loading up my car for one of those bitter-sweet trips to my home state that always leave me exhausted and hurting. In 2000, I swore I never wanted to fly to Nevada again because it seemed like every time I got onto an airplane headed to the Silver State, it was to attend a funeral. Of course that was the year I rode in the MD-80, in the tail section with no windows, just a few months after the terrible crash over the Pacific Ocean. I’m not saying that weighed on my thought process: I was too choked up over losing my sister to care what airplane I was flying in or if I had a window seat.

This year I chose to drive to Ely. By myself. Well, maybe not by myself. The thought of making a 13+ hour drive alone was not very comforting. My husband suggested I take Harvey along. My niece/youngest daughter asked if she could come. then she asked if her boyfriend could come. I liked that last suggestion: someone else could pump gas for me. I haven’t pumped gas since 1978 when I worked in a gas station for 2 weeks.

I chose to take the fastest route down: I-84 east out of Portland to Twin Falls and then US Hwy 93 south through Jackpot and Wells to Ely (13 hours 54 minutes). Since I had Harvey with me, I wouldn’t be able to spend the night in LaGrande with family: they all have big dogs of their own and no room for mine, too! I did an online search for pet-friendly motels on Tuesday and came up with several in the Ontario area. Unfortunately – or maybe fortunately – I did not make my reservations then. I made them on Wednesday after I knew that Chrystal’s boyfriend was definitely coming with us. By then my choices had narrowed considerably and I chose one at random: the Ontario Inn.

Thursday morning we loaded up and headed out. We stopped in LaGrande to visit my mother-in-law for an hour. It was hard to leave but I had reservations and a lot of miles to go.

I had some serious reservations when I pulled into the Ontario Inn. It’s one of those old-fashioned brick facade motels in old town Ontario. Maybe 10 rooms? I couldn’t see how it could be dog friendly but… I got out and confirmed my reservation, found out I had magically parked in front of the room we were to be in. The dog yard was “out back”. Harvey cost me an additional $5.

The room was great! Clean, quiet, roomy. The bathroom was huge.

The back yard was even bigger: what a hidden treasure!

Harvey definitely liked that yard!

We met people who stay at the Ontario Inn every year. They told us how they discovered it by accident – like I did – and how the great service has kept them coming back. If you’re ever in need of a pet-friendly motel in Ontario, I think we discovered the hidden gem.

Poor Harvey gets car sick. When we left Ontario the next morning, I decided to try turning his kennel to face the front of the rig instead of the back so he could get air-flow. He still resisted getting into the kennel after potty breaks, but he did somewhat better.

AJ fell asleep almost as soon as the car was in motion. Somehow I think I know what his mom did to get him to sleep as a baby: she put him in a car seat and drove around the block! Sadly, he missed some of the wildlife he wanted to see as we crossed into Idaho and faster speed limits. (I may love Oregon’s full service gas stations but tell me WHY we have to have a speed limit that is ten miles under any adjoining state? As soon as we crossed the Snake River, I pressed on the gas pedal and thought “Thank God: now we can make some real time!!” Oregon has stupid speed limits.)

AJ wanted his mom to know he really made it to Idaho. Sadly, I failed to get the distant blue mountains into this photo from the rest area near Mountain Home. Sorry AJ!

I do not like to drive into Twin Falls. In point of fact, I cannot remember when I last was in Twin Falls. I have this “thing” whereby we have to take the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway whenever we head to Ely. Maybe it is just that I want to get off of the freeway. Maybe it is a memory I have of my dad taking us through the Snake River canyon here. Whatever reason it is, when we reached Bliss we turned off of the freeway to take the scenic byway. And AJ stayed awake for the short drive to Filer.

In Buhl, I pointed out that we purchased Murphy there. Murphy is an Idaho dog. I am an Idaho girl. Chrystal and AJ immediately noticed the resemblance of the country to that of Napoleon Dynamite. I just laughed.

We stopped in Filer to top off my gas tank. It was then that I learned AJ had never pumped gas before. So much for my brilliant idea of bringing him along to pump gas for me! HAHA! After I showed him how to lock the gas pump he did fine. He just didn’t know that one little thing. He happily pumped my gas all through Nevada and California, content in the knowledge that the pump would turn off by itself when the tank was full. He just never did get the knack of rounding it up to an even number and I paid a few bills of $00.01 on my debit card (except for the time in California when I was the one who rounded the price up to an even number. Sorry AJ, but I actually pumped gas for a living once…)

AJ slept off and on while we headed south on 93. That was good: I learned later that he does not like to be in a car passing on a narrow 2-lane highway and I passed a couple semis going south. He woke up somewhere out of Wells and asked: “There aren’t really any wild horses are there?”

Uh. Yeah. So Chrystal and I entertained him with our political views of the BLM and wild horses. (Helps that my high school friend, Arla, has such a great website. Thank you Arla! And sorry we did not have time to come out to Cherry Creek to see you…)

Chrystal assured AJ that jackalopes are real, too. Can you believe that he was skeptical??

The drive from Jackpot to Ely was shorter than I remembered. Maybe it was all the memories: my first beer with my dad at the bar in Currie: I was 18 and home from college for Christmas. Dad met me in Wells and we drove south on 93 home. We stopped in Currie and he asked me what I wanted to drink. I knew he was testing me: did I drink? I was underage but heck – I decided to try ordering a beer. The bartender didn’t even question me and my dad quietly paid for the beer. It was the best Oly ever.

Then we were in Ely.

I left the kids at the house with Chrystal’s older brother, John, and went out to dinner with my brother. He chose the Silver State Restaurant which is currently owned by friends of his. I highly recommend the Silver State and will blog more about it. Besides, an old high school classmate of mine is the owner with his wife. It doesn’t get better than that.

It snowed overnight. Yay for Nevada (snow covered) in May…