I Drive a 55

Before I left to spend a week with my family in Idaho, I got up early and went waterskiing with my buddy Joey.

This was my Tuesday morning:

Thanks Marsha for the killer shot.
After we put the boat away I took a little nap at Joey’s before I hit the road.
I woke up just in time for LA rush-hour traffic.
And it was only 102 degrees.
As I drove to Vegas with the AC blowing cold, I noticed “The Worlds Largest Thermometer ” in Baker, CA read 112 degrees.
I love my air conditioning.
The next morning I got up early, fueled The 55 at the Unocal down the street and I was off.
I was making really good time too.
Until…
Just outside of Hiko, NV.
The officer was kind enough to let me off with a warning and send me on my way.

When I saw the road in front of me I had to stop.
It just keeps on going and going and going.
Less than an hour later I was in Caliente, NV.

I stopped for lunch at the original Carl’s.
Great parking!

My next stop was Great Basin National Park.

If you’re keeping score, Great Basin is the 8th National Park I’ve been to since May of this year.
You climb from the high desert up to over 10,000 ft. with views over what seems like the entire state of Nevada.

From Great Basin National Park I drove straight up to The Salt.

The Bonneville Salt Flats International Speedway.

I had never been to The Salt.
I drove out to the end of the road – kinda like a cul-de-sac – and I took pictures with the two signs.
There was also two big-rig car transporters parked there idling patiently.
I saw out in the distance what looked like a bunch of racers so I drove out to see what was going on out there without a second thought.
It’s smooth and soft.

It’s also blindingly bright.
When I got out there, I found out it was just a photo-shoot.

As I pulled up the crew started taking pictures of my car.
It didn’t dawn on me until someone said:
“I can’t believe your drove this out here on the salt. Aren’t you afraid it’s going to rust?”
“Uhhhhhhhhh… What?”
That actually never crossed my mind.
What the hell was I thinking?
Then I noticed my shoes were heavy.
I had over an inch of salt caked to the bottom of my shoes.
And the entire underside of The 55 was caked in salt.

I drove back to Wendover, NV and used the scrub brush at the local gas station to de-salt as much as I could.
When I got back out on the road I watched in the rear-view mirrors as chunks of salt fell off of The 55 exploding into a million little white pieces scattering themselves across the highway.
When stopped for a break I checked my Instagram and I noticed I had a message.
It was from a friend I met earlier in the year at the Ziptie Drags in Tucson, AZ telling me he had seen The 55 earlier in the day in Caliente, NV.
No way!!
On my last trip thru Kanab, UT my friend Brandice saw The 55 and came over to say hi and now this.
It’s reasons like this why I love social media.
The next morning I made it into Idaho.

I had to stop to see the place where one of my childhood heroes did one of the coolest stunts ever.
Evel Knievel’s Snake River Canyon jump!!
There’s a little monument set up Evel at  the Twin Falls Visitor Center.
What I didn’t know was that the Perrine Bridge is the one of the only places in the US where BASE jumping legal year round without a permit.
And there were a bunch of ’em packing up ready to go.
Check em out here.
After Twin Falls I drove to Boise to meet my brother, sister-in-law and my nieces and nephew.
They’re the reason I drove up here in the first place.

I love those guys.
As luck would have it, the road from Boise up to McCall is Highway 55.

So I had to get a picture.
Saw this driving into McCall.

We all had a great week together.
Alex even got up on water-skis for the first time.
Leaving McCall I drove north on the 55 in The 55 up to New Meadows where I had the best lunch ever.

I was just a bit early for the matinee at the local Drive-in in Parma.

Had to stop at the pretty green pasture.
If you zoom in close to the windshield you can see a horse kicking up its hooves frolicking with the other horses. 
Then my luck ran out.
Apparently word had gotten out amongst the law enforcement community…

This time I didn’t get off with just a warning.
But I made it into Oregon.

Fell in love with the Sahara Motel in Jordan Valley, Oregon.
TV, Phone and in room coffee!

And plenty of parking.

Fueled up in Orovada, Nevada.

I made it to Reno for Hot August Nights.

My buddies Hondo & Riley put me up in the Laidback Hospitality Suite.
It was pretty sweet.
I was proud of all the bugs splattered across the front end so even though I had my Mother’s Polishes bag of goodies with me – I decided to keep The 55 covered in road grime.
And everyone loved it.
Then, after sitting in the sun, the little crack in the windshield grew to a big crack.
For those of you keeping track, that’ll be my third windshield this year.
And it looks like a little rock got my drivers side headlight.
That’s my second headlight of the year.

Doesn’t look half bad for being a filthy beast sitting amongst show cars.
And I got to hand out with Randy & Sydney Weaver of Weaver Customs who brought out their super sick 53 Chevy #Vortex

That’s a 1 of 3 Magunsson twin-roots supercharger.
This thing rips!!
Leaving Reno, I took a drive thru Lake Tahoe.

If you didn’t know, I gotta thing for Claes Oldenburg, so I made my way over to Salinas to check out his “Hat in Three Stages of Landing.”

And if you haven’t been to Salinas…
It’s an acquired taste.
From Salinas I drove down to Grover Beach and caught up with an friend of mine from The Price Is Right days.
And from there back down the 101 and into LA.
Again, for those of you keeping track, the states I’ve been to so far this year in The 55:
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Utah.
The National Parks I’ve been to so far this year:
Grand Canyon National Park – north & south rims, Mesa Verde National Park, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Zion National Park, and Death Valley National Park -282 below sea level.
I’ve been over Loveland Pass the Continental Divide and to the summit of Pike’s Peak 14,115 ft. above sea level.
I’ve gone thru 3 windshields and 2 headlights.
And I still got a lot of miles to travel in The 55 before the year is over.
Next week I’ll tell you about the drive up to the Goodguys 32nd West Coast Nationals in Pleasanton, CA.
Until then, If you see me out on the road, be sure to gimme a wave and say hi.
Tell me #idrivea55