Another year, another spring dilemma about how to get a car from Texas to Idaho. After I nixed Don’s idea of shipping the car because I like the adventure of driving, we tossed a few ideas around. One stuck quite quickly. Don would fly and since my sister would be on summer break about the time we needed to get a car to Idaho, maybe she would be up for a roadtrip. I called her and a plan was hatched.
Our journey to the Pacific Northwest began near Austin. Instead of interstate highways, a last minute routing change had us driving small two lane roads through the Hill Country for the first several hours. We traveled through what is called the Devil’s Backbone. I haven’t been on that road in decades. I think the Texas gods were trying to make us remember that no matter what we saw on our roadtrip, Texas is beautiful, too. Alas, we were new at the sister roadtrip thing and didn’t take any photos of the gorgeous scenery.
Once we were on Interstate 10 driving through West Texas, our meal options were limited as they are few and far between. The most notable thing about the place we stopped for dinner was the mounts on the wall. Note to self: Pack a meal for the first day of driving when heading through West Texas.
We arrived at our Fort Stockton hotel late in the evening and headed out the next morning. If we had extra time, we would’ve stopped by the Annie Riggs Memorial Museum which documents frontier life in West Texas. Annie bore ten children and ran a successful hotel which her heirs donated to the town. If you happen to be in Fort Stockton and have time to visit the museum, please go and tell me your thoughts.
Our next stop was Tucson, but first a spin through Sierra Blanca for a photo of the Hudspeth County courthouse, lunch in El Paso, and a lot of questions about the pecan groves along the Rio Grande.
We drove straight through New Mexico slowing down only to ogle at the gorgeous rock formations early in the drive. We made it to Tucson, Arizona and stayed at my favorite 50s themed boutique motel. The next morning we drove through Tucson past the University of Arizona on our way to the Sabino Canyon to take the Sabine Canyon Crawler through the canyon.
Our next stop was Phoenix. We had a nice easy night and then a big day with my friend, Julia, at the botanical garden, the Heard Museum and the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM). We did not allow enough time for the MIM. I think a person could spend two full days there and still might not see everything! After a bit of late afternoon relaxation, we rallied and went to dinner and the late comedy show headlined by fellow Texan and Saturday Night Live alum, Devon Walker.
On our way from Phoenix to Sedona we experienced the beauty of the Verde Valley in central Arizona by meandering through through Jerome (a well preserved copper mining town), driving through the restored original downtowns of Cottonwood and Clarkdale, and finally walking the trail at the Tuzigoot National Monument.
The road leading into Sedona from the Verde Valley area is a gorgeous drive. We oohed and ahhed more times than we could count.
The next morning we ate breakfast and got on the road. We had the longest drive since arriving Arizona several days ago: 5 1/2 hours. Bryce Canyon in Utah was our destination, but first a stop in northern Arizona at Horseshoe Bend.
Our last stop before a big day of driving through Utah and southern Idaho to Boise was finally upon us: Bryce Canyon National Park.
The drive from Bryce Canyon to Boise was easy and long. We stopped in Salt Lake City for lunch at a delicious Lebanese restaurant. And of course, we had to see the Temple Square (still under renovation) and the nearby Utah state capitol.
With eight days, seven nights, five states countless conversations, lots of laughter and almost 2,400 miles under our belt, I dropped my sister at the airport in Boise so she could get it back to Texas for a teacher workshop.
Dana, thank you, thank you for making the 2026 Idaho pilgrimage with me. It was a whirlwind of a good time!
New City New State 