Dan's Diary: Pacific To The Rockies

Stories From The 'Great American Vacation'

(CBS)  CBS News producer Daniel Baruch writes about his latest travels as he drives one of two Early Show Winnebagos across the country for the "Great American Vacation" giveaway.

I write to you on the dawn of the next giveaway in Austin, Texas. Why the wait? Well, much of my time has been spent driving and driving … and driving some more. I’ve had plenty of time to reflect upon my travels and decided to present this entry in the raw fashion of my personal diary. There’s not much action when traveling eight hours a day for a week straight, but there’s plenty of time to think.

Here’s a day-by-day account of my thoughts and experiences of the past week or so. I’ll save some goodies for the next time:

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View my photos!

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Monday, July 10:
At a clip usually reserved for airline pilots, I have traversed the expanses of our country and begun to discover an odd rhythm that I suspect only truckers experience. Eight-thousand miles into my trip, I’ve learned to embrace passing the time in silence. The road hums with emotion — sometimes whiny, occasionally soothing, but always talking. The lush, green, stout mountains of Western Oregon have given way to the soft, brown, undulating mountains east of the Cascades. These desert-like vistas pass more slowly as my eyes attempt to pierce the unknown distances surging towards the horizon. The clouds play tag with the Winnebago as they, too, streak across the landscape … sometimes a lone puff providing a perpetual shadow at speed in an almost entirely clear sky. When the shade passes, the sun beats on my arms… they throb to my heartbeat … I can see them darken as the day wears on. Burnt sienna-colored trains, rusted and weathered, creep silently along the base of the mountains like enormous slinking millipedes. Breaks for food are brief; I don’t want to lose the groove I've found behind the wheel. It's hard to believe the Pacific Ocean will soon give way to the Rocky Mountains.

Tuesday, July 11:
I strolled along the streets of Salt Lake City today. Things finally cooled off when another sapphire sky was invaded by rumbling storms. It was suiting, though. The grey skies lent an appropriately serious backdrop to the architecture in Salt Lake City. The Mormon Temple and the Cathedral of the Madeline transported me to another century with their decidedly Old World style. Billowing thunderclouds pulsating with lightning eventually cut my foot tour short. The downpour was a welcome relief from the afternoon's scorching heat.

On the drive to Cheyenne, Wyo., the heavens cleared and the highway seemed to sniff out every snowy peak that crept over the horizon until the sun set the white snow aglow in fiery oranges and lurid pinks.

Wednesday, July 12:
I've driven 1,500 miles since Sunday and I can finally roost for a few days. Although I'm a huge fan of Kamping at the KOA, it's a treat to have a fresh, king-size nest of pillows and blankets to fall face-first into after a 10-hour, 500-mile stint. I’ve become a Holiday Inn connoisseur in light of the smorgasbord of locations I’ve sampled over the past six weeks. Today, though, has not been a day of rest.