Homeward Bound

We reluctantly returned Eddie the Revel back to his owner in Salt Lake City yesterday. We named him after the relentlessly upbeat and dependable shipboard computer in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. We finished the audiobook somewhere in the middle of Idaho.

But not before we took a 60 mile detour to Las Vegas, for hand-pulled noodles at Shang’s. We discovered Shang Artisan Noodle on our last RV trip along I-15, and have been craving the dan-dan noodles ever since. It’s located in a small, cramped space in a nondescript strip mall not too far from the Strip. Patrons slurp hand-pulled Chinese noodles while watching the staff rhythmically slap dough on the counter.

The wait is almost always 1+ hour, even on a Thursday afternoon at 2pm when we arrived. Also, the number of slurpers crammed into a small, un-ventilated space sans masks, made us decide to do take-out. Hot noodles were promptly delivered to our campervan door step, parked a few feet outside. We happily slurped our dan-dan in the spacious dining galley of the Revel, windows wide open and bug screens down, while the crowds standing outside Shang’s gaped.

It will take us 2 days to drive back to Wenatchee, with a stopover in Boise, ID for dry-aged steaks. The first shower after an RV trip is always glorious, as I luxuriate under the unlimited hot water and give thanks to the miracle of modern plumbing.

It won’t be long, though, before I get the itch to do this again. Glacier National Park? Off-the-grid Colorado? The Oregon/California coast? I have 7 months to dream and plan. We have already booked a Winnebago Revel for the last 2 weeks of May 2021.

November 2, 2020