Day 2, Tuesday, Oct 30/18

We were up early and on the road in the dark, LOL.  It was 7:40 when we rolled out of the hotel lot, filled with fuel and heading south.  The gasoline was $2.80 per gallon, so the equivalent of about 62 cents a litre, not bad.
  The highway was dry and bare, so great travel conditions.  We made Helena in good time, but when got in to the mountain pass to the south we started to see snow in the high country.  It was still early in the morning and the sun had not got high enough to start it's work on the road surface, so as we progressed there were snow accumulations on the road-side and shoulder.  This part of the roadway has lots of grades and some very tight curves where the recommended speeds are about 25 mph under the normal limit all for a very good reason.  Had to drive part of this way with the old foot feeder, rather than risk using the cruise control, but never encountered any slipping.  It is the most scenic part of the journey, so that made up for the bit of wet and snow on the driving surface.
  By the time we got through Butte it was still not noon, so filled up with that well priced Montana fuel.  Then it was on to Dillon and the Monida pass.  This is usually a daunting leg on the trip, but this year it was dry and bare roads with a bright sun filling the sky.  In a word it was a breeze.
  We got to Idaho Falls just after noon so stopped and ate a quick bite.  Temperatures were below freezing until Idaho where we they were in the plus.  We opted to eat in rather than get take away as we were making such good time.  The fuel prices were not that good in Idaho and we were over a half tank, so we continued on.  Traffic was light all the way from Great Falls, but we were beginning to see more snowbirds.  Most in cars or trucks, but a few RV's.  The Canadian contingent were mainly Alberta, but there were BC & Saskatchewan plates as well.
  We stopped at a couple of places looking for the accommodation booklets, but when we found them, they had nothing in the area we saw ourselves stopping in for the day.  So no discount coupons for these intrepid travelers.   By the time we got to the outer limits of Salt Lake City [Ogden] the traffic was getting heavy.  For several years now we have been spared the challenges of their never ending road construction project on the I-15.  Well you can imagine our delight in finding about half of the 70 plus miles through there with lane compromises and lower speed limits, all contributing to a nasty experience.  For our British family you won't understand our level of angst as it would have been quite familiar to you.  There were times when we were just crawling on the 8 lane freeway that was down to 6 or less.  As it was early in the afternoon we opted to go right through the major urban area of SLC, so we would not have to deal with it tomorrow.  Our destination ended being Provo, where we found a bit of a collection of hotels and picked the Sleep-Inn.  Our first time at one of these and it seems just fine.  Our only concession was that in order to stay on the main floor we had to take a handicap room.  It's great, lots of room, king size bed, it's giving me ideas for future bookings.  LOL
  Lots of dining options in the area around the hotel, but we opted for the buffet.  The name caused a bit of anxiety for me: Chuck-A-Rama; but it was a pleasant surprise.  There were two salad bars, 3 meats like a carvery: beef roast, ham & turkey.  Best of all the bread pudding was very good and that was a small part of the desert offering.
  Almost forgot the mileage.  Today we only made 988 km's or 614 miles.  So for the 2 days we are 2,200 km's from home.