Day Two - Midwest, Iowa to Wyoming

Breakfast had given us enough of the fuel along with a four hour power nap to drive on with a goal. Cheyenne, Wyoming was our hotel destination. The atlas had become our friend and what's another 500 miles after all? We were out of Iowa and into Nebraska in a heartbeat. The sun was up, it was 74 degrees, the cd player in our car was playing all of our favorite car songs and we were heading west! Omaha flew by in a jumble of what could be dicey exits in rush hour but was relatively quiet on a Saturday morning.

It is 499 miles from Omaha, Nebraska to Cheyenne, Wyoming. I feel as if I should put a disclaimer on this part of the trip. Everyone we met along the way in Nebraska was friendly, nice, welcoming and polite. I'm sure there are many, many people who love Nebraska. Driving 499 miles along a flat, relatively uninteresting terrain was pure agony for me. Of course, at this point we hadn't been to Utah or Nevada yet. RTC and I did a lot of talking, realizing that we can have excellent conversation for hours on end. I wrote my poetry prompts for the poetry website I contribute to for the month of August. Productive. I wrote out postcards to my kids. I drove for four hours while Richard slept. The one thing that was best about it? You could set the cruise control for 80 mph and it was a flat, steady drive. Other than that, couldn't wait to get out of Nebraska.

There was a stretch of highway that was absolutely bizarre. As we drove, it sounded as if there was a song or humming coming from the road. We varied the speed a bit and the tune changed. I have no idea why it made that sound other than a sign that claimed it was an experiment by the state to use asphalt that had recycled tires in it. Go figure, it was a nice diversion. We passed beneath the huge North Platte Archway which houses a history of the western expansion museum. We didn't stop on the way out and as we were returning, we tried to stop but the museum had just closed. Next trip perhaps. There were many signs for 'pioneer' like attractions. Just coming off my museumed out trip in Philly, I wasn't interested in setting foot in one for a few days. I kept making a joke of every attraction, "here's the exit, turn now, come on, we need to stop....WE NEED TO STOP.." but of course we just drove by. Time for that later.

As we drove we literally came a stones throw from Colorado, but continued on, anxious to finally be done with this leg of the trip. The terrain in the western part of Nebraska started to change and became a bit more of an incline, a few more hills with the highest point in Nebraska coming just as we were about to enter Wyoming at a height of 5,424 ft at Panorama Point.

Wyoming is a beautiful state. The changing land around every turn is lovely and the sight of the Rocky Mountains was something to behold. I've seen them before, but each time is just as awe inspiring. We found ourselves in Cheyenne by three p.m and decided to get some gas and food and just stretch. We stopped at the first exit after the Port of Entry where you have to declare your livestock and happened upon T-Joe's Steakhouse and Saloon. We sidled up to the bar, ordered hamburgers and a beer and enjoyed a relaxing conversation with the owner, who happened to be bartending. We found out about local Cheyenne politics, liquor and smoking laws in Wyoming and a host of other familiar topics. The decor was very familiar, with tables and chairs crafted out of wood stumps and branches, TVs showing the races and a pool table occupied by two fellas in camo gear. Felt right at home. Those from Wyoming have a bit of a twang in their voices. It became more obvious as we headed west. Interesting.

We finished our meal and since we felt a bit refresed decided to drive a bit more and spend the night on the Continental Divide in Rawlins. We were treated to some amazing views of the mountains and canyons in Medicine Bow National Forest. The colors and variety of scenery was a nice change from our trip throughout the day.

The exits for Rawlins found us just after the dinner hour and we were ready for a good night's rest. The first thing we saw as we approached Rawlins was the refinery. It stayed with us one way or another the entire night. Next time you'll hear about all that...