Made it to Lincoln NE

So happy to be leaving SLC...... there is ice on my car when I leave - haven't seen that in years. It is SO cold... or so I thought. More on that later.

The valley just past SLC is absolutely beautiful. farms in the lower valley and big expensive-looking houses on the lower hills. There is a man-made lake - of course frozen - toward the end of the valley and the views are stunning.

It seems horses are popular pets because everyone has one. Keith - what do you think? The corgis and Willy would love that!


Or perhaps some cows....

I promise this is the first and last picture with animals. I could get carried away.. in fact yesterday I saw packs of animals on the hills on the side of highway in Wyoming but have NO idea what there were....

One question though: why do people leave horses outside in this frigid weather?





So the next few pictures are of Utah and Wyoming. Very beautiful and very cold. I can't believe how cold it is.

I stopped for lunch in Rock Springs and it was 22 degrees! Besides the cold.. I feel like I should be driving a pick-up truck - and wearing a cowboy hat. Everyone drives a pick-up truck and wears a hat. I am certain that the locals know I am not from here. :) In Wyoming Highway 80 was closed - there were signs 100 miles prior that the road was closed. I decide to ignore the warning. I really do appreciate the warning but in Wyoming there are not other alternative highway choices. I also figure that whatever the "wreck" is - it should be cleared up by the time I get there... the sign did say 100 miles.

Well... after Rock Springs the highway patrol was pulling everyone off the highway. The choice was to turn around or wait in an area off the highway. I decide to wait and parked with about 100 other cars and trucks. 3 hours and one nap later we are still parked - but joined by about 300 other cars and trucks. I felt like we were all waiting for Tammy Wynette to make an appearance.


I decide to wing it and take a local road.. which was great since I got on the old "Lincoln Highway" for a while. I avoided a few highway entrances and finally got back on. No cars... It was strange at first and I kept checking for a cop to pull me over or a helicopter to come out of nowhere and shoot at me... (road imagination again) but then I got confidence that everyone else was just wearing a hat that was too tight.

Well... about 25 miles down the highway there is a huge accident and highway patrol everywhere. Oooops..

I got pulled over and asked "how the @#*% did I get on the highway and did I know that there was a $750.00 fine? Well since I buzz my head now I can't pull the blonde thing... come to think about it I never had blonde hair.... I also have not brought the twins so that's out. I didn't think the gay cop fantasy would work in Wyoming either so let's see... I will pull the Dumb Californian. It worked! He let me through and past the accident (which in California would have been pushed over in two minutes to let the traffic through). I respect their dedication to the job.

So the highway for me after that was free sailing. I got to thinking about how cold it was and how nice warm weather would be... and decided to change my iternary to visit the family in Nebraska on the way to the east rather than on the way back. That way I can drive south on the way back. So I decide to drive to Lincoln and spend a couple of days there. It was a long drive but that disco nap at the Tammy drive-in show helped alot.

Stopped in Laramie, WY on the way... creepy place. I was thinking about Susan and Matthew when I stopped for lunch. I was trying to understand what Susan meant by giving them her money..... usually the opposite would occur but I get it.

I ended up driving through Nebraska in the dark of the night - which was probably good because if it had been daytime I would probably not eat beef for years. Those of you who have been down I5 will understand that.

One last story... I stopped for dinner in Sidney Nebraska. I needed a salad SO bad (how often does one get to say that?!). The waiter was a very young guy who had blonde and black shoulder length hair (obviously dyed). We talked a bit and when he found out I was from California he really got to talking. He had moved here from California because his Dad got a job in Sidney. He said that he was adjusting pretty well. I can't help but think about what it would be like to be his age with his hair in Nebraska. Hopefully it is much easier than when I was younger. Readers: don't even go there!