Day 2.....Headed on the Highway

Sleeping until 8am was absolutely delightful after arriving in "gorgeous" East Hazel Crest, IL. The "biker gang" that had been in the parking lot upon our arrival at 2am seemed to have dispersed, and it was pretty quiet upon our exit.

The drive on day 2 was really quite average and boring. We got out of the Chicago-land area before really talking about stopping anywhere. It was late morning when we decided to pull off and get gas and snacks.....and for some reason we picked the exit to Atkinson, IL. When we got off the exit, and the gas station was not immediately visible, we should have had a clue that it was not a good stop. Now....really.....there was nothing wrong with the town. But there we no people around, no businesses, and the gas station (part of the Casey's General Store chain) was in the middle of a fully residential neighborhood. Certainly, it was a nice town.....but it truly looked like the set from a horror flick. Jeepers Creepers comes to mind.

While in Atkinson, we got "homemade donuts" from the case. Now.....no telling which home they were made in....but the brown house on the corner looked like a donut-type of house. The key to which home they came from would have been to find the house with the stack of Crisco tubs....because the donuts were essentially lard-cakes with chocolate frosting. Thank goodness for the Dr Pepper to wash them down!

There was little to write about after Atkinson. We stopped in Omaha for dinner. Nuurdygirl was driving at that point....and while Geekboy slept, she noted to herself how much bigger Council Bluffs, Iowa, is than originally thought. Now, for anyone raised with Mormon history, you would remember that Council Bluffs was the starting point for the Mormon Battalion during the Mexican-American war. Just after Joseph Smith was killed, and Brigham Young became the leader of the Mormon Church, the Mormon Battalion was outfitted in Council Bluffs and marched all the way to San Diego. This battalion was interesting for a few reasons: first, it is the only religious battalion to exist in the United States, as well as being a key factor in many of the land purchased in the southwest area of the country. For Nuurdygirl...this was about the only place of historical interest that we came across. And in 3 minutes, we were through it and into Omaha.

Dinner in Omaha was at Cracker Barrel. Nice to have fairly normal and un-fast food ..... but with Nuurdygirl driving it did take 3 U-turns to get there. Now.....at this point it would make sense to insert a little anecdote about Hostage and his voracious appetite for corn bread....but Hostage deserves his own post. So look for that shortly. What will be said...is that we learned that dumplings are a vegetable. Whatever is listed on the menu, in the list with the vegetable side dishes, instantly gives said item vegetable status....Just ask the Cracker Barrel folk.

The longest part of the day dragged through Nebraska. Iowa seemed pretty long....but Nebraska seemed to stretch nearly as long as Pennsylvania. However, NOTHING was as long as Pennsylvania.

As the night wound down, fireworks started to appear. Being out in the nethers of nowhere, there were not large stadiums or displays. However, the highway was speckled with flashes and whistles from driveways, parks, and yards all along the way. You could see families with children in the drive and parents in lawn chairs enjoying the holiday. Groups of cars and pickup trucks parked at small homes for family gatherings.

Near the end of the day, around 10 pm, we stopped for gas and another drink. This time in Gothenburg, Nebraska. We pulled into the Shell station at exit 212....which looked to be the only place open. Far and away.....the best gas stop EVER! There was one older woman working there, and not another soul in sight. The place was well lit, organized, the bathrooms were clean, and the woman working was the nicest of any employee at any stop the whole way. She must have been near 70....and was sweet as could be. If you are ever in the west part of Nebraska, the Shell station in Gothenburg is highly recommended.

As you may recall, Ohio was rated as the stinkiest state on this trip. It should be noted that Iowa gets an honourable mention for having not only the North Skunk River, but also the South Skunk River. Wyoming tried to play in the game......but even though the instant we crossed the Wyoming border we were welcomed with a fresh skunk stink......it was not even in the running for the stinky title. We may have considered it....but to have yet another skunk so immediately was just taking it too far. Nebraska did get it's own stinky commendation....only because there were patches where it could not be said WHAT the animals were.

We arrived in Cheyenne, Wyoming, at about 1am local time. This capped off a nearly 15 hour day with 962.5 miles of road.

The state of the hotel was far better than near Chicago, and the rest was very welcome. Tomorrow would be another early one, even though shorter in distance and time.

Recap of Day 2 Highlights:

1. Novelty of travel plazas on the highway ended
2. Iowa City (where Nuurdygirl's friend Ben used to teach) is as boring as Ben (Brillo-boy) said
3. Dumplings are equivalent to carrots
4. Hostage has a junk food problem
5. 900 miles is the limit for driving in a day