California to Iowa - day 2
Today's photos
So I'm thinking about the "latte-drinking liberal" moniker...it seems likely that if Jesus drank coffee, it would've been the thick middle-eastern style best known in America as Turkish coffee, with spices and perhaps a lot of sugar. Not a latte, sure, but much closer to espresso than to Folgers Crystals.
Not, of course, that logic or historical accuracy has anything to do with it.
This Best Western is like any other, so much so that I just had to stand up and look at my reservation printout to remind myself which chain it is. But that's what they offer: consistency. My hotel reservations for this trip are with a variety of brands, but I suspect I still won't see much difference at this price range.
Bought breakfast and something lunchy from Wild Oats...I'm still surprised that this store didn't last in Berkeley. My mocha tastes too much like soy. Diane Rehm is quavering intelligenly on the radio.
So I'm thinking about the "latte-drinking liberal" moniker...it seems likely that if Jesus drank coffee, it would've been the thick middle-eastern style best known in America as Turkish coffee, with spices and perhaps a lot of sugar. Not a latte, sure, but much closer to espresso than to Folgers Crystals.
Not, of course, that logic or historical accuracy has anything to do with it.
This Best Western is like any other, so much so that I just had to stand up and look at my reservation printout to remind myself which chain it is. But that's what they offer: consistency. My hotel reservations for this trip are with a variety of brands, but I suspect I still won't see much difference at this price range.
Bought breakfast and something lunchy from Wild Oats...I'm still surprised that this store didn't last in Berkeley. My mocha tastes too much like soy. Diane Rehm is quavering intelligenly on the radio.
there are holes in rocks
cows staring up at them, mute
highway zooming past
Lyman rest area - all old folks, except for a couple around my age speaking German. Time to start World War Z.
damn, this is good.
another Wyoming rest stop, this one
with wind blowing from the faraway
mountain looming close, topped
with white like a crazy old man.
driving up the exit I wanted to
write something portentious, displaying a
deep understanding of America based
on the road roaming ahead and falling behind
but instead I just sang along
to Eleanor Rigby, pulling next to
a beat-up RV with a blue
UCSF sticker in the window.
wind behind, windmills ahead, and strange
hip-hop now playing for my ears only
I will return to the road, essentially
unchanged by the experience.
that's travel for 'ya.
I'm getting amazing mileage on this trip -- 47.6 mpg since the last
fill-up. The cheapest gas here is 85 octane, rather than 87 at home --
so I've been buying the mid-range 88. I wonder if mid-range 89 octane
would provide similar performance at home...it'll be worth a try.
Could also be all the time I'm spending with cruise control active, rather than California traffic.
As I was getting close to Cheyenne, I thought it'd be fun to stop at a steakhouse -- this being cattle country and all. Yahoo! Local brought me an interesting-looking option, but I couldn't get a map due to spotty signal.
Reaching the eastern side of the city, I gave up and pulled into a gas station to pee...and there it was, T-Joe's, just opening for dinner with Willie Nelson on the jukebox. I ate a fairly good ribeye with a baked potato and iced tea, and left (tipping well) as the dining room began to fill with thick-set jeans-wearing grey-haired folks who looked perhaps slightly uncomfortable as the jukebox switched from classic country to Jefferson Airplane singing about drugs.
Next stop is the other side of Nebraska.
Just entered Hall County, Nebraska. I'm in Central time now, which is contributing to the feeling that this has been one long-ass day.
World War Z was extremely good; I'm glad I bought it.
Aha! A sign: Lincoln in 106 miles. I'll get there around 1 AM local time. Add in my stop for dinner and the time zone, and Yahoo! Maps' time estimate is pretty much spot on. I was hoping it'd be long, but with the speed limit mostly 70 I'm not going to beat the math by going 80.
80 just feels good. Any faster and my engine strains uphill, and I have to pay more active attention...any slower and it feels like I'm crawling along with the big rigs.
Every now and then there's a strong smell of manure, probably a local version of Cowschwitz nearby.
95 to Lincoln! The miles are just...I dunno, they're just miles. I'm too tired for allegory.
Useful data for the return trip: 10 hours really is about it for me. I can stretch it to 11 if I'm well-rested (which I ain't, though green tea helps.) Any longer requires serious caffiene, which isn't sustainable over multiple days.
I kinda feel like I already knew this. Maybe now it's more scientific.
Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry
No Trackbacks
