Day Three: Are We There Yet?
Trip Start
Jul 08, 2007
1
4
11
Trip End
Jul 16, 2007
Kearney,
Nebraska,
United States
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
How have Rachel and I not attempted to kill one another? Well, today we were tired. So there really wasn't energy for bickering. Also, there's not much to bicker about. Rachel pointed out earlier that the only things we can really complain about is if the other is driving too slow/fast or smells bad. Since we don't have issues with each other's driving, and since we've accepted the fact that we both smell, there's no tension.
Even though we haven't really gotten out of the car to explore the mid-west, there are some qualities that are pretty clear just from the car. Rachel deemed one such characteristic the "unabashed Christianity of middle America." (see pictures for example) Also, there are a lot of cattle (none of which we have seen dead on the side of the road)
01 Wyoming Sky
. I'm not quite sure what that says about the area, except that I've been challenged to find a vegetarian meal. Lastly, Rachel and I stick out. Today we were wearing matching shirts which warrants the stares. But even yesterday in Wyoming, we could tell that people were wondering where we came from. I'm not sure if it's our lack of Wranglers, our west coast jargon, or just because the locals have never seen us before, but we are definitely not one of the middle Americans we are surrounded by.My brother will be pleased to know that we are not going to the Field of Dreams tomorrow. Although we had hoped to stop by (and when I say we, I mean me), it would add too much time onto our trip. So instead we will be driving further into the mid-west: out of Nebraska and into Iowa.
This is the furthest Rachel and I have ever been from an ocean... ever. It doesn't seem strange until we started to think about how we felt stuck in the middle of this ginormous country. Instead of fearing tsunamis, we're in tornado country... I don't know which is worse.
Enjoy the random pictures from the road... expect more of the same tomorrow!
(pictures to come soon... Kearney, NE Days Inn has poor internet connectivity.)
Comments
My Old Stompin' Grounds!
I taught at the University of Nebraska in Kearney for six years, right after I got my PhD. You are right on the divide between cattle country and corn country--hats will change from cowboy hats to seed caps! Karen commuted between Kearney and Lincoln to get her PhD (nobody asked her 'how long' until she finished, but 'how far' until she finished).
We are both glad we are out of there, but it has its charms, too. It was a great place to raise a kid (up to about third grade), people are generally friendly, and the stars at night are incredible!
Mark Eifler