On the Road - Omaha 2009

Last year, in the early phases of my blog, there was an "On the Road" series where I shared all of my random thoughts as I drove with my U-Haul across the country.

Even though I'm not moving any time soon, I still feel compelled to keep track of my crazy thoughts any time I'm on the road for a good long while. I usually try to do this by mile marker if possible, but this trip wasn't conducive to that.

Here are my thoughts as I made the deceptively far trip to Omaha on Friday...

- Cheyenne skyline - no sky scrapers like I just got used to seeing in Chicago.
- I hate the group Sugarland. Except a couple of songs. But mostly, I can't stand her voice!
- Cheyenne's really not that bad. I think I'm just really happy to be home from 10 long Chicago days!
- Sierra Trading Post: I need to go there more.
- I was dreading this drive before, when I was gone for so long in Chicago, but now I'm looking forward to a nice drive. I love to drive.
- Can see the winter storm moving in. That's one of the things I missed when living in the city.
- Teal car = 1. Coming from Nebraska. (In one of my On the Roads I noticed how many teal cars there seem to be in Nebraska. I kept a count.) Wonder how many I'll see this time...
- There's another Buckhorn Bar in Hillsdale, Wyo.
- "From wagon ruts, to sinking puts - Nebraska" who thought of THAT as a slogan??
- Some poor guy just got pulled over for seemingly not doing a thing! Ridiculous!
- Weird house shaped like two giant connected teepees...
- Am still mad for that guy who got pulled over! I'll imagine him running drugs - that will help me get over it.
- Last time I was in Pine Bluffs, Wyo., it was blizzarding so badly I could hardly see in front of me - and forget the road.
- Oh no - starting to lose stations. I love iPods!
- On the Welcome to Nebraska sign - "Home of Arbor Day" But they have no trees!
- I still love the song Lost! by Coldplay
- Suzy Boggus is on. Erin and I were supposed to see her in concert. I need to talk to that girl! I would like to run the San Diego 1/2 marathon with her like we talked about.
- Need to get through the Ft. Collins 1/2 first though.
- Both of my pens are busted! Ink all over my hands.
- Hmmm. Didn't have to pee at all when there were bathrooms, now that there's none I'm about to wet my pants.
- Beyonce Single Ladies! Yay!
- Play it again
- Rhianna's song Rehab is on. I wonder if she wrote this about Chris Brown? Wait - what? Suddenly I'm writing for TMZ?
- A rest area! I'm saved.
- I think Kelly will like her presents. Wish I had something 30th birthday big to give her though...
- Think I want to do a Ft. Collins Friday for MY birthday.
- Sidney, Neb. I hate it. They rip people off on gas there. I will run out before stopping there again.
- Can't believe I was driving this trip in reverse exactly one year ago!
- Tumbleweeds! haha - they get me every time.
- Kim's Kar Karaoke is going strong!
- BONUS!! A teal car with a tumbleweed stuck to it's bumper!!
- Peaceful Easy Feeling is my fave Eagles song I think. I love the lines, "I want to sleep with you in the desert tonight. With a billion stars all around."
- I loved being in the "big city" again. I could easily move back to one...but would I want to?
- Maybe the happiness I felt in getting home was a revelation. I loved being back in the openness. Or...maybe it was just an extreme desire to not live out of a suitcase.
- Oh man. My coworker Mike got a WHOLE lot of Kim in Chicago! I drank (and consequently talked) way to much with him!
- Awww...I miss Tyler!
- I just sang "Please don't crack my windshield!" to some truckers to the tune of Rhianna's "Please Don't Stop the Music!" hahahahaha!
- I crack myself up!
- I can never decide if I like the perfume I'm wearing. It's an Aveda choose your scent oil kind of thing. It's kind of hippy-ish...which is why I like it. And why I don't.
- I want to see Carrie! The 4th of July will be fun!
- So many farms! I've always rather wanted to be a farmer or rancher. I think I could do it.
- Just passed one of the biggest 5th wheels I've ever seen - and I've seen a lot! I used to work at Crazy Woman Campground in Gillette, Wyo.
- Bon Jovi - Bad Name. I remember singing this on the back of the bus in elementary school!
- I am absolutely obsessed with the Zac Brown Band song "Chicken Fried." It's kind of cheesy, but man I LOVE it.
- They reference Georgia in the song. Can't hear the word Georgia without thinking of Jen F.
- Ok, this song and all the farms have put me in a country frame of mind. Time to switch to my All Country playlist.
- Just took my last sip out of the travel mug Cins and Linds C. made for my going away. Glad I have it on the reverse trip...
- I really do love Subway sandwiches when traveling. It's about the only thing I eat!
- Ok - sapphire-colored cars also seem to be VERY popular in Nebraska. I should start counting them too... Good grief!
- Teal semis are also very popular. Am laughing so hard right now!
- I DESPERATELY want to go country dancing. I don't have anyone to call who really knows how though. Rob and Jeff where are you?!
- It is mindblowing that next month will already be April.
- I like the name Applejack for a horse. Here's the train of thought there: Smelled my perfume again, what do I think of it? Would other people like it? What about animals? Could I wear it behind the shoots at Frontier Days without making the animals mad? Wonder if a horse would like it...If I had a horse I would name it Applejack. (Someone is going to call and get me committed now, I know!)
- This is kind of like one of my crazy after-lunch thoughts that I always seem to come back to the office with. Rachel always asks me, "What did you DO at lunch?!" I've come back singing the theme song to the old Bill Cosby Picture Pages, the song to Simon and his chalk drawings, and Nanerpuss.
- OMG! I just laughed out loud.
- I'm tired.
- Maybe it's because of the turkey on my sandwich... haha
- Lots of road kill. I wonder about those animals. I wonder if the others from their herd are thinking, "We dared him, but didn't think he'd really do it!"
- I want a coffee, but it's too late in the day. And I'm trying to drink less of it and get back to my preferred tea ways.
- There's a white truck with a teal stripe. Does that count?
- I love classic country. Merle on now. He was just in Cheyenne and I really wanted to see him but couldn't.
- Everyone I met on the Chicago trip was so nice.
- The grating on the road is making my tires sing. It's awful!
- Just passed a "Cheyenne State Recreation Area" sign.
- I want to bake chocolate chip cookies right now for some reason.
- Sign on the road for a drug sniffing dog in use. Never seen that before.
- This trip is taking FOREVER.
- I HAVE to go country dancing!
- There's a pretty little country church with a big steeple coming up out of the fields. Like that.
- Construction outside Lincoln. Not acceptable.
- iPod off. I need some silence.
- I also need a snack. But I'll wait until I get to Stacey's.
- A glass of wine sounds awesome! So much for trying to detox after Chicago!
- Almost there. Thank heavens.
- Teal car count = a truly astonishing 56! Plus seven semis. Sad thing is, I'm sure I missed some!