Looooooonnnnnng day with way too much driving. I miss my copilot! Driving seemed to go on forever when by myself.
I got up a little bit later than planned since I got distracted by good TV last night and went to bed late. What I didn't think of the night before was that I was setting myself up to drive through morning rush hour. Oops! I put on the morning news as soon as I woke up and it was already saying things were bad, though it was still way early. I packed up and checked out as quickly as possible.
I decided to stop by my storage place and get a winter jacket, because apparently it's decided to be winter out now. Besides the storage place is right on the way to the highway. Unfortunately, when I got there I couldn't figure out where I'd packed my jacket. I found my ski coat but decided to leave that one with my ski gear. I couldn't find my usual "wear around" coat. So instead I just grabbed a warm hat and figured that would have to do. It was nearly 8:00, which is when morning rush hour starts getting really thick, so I knew I had to get on my way. I figured I would drive until the traffic got sucky and then stop for breakfast, thinking it wouldn't be long at all.
Apparently there's a way to keep the roads clear during rush hour. Drive on an empty stomach hoping to find traffic for an excuse to stop. I hadn't eaten a granola bar or anything. And we all know how not happy Lacey is without food. But traffic kept moving, and I was afraid if I got off anywhere to grab food, it would build up while I was gone. There were a lot of cars on the road, but things were still moving at regular speeds. It was right at that point where things get really exciting....way too many people going way too fast. When it gets to that point I almost prefer the stop and go. Almost. It really wasn't too bad...just a little frightening when I needed to change lanes. But it's a REALLY good thing I don't live in a "real" city, cus I know Denver traffic is nothing compared to some places.
I finally cleared the metro area and began my search for food. But as hungry as I was, nothing looked good. I'm not sure what I was looking for. Really my only stipulation was "not McDonalds," but McDonalds seemed to be the only place open for breakfast I could find.
When I was almost to the Wyoming border and still hadn't found a place, I finally settled on the Burger King in itty bitty Wellington, CO. I gotta say, my crissonwich wasn't half bad. Waaaaaaaaaay better than the egg mcmuffin debacle! So I guess BK is my new breakfast spot...though i'd be happy to avoid fast food breakfast all together for a long time to come!
So then it was back to driving. Althought it was FREEZING outside (I was so glad to have my hat!) the roads were clear and dry and the sun was shining. Until I got to Wyoming. Just a few miles into the state I saw these strange dark clouds that seemed to be floating there in the middle of nowhere. It was really strange actually. They looked like thick smog that had been blown from an especially stinky semi that had forgotten to disipate. I actually questioned for a minute what they were. As I got closer I realized that they were random fog clouds. I noticed the emergency sign overhead giving a fog warning. Next thing I knew I was in the midst of some very thick fog. It wasn't terrible, but bad enough that I slowed way down. Of course everyone around me continued to fly by me. I was just waiting for the pile-up but surprisingly enough it never came.
After about 20-30 miles of fog, things cleared up and Wyoming returned to it's usual level of boring. Though really, after driving both Nebraska and Kansas in the last few months I gotta give Wyoming a bit of credit. Though painfully desolate, it does have an occaisonal hill, a couple of shrubs, a random turn or two, and a rare mountain background to keep it interesting. Kansas and Nebraska, but especially Nebraska, are just flat. And straight. And nothingness. I never thought I'd say it, but in comparison Wyoming is downright nice. Plus, today the wind actually wasn't blowing! Literally, this is the first time I've EVER driven through Wyoming without feeling as though I was going to get blown off the road. And the first time I've been able to get gas in the state without shivering from the freezing wind. It was actually a bit creepy. Maybe that's why the state seemed nice today!
I kept saying I was going to stop for lunch, but I just never got hungry. I did have a bag of popcorn to munch on, so that kept me going for most of the way. I finally stopped in Livingston, the little town 20 or so miles from home. I probably could've made it the rest of the way, but the sun was right in my eyes and I was getting tired of having to readjust the visors around every turn. Besides, I was getting a bit punch drunk. I'd even written a song about how I was hungry and I had to pee. (And no, I'm not going to repeat it. Ever.) I had actually been craving Taco Bell for quite a while but hadn't seen one, so had finally decided to stop at the Subway. For those of you interested in the food critic side of things, it was decent, but over-mayoed and under-flavored. But it was food, and warm, so it made me happy.
The rest of the drive went by quickly. It's great being back in my town again, especially after having been here so recently. This is the first time in a long time that I've come back and haven't felt like everything has completely changed on me. There were a couple of spots on Main Street that I didn't recognize, but it's only been about 5 months since I was here last, so the differences are minor. All together the drive took almost exactly 11 hours. I left Denver just before 8 am and arrived home home just before 7 pm. It's been a quiet night of hanging out with my parents, which is great because I am so totally beyond exhausted! No idea what tomorrow will bring but it sounds like it's going to be cold again. We shall see.
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Aaaaawwww, and your co-pilot misses you, too. Seems weird to 1) mostly be in one place and 2) do the driving myself when I go some place. And, being on my own, of course.
ReplyDeleteIt's so weird to me that it went from 70 degrees to winter so fast. Odd, too, that the weather here is better than there. (Well, in CO.) Cool and rainy today, but it was nice on Wed. and passable yesterday.
You didn't have a granola bar or anything??? That does not sound like the pilot I know & assisted. Maybe you should've saved the brownie crumbs after all.
Yeah, Denver traffic didn't seem that bad to me. Of course, I wasn't driving. And I don't drive the freeways much, mostly 'cause I can get most places I go to without them. But drivers going too fast and changing lanes without seeming to look is not good.
That egg mcmuffin from several weeks ago really left a bad taste in your mouth, didn't it? Actually, their biscuit sandwiches are better. But, I prefer BK's breakfast to McDonald's, too -- which is weird, 'cause generally, I prefer McDonald's to BK. But when I figure the cost, it's usually just as cheap to go to a real restaurant. Not as fast, of course.
I remember from my trip out west when I was a kid howspectacular the clouds looked. Not sure quite where it was, but it's entirely possible that it was Wyoming. And yeah, those places WERE incredibly flat; that became very apparent when I was flying back. Interesting to see the patterns of all the farms & such from high up, though.
Aww, come on, I want to hear your song.... And yeah, I'm into the food critic thing, but not generally about Subway. LOL. Subway is ok, but it usually makes me crave a much better sandwich. (Shoot. I forgot to get you a corned beef on rye. And a Detroit bagel. Next time you're here, I think I'm just gonna feed you all the things I think you should have! Hey, maybe that's what the next adventure should be: Trips to different kinds of ethnic foods! LOL!)
I'm glad you're back home, and that you made it safely. (Not that I doubted you would; you're a very good, cautious driver.) I hope it's relaxing and re-charging for you. (But will you still blog???)