The beginning of my Utah adventure took place in a 16' Penske truck. Fortunately my friend, Heather, was with me as we figured out how to unhook and secure the car carrier from the back without the use of instructions or help from men. Talk about some self-sufficient women! :)
Later we loaded my life into the truck, my Mini onto the back and the cat & dog into the cab. After a few curb checks, fights with the cat and a stockpile of grasshopper cookies, Brian and I headed off for Utah.
Day one – Chicago to Omaha
I blame the western Illinois landscape for our consumption of an entire box of grasshopper cookies in an hour. Is that fair? So we experienced clouds all day, post-storm black ice in Iowa, about 30 cars off the road with 10 semis overturned and Subway for lunch. After our second stop for fuel, the check engine light came on. Awesome. We're either going to roll on some black ice and die, or the Mini will be our only method of escape when the truck dies. We arrived in Omaha around 10:30p to find only Perkins open for dinner. Uhh... carryout burgers.
Day two — Omaha to Cheyenne
Much earlier start. Only 11 cars and 3 semis off the road today. Nothing better to start the day than some country gospel. Why can't I play Minor Threat in the Penske? Stopped at a Flying J to fuel up, get some pizza and hopefully find an iTrip... no luck on the iTrip. Just a nice Nebraska man with a glass eye and a preference for the CB radio. But we did find some naked lady trucker stickers which seemed to help the Penske forget its engine troubles. In the evening we found ourselves in Cheyenne. During a lovely dinner at the Outback steakhouse with our "Australian" waiter, we heard a little trucker talk.
Day three —Cheyenne to SLC
While fueling up in Cheyenne, Brian tried to decode trucker talk... no luck. Maybe later. Just outside of Cheyenne was one of the more beautiful places I've ever been. Hope to return soon and share pics. Lots of high winds this day. Saw a school bus with a sign from Lee's Summit, MO — how small the world is sometimes. Stopped in Elk Mountain, WY at the scariest and most amazing gas station ever... so much so, Syd wouldn't even get out of the truck. Only stop for 46 miles but they had amazing trucker hats! After 200 miles of Little America billboards and a decision not to fill the truck cab with a vat of 49¢ ice cream cones, we made it to SLC. Someday I'll tell you about the last 30 miles. :)
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