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Part 1: The Pacific Coast and Idaho Part 2: Montana and Wyoming Part 3: The Great Plains Part 4: Colorado, Utah and the desert |
Johnson Lake, Nebraska
7/31/98, 5:00 AM, Eastern Wyoming: I only sleep for about four hours, and then begin my mad dash across the plains. I see how pretty the Black Hills of South Dakota are, and plan to return to explore someday. I eat breakfast in Spearfish, SD. 1:00 PM: Mitchell, SD; Lunch (odometer reads 3000 miles): I have almost traversed South Dakota. The whole way across the state, I see thousands of motorcycles in large groups heading west towards the town of Sturgis, SD (red star in map below), where hundreds of thousands of Harleys gather every year. 6:30 PM: Albert Lea, MN: By now I'm tired and yet I'm planning on being in Milwaukee tonight, more than a whole state away. I found a shady spot and took a nap for 35 minutes and awoke refreshed. I perfected the art of picking the shady spot by the side of the road, not too far from the interstate; these were useful for avoiding the sun and for napping. Travelling alone, I had to rely on myself not to fall asleep, and from the beginning, refuse to drive if I'm too tired. Throughout the trip, I took regular meal, nap, exercise and bathroom breaks. I don't think I ever drove more than about two hours without stopping. I drank tons of water and also ate carrots as my main munchie food. I also put sunscreen on my left arm several times a day. 8:30 PM, LaCrosse, WI: Just before crossing the Mississippi River, I'm astonished at the canyons in Minnesota just west of the river. After the dull topology of the plains, I welcome this huge downslope, which goes on for miles. 12:05 AM, 8/1/98, Wauwatosa, WI: I finally arrive at my friend Larz' in-laws' home. This suburb of Milwaukee was my home for two and a half days. I was the best man for Larz and Lisa's wedding in 1992. They had just moved here from Berkeley. We do lots of fun stuff together, along with Lisa's mom Pat, who's putting them up til they can build a home near Madison. I looked at one piece of property they're thinking of buying: 40 acres of lush grassland and deciduous forest. It's amazing to think how much it would cost in California. Larz is an architect and also quite a handyman/carpenter. He plans on building most of their furniture over the winter, and decides to build a large workbench. and I help. My jobs included jigsawing, Makita-screwing and gopher work. We go to Home Depot and OSH to buy power tools and lumber. His workbench now sits in the basement. My friend Larz and the workbench we made I swam in Lake Michigan twice, once with Larz after explaining how nice the water was during my first swim (probably 70-75 degrees F, due to El Nino, naturally). This was my first time in any Great Lake; I loved bodysurfing in fresh water. I was surprised by the size of the waves. It was very hot during my time in Wisconsin, and the lake was my ally. 9:00 PM, 8/3/98: Leaving for the trip back west. I drive one hour and reach Madison in a rainstorm. Continuing west, I head right into a lightning storm as I cross rolling terrain, heading towards Dubuque, Iowa. I sleep for a few hours in a rest area near Cedar Rapids, IA. 3:30 PM: Waverly, NE: Nebraska is flat and mostly boring, like Iowa. There is strange weather today all the way across the state; it's overcast but not looking like it will rain. It's hot, in the 90's. I dream of swimming in the Platte River til a local tells me that it's not deep enough. He says that Nebraska is actually a native word for 'land of flat water.' 6:00 PM: I decide to find a place to swim and settle on Johnson Lake, just south of I-80 near North Platte, NE . It's only 15 miles off the highway and looks big enough to be cool and refreshing. It seems that the only clearing in the entire state is directly over the lake. I park the car in the state park and begin walking around this very peaceful man-made lake, which has several resorts and camps. I see many kids fishing and riding their bikes around, and it reminds me of my childhood on Lake Washington. I took photos of the sunset and then went swimming. The water was chillier than I thought, but after a long sweaty driving day, it felt great. A thunderstorm began rumbling in the distance. As I changed clothes, a great horned owl jumps down from a tree and sits in the grass, only about 100 yards away. |
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Part 1: The Pacific Coast and Idaho Part 2: Montana and Wyoming Part 3: The Great Plains Part 4: Colorado, Utah and the desert Home Page |