hi everyone!!
well, my phone hasn’t been in network range, although the lady on their customer service line said it would be. sorry to matt and anyone else trying to see if i’m alive.
yesterday i went south on 169 to sioux city iowa, where i headed east on highway 20 into nebraska. both highways were very beautiful, and it was super nice to be off the interstates. amazingly, they were also pretty fast as well.
last night i camped in valentine, nebraska. notable memories for yesterday were the funny vibrations i got at my first gas stop, where if i tapped on any part of my body, they twanged like loose metal. the other notable memory was the bird that flew into my head at about 70 mph. ouch. thank goodness for helmets, but i still got a headache!
people in nebraska have a notable twang.
early this morning i crossed into mountain time zone, and later into wyoming. highway 20 continued to be gorgeous and fast. i was going 125 for a long way. unlike my fazer, this triumph doesn’t vibrate at all at that speed. sometime later in my trip i’ll go faster.
i haven’t seen a single cop in two days.
i hit 3 nasty thunderstorms today. short but fierce. the first was especially scary for the lightning that kept hitting closer than was comfortable. had there been any place to take cover, i would have, but there was nothing around but me and the highway. and the scrub.
i’m in riverton wyoming now. i luckily drove right past (and noticed) the cedars bar, where mike sartain is part-owner. so i parked and walked in. all the regulars wondered who i am, so i asked the bartender if he was mike, and said, “i’ve got a stick horse named beaker that says hello.” he came around and gave me a hug then introduced me to the bar.
i’m at one of his friends’ house now using the computer, then i’m heading out to his place to shower and grab some food, then i’ll probably head back over to the bar to chat a bit.
tomorrow i’ll go through the grand tetons and yellowstone, first on highway 26 then meet up with highway 20 again. i’ll try to be in idaho before nightfall.
i know i look like shit in this picture. see that grey in the background? that’s the 3rd storm, which i’m about to ride into.
until next time!
Spidertangle 
bah, you look fabulous, dahling!
wish i was there.
Poor birdie!
Uh, promise you’ll slow down a little when the roads stop being so straight?
Where were you when you hit the 1000 mile mark?
umm… in wyoming. actually it was really pretty. but i was in between two thunderstorms. i could actually see them. for a little while, i thought i’d be passing between them. wishful thinking.
and yes, i slowed down when the roads weren’t so straight. but not too much. 🙂
Some context for anyone who doesn’t know – ‘beaker’ is sharon’s old stick horse. The bar-owner in wyoming is an old family friend that made the horse (or just named it) when she was a little girl.
Oh, and for you nederlanders – a stick horse is a broomstick with a stuffed sock tied on the end, made up to look like the head of a horse.
when do i get to see ya?