road trip

I took a road trip with my mom last weekend. We went to Boulder, I had no idea what an adventure it would be just getting there.

There is so much to see on Interstate 80 in Wyoming....

A history lesson, for example. Did you know that before it was Interstate 80, it was Highway 30. The first transcontinental highway, privately funded and maintained.

There's lots of wildlife on this route as well: 

There were antelope everywhere...

And then there was stuff like this on the road: 

Slightly intimidating, staring down the gun barrel of the vehicle in front of you...

I don't have a picture of the next best event, which left me so flabbergasted  that I must use google images to piece is together for you. Here's the truck:

source

And here's the driver. Click the link, because I really don't want this face on my blog:

REDNECK IDIOT

and his unsuspecting passenger:

This redneck blocked us from passing him for about 20 minutes, when we reached a hill he had trouble climbing. We pulled alongside the trailer and started to pass, and the redneck driver apparently wanted back in our lane and started screaming at us through his window to get out of his way....

why? I suppose we'll never know. He wasn't very happy about being behind us. He tried valiantly to overtake us, but just then a semi tried to pass a slower truck and pulled in front of the redneck. 

Well, we all know the best course of action when you want to pass a semi.

USE THE MEDIAN STRIP.

So Redneck is now going 70 in the dirt in the center median - pulling a horse trailer - until he can pass the semi. It was quite a dust cloud he was making back there, dodging the little reflector posts....

Poor mule.

Funny thing though, he wasn't ever quite able to pass us again....

ON TO THE NEXT AND BEST ADVENTURE, FOLKS.

About mile marker 180, things came to an abrupt halt. A complete and total halt. A turn-off-the-engine-and-maybe-check-on-why-all-the-other-drivers-are-walking-around-on-the-highway-up-ahead kind of halt. 

Mom gave me the "will you check this out I don't wanna get out of the car" look, so I walked up ahead about half a mile to where people were congregating to find out what the hold up was. Dude with binoculars says he can't see where there isn't a parking lot on the highway. Dude with the Iphone says there's an accident about 10 miles ahead, but can't get anything more with the poor reception we have out here in the middle of nowhere. 

So I walk back to the car and we sit and read for about 30+ minutes. Finally, I call Boyfriend Fiancee Thing One's Husband to see if he can look online and see if there's an update from the highway patrol, perhaps? He says he'll check and give us a call back.

Well he must have some kind of magical traffic powers, because everyone out there is running back to their cars and my goodness, we're moving again!

And then we    S   L   O   W  down again after one mile. But at least now the scenery is getting interesting: there's a bunch of firemen putting out a brush fire alongside the road. But traffic is still barely crawling, for miles and miles ahead, so the fire can't be the hold up.....

and then another mile and another smoldering section of brush.....

and another mile and a smoldering brush fire that has jumped from the side of the road to the center median......

.... another mile, another small fire..... you begin to get the picture.

Then we go down hill into a small dip area (mostly smoldering...)

AND HERE IT IS!!!!

The source, apparently, of all the little brush fires over the last eight miles.

Seriously? You didn't notice that YOUR TRAILER is ON FIRE? FOR EIGHT MILES?

He managed to save the front end...

Arriving at our destination was a joy. The museum exhibit we went to in Denver was wonderful, as was the one in Boulder. So, all in all, it was a wonderful trip that will leave me looking forward to my next foray into Wyoming.

NOT.