Day 2 – Elko to Cheyenne

I kicked off day two with a full tank of gas, a complementary hotel breakfast and 520 miles behind me. With my next set of roughly 700 miles in front of me, I figured it was best to hit the road early! Unless you count my $50 Nevada driving fee (i.e. ticket), or the lingering trauma related to nearly running out of gas in the middle of nowhere, I can’t say Nevada had wow’d me with its offerings. The hotel was completely adequate, and the staff that worked there were wonderful, but I was still ready to move onto the next state on my list, Utah!

I learned a lot in my 7-ish hours speeding through Utah. The two biggest take always might surprise you. First there were the exceptional toilets! If you want to know where the cleanest gas station bathrooms in America are located look no further than Utah. I’m talking about wooden stall doors, clean floors, empty trash cans, automated sinks AND automated towel dispensers. The setup makes it possible to not touch anything while using the bathroom, and yet the exceptional sanitation level makes you unusually comfortable touching anything. It’s an irony that isn’t lost on me.

The second take away is that it is tragically hard to find a latte in Utah. As an American, I’ve come to think of coffee as a staple that is easily within reach. My gym in San Francisco is literally surrounded by cafés, two of which are Starbucks that are caddy corner from one another. This is a luxury I have so far not properly appreciated.

This espresso drink drought became most apparent to me when I walked into the deceptively named Moose Café. After searching for roughly 100 miles for any sign of coffee, the alluring sign from the Moose Café drew me in. Had I finally found my latte? How could a “café” not have the ability to make a latte? So I parked my car and excitedly walked through the doors.

I was instantly transported into an old western movie. Seated inside were two families of four eating meals. With perfect synchronization, all eight heads pivoted to see who had walked through the doors. I could see in their eyes a recognition that I wasn’t from around there. No words were spoken and forks hung in the air in anticipation.  (Below is a completely accurate artistic rendition of the scene)

I looked around and noticed the distinct absence of an espresso machine. The waiter walked up to me with confusion, clearly not understanding why I was there. Was I lost? Did I get a flat tire? I explained to him how I was on a search for a latte and he directed me about 15 miles up the highway to a Starbucks. I thanked him for his help, looked at all the staring faces once again, contemplated doing something super weird like breaking into dance and then decided to simply leave and go to Starbucks. It was definitely the strangest western I had ever been in.

A few hours later, latte in hand, the red rocks of Utah faded into the distance and the rolling hills of Wyoming took over.

Much like Utah, today’s trip through Wyoming left me with two very surprising take aways. First and foremost, Wyoming has a serious problem with Fireworks. I mean, intervention level problem.

I counted well over a dozen giant fireworks stands along highway 80. The most interesting one was the stand that simultaneously advertised gasoline. I’m no firework or petroleum expert, but that seemed like a poorly thought through match.

The second big take away was that car lights really only work when there is something for them to illuminate. It’s great to have headlights on a dark night, but if there is literally nothing for the light to bounce off of they really don’t have much effect. Since the sun sets completely by 5:30pm now, this meant that for at least two hours I was driving with the knowledge that I had roughly 15 feet of road in front of me. After that, for all I could tell it could have been a cliff. Or even a brick wall (although that would have probably reflected my headlights more effectively). I put my faith in the engineers that built the road that they wouldn’t end it like a Loonie Toons cartoon just for the fun of it. Thankfully, I put my trust in the right engineers and made it to freezing cold and snowy Cheyanne Wyoming.

Tomorrow is another long day. I have the choice of going through Nebraska or up through South Dakota. I’m leaning towards South Dakota.  I’m not sure why, but I’ve always had this fantasy that the Dakotas will be stunning.  Tomorrow’s route, however, will strongly depend on weather.  I’ll let you know what I decide! Stay tuned!