First Midwest Trip page one

2 First Midwest to West Coast Trip in the Green Van

August 15-17 Salisbury to Arlington

Depart Salisbury 11:25 August 15 to spend a couple of days in

Arlington, Virginia getting ready for my trip west. am speedometer

99340.6 It's great to be starting on a cross country trip, to see that it

really is there and to put my feet down all across the country. I had come

cross country years before with my uncle and a couple of his kids in his

big black Lincoln and that was a great trip following old historic route 66

east from Claremont, California to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. To me

every new trip is like a new exploration to discover the country for

myself. I remember history classes when your learn lists of authors from

the past and names of what they wrote but it doesn't mean anything

unless you actually read it for yourself. When you fly you just imagine it,

like watching pictures of the astronauts on the moon-did they really go

there or was it faked like some conspriacy theorists say. Anyway I get to

Arlington, next day go to get my tire balanced that was giving me the

trouble on the northeast trip and that clears up the problem. I went to

see Roosevelt Island National Park in the Potomic River and went to the

mall by the Washington Monument to do some sightseeing.

Starting Odometer 99340.6

August 18, 1980 Day of Departure

I picked up a u-haul trailer and went back to the apartment where we

spent a good part of the day loading it and decided to leave in the evening

to avoid traffic. A note about the times given for the blog-it is not when it

is being written but the time I have for leaving any over night spot for the

day. Also there is not much information about this part of the journey

because we are trying to make good time and I have to break my rule

about using interstates. Besides the trouble dealing with traffic pulling a

trailer, my van had a small 240 engine at that time and had difficulty

going up hills. We started south on 95, then past Richmond took 85. My

sister did part of the driving which was amusing because she would have

to practically stand up to use the clutch pedal. We stopped for the night in

a rest area off 85 in northern North Carolina. 99558.8-99790.0 232 miles

for day.

August 19, 1980 Day 2 Hooray for Wafflehouse

We got any early start and only had brief stops for gas and pit stops until

we got to Georgia and stopped over at Hartwell Lake Recreation Area at the

Singin Pines part where we went in swimming and took about a 3 hour

break. Heading out at 2030 to cover some more miles, we had a short

stopover at a Waffle House for a diner of grits and coffee. They never had

these near any of the places that I lived and it use to be one of my favorite

travel stops. Unfortunetly my last stop at one was quite disappointing. It's

always a bad sign when the waitresses boyfriend is hanging out because she

is usually thinking more about her boyfriend then good service. We ended

the day at the Alabama welcome stop off 85 just over the line. We covered

516.5 miles and flipped the odometer for the first time that day-final reading

100307.3.

August 20, 1980 Day 3 On the Gulf

We headed west on 85 until we reached Montgomery and then south on

65, getting lunch at another Waffle House in Greenville. When we reached

Mississippi my sister was anxious to see the Gulf and go in the water. We

stopped first at Ocean Spring at the Gulf Islands National Seashore but it

didn't seem to be a good area to go in. Next we stopped at Biloxi Beach

where the water was really dirty and started a joke that has continued

over the years about having a vacation in Biloxi or it being my fault for

choosing it as place to stop since it was so disgusting. We ended up going

further down to a beach near Gulf Port, where it was suitable to go in the

water and take a bucket shower. The water was still pissy warm and not

much cleaner. But my failure to find a nice beach area along the gulf,

which may not exist, was trumped by my refusal to take a side trip to New

Orleans which I have heard complaints about for some twenty years. But I

didn't like the idea of pulling a uhaul into the small streets of New Orleans

and try to manuever around the traffic or even think of finding a parking

space. (My sister has since been to New Orleans on more than one

occasion). We ended up at a rest area of 10 near Jennings about three in

the morning ending a long day on the road. 566.8 miles for day

August 21, 1980 Day 4 Arrive in Austin

We got an early start and headed towards Houston. We wanted to go

to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts which we did, but it meant that we

ended up in rush hour traffic leaving. It was bumper to bumper, over

90 degrees (I had no air conditioning) and my heat gauge was going up

past the line and I was expecting the engine to seize up in the middle

of the Houston beltway with a trailer. I replaced the radiator several

times over the years, always long after it started topping out and the

engines always kept going. It would come down some while I was

moving but sitting would always send it up, and so I would try to get

by by avoiding areas where I would be in stop and go traffic. Anyway

we made it and we arrived at the River Hill Apartments in Austin about

8:11pm ending the first phase of my trip, total miles from Salisbury

1872.9

August 22-24, 1980 Stopover in Austin

I spent the next three days in Austin. Went to Barton Springs for a

swim the first day, and even as hot as it was in Texas diving into that

cold water from the underground spring was a shock. I also replaced

my tailpipe. A big night out was to go to the Dunkin Donuts down the

street from the statehouse. A street type person came in and ordered a

coffee and proceeded to dump in a half of one of those counter sugar

holders and when he called the waitress over to refill the sugar her

eyes kind of bugged out from how much he used. I guess it was his

main source of energy. I went to a couple of used book stores and got

a straw Van Gogh hat from Open Oats which came in handy later in the

trip. My next assignment was to take the trailer to Hobbs, New Mexico

because there was such a difference in the drop off cost. I guess all

those space aliens landing out there near Roswell were using up all the

trailers.

August 25, 1980 Heading on West to Drop off the U-Haul

I had only a short time before the trailer was due so I drove pretty much straight through. I headed west on 190 and did enjoy the view of the countryside of rolling hills. Once I turned onto I10 dead mule deer laying along the road were a common sight. Short entry but long day-I stopped at a rest stop east of Sonora at 12:33 am for a nap.

August 26, 1980 New Day 1 After Dropping off U-Haul Trailer

Off to an early start, I wouldn't feel free until I got rid of the trailer. I

was low on gas but when I stopped in Sonora, the middle of nowhere the

gas was much more expensive then it had been so I asked for 5 gallons

to be able to make it to a city. I should of paid closer attention because

the guy kept pumping past 5 and when I noticed he was just over ten

when I finally stopped him. I continued to Fort Stockton where I was

able to fill up at the more usual price I had been paying and from there I

headed north on18. I took a break for lunch at a picnic area past

Grandfalls and did a water color sketch. The first art work since I started

this trip. Finally dropped off the trailer at the Hobbs U-haul at 6:14 pm or

5:14 making the change to mountain time.

I now consider this the beginning of my midwest trip. Odometer

reading of 1786.5 with approximately 12 gallons of gas and $178.72.

This was going to be another low budget trip like my northeast one. Now

I could get back to the back roads and headed west about 15 miles and

then took route 529 to look for a spot for the night. There seemed to be a

pretty good flat expanse along the road with what looked like a power

plant further back. I always preferred a flat place to park for sleeping or

one that leaned slightly towards the drivers side. If it leaned the other

way I would feel like I was falling out of my bed all night. So I was ready

for a peaceful night out on the lone prairie.

August 27,1980 Day 2 Near Roswell for the Night at Alien Spacecraft Landing Site

Time to get into my official trip mode. I did my tai chi and discovered something interesting. I picked my night spot because it was level and the dirt seemed firm enough to drive on, but while I was doing tai chi it dawned on me just how level the area was. I scratched through about a half inch of dirt and hit concrete, and wherever I walked it was the same thing. I was on a gigantic concrete strip that must of been more than a square mile. Over-grown with weeds and bushes and covered with dirt, except for being so level it looked just like any of the rest of the landscape. It must have been an air strip during the second world war, or a landing place built for alien spacecraft. Anyway I did my first painting of the mesquite bushes. Next I headed into Artesia and stopped at the Dr. John Clarke rest park for a break, then into Roswell where I got a map of New Mexico and went to the Roswell Museum and Art Gallery.
I saw an interesting sounding place called Bottomless Lakes State Park and I headed there next. I did another painting there of a lake and mountains and ended up staying there for the night. I thought I would have the place to myself but a couple girls arrived and pitched a tent. That made it one of the most heavily populated spots that I stayed at during this part of the trip. I did my tai chi and went to bed. 128 miles for the day,

August 28,1980 Day 3 Lincoln County and Smokey the Bear Grave

I got up and did my tai chi then took some pictures but the high

contrast from light to dark was hard to deal with and I still haven't

figured out how to fix that with photoshop but I will add them

anyway. I went back into Roswell and saw the Featherstone Art

Collection and about 10:00 I headed west on 70 to Lincoln County for

a day of discovery.

I did a watercolor off of the main road and then headed to the Fort

Stockton Museum. The fort was at that time a kind of special needs

place with a real nice setting and the museum had art. I was

surprised to see a watercolor of the boats in the canal in the little

town of Lewes which is 6 miles from where I grew up. Next after I

left there I found not only the gravesite of the famous Smokey the

Bear but also a whole museum dedicated to him. Unfortuneatly the

life size talking and moving Smokey statue wasn't working because

the kids would always break his arms when they were moving. I bet

the adults broke it too.

Next stop was a roadside table near Nogel where I did an oil

painting of Corrizo Peak. I went back to the area a couple of years

ago with my cousin on the mission to find a ranch (we didn't) but it

was neat to start feeling that where we were was somehow familiar

and then when you reach a certain spot to realize that I had painted

a picture here long ago as all the features fell into place. A note about

my paintings. I did these all outside in the sunlight which you could

guess since they were all on location. The thing is I never saw them

indoors in house light until over a year later and only then did I

realize that because I didn't make an allowance for the differnce in

intensity of the light that they come off somewhat darker than they

appeared to me while I was painting them. Since that time I always

make sure that I work with my painting shaded when I am outside.

Another thing I did learn on this trip was to keep my head in the

shade when I was painting for an extended period.

I went to the Flaming Valley State Park to check it out and get

some water, but since they were charging for spending the night I

went a couple miles back down the road and stayed by a roadside

picnic table for the night.

August 29, 1980 Day 4 Back Roads New Mexico

When I travel since I am living in my van I consider wherever I am as

my current home although it is generally for only one night. So I want to

talk about the one finger wave, and it isn't what you think, especially you

city people. It may no longer exist because of all the weekend cowboys

that made a lot of money in movies or music or even the dot com people

who were buying up ranchland as a hobby. But when I traveled through

the area whether man, woman, young or old they would always give me

the one finger wave. This was done just before passing me on the

backroads by lifting their index finger off the steering wheel in a quick

wave as we passed each other. I was use to driving with my hands on the

bottom of the steering wheel and they would be past me before I could

get my hand up and I would feel bad for not returning the wave. So I had

to drive with my hand on top of the steering wheel so I would be ready

for the little motion of raising my finger in recognition of the local custom.

And you could tell all the locals because everybody else from the area

drove with their hand on the top of the steering wheel raising their finger

just as they zoomed by. A subtle gesture making a personal connection in

an area where you probably didn't see too many people. I knew I was

back in an urban aea when people no longer drove with their hand on the

top on the steering wheel.

I returned to the Valley of Fires State Park and went on a nature trail.

Then headed north to Manzana State Park. Sadly these monuments didn't

state outright, but actually were monuments to how the missionaries

exploited the indians in the name of you know who, that mythical

character that the religious right is still using to try to justify running this

country according to their own self serving agenda. Any way I shoudn't

talk politics because I never thought about it while I was traveling, I just

wanted to see the country and take pictures or paint. I parked along 14

for the night and tomorrow would be getting back to civilization and

maybe a donut shop for a hot meal-coffee.

Shrubs in Field 12x16

Bottomless Lakes 12x16

Bottomless Lakes State Park, NM

Corrizo Peak 16x28

August 30, 1980 Day 5 A Day in Albuqerque

I was about 30 miles from Albuqerque and it didn't take me too long to

get there. I replenished my supplies at the Safeway on Central Ave, part

of old route 66, then I headed to the University of New Mexico to see the

art gallery but it was closed. Next was Kmart where I got a muffler

repair kit and finally I treated myself to a donut and coffee at Dunkin

Donut-$ .72. I went to the Old Town Plaza area and walked around

looking at the shops and galleries. I took a break at San Gabriel State

Park. I made a phone call to a lady that had stayed at my mothers one

year while attending college back east and got a chance to stop around

and visit then headed north a short distance and stopped at a kind of

trash dumping area for the night. Not one of the most picturesque night

locations but it served its purpose and I didn't like to drive far at night

without being able to see things.

August 31, 1980 Day 6 North to Santa Fe and Beyond

Up at 7:55 and did some van maintenance-added oil and patched the

muffler. Then north into the countryside again. First stop at Coronado

State Park and Monument and saw the pueblo ruins and got a photo of the

Rio Grande, a long way from Texas. I stopped off in a park area to use the

bathroom and saw they had free hot showers so I took advantage of the

opportunity.

I got to Santa Fe and parked along the river park and walked around

town. I saw the cathedral and the Palace of Governors. The Fine Arts

Museum was closed for renovations. A couple hours was enough to see

what I wanted to see so it was on into the hills to see the Santurio of

Potrero in El Chemayo. An old spot of pilgrimage for people wanting

miracles. One guy carried a large cross all the way from Albuquerque. In a

little room in the back of the chapel there is a hole in the floor where you

can get magic dust-I mean holy dirt. I realized that if all these people had

been getting dirt from the same hole for all these years there would have

been a gigantic hole in the floor and I suspected that it had been

replenished(checking wikipedia I saw that this had been verified to the

tune of several tons a year). Now there are a lot of things that I don't

have the answers to-there have been many people who think that

miracles have happened because of their pilgrimage or by using the dirt

and it may be true or there may be something going on that is not

realized. Anyway I had enough dirt in my van already so I didn't take any.

After leaving Chemayo I took a photo along the road and then stopped

by a creek past Candiyo and walked up a path by the creek. Then I

painted a picture of the creek and ended up spending the night there.

September 1, 1980 Day 7 Taos and more National Forest

I stopped at a scenic view and then on into Taos where I parked by Kit

Carson State Park. I wasn't impressed by the art in the places I visited (for

those who don't know Taos is supposed to be one of the big art spots in the

country). They all seemed to follow the same formula. they would have a

number of very large and very expensive big paintings almost photographic

of scenery or storms or some other theme. These they probably didn't want

to really sell because they would impress customers who saw them and

then they would buy reproductions or posters of many different sizes down

to postcards. My approach is to work smaller, quicker sketches that are

much more affordable and fit in just about any size house so everybody can

have an original piece of artwork that is meanigful.

Next I went to the Rio Grande Wild River Recreation Area further north

and did some finishing touches on the Carrizo painting and decided to stay

there for the night. The van stalled out going up a steep hill when I was

leaving and I couldn't get it to start. So I rolled back down hill and pop

started it. I went through Carson National Forest on a primitive side road. I

love this because I can go real slow (15 to 20 miles per hour) and see more

and even hear the birds singing in the trees. It would be neat if there was

a primitive road all the way across the country. I know there are recreated

wagon trains routes in some areas of the west and at a later time in the

trip I did see wagon ruts from the old Oregon Trail. Average daily expenses

for this part of the trip $10.97

September 2,1980 Day 8 North to Colorado

I spent the day at Rio Grande Wild River Recreation Area. I did some

reading, then gessoed a couple of canvasboards and masonite sheets. I

was going to do a painting but it was too windy and then it got too hot. I

was too learn on this and other trips that september was the best travel

month. The temperatures were cooling, kids were back in school and there

weren't as many people-tourists and others around. Being out in the wilds

was not as much a transplanted city out into the woods and often I was

the only person in a campsite.

I headed north into Colorado late in the afternoon and had picked up a

couple of migrants going north so when I saw some places I was

interested in painting I didn't want to leave them off in the middle of

nowhere so I kept going. I was on the 160 going into Walsenburg and

found I good place to drop them off and I decided to return to La Veta Pass

and to go back to one particular place I had seen the next day to paint a

picture. La Veta Pass-9413 feet above sea level on a little cut off into the

woods for the night.

September 3, 1980 Day 9 Mount Lindsey and a Bull

I returned as planned to the Old La Veta Pass Road to do a painting. I guess the sight of the mountains in the background and the stand of aspens at the base with the fields in front caught my eye. I pulled up the dirt road some and found a good location by its side to set up. I set up a few feet right in front of my van. There was a barb wire fence running along the road a few feet away. It was still pretty windy and I was using a cheap tripod easel that was real rickity. What I would do is tie my old army duffle bag full of clothes to the easel to keep it from blowing over. I started painting and in the distance there were a number of cows and a bull. They were about 300 yards away. As I was painting I noticed the bull walking along the fence in my direction at a slow pace, but I figured no problem, there was a fence there. Then as he rounded a corner in the road just about 100 yards from me I realized he was on the same side of the fence that I was. I didn't have time to break things down, but just jumped in the van as he walked by. When I did a gust of wind blew the painting face down in the dusty road. I got out and retrieved my painting after the bull walked on by. The dust was very fine an was embedded in the whole picture but you couldn't see it, but if you touched it it felt just like a real fine sandpaper. Well I just went on and finished the painting, so now I not only have a landscape painting of Mount Lindsey, I have some of the actual landscape in my painting.
   I packed up and headed into Walsenburg to the Safeway and restocked my supplies: quart of apple juice, 6 pack of beer, canned beef tamales, 2 bananas, yogurt, and raisin bran cereal. The cereal cost more than the beer.
    I went up 25 a ways and stopped at the Huerfano Battle Scenic Area. then on to a camping area in the San Isabel National Forest Recreation Area where I spent the night. Now for a note on how dumb our government bureaucracy is. I just read a newspaper article about how the number of people using the national forest is going down. And of course they paid for a research study as to why. The study came up with all kinds of things that the forest people had no control over. Not their fault. One person the writer interviewed nailed it on the head. It was because they were charging now for what use to have been free. I know this applies to me, because I have a principle of never paying for where I stay. When I started out on my travels it was a given that I could stay in any national forest for free-only primitive or no facilities but that was fine with me. As time went by they started doing improvements or just started charging for different more select areas. So I started going less and less to these areas, because I never could tell whether it was free or not. My attitude is damn the improvements just keep it wild and free.
   76.1 miles for the day, $9.08 average expenses.

A painting done later from slide Wldflowers by Road 16x20

Mount Lindsey 20x24

September 4, 1980 Day 10 Eastern Colorado-Between the Prairie and the Mountains

Went to leave and the car stalled and flooded, this has happened a

number of times now and is kind of unsettling since I have very little

money less than $100 now) and am often out in the middle of nowhere.

Got off about 40 minutes later and stopped at a picnic area (Davenport)

and walked down the Squirrel Creek Trail, only about 3/4s mile.

After this short hike I continued into Florence where I treated myself to

a donut and coffee at the Daylight Donut Shop. This doesn't qualify as a

real donut shop to me because it isn't open 24 hours, which is important

when you keep strange hours, but you generally don't find them in the

rural areas. Next back to civilizaton-Colorado Springs where I was able to

go to a real donut shop. I felt I needed another being away from them for

several days.

Back to the woods-Pikes National Forest where I stayed at one of their

campgrounds. I did a painting of the valley and mountains to the north

and I gave this away a few days later to a friend from college that was

living in Denver and I failed to take a photo of it so I don't have it on

record and don't really know what it looks like.

September 5, 1980 Day 11 From the Backwoods to Denver

I moved to an area by Manitou Lake in Pikes National Forest and started a

16x20 inch painting of the lake and Pikes Peak. This is a lot too cover and I

didn't finish it, but after sitting around for a while an unfinished painting can

become finished without doing any more work on it just by accepting it as it is.

After leaving the forest I went north on 67 and began following the Platte

River. I took advantage of the river to take a bucket shower. Getting a little

chilly but by concentrating on the tan tien I didn't feel cold then back to the van

and dry off-the body starts putting off so much heat that it can warm up the van

a couple degrees. This was a really nice route which feels like you are out in the

middle of nowhere and then I hit another road and there I am in the urban

sprawl of Denver.

I got the phone number of my college friend from the phonebook and got

directions to his house. His wife, who had taken art classes when I did just had

their first baby that day and they were both pretty excited. I parked there for the

night and my staying in the van kept me out of the way. It's a great way to visit

people because you have your own space, bed, food, etc. and you don't interfere

to much with other peoples' schedules. And as I am updating this entry I realize

that baby is now 38 years old.

September 6,1980 Day 12 Hanging in Denver

I went to downtown Denver and one of the first places I went was the

Denver Art Museum. Another friend from college had a used book store in

Denver and after finding another parking place near downtown that was

free parking I went looking for the store which after finding I moved the

van there and spent the afternoon at the store with my friend, and

checked things out. Interesting neighborhood and nice for walking

around. Can't remember the name of the store but it was next to the Star

Agency, a entertainment booking agency, and one of the days I was in

Denver they had a trmendous jazz alto player performing for free. That

evening I went back and parked for the night by my other friend's house

again. It's very seldom on my travels that I stay in the same location or

even area more than one night. Funds are getting really low and the plan

is to spend some time in the area and do a kind of loop tour in the three

state area while I am waiting for my mother to send me an insurance

check for the stuff I had stolen on my last trip up in Hartford Connecticut.

September 7,1980 Day 13

After giving Bill the painting of Pike's Forest I went downtown to the

book store again. I left three paintings there to see if Harvey could sell

them, then I headed north on 76. It's hard to avoid the interstates in

parts of the west because they converted the regular through road into

the interstate and the side roads often dead end. But once route 6 split

off on it's own I followed it. I stopped at a picnic table in Hillrose and had

lunch. Then a little further northeast I stopped at Prewitt Reservoir. The

mosquitos were pretty bad so I stayed pretty much in the van but I

thought it had a good potential for a painting the next day. With the

mention of mosquitos I want to mention the screens I had made for the

van. I cut out nylon netting for each window that opened-the two roll

down windows in the front and the pop out windows in the back. Then I

sewed velcro around the edge of the screens and glued the other part of

the velcro around the windows making them easy to attach and remove

and they worked really well and with the two ceiling vents I called my

van the flow through tea bag. It made the 90 degree plus days and

nights bearable without being bothered by insects.

133.2 miles for the day, average daily expenses down to $7.52 with

about $60 left.

September 8,1980 Day 14 North to Nebraska

I got up early, a little after six and cleaned up the van, then did some

work on my previous canvas. I started work on another canvas of trees

along the lane but it got too windy, so I moved into the van and tried to

finish from there. As things got brighter the interesting colors that I had

seen the night before disappeared. It was a little after three and I wanted

to move on while I had daylight.

I got to Sterling and was feeling tired so I took a short nap. Then onto

Sidney, Nebraska where I stopped at the Safeway for supplies. I followed

the 385 detour route and parked on a closed off road for the night. It would

have to wait for tomorrow and daylight to start exploring Nebraska.

Prewitts Reservoir 12x16

September 9, 1980 Day 15

I was traveling on the backroads now going in the general direction of

northwest. I stopped at a granery by the railroad tracks to do an oil

painting. Next I headed for the natural outcroppings in the sandstone

hills called Courthouse and Jail Rock. I did a watercolor sketch in this area

and then moved on to see Chimny Rock where I did another watercolor. I

haven't uploaded any watercolors yet for two reasons. They are not as

well marked and so a lot of them are just somewhere and the other

reason is traveling like I was and using a sketchbook they got somewhat

beat up and rained on a couple of times. But the ones from here I can

recognize and I will try to scan them and upload them later.

Now to the ironies. As people traveled west along the Oregon Trail these

places were landmarks showing the way, and people wanted to

commemorate thier passing and there are quite a number of names and

symbols, sayings scratched in the soft sandstone. These are protected by

law and it is now unlawful to do what the pioneers did. Scratch your name

in the sandstone-it is now considered vandelism. Present day people are

not considered colorful or a part of history. So I didn't keep up the

tradition of the previous legal generations of inscribers. Jim isn't a real

colorful moniker anyway. I guess I could of used the nickname

"moonman" which I some how picked up when I was in college. I guess it

was from staring at the moon. But anyway what will happen is that as the

sandstone continues to erode all the historic names will be gone and we

haven't been allowed to leave any reminders of our passing. So years

from now a tourist won't be looking at the rocks and say "Look, someone

named Moonman was here back in 1980." But don't worry. I think there

are enough lawbreakers so that something will be there.

Next it was on to another much larger geological speciman-Scott's Bluff

National Monument. A big monolith that has resisted eroding. I hiked up

the 1.6 mile path to the top for a panoramic view of all the surrounding

prairie. Down below I jumped when I was taken by surprise by a

rattlesnake. I didn't surprise it because someone had cut off its head. On

the way up, which was a narrow trail that skirted the edge of the cliff I

had another bit of excitement. I ran into a bull snake in the middle of the

narrow path, aobut 3 feet wide, cliff to my right and shear dropoff to the

left. Now they always say snakes are more afraid of you then you are of

them and just give them a chance to leave. This foot and a half inch snake

wasn't leaving. It was rearing up, spitting and hissing and staying right in

the middle of the path. I waved my hands in the air and shouted, I

backed down the trail and picked up rocks to throw at it and it wouldn't

budge. Suddenly a runner came up the trail and I shouted there was a

snake but too late. I could say the snake struck him and he fell of the trial

to his death but that wouldn't be true. He kind of hopped in the air when

he saw it and kept on running up the trail. So I got up my nerve and kind

of hopped around it and went on up, hoping it would be gone when I

came back down.

On my way back to the car I saw a sign pointing to the original Oregon

Trail and sure enough you could still see the old wagon wheel ruts in the

dirt.

Next I headed into the city of Scottsbluff and went to one of my favorite

Mister Donuts in the country. I had a coffee and donut and two free refills

for $.57. And what was so nice is that they had a sign on the wall saying

that you could have two free refills. Now for a little history lesson. Back

years ago when Mister Donut was about the only thing open all night

(there were so called blue laws everywere making it illegal to stay open-

hence 7-11 actually stood for the times that that convience store was

open) they would give free coffee and donuts to the police when they

came by. It helped discourage robberies because who's going to rob a

place that you will probably find the law at. And this was a sensible thing

to do to.. However it has generally been disallowed any more and the

police are supposed to pay for their stuff-it's seen as a form of bribery and

it also was abused. Take the night I was there. Two cops came in late in

their cruiser and got their free donuts and coffee, took an break and then

when they went to leave one of the cops asked for two dozen donuts to

take with him-gratis. When they left I figured by what the waitresses

were saying this was a regular thing for this guy to do.

Clothes washing chores at a laundromat on 71 north, a six pack of

generic beer from a liquor store next door and then going further north I

found a cutoff next to 71 where I stopped for the night. A full day.

Granery by the Railroad Tracks, Nebraska

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