Truck, Truck, Goose

One thing I can say about staying in the Motel 6 every night is that you occasionally find remnants of some previous occupant's encounters with the American Situation. For instance, upon exiting the shower in the Omaha 6, I found that the steam had revealed a message previously scrawled in the condensation on the bathroom mirror. It read: "Deliver the pizza." It made me feel like, for a brief instant, I had gotten a glimpse into someone else's life and was able to see their frustrated, inebriated face in the mirror as they inexplicably cajoled the delivery person with a message that would never be read by the intended party.

So, lots of corn and plains happened between there and Laramie, Wyoming. We managed to catch most of the presidential debate on the radio. It took us several minutes of sifting as it seemed like the only news Nebraskans care about is sports. Otherwise, there was a solitary island of classic rock among an ocean of christian and country stations.

Upon arriving in Laramie, we discovered that the Motel 6 there was full up due to some kind of conference at the college, and the next one was a few hours down the road in Rock Springs. So, Paul made a phone reservation there and stopped to fortify himself with a sandwich.

It was at this point that I realized that I was in my friend Susan's current stomping grounds and I left her a message in the faint hope that she was down the road and free. I had pretty much given up hope on that possibility by the time we had rolled into Rock Springs. However, after a brief text/phone exchange, I discovered that not only did she live in Rock Springs, but her house was in fact only about THREE BLOCKS from the Motel 6. Some might call that fate. So, while Chris and Paul slipped off into unconsciousness, I slipped out and rode around town at five in the morning having a pleasant, if brief, time catching up with Susan.

In the parking lot of the full Motel 6, I discovered Wyoming's motto and had it later confirmed by Susan. "Wyoming: Where the trucks outnumber the people."