2026 TRIP

Today was pretty much uneventful since I wasn’t meeting anyone and I was driving through Iowa and Nebraska. The drive was approximately 575 miles.  When I left Cedar Rapids it was overcast and within 45 minutes the heavens opened and there was a most torrential downpour. Thankfully it lasted less than 3 minutes but not so thankfully it recurred 2 more times at about 20 minutes intervals.  The good news was it helped to remove the dead bugs from my windshield and front of the car.  After that it brightened up to become a beautiful day with temps in the 80’s.

Yesterday I searched on yelp and trip advisor to find a good restaurant for tonight’s dinner. There were no good options in fact one reviewer wrote the following: “If you have to eat in Ogallala… don’t.”  So I wound up eating at a Mickey D’s.  I save the receipts for discounts so dinner tonight for 12 McNuggets and a diet coke cost a grand total of $3.41.  I’m living high on the hog... that is not a reference to last night's terrible pork chop.

So now you ask why did I choose to stop in Ogallala.  My next important stop is Salt Lake city, Utah to visit good dear friends Ann and Dick Engar.  I met them through my involvement with the Academy of General Dentistry.  It's approximately a 1,200 mile drive from Cedar Rapids to Salt Lake City and that is too much driving even for me in one day.  So i picked a location approximately midway where there was also a Hilton property to spend the night.  Why else would someone stop in Ogallala???  By the way if you want to exercise your tongue say Ogallala 5 times fast.  Are you really doing it?