As one drives a substantial distance across our United States – our trip was something over 1,700 miles in 2 1/2 days – one observes things that range from the ordinary to the bizarre.  The drive from the Phoenix area to Payson AZ is beautiful.  Huge vistas, deep canyons and amazing rock formations.  Once we reach Holbrook AZ we hit the interstate system and usually stay on the freeway.  For instance, typically we take Interstate 80 through Omaha and pickup Interstate 29 North but because of the problems with I 29 last year we decided to take US 83 out of North Platt up to Interstate 90 in South Dakota.  What a contrast with the drive from Phoenix to Payson. Driving about 120 miles through the Nebraska sand hills there was one small town and a few ranches but nothing else – grazing cattle and mile after mile of rolling sand hills, some covered with grasses other showing large patches of sand. Contrasting such a huge area with little or no habitation to the congested areas of our country leaves one with the questions – What are we missing?  It makes going from the sublime to the ridiculous seem insignificant. Sitting in a traffic jam that is miles long contrasted with going miles and not seeing another vehicle or human being.  You may have thought that windmills pumping water were a thing of the past. Maybe in most places but not in the Nebraska Sand Hills.  We saw many windmills spinning and pumping water into stock tanks for the cattle.  While not on our current trip but going from Wickenberg, AZ to Kingman AZ is much like the Nebraska Sand Hills but the Sand Hills have an even more remote feeling.  At least there is more vehicular traffic on the Wickenberg/Kingman route.

Watching some people drive leaves one wondering what is going on – we followed one woman through a 12 mile construction zone with a 55 mph speed limit.  She was in a pickup and was obviously talking to someone in the other seat – even though we could not see anyone – talking on a phone but using her hands or ???? and she was doing it at 25 to 30 mph on Interstate 90!  Thankfully she pulled off 2 miles short of the construction zone end. And then there are the semi trucks that attempt to pass on uphill grades and take forever backing up traffic.  The dreaded orange signs – a construction zone coming – keep things interesting.  It never ceases to amaze me that it seems necessary to block off 2 or 3 miles of roadway to work on 100 feet!  Or why have two long construction zones going at the same time on the same stretch of freeway rather than having all of the resources on one stretch at a time? Evidently things like this are above my pay grade.

All things said, the trip was relatively uneventful and we arrived safely here in Alexandria Minnesota.  Now if the weather will cooperate we might be able to play some golf but with our luck with May weather the last 4 years that is doubtful.