One of both the joys and sorrows of my field is the need to periodically travel. Usually it's during the three summer months. But this week I'm traveling for my thesis research to look at a collection in Western Nebraska.
I left about 3pm Central Time to drive the six and a half hours west. I wish that I had the hootzpah to take pictures as I drive at 75mph, but I don't. Late afternoon is so beautiful when traveling west. This is when I feel the passage of time most accutely. The sun is visibly sinking lower before you as you race toward the light. In the rearview mirror you watch the night falling, traveling on the edge of the day.
One of my favorite parts of traveling is the quirkiness found along the way. In my recent voyages I found a gas station that advertised "classy restrooms." In North Platte, one gas station carries the sign "Welcome to Nowhere." Following a truck on the interstate labeled on the back "Do not hump truck." Seriously. Is this a problem?
And at the end of the road there's the reward. Going from this:
to this:
80 degrees, sunny, and little wind the first week of March. Doesn't get better than this.
"And thus goes all to the world but I. And I am sunburnt." - Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare.
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